Mexico Prep

Running tip: Protect your toes by using Body Glide or Vaseline. Those nubs do need some love and attention, especially on long runs.

Today I went to get a pedicure, since Mexico is right around the corner (2 days). Don’t hate. My feet have pretty much not seen the light of day since September. They are gnarly. Huge blister atop a huge bunion. Missing big toenail on my right foot. The toenail actually fell off a couple weeks ago and now there is just this pool of blood remaining under a new nail is trying to grow in. Hell, I am paying just as much as the next guy for a pedicure and I’m not going to be ashamed of how gross my feet are. In fact, I work hard to get these feet looking this bad.

So, I'm at the nail salon, in the throne chair, soaking my feet and reading Glamour. This sweet Asian woman was working on my feet. She didn’t speak much English. She took my right foot out of the sudsy tub to remove my nail polish. Only I didn’t have on any nail polish. She was scrubbing and scrubbing the place on my big toe where the blood is stuck under the nail. Apparently she thought it was purple nail polish (probably OPI’s Purple with a Purpose). I kept trying to tell her that it was a bruise and not to worry about it. But, being the hard worker she was, she kept on with the cotton ball and the nail polish remover. She was working that thing. Finally, she looked up at me and said, “This no paint?” I said, “No, it’s not going to come off.” She gave it one last try, as if it was her personal mission to remove this stubborn purple polish. I bet if she had surgical equipment she would have found a way to remove the old blood. Eventually, she gave up. I give her credit. I could tell giving up was not easy. But she did it.

Today I put in 15 miles (9:20 avg). That means I have run 45 miles in the past six days. I know some of you animals run 90+ miles a week, but I don’t. In fact this might be a PR for me. I knew I had to get in my long run today since come Sunday I will be lazing my ass under a palapa, passed out, with a tequila spiked umbrella drink glued to my hand and a smile on my face. For effect, this is the exact beach and palapa where I can be found. Don't hate again.

Being only 7 weeks out from the marathon, I can’t totally slack on this vacation, however. What sucks is I will have to run in this fitness room with this view. Yes that is the Caribbean right there:

Here's outside view of la gym. (Or should I say El gym. I was a French major not Spanish):

Running on a treadmill will be much safer for me than being outside. I plan on ingesting loads of beans, cheese and alcohol, so the inevitable Shut Up and Run poop will surely poke its ugly head out at some point during the run. Much easier to pause the treadmill and mosey on over to the toilet than to find a prickly pear cactus to hide my white ass behind.

What you got on tap for Spring break?

Drinking: Grande mild Starbucks coffee with extra cream

Champion Giveaway Winner & Jockstrap

Okay you giveaway and running clothing whores. It's the moment you've been waiting for. The winner of the ultimate Champion giveaway is:

Kelly @ Beginning Running! She was #331 out of 402 entries

Congrats Kelly! I know you are getting back to running after having surgery in 2009, so it's nice to have some new clothes. Also, I know your neighbors are tired of seeing you running around naked, so I'm glad we could help out. Email me with your size preferences (refer to the original giveaway post) and your address. Again, congrats to you!

And stay tuned. I've got another pretty cool giveaway coming this week where 10 of you will have the chance to win. Those are some good odds.

In other random yet exciting news:

*My toenail finally fell off from my half marathon in August. Here it is. I chased my kids around the house with it for good measure (I also do this with my sweaty shorts after Bikram yoga. I'm pretty sure my kids have nightmares about some psycho woman with gross toenails and sweaty shorts hunting them down. I never claimed to be mother of the year).

*Tempo run this a.m in 20 degrees:

• Mile 1 (warm up): 8:44
• Mile 2: 7:59
• Mile 3: 7:57
• Mile 4: 7:55
• Mile 5: 7:46
• Mile 6 (cool down): 8:54
• Mile 6.01: puke, gasp, cuss

So, suck it winter! You're not going to get the best of me after all.

*Ever wonder what people google to find my blog? No? Well, I do. Here are some beauties (and no, I did not make these up).

• ladies room poop
• bear crap road
• blueberry juice erection
• co-worker putting laxative in my food
• guy runs in poop pants
• how long until my jockstrap smells
• jockstrap farting
• marathon poops in hand video

Wait! There is a marathon video where someone poops in there hand? Hold on while I visit youtube. I'm back. That is too gross for even me to post. Seriously. You can watch that one on your own time.

Aren't theses searches the best? I mean what kind of people sit around and google this stuff (sorry if it's you). My favorite might be jockstrap farting. But I am still wondering how that search got someone to my blog. I never talk about farting.

Drinking: H20

Marathon Toe

I call it my marathon toe. It's my badge of honor, my battle wound. My proof that I did something big, and that it hurt. And my feet are ugly, aren't they? You can say it or think it. I know it's true. It's no wonder that long, finger-like second toe took it the hardest. That thing is obscene.

It's almost two weeks later and I've skill got this mark of pride. If my nail falls off, I just might frame it in a shadow box. I did it. I did it.

My journey started in September 2008. A little card arrived in the mail talking about joining something called Team in Training. The weather was beautiful in Colorado and I enjoyed running. Maybe I could run a 1/2 marathon by January. Just maybe. At the informational meeting I learned three things: 1) everyone there thought I should train for a full marathon, screw this half business 2) in exchange for training me and paying my way to the marathon, I'd have to raise (gasp!) $3,900 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society 3) I'd be expected to train at 7:00 a.m. every Saturday morning for the next 17 weeks to prep for the marathon.

I thought long and hard. Well, not really. I just signed up. I could get out of it if I wanted, right? I mean I had never run more than a 10K and my fastest time at that was 54 minutes. I was no long distance runner and I was no speed demon. Who was I kidding.

But by that first training I was hooked.

And four months later I ran my first marathon - the Rock and Roll in Phoenix - with a time of 4:03. Immediately after the marathon I was bummed - couldn't I have squeezed in under 4 hours? Wouldn't any self respecting marathoner be able to do that? My hubby reminded me that my bar was set too high. Some of the only people I've know who have run marathons are maniacs and have finished sub-3 1/2 hours. I learned that is not the norm, and that my time was actually - well - a very good time for a first time out.

I was on a high. Quicker than I could stop doing the marathon shuffle (i.e., shuffling through the Phoenix airport, legs hurting, blister oozing, proudly wearing my medal - yes I wore it to the airport and on the plane - the flight attendant asked me if I had won the race - duh!) anyway, before the pus dried, I was setting my sites on the next marathon. Apparently not everyone likes to run long distances and make themselves susceptible to pain, blisters, blue toenails, diarrhea, cramps and dehydration, but I DO! And in the back of my mind I heard that subtle whisper - "If you did 4:03, you could certainly shave off 12 minutes and do 3:50:59 to qualify for Boston." Yes, you could.

So here is my aspiration. To keep training, to keep the runner's high going, to complete another marathon and to (hopefully) qualify for the grand daddy of them all - Boston 2010.

Won't you join me on this journey?

In the weeks leading up the marathon I gained so much inspiration from reading stories of first time marathoners, elite racers, anyone who had a marathon goal and met it somehow. I got transfixed (okay, obsessed) by the emotional/mental/spiritual component of reaching this goal. At some point your M/E/S state has to be strong and in tact in order to get to the finish line. I learned that the meditative quality of running and the space and time that running allowed me made me calmer, more able to manage my kids, my work. I slept better, my stomach felt better. My stress was less. In essence, running made my life better and me happier.

And I hope it has done that for you too. Stay tuned as I continue to experience the highs and lows of training. And work towards a goal that may or may not be reachable. But didn't someone important once say that it's not the destination line but the journey there that counts?