Run! Run! Run Dena Run!

Really, after running 13.1 miles, this is a fabulous sign to see on the bathroom mirror. Aha couldn't make it to Anaheim yesterday with me because, let's face it, MS Sucks. Yep, yesterday, MS won the battle of Jay vs It. For two years, he's been with me at the Disneyland Half Marathon. We go down the day before and spend the afternoon together going to the Health and Fitness Expo where we pick up my race number and swag. We have dinner with friends who moved from San Antonio a few years ago (the 'she' of the couple is one of the sole reasons I survived my business trips to San Antonio - which lasted almost a year!); and he sends me off at 4:30 AM the morning of the run.

I'll see him somewhere along the route (last year at Angel Stadium) and he is always waiting at the finish line for me. I've run 7 half marathons (including this one) and he's been at the end of 5 of them. The two he missed, were due to MS. Which leads me to restate that MS Sucks. So when I saw this sign waiting for me in our bathroom; it was all worth it.

More than one person has asked me why I run.

It's an interesting question. My friend who used to live in San Antonio is a brand new runner and she was telling me how boring it was to run on the treadmill.

She is right. Any runner who has had to run more than 3 miles on a treadmill will tell you that it doesn't matter if you're listening to the best book you've ever read, watching the best television show or movie or even talking with your best friend; the treadmill is an instrument of torture. I told her that she needs to reserve the treadmill for bad weather days and run outside. Hopefully she'll take my advice because she's supposed to run the D-land Half next year. and I want to run it with her.

But why do I run?

To begin with - I'll call it what it is. When I lost a lot of weight 3 years ago (46 pounds) I did it by changing my relationship with food (info for another post) but also with running. Running allows me to eat more of the things one shouldn't eat if I didn't exercise. I don't plan to EVER put that weight back on and running will help make sure that never happens.

Secondly, sanity. There is something about those endorphins that help me stay off the roofs of buildings. It won't remove all the blues, but a great many of them.

Thirdly, my mind is really clear when I run. I do some of my best thinking when I run. I wrote the toast my brother and I gave at our parent's 45th anniversary party while running; I wrote the thank you remarks I gave at my 40th b'day party while running and I have worked through many a training class while running.

Fourth, let's face it; if you were to write an essay about my athletic ability you'd be done inside of 50 words. I have ZERO athletic skill and I'm not real comfy with that. Team sports tend to be a disaster for me in that, I'm the one who tends to not be able to: make the basket, hit the ball, make a good serve, swing a club or most importantly, win the game. Thus, running, an individual sport, seems to be the best way for me to go. Don't get me wrong, I have to be careful not to fall each and every time I go out, but at least, I'm the only one who must deal with that event; not a team. Oddly enough, I do participate in one team running sport; the Ragnar Relay and my team seems to love me and love my skill. So as long as they'll have me, I'll run with them.

Finally, truth be told, I like it. It used to be that you couldn't get me to run; anywhere, from anything, nothing. At all. Ever. Both my parents were runners (3 marathons between them) and they used to try to drag me and my brother out to run. We fought it tooth and nail. Now, wait for it, we are both runners. But I do seem to like it. A good running day generally guarantees a good rest of the day. A bad running day, well you can do the math. What do I love best? When it's over. The feeling of, "well, that's done" is fantastic. And that feeling is quadrupled after a half or full marathon. When I was walking back to my el crappo hotel after the race and I was talking with my Mom, she said, "good, that's behind you" and she is right. That almost feels better than finishing. Almost.

Finishing...let's talk about the goal of these races for a moment. Finishing is the numbers 1, 2, and 3 goals for me when I run these races. What my time is for the race comes in 7th or 8th after finishing, finishing, finishing, not bleeding, not injured and upright. Only then do I care about my time (which incidentally was 2:27:38 for today's race). And then, I don't really care that much.

The D-land HM is terrific. Only in a Disney race will you see multiple Princesses (or these women's versions of the Princesses based on still needing to wear running clothes), at least 3 Tinkerbells and a Goofy. Lots of people running in Mouse Ears and various Disney headwear. Yeah for them. I don't run in costume - EVER. Not for me. I'm a purest, running skirt (have dumped my running shorts in favor of them; check them out here), tank top, running bra, socks, shoes and hat. Not injuring myself is paramount and wearing the right clothes is the first step in that direction.

So, I'll keep on running. I'll keep on not dressing up and I'll keep on doing these races until I can't anymore.

Don't forget to stretch,

Dena.

You tap it up...I'm pedaling as fast as I can.

So, I have joined the wide world of spinners. Spinning, for those of you who haven't gotten into it yet, is a 45 minute workout on a stationary bike in a room with 20+ other people. The instructor chooses music and guides you through (in this case) three sets of sprint, up and back and cool downs. Sounds easy? Yep, it's totally doable. You use different movements and muscles than in running, so it's a great cross training activity.

Here's the thing, I've now gone twice and the second time was infinitely better than the first. Why?

For one thing, the music was phenomenally better. Instructor #1 played 40 minutes worth of electronic house-type music. It was too much for me and nothing I could follow. Instructor #2 played all classic rock and for this forty-something that was PERFECT! ELO, Queen, U2, Todd Rundgren, The Doors, it was fantastic. The 40+ minutes went so fast, I was barely ready to end when it did.

What was odd? Instructor #1, who by the way, is a maniac on her bike; pedaling so fast I was certain that the bike was going to take flight; was talking the whole time, which is fine, she is supposed to motivate us. But, if you take the dialogue she spoke and removed the spinning and the music and it sounded like porn to me.

Really.

Yes, that's where my brain went.

Why?

Because she took off out of the gate so fast pedaling her little heart out getting us out of the seat (standing up and pedaling) back into the seat, sprinting, climbing uphill, pedaling downhill I was out of it within the first 5 minutes.

So all I had to think about was her voice.

Ah well, I guess it is up to everyone to determine which instructor is for them. Now if I could just find one closer to my house (17 miles away seems a little far to go for a spinning class) I'd be good.

Maybe Instructor #2 would like to change where he teaches and teach at a gym near me? Doubtful, but a girl can dream can't she?

Thank you Mr. Blue Sky,

d.

Why am I doing this?

Have I given in to the masses?

Hmmmm. Why does one blog? Does one blog to have their fifteen minutes of fame? Does one blog to while away the hours ("conversin' with the flowers"...oops, Wizard of Oz moment...watch for those movie moments)? To avoid doing something else - like running - which is what I'm avoiding right now - or to get "stuff" off their chests? I don't really know. What I do know is that I've started., like, 2,000 journals in my 41 almost 42 years of life and never stuck to one of them. Not that I didn't stick to journaling, I can't seem to be tied down to one media.

So now, I'm blogging.

Only this one is kinda public.

Why I think anyone in the vast interweb universe will be interested in my blog and my verbal junk is beyond me. I don't think they will.

But someone might.

And if no one does, this will just be another way to jot down my thoughts, feelings and I don't know...verbal junk.

What this blog WILL NOT do:

It's easier to start with what the blog won't do:

1. This blog will not solve all the world's ills. If you're here looking for that, you will be sorry ("...very very sooorry" - Dan Ackroyd - Trading Places).

2. Solve all your ills - see #1

3. Teach you to cook - I am a pretty good cook. Probably more than pretty good, but let's leave it there for now. I'll be listing recipes and reviews of things I've made (pix maybe if I can figure out how) but please don't expect to learn to cook from what I've said. I'm not a professional. BUT! Do feel free to try anything I post. If my recipes inspire people to give a cooking a shot - bueno!

4. Teach you to be funny - I will try to be funny (did stand up twice...might do it again someday) but have no idea how I decide on what's funny. Trust me, I've put my foot in my mouth so many times that I have a permanent taste for slipper - bleach!

5. Teach you to be strong! I don't mean physically strong, I mean that mental strength that people think I am overflowing with. There's lots of C R A P in my life (who doesn't have any?) and I seem to be dealing with it (read: haven't run off a cliff yet). Don't know how.

What this blog WILL (hopefully) do:

Enough with the negative:

1. Make you laugh. First and foremost - I hope you laugh (not dance as the song says, but dancing is good too). I hope you laugh a lot. Laughing is what I can do...and I can make you laugh too. Laughing is how I get through tough spots I get myself into (wait until my flirting posts!). Laughing is how we (my dear husband - heretofore known as Aha) and I get through the C R A P.

2. Make you hungry - see above for the cooking part - there will be lots of references to food (eating, making, etc) here so you might want to have a snack handy.

3. Make you think. Seriously, if you don't, while reading my posts, stop to think at least once, I am not a very good writer.

4. Give you a break from your C R A P (I capitalize them because one of my friends and I discuss it that way - all letters one at a time. It's effective). A really good movie (in my opinion) takes you away enough that you don't a) look at your watch to see how long you have left; and b) gives you a break from everything: your emotional or physical pain, your life...just a break. I hope this blog does that too.

O.K. got almost all the housekeeping out of the way - let's finish it...

1. Any view written here is mine. All mine. You may share it, but I will take responsibility for what I write here. No one told me to write it and no one else is responsible for it. Me. Mine. Alone.

2. If you "use" any of my thoughts as your thoughts, don't be a tool - give me the credit for it. Any of my former students know how I feel about plagiarism. I'd fail you on my blog if I could.

3. I can be snarky. I know...you're shocked. But it's true. Mom said that sarcasm isn't "attractive" but this is as cute as I'm going to get. Deal with it.

4. I have opinions - see #1. I have 'em and I'm not afraid to state 'um.

5. The bathrooms are located wherever they are where you're reading this. Please locate them and try not to disturb others when you get up to use them.

6. Yes, that's what I look like. I toyed with the idea of Kermit the Frog as my photo, but then I remembered copyright laws. I thought about not putting a picture up there. But then I remember how irritating it is to me when bloggers don't have their own photo up there. Really? Really. You're going to spew your thoughts out into the interweb and not show your face? (Get ready for first opinion...here it comes...). Coward. If you say it - own it.

I think that's really it.

So now, I'm wondering if I should go running. Probably not. Be right back (or BRB for those fluent in interweb shorthand). Putting on other clothes (other than my jammies) and heading downstairs to get said coffee. We'll reconvene there.

10 minutes means 10 minutes people. Please be back in your seats and ready to go in 10 minutes. Thank you.

Cue break music - choose your own - but only for 10 minutes.

Welcome to the garden. Yep - our garden (pictures once I know how, or care) is where Aha and I sit and read the paper and have coffee. Sometimes general rock music is on - if it's Sunday morning, Breakfast with the Beatles is on (google Breakfast with the Beatles - it's hosted by Chris Carter on KLOS 95.5 FM here in LA - you can stream it - and should). He comes out here to write (music and lyrics mostly) and have his cigars. We love it.

Let's see is there any other intro information that is needed? Hmmmm. I can't think of any, but I enabled the comments box. Fire away - I'll try to answer as many of them as I see fit (remember, my blog, my rules).

Oh yeah, speaking of my blog, my rules, an important disclaimer:

Don't try to sell anything here - I'll delete it

Don't be mean - I'll delete it

Have something less than wonderful to say about my post (remember, my opinions) be tactful, be nice - if you're nasty or rude - I'll delete it

O.K. I think that's it for the opening rules and what not.

So thanks for coming...

Oh drat! I need a good sign off. This is where my being visual is a drag - I have a special wave for when I get off a stage - no matter what I'm speaking about; but not a non-verbal one.

Let's try this out for size:

Continue being a people that need people,

D.