Hidden Costs of Running
When I started running a year ago, I started to in part because 1. I lost a bet with the Narrator and 2. my doctors told me to get active again and 3. I thought running would be a cheap and easy way to fulfill #1 and #2. After all, you only need shorts, a tshirt, shoes and a road right?
After I got over the sticker shock of getting new shoes to accomodate the miles I was putting on my feet (finding a bunch of cute running clothes on clearance helped!) I began to realize that beyond the shoes, clothes and energy gels (necessary for most runs beyond 10 miles) there were some hidden costs to running.
1. Laundry. Runners go through a lot of clothes. It seems to be that once your body gets in the sweating mode, it just doesn’t want to stop. The other night, I ran a nice 5 miles, took a shower, and got into my pjs. By the time I was ready to go to bed, I was freezing. It was then that I realized that the back of my shirt was SOAKED. I had just taken a shower, and I was covered in sweat again. This phenomenon takes place not just after a run. It seems that once you open that floodgate of sweat, whether you have run that day or not, those pores just…pour! I guess I can’t get after my kids for changing clothes 3 times a day anymore.
2. Deodrant. So along with the pours, I mean pores and sweat comes the need for deodrant. No longer can the average deodrant take the case. I actually bought one called “marathon.” No lie. I don’t remember the brand, but it seems to help. A little. Just don’t take a close look at my pits if you see me. Not that you’d want to, but if you get curious….I warned you!
3. Advil. I should buy stock in advil. After a 10 miler the other night, my running partner said her knees were complaining and The Narrator offered her some advil, and as an afterthought asked, “Do you take advil?” She looked at him with a duh expression. Enough said.
4. Clothes. And by clothes I’m not talking about running clothes. I’m talking regular clothes, because when you run 20+ miles a week, the pounds naturally drop no matter HOW much chocolate you eat (insert hallelujah chorus here!). I learned once at a sewing seminar that for every 10 pounds you drop, that equals about 2 inches as well. So far, I believe that theory to be true, based on the size of my shorts.
5. Bandaids. I went through a phase this spring where I got blisters every time I ran. Fortunately, a new pair of shoes took care of the problem (I pity the sales man whose face I stuck my blistered feet into and said – please tell me what I need to not get these!). However, before the new shoes, I went through at least a dozen bandaids with every run. I had a blister on one foot that took 8 good size bandaids to cover. It was nasty! I think that spot will forever be scarred.
6. Food. The whole “carbing up” phrase is for real. It is possible to empty yourself completely of all energy you have consumed in the past 24 hours. Energy gels will keep you going until you finish your miles, but about an hour or two after a long run, boy am I HUNGRY! Give me some protein, and some pasta, and potatoes! Yeah! For someone who loves to eat, this may be the best thing about running. I can eat, and not worry about counting calories. Not that I ever really counted calories, but that’s besides the point. I use dailymile.com to track my training, and I love, love, love hitting that little arrow button that calculates how many calories I have burned. 1,100 calories on a 10 mile run? Bring on the pizza baby!
I am in love with running. I’m hooked, and I really can’t believe it. I love how I feel, I love the sense of accomplishment, and I love that it tones my arms just from swinging them back and forth. I. Love. To. Run. So much so, that I’m planning on running the Detroit full marathon this October, just because I’m crazy.
Filed under Story Girl, running | Tags: detroit, marathon, running | Comments (5)
New Signs
We are settled. It feels nice to say that. 95% of the boxes are unpacked – the rest probably will just stay packed since it’s sentimental type stuff. The walls are all painted except for the laundry and 2 bathrooms. There are even pictures and decorations on the wall. It’s been fun to unpack everything and find things long forgotten.
As I was digging through boxes of my old books, I came across a sign language book for children. I have no idea why I had it, I’m guessing it was maybe for a Girl Scout project long, long ago. I set it on the coffee table and the kids and I have had a blast learning signs for all the animals over the past few days. So much fun, in fact, they started asking me how to sign animals that weren’t in the book. Naturally, that prompted a Google search and I found ASL Pro, a site with a video dictionary for the American Sign Language. Once I found the sign for “lion,” they then wanted to know a dozen other words. I think we could have signed all day long.
Now, Little Miss wants to visit the “state where people who speak this language live.” I told her people who speak sign language live all over. I can see it now, everywhere we go, she’ll be on the look out for people signing, and she’ll go ask them if they want to go see the lion at the zoo.
Filed under Little Miss Sunshine, motherhood, moving | Tags: american sign language, animals, sign language | Comments (4)Home
It’s hard to believe it, but our 14 month transition is over, and we’re finally settled into our own place again. We closed two weeks ago today, and the days have flown by in a flurry of paint and unboxing. I feel so blessed beyond words. Our new place is so much more than I ever could have dreamed of 14 months ago. I keep pinching myself, waiting to wake up. Two weeks is long enough to have painted all the rooms except the 2 baths and laundry room, unpacked 90% of everything, found a new running route, and dinged up a handful of walls already – me being the main culprit.
And so, we begin a new routine. A new normal. Trips to our new town’s library. Visits to the farmer’s market. Cooling down at a new -to-us ice cream shop. Learning the aisles at the local grocery store. Finding the best routes to our destinations. All the things that make daily life so routine and familiar and comfortable. Things that I’ll never again take for granted.
Welcome home little family.
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