A Bedtime Story, For Me
Getting out of bed early to run, after the recent time change, has been mighty tough for me. I’m a night owl, so dark, cold mornings are challenging enough. Toss in a time change and I am just about a lost cause. Or, really, a complete lost cause. But there’s hope! My Favorite Lane Mate has offered to pick me up. And not only that, she said she’d come over the night before a run, take away my list of things to do, tuck me into bed and read me a bedtime story. I love having such wonderful and motivating friends!
I think I’ll skip the tuck-in, but I just might have to take her up on the early morning ride! Thanks, friend!! Whose afraid of a little cold and wind with friends around? Not me.
And, Running Stuff, Of Course!
Lest you think I forgot about the running list, I did not! Some of my favorite things in the whole world are running things. My favorite STUFF!
~ Most importantly, my required shoes, the Asics Gel Nimbus. I ran in the Asics Gel Light in college and have been a huge Asics fan ever since
~ My favorite shorts are these Nike Tempo Shorts….LOVE them. And Nike just came out with a new style that looks very retro, with a wide waistband and pockets - COOL!
~ Life is no fun without these Balega socks…which I run in and wear for every day socks too - they are the BEST and will treat your feet like the rockstars they are
~ Runs are just a tad more fashionable (and, very truly, comfortable!) with one of these Nike running skirts, which just happen to be on sale at the Nike online store right now…
All of these things can be found in my favorite running store, Fleet Feet Davis, or online for you non-Norcal folks. Happy Running!
Good Stuff, Baby! Swim Style…
Several of us in swimland have been gathering a growing list of Cool Stuff we think we need…or wish we had…or can’t live without. Here is our list of STUFF:
~ the very simple shampoo and soap holder that suction cups to the shower wall in the locker room so your stuff is easy to get from the locker to the shower and isn’t falling onto the floor all the time. A gal showed up with this one day and the ooing and ahhing was pretty amazing. Cheap little caddy, major locker room issue solved!
~ Neutrogena Healthy Skin Anti-Wrinkle, Anti-Blemish - wow what a name, but it’s great stuff. Maybe if I use it long enough I’ll start to look 21 again…
~ My all-time eye-socket saving grace, TYR Femme T-72 Petite goggles. I have a really narrow face and small eyes and have really struggled to find goggles that fit - without leaking - while not leaving me with two giant goggle rings around my eyes for the next 12 hours. These are my favorite - for me - and the 10-yr old Big Sis. Different colors, of course!
~ flip flops: any old kind of flip flops will do, but they keep your feet from freezing on the pool deck, keep you from slipping on the pool deck and in the locker room, and most of all, keep the ickies off your feet while in the locker room!!
~ Swimsuits companies and styles abound, but I have one that I love:
~ TYR Reversible Swimsuit - thick enough to keep things covered when the wear and tear sets in, but slick enough to feel speedy and stylish in the water. But here’s a tip: Marshall’s sometimes has AMAZING deals on swim suits (my FLM just netted a slick Nike suit for $15)…and if you watch the sales, you can get a great workout suit at a great price at places like Big 5.
Flying with Fins
I do love a good swim workout…but I mostly love a great sprint swim workout - with fins! There is nothing as fun as putting on fins and flying from one side of the pool to the other. Your arms can hardly keep up with your legs and, despite the fact that your lungs are searing and on the verge of exploding, you keep going.
Why? Because it’s FUN! And fast! And I love fast. Well, my body loves fast. Long and slow, not so much. I am a Fast Twitch muscle kind of gal and I love it. And while I love all of my many friends who are Slow Twitch gals, I’ll never, ever be able to run the kind of marathon they can, or swim the kinds of distance they can.
Back to those fins…they make the short and fast 25’s and 50’s super-speedy and fun. And they make the distance swims fun too, since no matter how fast you are going regularly, you’re going to go a whole lot faster with fins on.
So give em a try the next time you get to the pool. I have my own Zoomers, which are short fins and great for strengthening your legs and giving you an added speed boost. But the really fun ones, the ones you’ll find in the equipment room next to any Masters workout pool are the long blade babies that make you fly!
Lovin’ Team Jelly Belly!
With all of the media buzz going on, you can’t have missed the Amgen Tour of California being in town. Oh, and the rain. That came too. But we didn’t care! Our family headed down to Central Park in Davis for the start of Stage 1 of the Tour. Davis to Santa Rosa. 107 miles. In the pouring rain. Yes, the riders were really going to have to earn their money in this weather!
We love anything Jelly Belly so we had to head straight over to the Jelly Belly team bus. The cool, cool racing bikes of the team were lined up next to the bus. So sleek!
The kids got some Jelly Belly samples (always a hit!), some photos next to the killer bikes…
and then Brad Huff came out of the bus to talk to someone. The kids (okay, and the Mom!) were in awe of this amazing cyclist who then turned to the kids, pulled a big handful of Jelly Belly Sport Beans out of the back of his racing jersey and handed them to the kids with a smile and some upbeat words. SO cool! Thanks Brad!
The rest of the team emerged soon after and we were front and center for watching them double check equipment, pull on their feet warmers and finish up some interviews. (would you look at the quads on that guy?? Unbelievable!)
Ir was amazing to be so close to such stellar athletes. Calvin loved standing by, taking it in while sippin’ hot cocoa! We had a great time cheering for ‘our’ team when the riders took their slow laps around the park before headed out into the certain misery of the rain.
I was so inspired I wanted to get on my bike and follow them! I can’t wait for my next bike ride. Thanks guys! You inspire and I wish you lots of luck in the days ahead!
Movin’ On UP!
You may recall my FLM (Fabulous Lane Mate) of the cold, cold days of swimming a while back. Well, she’s DITCHING ME! What I mean is, she has re-worked her eating time before workouts - which has refueled her body so effectively that she’s now able to kick harder, and go faster. Oh, and she’s been going to swim workouts three days and week for quite a while now. So she’s moving up a few lanes!
While I’ll admit to a bit of jealousy, I will also admit to a great deal of admiration and appreciation for what my hard-working swim and run buddy has accomplished. I dream of moving up lanes, and know it will happen someday. I’m going to heed her advice and eat a really solid meal an hour before we swim. And yesterday I worked on kicking harder throughout the hour. (ummm - yeah-but it’s harder and makes you tired!!!!) And I know that getting in the water three days a week really helps you see improvement!
Heck, doing anything three days a week really helps you see improvement. So get after it! And for the record, the pool was light on swimmers yesterday so the both of us got to swim in lane 3. I still did excessive amounts of chasing…but it was fun to see where I can go when I grow up!
Times are Tough. Go Running!
Times are tough and getting tougher. Topics of conversation these days are frequently about getting laid off, rumors of companies going under, hours being cut and budgets on the home front being reviewed and tightened. Folks are rethinking their needs and wants …and adjusting accordingly. Everyone is having to work harder, for less…and that’s just to be able to keep a job. Stressful stuff, all of it.
But once again, running shows itself for being the fabulous thing that it is. Stress-reducing. Relaxing. Rejuvenating. Self-confidence-building. And free!
So as we move through the months ahead, remember that our beautiful world is still ours to enjoy, fabulous air is ours to breathe and running is still the cheapest form of exercise around.
Can I wear your wedding Dress?
For some strange reason the Resident Chatterbox has been obsessed with getting married, my wedding dress and will I attend the big event. Well, DUH! I had to haul my wedding dress out of it’s storage spot so she could look at it through the plastic window and into it’s safety-sealed beauty.
I have assured her I will attend the big event and that there will even be a special seat for me in the front row. Yes, Moms get special treatment when their daughter’s get married. Who knew? She was awed that I know the seating arrangement already.
She has made me promise that I will help her find the perfect husband (can’t wait ’til she wants me to butt the hell out of that one…) and I have sweetly agreed that I will aide in the selection process.
And now that she’s seen the dress, she has informed me that she wants to wear it, and HOW am I going to get it out of that box for her? (And by the way, WHERE is the veil she’ll need?)
These conversations give me fits of laughter, as my Mom (a sweet, wonderful woman who happens to stand about 5′3″ if she’s lucky) really wanted me to wear her wedding dress. Despite being a fit woman, there was no way I was going to fit my 5′7″ body into her dress and I really wanted my own dress anyway. I’m sure it’s only a matter of time before the Chatterbox is denying making any of these requests. I’m good with that.
But there will be no stopping me from having my front row seat!
Running - Slumdog Style
Slumdog Millionaire is an intense, tragically sad and brilliantly made movie. It’s a must see for everyone. It is painful to watch and yet has a happy ending. And there is an amazing amount of running that goes on.
It really got me thinking about why I run. For pleasure, exercise, stress-relief, assured happiness and a healthy body. I run because I love it. Because I can. Because I want to. Because it’s my choice. Because it’s a part of me. Because it’s something I’ve loved since I was a little kid.
And why those kids ran. Terror. Fear. Imminent death. They ran from everyone and everything. And while they were really fast, thank God, they had to be. What kind of horrible childhood is that to run for your life every day?
I am so thankful that I have never had to run the way the kids in Slumdog ran. I am thankful that I can run for the sheer joy of running and I associate this great physical feat with positive things. We have a lot to be thankful for as we move forward in 2009. A great new President who will make our world a better place. Falling rain to grow our fields and snow our mountains. But we should never forget that there are kids all over our world running for their lives every day.
Splish Splashing Around
One of the reasons that I love swimming so much is for the great workout you get while going easy on your body. Huh, you say? Well, your body is working while swimming laps (the most obvious sign being that your body warms up and doesn’t feel cold once you’ve been in the water for a few minutes) but since you are literally floating through the water, the pounding your body takes from other sports isn’t there in the water.
So when I had knee surgery in college and couldn’t run, I was sent to the pool to rehab. And while I considered it pure torture at the time, being forced to swim in a lowly pool instead of run around my track, it did keep me in shape and allow my knee to heal.
And now, as an adult, I do see the value for myself and many others. There’s my husband, who completely destroyed his knees playing basketball many years back. Running for him is extremely painful, and basketball is out of the question. But swimming gives him a great workout while leaving his knees in comfortable swim bliss.
There’s a running friend who hurt her calf in a race a while back and it flared up again on a recent run. She’s been staying off the roads, but in the swim lanes and is healing wonderfully.
And there is my Aunt, who came to exercise very late in life, but she now walks, runs and swims on a regular basis and loves to slowly stroke her way through the pool with her pull-gloves on.
And my two big kids who just started swim team in the last few weeks. They are loving it even though the concept of getting in the pool in January seems outrageous!
So if you get the chance to join in the fun, I really recommend integrating swimming into your workout routine. It will add a wonderful dimension and go easy on all of your pieces and parts! Happy Splashing!
Loran Wyman
is CEO and Founder
of Snug Bug Bag -
a Mompreneur based business
creating warm, hip and functional
fleece stroller/jogger blankets
