Onward and Upward

Coach Dean with Arizona Running Club (formally RxRunning) always signs off his emails

Onward and Upward

I've known Dean for nine years and the Onward and Upward sign off is always uplifting.  If I'm running great I'm on the Upward.  If I'm injured (which occurs more frequently than I wish), the Onward is hopeful.

For the past six months I've had a tough time with running.  Lacking speed, motivation and endurance running wasn't fun and I compared myself to the prior me.  Comparing myself to the prior me lead to nothing but a depressive pity party.  I wanted dearly to be back to the prior me...even the nine years ago prior me when I first started running.  Knowing the only way to get there was to get out there and not worry about speed, just start running.

I finally feel like I have my mojo back. I've went out to Dean's track practice twice,  I'm up to a 10 miles long run and have been out to 5K's and 10K's. It's been great being at the races and seeing all the runners. I even ran into my good bead-nose friend Jeff from Running Thru Phoenix at the Moon Valley 5k and I'm looking forward to the Fiesta Bowl half in December and Ragnar in February.  

It's so wonderful having the Onward and Upward motivation back.

Happy Running!

Ugh....Back to Work

Ack! Tomorrow I head back to work.  Three weeks off of work after carpal tunnel hand surgery and I don't feel ready.  The lists of things I wanted to do, the peace of relaxation after being bored and the organization of the closets didn't happen.  Time went so fast and unfortunately much of the beginning of it I couldn't do much because of my hand.  

On the topic of my hand, it is healing quite well albeit very stiff and uncomfortable in the morning.  It is still challenging to hand write but typing is pretty good. Was three weeks off long enough?  Tomorrow will tell. 

So now that my "vacation" is done, what's next? First I need to get into a routine again.  Maybe with a routine and my lists I can feel sane.  Oh, scratch that...that's a fluffy concept that doesn't seem to really exist.  I'm hoping to get into a running routine, an evening reroutine of attempting to be productive and stay up on paperwork (famous last words spoken every year.) 

What do you do to stay balanced?  To prioritize and keep up with the never ending tasks? 

I'm off to make dinner, feed the kitties and ponder what my first day back shall bring.

Happy running!

The Gap: An Inspirational Video by Ira Glass

Over a year ago I received a camera for my birthday and I've been practicing on improving my photography. However, the image conjured in my mind doesn't equate to the finished image on my computer screen.  This gap leads to disappointment.  This video is timely since just this morning I thought maybe I should put the camera aside. But if I did that, I would ignore the killer instinct, wouldn't improve or lessen The Gap.

While the video targets creative people, it applies to runners too. The desire to get better yet having the inevitable disappointment.

Enjoy this video by Ira Glass.
THE GAP by Ira Glass from frohlocke on Vimeo.

Fat Cells Screaming STOP! First Run After Carpal Tunnel Surgery

I can always tell when I've had a long break from running.  I itch all over when I run.  My thighs, stomach, butt, arms... everything itches. I figure that's due to the fat cells being jiggled, not enjoying it one bit and screaming STOP!

I went for my first run after carpal tunnel surgery and my fat cells got quite comfortable in the 7 day running break and jiggled till they itched.  What didn't itch, hurt or feel numb was my hand.  Prior to surgery after 1.5 miles my right hand felt numb; so my 4 mile run was a good test and there was no numbness.

I knew prior to the surgery I was underestimating the discomfort and I was right, it hurt much more than I expected. I thought I would be able to write with a pen, work on the computer, take pictures and work on my taxes the day after surgery. It took a week before I felt I could actually write and type on the computer (although using the mouse with the left hand is still more comfortable).  I did take pictures over the weekend and took frequent breaks and learned to move the zoom with my left hand instead of the right.

One thing that surprised me and got me lots of compassion is the bruising and the swelling.  The first two days after surgery I had to keep my hand held above my heart to reduce the swelling and blood flowing into the fingers. Even though I followed doctors orders, the fingers still swelled and each day became more purple until it looked like I hadn't washed my hand for a month.

The area above the bandage changed coloring and looks bruised

If you're reading this blog because you're contemplating surgery, here's what I can tell you about post surgery:

• Running and sleeping is without the numbness. I've heard this from other people that the relief from the discomfort from the carpal tunnel is immediate. It's just the surgery that hurts.
• It's surgery. Don't fool yourself and think because it's a common surgery it's not going to hurt. It's still surgery and it still hurts.
• My doctor said I could go back to work the next day or he could give me up to 6 weeks off.  I opted for three weeks off.  There is no way I could have used a computer or written with a pen the day after. After one week I'm feeling well enough to write and can type. Using the mouse is uncomfortable but lower on my arm instead of on the incision. I'm hopeful that after 3 weeks I'll feel relaxed and have some projects and my taxes done. I'll be a new person with a working right hand.
• Each day there is more movement with the fingers and not too many things aggravate it. I can open doors now( I didn't have the strength or ability to grab a door knob the first 5 days), dressing myself is better but pulling up my pants is still a delicate situation. I have to re-position my hands a lot to prevent discomfort or twisting my hand wrong.  I haven't tried putting my bra on myself yet but will try tomorrow.
• I kept my bandage till the 8th day and it didn't hurt to take it off. It was so wonderful showering without a plastic bag and rubberband over my hand.
• The incision area is still going to hurt for awhile.  My doctor said that it'll probably be a couple months before I can do a pushup without feeling it.  Considering I'm not a giant fan of pushups anyways, I'm not heart broken to hold off on them.
• Milk it for all it's worth.  I haven't had to make dinner or wash the dishes in a week and I think I can get another week out of it.

A big thanks to my sweetie for taking care of me, making my meals, doing the dishes and helping me out.  

Happy Running!

The Caretakers House- Tovrea Castle

John and I took a tour of the Tovrea Castle, also known as the wedding cake castle  and out of all the cool pictures I got, I love this ricky, falling down house which was the caretakers house.

I was so fortunate the day was cloudy allowing some awesome pictures.

Finding the M in Mojo

I didn't quite find my running mojo, but I received great comments on my blog and saw running friends, which was unplanned.

The first running friend that graced my week and motivated me was Emily.   If you've followed my adventures, you'll know that I'm a Ragnarite, and have no problems running with complete strangers. Emily, her friend Carrie and I ran Florida Keys together in 2012 and got along smashingly.  We hung out an extra day in the Keys (which I highly recommend everyone do) and drove back (long, long drive) back to Tampa where I caught my plane.   We've kept in touch and so when I received an email she was in town for a conference (only companies on tight budgets have conferences in Phoenix during the summer) I knew I had to get together with her.

Dinner was awesome and we talked running.  Talking running is always so motivating and I felt the M in 'mojo' taking shape.  After dinner we drove a loop where Emily would run the next morning (she's a brave Minnesotan woman to run in the heat).

On Thursday, obviously still in the eating out mode, I went to Pita Jungle for lunch and ran into Jeff.  Jeff, whose indian name is Beadnnos, also ran Ragnar with me at Del Sol.  We talked about my mojo and he said his goal is to sludge through the summer running.  That's pretty much my goal too and I know I can plod my way through the heat.

My third point of motivation was going to track on Thursday night.  While I was quite wussy and only ran 6 x 400's I found myself considering running the Tucson marathon.  I have a secret desire to get a BQ again and show Boston that it can't beat me like it did in 2011 (luckily I was not there this year).Jamie, from track, is training for a BQ and while he was standing on the sidelines and I was running by during my warmup he called out to me

"Would you run Tucson with me?  I want a BQ"

"Absolutely NOT! " I yelled back as I jogged by.  "I'm not in shape."

I kept running my lap.  What if I could get a BQ? Since I'm turning a year older I would need a 3:55, which is very doable (at least in my heat exhausted brain it is). When I ran by him the next time I called out.

"maybe"

So that's where I'm at and tomorrow I'm running with another friend (who I also ran Ragnar with) who is running PF Changs RNR going for a BQ.  With so any people this week motivating me, I'm ready to write out my running schedule (with my glass of wine in hand), and seriously consider trying to work through my loss of running mojo, my muscle turned to fat syndrome and my hamstring discomfort.

So maybe I really did find the M in my running 'mojo'. 

Happy Running!

Dance Lapse- Learning to Dance in a Year

I'm mesmerized by this video and what Karen accomplished in a year-she taught herself how to dance. Everyday she committed to practicing, learning and taking one step closer to her goal.  This just goes to show you that you can learn a new language, a craft, photography, running, or how to dance by working towards a little each day.

At the beginning she clearly doesn't know how to dance and within three months the improvement is amazing.  The video jumps to 365 days later when she dances at a San Francisco subway station.



You can learn more about Karen and her tips for striving towards a goal by visiting her website.

Where did my running mojo go?

I’ve lost my running mojo.  Yea, I still run but without the love and the belief I’m doing what is mine to do.  I’ve put on weight, run slower and all without the spark, the desire to get out there and run.  I keep complaining about it but haven’t made a change.  You know that saying the definition of insanity is doing the exact same thing and expecting different results.

I decided it’s time to make a change. I set my intention to just get out and run.  An intention is different than a goal. A goal is a measurable activity such as I’m going to run 6 miles by a specific date, or run 8 minutes per mile in a half marathon.  If I started with just the goal and didn’t meet the goal, I would fail.  I wouldn’t know how to keep increasing my way towards the goal.  To me, that’s what an intention is, moving me forward to improvement and ultimately toward my goal.

When I have my running mojo it gives me such joy. I set my intention to get out and run knowing in turn, overtime, because I set my intention, I’ll get my mojo back.

My intention is to get out there.

Simple as that. 

If I know my intention is to run: 

• It will encourage me to get up when my alarm goes off when I truly want to roll over. 
• It will encourage me to enjoy the birds in the trees and not focus on being faster.
• It will encourage me to run past the corner and run one mile before I decide today’s not a good day for running.
• It will encourage me to run fartleks, a minute faster, a minute slower
• It will encourage me to not focus on where ‘I should be’. 

I know that by setting an intention and keeping in my mind, there is no place to go but towards it.

Have you lost your running mojo? Did you set intentions or goals to work towards getting it back?

Happy Running!

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

In my post about the parrots that weren't there, I talked about my new friend Rafaella from Lima, Peru. On our departure day we would have a 6 hour layover at the Lima airport and thought it would be a great opportunity to see a little bit of Lima and get dinner.  Rafaella's mom, Jessica, told us a restaurant to go to and arranged a driver for us because taxi's at the airport were expensive.  We were so thankful for her arranging this for us.

We arrived in Lima after our short plane flight from Puerto Maldonado and saw this gentleman holding a sign. He was so sweet.  He was dressed very nice and had made the sign by hand, making little scribbles to create the sign.  In the states, someone would have an iPad with the name typed in, a little white board or something printed.  Rarely are signs in the states made with such care as this sign.

I believe in Peru anyone with a vehicle, any type of vehicle whether it be motorcycle, lawnmower on wheels or a true car, can get a taxi license.  There are no requirements for size, condition or safety. Vehicle = source of income so it must be very competitive.

I really wish I remembered this gentleman's name because he was incredible sweet and accommodating.  His driving, however, is what now makes this story quite funny. I'll refer to our driver as Mr. Toad.

Have you ever been on the ride at Disneyland called Mr. Toads Wild Ride?  That is what this felt like.  Michele, who sat in the middle, had to be blindfolded so she couldn't see.  Actually she wasn't blindfolded but we should have to help keep her calm.  In Mr. Toad's defense, I think everyone in Peru drives crazy and he was just weaving and driving in the middle of the road to get to point A.  Weaving aside, there were no headlights on the car and it was night.  Not dusk, but dark.

We stopped to take a quick picture and I checked there were indeed no headlights and when I got back in the car I noted nicely how the headlights didn't appear to be on.  He turned on his high beams and his hazard lights and this is how we drove around until somehow they turned off and Michele's heart rate would increase and someone asked to turn the lights on again.  Again the hazards and high beams went on and we'd weave through traffic.  We did drive many miles though in complete darkness and sometimes crossing the road and pulling into traffic.

Mr. Toad was a Peruvian fold dance teach for the university and his english was very good.  If I remember right he had 9 children, or was that grandchildren.  You could tell he didn't have much money and his school income wasn't substantial, hence the driving job. We paid him the amount agreed on plus some.  He could use the money to repair his headlights (we hope!)

Militant Childs Parade in Puerto Maldonado

Afte the 2.5 hour boat ride from the lodge back to Puerto Maldonado we had a couple hours before catching our plane to Lima.  School must have been closed that day for the parade in which every school seemed to participate.  School after school in uniforms marched by in Hitler militant style down the people lined main street in Puerto Maldonado.  There was no rhyme or reason to organization and a school would just jump in the middle of the parade if it was ready to go.  Compare that with the states where it is very organized and everyone is given the specific order they must go in.  The lack of red tape and yet still seeing everything come together was refreshing.

4 year olds?  Maybe 5 years old?

She did not want to participate in the parade.

My Favorite Apps

My top five favorite apps is the topic for  first theme day in the Blogathon.  I consider Apps to be smart phone programs and while I have downloaded some and used them for a short time, I am not handcuffed to social media to continually check and update.  I can never remember my facebook password to sign on with my phone, I don't tweet and haven't fallen down the Pinterest rabbit hole, yet.

So instead of smart phone apps I'll tell you about my top five regular applications that I use at home.

1. Lightroom by Adobe - Last year I got a DSLR camera for my birthday and now I spend time taking pictures and editing them in Lightroom.  Everyone always asks me is that like Photoshop?  The end result is similar but Lightroom was designed for photographers by photographers so it's user friendly and not confusing and complicated like Photoshop.
2. iTunes- I love listening to podcasts on my work commute and am often in iTunes to download current episodes or search for new podcasts.  My latest favorite podcast is 'I Should be Writing' by Mur Lafferty. 
3. Excel- I do everything on spreadsheets and will even open up a spreadsheet to add numbers together.  It's so much easier than taking out the calculator.
4. Quicken -  I have my personal accounts and rental business accounts on Quicken and daily enter information, download data from the bank, run reports or reconcile bank accounts.
5. Outlook- Gotta check my emails

I feel pretty boring in that 3 of the top 5 apps are business related but that's just the reality of what is.  One app I do have on my phone is the bubble app.

  I can pull out my phone and confirm my stove is not level which is why my cakes aren't level. 

Pic from Cake Wrecks

What are your favorite apps?

2013 Blogathon

Last year in May I participated in my first Blogathon.  For a month I blogged everyday and thoroughly enjoyed the experience.  This year I thought I wouldn't be able to participate because of my long vacation in May and then I found out the Blogathon is in June.

When I registered I needed to say my goal for the 2013 Blogathon.  Duh, to blog everyday, right?  But it is more than that.  My unrealistic goal is to be happy, to blog and figure out my life.  My realistic goal is to get out of non-blogging funk, if only for one month and blog about my Peru trip.  I enjoy writing and blogging but lately adding one more thing to my list is overwhelming.  It's not like I'm a busy bee flirting from one activity to another, it's stagnation because I don't know where to start, what to do, how to start, how to finish so I do nothing. It's a funk.  My second goal is to find a different reader since Google Reader is going away and I haven't made a switch yet.  If you're using a reader, what are you using?

If you're interested in challenging yourself to blog every day, follow this link and sign up.  It's free and there is a great group of people to meet.

Happy Writing

Las Vegas Rugby Seven's

Three years ago in an attempt to get good girlfriend points, I sat with John for two days of a Rugby sevens tournament in Vegas.  With nothing better to do, I kept score and became engrossed with the game and surprisingly discovered I loved it.

Last weekend we froze our butts off in Vegas watching three days of Rugby. This year I had a fancy new camera I got for my birthday and took pictures of the game.  On Friday night I was able to sit at the bottom of the stadium steps, dangle my legs into the field area and use the railing to rest and steady the camera.  I practiced capturing pictures with hopes that some would turn out sharp enough.

Rugby is quite brutal and physically tolling on these athletes and I love capturing the expressions and pain from the players when they are being tackled.

I love this picture because the Kenya athlete on the bottom looks surprised to be in that position.

 In this picture there is so much going on.  On the left you have Fiji player hitting the ground so hard he's cringing from the impact, the red headed England player running towards the action with England trying to take the ball from Fiji.

Looking through my pictures I realized I really like the tackle pictures better than the running pictures.  I have hundreds of pictures to look through and I'm sure I'll have many more that show action, emotion and pain.

Rain + Color = Wet Color Run

Rain is something that happens in other places in the country.  In Phoenix it doesn't rain it spits.  Unless of course you sign up for a Color Run and it rains and rains and rains.  The color ended up being a muddy mess (think of adding every color of the rainbow, mixing it in water and dumping it on yourself).  Despite the rain me and my co-workers had a fantastic time.

For The Color Run everyone wears a white shirt and at each 1K, a different color is thrown at you.

Michelle and Trisha are thinking about being a blueberry for the next Halloween

The plastic bags we were wearing were ditched because 1) we were already soaked anyways, 2) what fun is it if you're all covered up?  It's all about the color!

Not only did I want to color my shirt blue but also my hand and Trisha's face too.  Actually she managed that herself by wiping her face with her wet, color ridden glove.  Even after showering when I got home I still had blue on my skin and in areas that weren't directly touched with blue. I wonder what Trisha's face looks like now?

At the blue station there was so much water we tromped through giant colored puddles and I couldn't help but jump through the puddles.

Sandy, Karen, Christina, Michelle, Paulina, Trisha

We are already planning on next year participating but hopefully no rain!

Happy Running!

Our Ecological Footprint

Giorgio, my awesome virtual running friend,  got me thinking when he posted The Earth has another three billion years

 We, people who live in the Northern emisphere of the world, have taken everything for granted, particularly fuels, commodities, environment and that sort of things. Anyway, I am reasonably optimistic although we have got to be careful: the ecological footprint of nations shows that humans are horribly depleting the world, but I think there's an optimistic future!

 What do I do for the environment? What is my footprint?

People say that running is a low impact on the environment because all we need are our running shoes and out the door blazing trails we go.  But what about the rubber from the shoes?  Especially if the shoes go to a landfill?  What about the people that travel for races on planes, trains and automobiles?  What is the footprint impact on that?  I'm not saying we shouldn't go run races because then we aren't creating experiences.  What's the balance?

Cigarette butt next to a pond

If everyone does something to make our earth better those little things add up.  I think it's being conscious also and trying to make better choices.

Here are some things that I do to have a positive impact on the environment.

1. I donate my used shoes to goodwill or better yet Soles4Shoes, who ships them to countries where they can't afford shoes. Imagine our throw away items gives someone a better life.
2. I've stopped buying small bottles of water for parties.  At home we use water filtered from the fridge but would buy the individual bottles for a party. Now I buy a gallons of water and put out cups with a sharpie so guests can refill their cups.
3. If I have an cup of water that needs to be emptied, I dump it in the bushes outside of the kitchen instead of down the kitchen drain.
4. I use the philosophy "if it's yellow, let it mellow.  If it's brown, flush it down."
5. Our shower also has a tub spout so while waiting for the water to warm up, we fill up a bucket and then dump that into the pool or trees (yes, the pool takes up a lot of water and is something that kind-of clashes with sustainability but it was already at the house when we bought it.)
6. John composts.  He picks up coffee from Starbucks and collects leaves from the neighbor.
7. John set up 2 rain barrel collection systems in our backyard to collect rain water off the roof
8. I'm attempting a garden and so far can grow eggplant, basil and lettuce too.

What do you do to help the environment and reduce your footprint?

2012 Top Blog Posts

I love looking at the statistics to see what's popular, what people are searching on and where people are from.  Here are my top visited posts of 2012 in case you missed them.

Top 5

Ragnar Relay Tips

Why I like my Garmin 305 better than Garmin 610

Running movies and documentaries

Zombie attack while out on my long run and then the video I found a week after my zombie post is here

Running safety gadgets and clothing


My Favorite
The zombie video is definitely one of my favorite posts and here are a couple others.

Tim Burton Inspired cake zoetrope

Favorite cheering sign - worst parade ever

Discussion with the bomb squad

Some injuries take longer to heal

Where the magic happens

Top of All Time
4 years ago on 12/28/2008 I did my very first post and I've had my ebbs and flows with writing and running and it's been a great journey. The top 5 posts of all time are

Ham on a string

Got Poop

Road ID- Coupon code for your order

Ragnar Packing List

National Donut Day- June 3

Catching Stray Cats

Four stray cats have been wandering around the house and when I started feeding them (you can't have a kitty go hungry) I knew I would have to try and fix them too. The Animal Defense League of Arizona has low cost ($25 per feral cat) or free if you fall in an area with their special program.   It is very important to fix stray cats so they don't reproduce more and more cats. They fight and breed when they aren't fixed.

I picked up 2 cages last Thursday for a Friday appointment and set the traps.  The traps are humane and the animals are NOT harmed.  John came home a couple hours later and announced I had caught a cat in the cage.  While he was putting his stuff away he noticed the back door was open.  Kali is an escape artist and learned to open a sliding glass door. Sure enough, the cat I caught was my well fed kitty and she wanted two dinners that night.  She looked up at me like "mom..I don't understand what's going on."  After releasing her I did catch another cat that evening and brought her in the next day.  It turns out she was already fixed.

When a stray cat is fixed, the left ear is clipped while they are under.  I hadn't noticed it on "Sunflower" ( I'm naming all the strays too) but now know what to look for.

I set the traps again today and caught Arabian, a beautiful orange but matted tabby. His ears are unclipped.   I know he doesn't understand why he's in the cage but it's better for him health-wise and all the other kitties to get him fixed.  

Need a Unique Gift for a Runner? How about a Toe Condom?

10 Gift Ideas for the Runner In Your Life

Do you fret over what gift to buy the runner in your life?

You know they love running because the running schedule is tacked over the kiddo's latest crayon drawings.  And they won't run on a dirt track or a rainy day because they have new shoes they don't want to get dirty.  And they have more than enough tech T's because races (at least the bigger ones) provide a tech T and the drawer is already crammed with cotton T's covering every color of the rainbow.

So what do you buy that runner that will make them jump up with joy and give you a great big hug?

1. A gift with safety in mind, is the Road ID. Road ID is identification worn as a bracelet, anklet, necklace or on the running shoe with contact and medical information about the runner. The anklet and bracelet styles are great for the triathlete going from water, to bike to road. I wrote a post about Road ID which includes coupon codes that are kept up to date.  Priced around $20 this is a great gift for the  runner, you and even your dog. (yep, they have a style for the dog too)
2. A race entry fee to a local race is sure to get you a thumbs up.  Make a day out of the gift giving a race entry followed by breakfast or lunch.  Or design a weekend out of town around a race.
3. Nite Ize has an awesome, super bright arm band to wear when you want cars and others to see you in the dark. At $12 this will slip easily into the Christmas stocking.
4. Guys, sorry this next one is just for girls.  Lululemon turbo speed shorts are extremely comfortable and the perfect length covering the butt cheeks. While a little pricey at $54, maybe only one may makes it into the running clothes drawer but that one pair will be coveted. Rather than wear the shorts for a short, solo run around the block, it'll be pulled out time and again for the longer runs or group runs.  Gotta show off the cute shorts when others can admire them too.
5. If Lululemon shorts were for the gals then nipple guards and toe condoms are for the guys.  Nipple guards prevent bloody nipples and can be worn "for multiple runs over 72 hours".  Now that's getting your monies worth out of a product.  Toe caps, AKA as toe condoms, protect the toe and toe nail from blisters and black toes.  During Ragnar Wasatch my girlfriend successfully warded off black toenails using the toe condoms. 
6. Every runner loves new socks and aren't always willing to spend the money themselves for new socks. Runner socks range from $8-20 a pair so grab a pair or two to give to any runner in your life.
7. Carrying small things like keys,phone, Chapstick or GU is easy with the Spibelt. The non-bouncing belt is a must have rather than cramming everything into pockets. The styles range from $20 to $30 with original styles to waterproof versions and even a spileash for the dog.
8. On cold nippy days, running gloves with the thumb fabric being soft for wiping running noses is a must. Running gloves today also have special fabric on thumbs for touch screen like the iPhone.
9. Garmin running watches range in functionality and price. Only need to track miles and pace without all the extra bells and whistles try the Forerunner 10 at $130. Needing to go from water to road?  The Forerunner 910XT is your watch for $449. With many more watches and varying functionality and price the runner in your life will love tracking miles and paces with a Garmin.
10. Compression socks are still popular touting recovery miracles. There are many brands to check out...Zoot, CEP, Asics, CW-X, and more.

 

My fav's are the hot pink CEP socks which I proudly wear in memory of Sally Meyerhoff. 

Happy Running!

note: I have not been compensated by any company to mention their product.Other than the toe condoms and nipple guards, I've used the products I listed as gifts and recommend them. 

Women's Half Marathon Expo and Un-Ultimate Goody Bag

Two years ago when the inaugural Arizona Women's Half Marathon was announced I wasn't going to run it, spend $90 on the race just because it was for women.  When I saw the finisher medal with the center charm, I changed my mind.  Now with the third year running the race, I am committed to running it every year and hope on the 25th year of running the race my name will be listed somewhere with the other handful of people running it each year after the very first 2010 race.

This year the 3-peat participants will receive a special charm mailed to them after the race.  The finisher medal is classy with the state of Arizona and a woman running etched in the state.

2012 Arizona Medal

I noticed the race is now a Competitor race (same as Rock n' Roll). Competitor found a business model that works and a big market for chain races like RnR's and Women's Half;s.  I felt when it was just Women's Running it was a company out to make money and now with it being Competitor I feel even more strongly the race fee is for profit.

Today I picked up my race packet at the expo. The goody bag in prior years was advertised as the ultimate goody bag but this year it's called a "designer" goody bag.  It is the same awesome "designer" goody bag as in years past but there is definitely nothing ultimate about the contents. Honestly it wasn't ultimate in years past either.  The bag contained GU (expresso flavor...yuck), a Luna bar and Lady Speedstick sample and flyers for other races. That's it.  The truth is I continue to be very jealous of Giorgio and the Black Knight with the loot which includes wine they get in their goody bags.

I also felt the expo was lacking in vendors.  There were 3 or 4 headband vendors, a couple clothes vendors, and fewer vendors gave away free stuff than last year.  I did score 2 chapsticks though. I wonder if Competitor running the event is one reason the ultimate goody bag is no longer and a weak vendor line-up (although the RnR event has an awesome expo). The vendors have to pay for the booths and if the prices are RnR prices, it's no wonder there were fewer vendors for a women's only race which is much smaller than RnR's.

What do you expect with a goody bag and vendor expo when the race fee is $90? Do I just need to get over it and quit hoping for the days of ole when a goody bag actually had great stuff in it?

Zombies on the Canal Video

These are the zombies that attacked us on our long run last Saturday.   1:21 minutes into the video you'll start to hear me screaming.

 

Here's what the group said with their youtube posting and a click here for a link to their post about this event.

There are a lot of organized zombie walks these days, but we wondered what people would do if a zombie outbreak happened somewhere they really didn't expect.

To find out, we organized a small group of pranksters to invade the Arizona canal to scare and entertain unsuspecting runners at 7am! We picked a section of the trail that's a common route for runners and bikers who are training for races this coming winter. We thought a little Zombie outbreak might give them some extra motivation to run fast!

We warned runners with a big sign about a "Zombie Outbreak", then got to work. Some were scared, some laughed, some stopped for pictures, and many ran out of there with an extra burst of speed, but everyone had fun.

For more information on pranks and flash mobs in the Phoenix area, check out http://improvaz.com.

Watch out for the zombies while out on the run.