Another running post

So this morning I had every intention of going to the park for an 11 mile run. However, when I woke up I just didn't have it in me. Louis Armstrong once said, "You can't blow it out if you don't have it in you."

If it hadn't have been for needing to take The Calvinator out for a walk, I'd probably still be in bed. I'm a bit congested, lethargic, have an upset tummy and a bit of a headache. I still have some stuff weighing on my mind and I think that is causing this slump.

So, I'm not going to kick myself about not running. I AM a bit concerned because the 1/2 marathon is in 2 weeks and I REALLY needed today's 11 mile run.

So. For today's post I decided to put together a list of things I have learned about running. I also want to include some more beefcake for inspiration for everyone who is going to start a fitness regimen in the new year.

1. You can't blow it out if you ain't got it in you.

2. Not every run will be your best run. You will have good days and a few bad days.

3. Don't spit into the wind. (And don't pull the mask of that old lone ranger...) And don't spit on the person next to you.

4. Run to the right (ESPECIALLY AT MEMORIAL PARK!).

5. If the path is only wide enough for two people, don't run two abreast. If the path is wide enough for four people, don't run four abreast. Leave enough space for people to pass you or if people are running toward you don't make them fall off of the path because you and your friends are taking up all of the room.

6. Stay well hydrated. If you start drinking water when you get thirsty, it is too late. You know you are well hydrated when your pee is clear.

7. Crap in. Crap out. You need to eat the correct foods to provide the fuel for your body (i.e. carbs). If you eat crap, you're gonna run like crap.

8. Learn how to blow your nose without a tissue and do it while you're running.

9. If you need to pee and you can't find a restroom or portable toilet, make sure that no one (i.e. the cops) sees you do it.

10. If you blew your nose without a tissue and/or if you peed and didn't use a restroom, don't shake hands at the end of the run with your buddy.

11. Stretch at the end of the run.
12. Wear clothing that is made of fabric that will pull the moisture away from your body.
13. If you are going to do a long run, cover your nipples with Band-aids or Nipple Guards. The rubbing of the shirt on your nipples will cause them to bleed. 14. Use Body Glide or Vaseline for you inner-thighs to prevent chafing. It can also be used on your underarms. Vaseline is good for preventing blisters on your feet. 15. Wear identification on yourself in case something happens to you while you're out running. It is also a good idea to let someone know where you will be running (i.e. off the beaten path). 16. If you are running in the dark, wear something that is reflective. Many shoes and running attire have it as part of the design. 17. While it is good to chat while you run, don't chat TOO LOUD! IF I CAN HEAR YOU OVER THE MUSIC IN MY iPod, THEN YOU ARE TALKING TOO LOUD.

18. Do not use a retractable leash if you run with a dog. More than likely you will trip someone with that thing.

19. If you are running a 5k, 10k, 1/2 marathon, etc. and if you are not a fast runner/elite runner, don't get in front at the start line. You will cause congestion when everyone is trying to pass you. 20. It is good karma to have a beer and a donut at a post-race party, even if it is only 800A.M.

I'm sure I'll think of other running tips for you. This is all I could think of with a headache. And I take no credit for any of these photos. :-)

Resolution for the new year

New Year's resolution: Become happier runner

Tips include stretching, setting goals and taking some time off
By ROBERTA MACINNIS
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

Get fit for life! Total body makeover! Drop 5 pounds fast!
Call it a seasonal perk. Every January, it's satisfying to realize that we regular exercisers can largely ignore the New Year! New You! headlines that nag at us from the magazines in the racks of the grocery store checkout line.

Build a healthy heart? Check. Reduce stress? Check. Get weight under control? Check, more or less.
Still, the urge to get fitter or faster or to run farther — to somehow improve — remains in even the most veteran runners. I'll leave the speedwork assignments and mileage suggestions to the paid professionals.

Here's 10 things that can make you a happier runner in the new year:

• 1. Stretch: It's easy to skip this essential part of a balanced running routine, like I did for 25 years. But since I started training this year with a runner who consistently stretches for a few minutes after each workout, my legs and back feel better the rest of the day.

• 2. Run fast once a week: Sure, it's uncomfortable. But it's also satisfying in that I'm-master-of-my-own-universe-hear-me-roar kind of way.

• 3. Set a goal: Maybe it's as small as sprinting to the next street light or as big as a personal best in the marathon. Not only will the accomplishment leave you feeling better about yourself, you will have learned new lessons during the journey — however brief — there.

• 4. Do a real fun run: Purist racers may disapprove, but running an event at an easy pace is a blast. And you still get the shirt.

• 5. Volunteer at a race: All those people on the course are doing something positive about how they conduct their lives. And you're helping them. Giving back to the tribe is always a good thing.

• 6. Whine: You got out of bed before dawn to run five miles in the rain. Indulge your dark side, wallow in your unhappy place, and you'll end up laughing about it.

• 7. Take some time off: A week or more. It can be risky flirting with the dark side, the seductive sedentary life. But it's also rewarding. You'll not only give your mind and body a rest, you'll also appreciate running even more when you start again.

• 8. Give yourself a break: Decided to skip this morning's workout for no better reason than you didn't want to get out of bed? Don't beat yourself up. You'll get another chance to get up early tomorrow.
• 9. Stop running: When you hear a woodpecker, try to spot it in the tree. Nice view of the sunset? Soak it in. Appreciate all the natural beauty — yes, even in Houston — around you.
• 10. Remember that running is freedom: The freedom that comes from being able-bodied. The freedom that comes from being disciplined, yet relaxed. The freedom that comes with the realization that you're doing the right thing for yourself. It's easy to be happy when you're free.

I guess it pays to be nice

'Mean' customer bequeaths waitress $50,000, car

BROWNSVILLE — For nearly seven years Melina Salazar did her best to put on a smile and tend to the every need of her most loyal and cantankerous customer.

She made sure his food was as hot as he wanted, even if it meant he burned his mouth. And she smiled through his demands and curses. And 89-year-old Walter "Buck" Swords obviously appreciated it. He left the waitress $50,000 and a 2000 Buick when he died.

"I still can't believe it," the Luby's cafeteria employee told Harlingen television station KGBT-TV in an interview during which she described Swords as "kind of mean."

Swords, a World War II veteran, died in July. But Salazar learned just a few days before Christmas that he had left her the money and car.

(source: Associated Press)

Maybe now is the time to go eat at Luby's and see if the customer service level has been bumped up a few notches.

12 Days Of Christmas ala Janice Dickinson

One of my readers made me aware of this video. Enjoy!

Be Careful What You Wish For

I received an e-mail from runnerOne asking if I wanted to run this morning at 715A. I gave an affirmative reply and asked for a track workout. He replied back that I better be careful what I wish for. A subsequent e-mail requested my presence at 630A.

So this morning at 630A I was at Memorial Park. It was dark. It was 37 degrees Fahrenheit.

So here's what we did. We did an 800m sprint and then walked 100m. This was followed by an 700m sprint and a 100m walk. Then it was a 600m sprint and a 100m walk.

At this point he decided to increase the pace. We worked our way down from a 500m sprint + 100m walk down to a 100m sprint + 100m walk. At about the 500m sprint I was sorta wishing I hadn't asked for a track workout.

The deal with a track workout like this is that even though they're tough, I always have a sense of accomplishment when I'm finished. It's been awhile since he has found my breaking point.

There was one morning several years ago when we were doing 400m sprints and he kept increasing the pace and I kept up with him until at one point I thought I was going to fall down. He found my breaking point and we stopped.

BTW...the name of this morning's workout is Pain Is Your Friend. I think he makes up names to try and scare me.

12 Days Of Christmas

Catholics in England during the period 1558 to 1829 were prohibited by law to practice their faith either in public or private. It was illegal to be Catholic until Parliament finally emancipated Catholics in England in 1829.

"The Twelve Days of Christmas" was written in England as one of the "catechism songs" to help young Catholics learn the basics of their faith. In short, it was a coded-message, a memory aid.

Since the song sounded like rhyming nonsense, young Catholics could sing the song without fear of imprisonment. The authorities would not know that it was a religious song.

Also, the 12 days of Christmas lead up to the Epiphany which is celebrated on January 6.

"The 12 Days of Christmas" is in a sense an allegory. Each of the items in the song represents something significant to the teachings of the Catholic faith. The hidden meaning of each gift was designed to help Catholic children learn their faith. The better acquainted one is with the Bible, the more these interpretations have significance.

The song goes, "On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me…"

The "true love" mentioned in the song doesn’t refer to an earthly suitor, but it refers to God Himself. The "me" who receives the presents refers to every baptized person. i.e. the Church.

1st Day
The partridge in a pear tree is Christ Jesus upon the Cross. In the song, Christ is symbolically presented as a mother partridge because she would feign injury to decoy a predator away from her nestlings. She was even willing to die for them. The tree is the symbol of the fall of the human race through the sin of Adam and Eve. It is also the symbol of its redemption by Jesus Christ on the tree of the Cross.

2nd Day
The "two turtle doves" refers to the Old and New Testaments.

3rd Day
The "three French hens" stand for faith, hope and love—the three gifts of the Spirit that abide (1 Corinthians 13).

4th Day
The "four calling birds" refers to the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—which sing the song of salvation through Jesus Christ.

5th Day
The "five golden rings" represents the first five books of the Bible, also called the Jewish Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.

6th Day
The "six geese a-laying" is the six days of creation.

7th Day
The "seven swans a-swimming" refers to the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and fear of the Lord.

8th Day
The "eight maids a milking " reminded children of the eight beatitudes listed in the Sermon on the Mount.

9th Day
The "nine ladies dancing" were the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control.

10th Day
The "ten lords a-leaping" represents the Ten Commandments

11th Day
The "eleven pipers piping" refers to the eleven faithful apostles.

12th Day
The ‘twelve drummers drumming" were the twelve points of belief expressed in the Apostles’ Creed: belief in God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was born of the Virgin Mary, made man, crucified, died and arose on the third day, that he sits at the right hand of the father and will come again, the resurrection of the dead and life everlasting.

So the next time you hear "the Twelve Days of Christmas" consider how this otherwise non-religious sounding song had its origins in keeping alive the teaching of the Catholic faith.

(source: appleseeds.com)

Forgot to tell you

It has been pointed out to me by several readers that I left out some information about Ryan Barry. Ryan is currently dating Reichen Lehmkuhl.Reichen first came on the radar during Season 4 of The Amazing Race when he and his then partner Chip Arndt won the race around the world.

Reichen is a graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy and served as a Captain in the Air Force. In addition to being a reality star, actor, model, and jewelry designer, is an ex-boyfriend of Lance Bass.