5k Fun and Then Some

Posted by Steph

I have a confession. I am a “want to be” runner; I want to like it, but I really don’t. I want to be good at it, but I’m not. I keep doing it only because one day I just might wake up and actually be one. In the mean time I continue to add to my resume, learning a few things along the way, and of course, having a few good stories to tell.

My resume, to date, contains three 5k races. And a 5k is a 5K, correct? WRONG. Just because you run one does not mean that the next will be anything similar. The only things they have in common are that you run from point A to point B (which in fact I found out doesn’t necessarily mean that you run 5 kilometers, or 3.1 miles), and you receive a t-shirt as a token of thanks. Some people sleep or paint in theirs, but I proudly wear it as a symbol that I was victorious!

My first race, the Clinton 5k, gave me a false sense of what a 5k should be. It was a little disorganized in the beginning, with long lines, and lack of numbers, but the race itself was great; we were chipped to track our time, the course was mostly level, water stands along the way, and there was a time clock at the finish line. I just wish I would have been in better shape so I could have enjoyed it. Instead, I was passed by a tethered blind lady, came in second to last in my age division and thought I was going to die!

Thinking that all 5k were equal, I was determined to redeem myself in the Roy race. I thought I was somewhat prepared, that was, until the middle of the race when we were faced with a half mile stretch of major incline. All I was thinking was “What the ****! I have to walk and this is going to kill my time!” The time didn’t really matter anyway because they had no clock at the finish line, only a man with a stop watch, and a lady frantically writing down times.

I also learned that common sense isn’t so common. There are rules of the road, which means there are rules of a run. Simply stated: IF YOU ARE WALKING STAY TO THE SIDE! I, admittedly, am a slow runner, which means I am in the pack of participants which choose to run then walk, then run than walk, while I on the other had keep a slow, steady pace. I am constantly passing walkers who choose to stay right smack dab in the middle! All I can say is please, I beg you, get out of the way!

Last, but not least, was The West Point Elementary 5k. This happens to be my son's school, and their 150 year celebration! And what better way to celebrate than to talk some friends into running too!? Unfortunately for me the friends I picked were runners. Next time I'll pick friends that make me look good, not bad!

This race was well organized, had a time clock, and no blind ladies were present, so it looked to be my opportunity to really prove that all my hard work had paid off! I ran slow and steady ( I was passed my a pregnant lady and her dog), but I did not walk, even on the hills when I wanted to. I thought I would make better time than on my first and second 5k attempt, but when I rounded the corner to the finish line I was 3 minutes over my initial time. Discouragement set in.

Come to find out the course was actually 3.6 miles, which meant I ran a half a mile more!! I did improve my time and I ran the whole course!! I may have been slow, but I DID IT! Here we all are celebrating our success!

Hold that Donut!

Found an interesting article in TIME magazine called "Why Exercise Won't Make You Thin" and thought it was interesting. Here's some excerpts...

…The basic problem is that while it's true that exercise burns calories and that you must burn calories to lose weight, exercise has another effect: it can stimulate hunger. That causes us to eat more, which in turn can negate the weight-loss benefits we just accrued…

Whether because exercise made them hungry or because they wanted to reward themselves (or both), most of the women who exercised ate more than they did before they started the experiment. Or they compensated in another way, by moving around a lot less than usual after they got home.

Church…has a theory. "I see this…amongst, like, my wife's friends," he says. "They're like, 'Ah, I'm running an hour a day, and I'm not losing any weight.'" He asks them, "What are you doing after you run?" It turns out one group of friends was stopping at Starbucks for muffins afterward. Says Church: "…wow, you only burned 200 or 300 calories, which you're going to neutralize with just half that muffin."

All this helps explain why our herculean exercise over the past 30 years — all the personal trainers, StairMasters and VersaClimbers; all the Pilates classes and yoga retreats and fat camps — hasn't made us thinner. After we exercise, we often crave sugary calories like those in muffins or in "sports" drinks like Gatorade. A standard 20-oz. bottle of Gatorade contains 130 calories. If you're hot and thirsty after a 20-minute run in summer heat, it's easy to guzzle that bottle in 20 seconds, in which case the caloric expenditure and the caloric intake are probably a wash. From a weight-loss perspective, you would have been better off sitting on the sofa knitting…It's likely that I am more sedentary during my non-exercise hours than I would be if I didn't exercise with such Puritan fury

…We all need to move more — the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says our leisure-time physical activity (including things like golfing, gardening and walking) has decreased since the late 1980s, right around the time the gym boom really exploded.

In short, it's what you eat, not how hard you try to work it off, that matters more in losing weight.

NOW DON'T STOP RUNNING FOLKS, the article goes on to say…

People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases — those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer, diabetes and many other illnesses…

In addition to enhancing heart health and helping prevent disease, exercise improves your mental health and cognitive ability…Another study, released by the University of Alberta a few weeks ago, found that people with chronic back pain who exercise four days a week have 36% less disability than those who exercise only two or three days a week.

A Big Fat Poem

Lord, My soul is ripped with riot,
Incited by my wicked diet.
We are what we eat said a wise old man,
And Lord if thats true I'm a garbage can.
I want to rise on judgement day that's plain,
But at my present weight I'll need a crane.
So grant me strength that I may not fall,
Into the clutches of cholesterol.
And show me the light that i may bear witness,
To the president's council on physical fitness.
At oleomargarine I'll never mutter,
For the road to HELL is spread with butter.
And cream is cursed, and cake is awful ,
And Satan is hiding in every waffle.
I beg upon my dimpled knees,
Deliver me from Ju-Ju beans.
And when my days ot trial are done,
And my war with malted milk is won,
Let me stand with the Saints in heaven,
In a shining robe, size Thirty seven!
I can do it Lord if you show to me
The virtues of lettuce and celery.
If you teach me the evil of mayononnaise,
The sinfullness of Hollandaise,
And Pasta a la Milannaise
And Potatoes a la Layonnaise
And chrisp fried chicken from the south,
Lord if you love me, SHUT MY MOUTH!

Epic Inspiration

Posted by Stacy

Sometimes inspiration is found in the strangest of places. But this guy here, well, he's my new inspiration! Who's this guy you say? None other than Eddie Izzard, one of my favorite British Comedians. You may not recognize him but I'm sure you've seen him before, you just didn't notice. He's been on my i-pod for years, killing me with laughter. He's played bit parts in Ocean 12 and 13, Valkyrie, and such, which is where you may have not noticed him from. All in all, just a really funny guy and not the sort of chap you'd think would inspire me to "put on my shoes"...or so I thought.


So what does Mr. Izzard, comedian extraordinaire, have to do with inspiring me to run? Especially since, from pictures to the right, his sometimes portly figure doesn't scream "I'm your next "Men's Health" coverboy. And, dare I mention...


Little Eddie is also fond of dressing up like, ahem, Ms. Izzard. Yes, he's a cross dresser too. (And admittedly, when I first saw for the first time, on one of his televised stand-ups, well, I was a bit alarmed to find he just didn't quite match the mental picture I'd made of him while listening on my i-pod. But of course, I was not surprised, I have an uncanny knack for collecting eccentric folks.)

Okay, so...Comedian, Actor, Sometimes Portly Fellow, and Occasional Cross-Dresser, AND Inspiration for a Family Fitness Blog?? Why YES! YES! YES! Check this out...

Yesterday, this photo of Eddie hit the net and I thought it was a mix-up...but it was the real deal! The caption read: "Eddie Izzard Completes Epic Run"
Epic. Seriously. Here's Eddie finishing a 1,100 mile run around Britain to raise money for a charity called Sport Relief. He left London on July 26th and ran until September 15th. Okay so do the math with me: 1,100 miles over 51 days. That's an average of 30 miles a day, the equivalent of running 43 marathons IN A ROW! Forty Three!!!! In a row!!! Sheesh...I need to sit down and drink a sports drink to recover from just reading about this.

Okay, so now I'm feeling like my measly and sporadic running, well, let's just say I could step it up a bit! Or perhaps a lot! Thanks for the Epic Inspiration!

P.S. Steph has a run this Saturday...Good Luck Sis!