Avoiding The Treadmill & Curing Small Rodents

Blizzard-like conditions here yesterday dictated I run by the numbers:

Degrees: 25
Feels like: 10
Winds: 60 mph
Shirts: 2
Jackets: 2
Sock pairs: 2
Glove pairs: 2
Treadmills: 0
Still froze my ass off.

I expect today to be even worse as I have a Tempo run planned. I like to run these type of workouts at Carrier Park, which sits right next to the French Broad River. Most of the year, this is an ideal run spot, and I'm surprised it's not jammed packed with more runners. Especially barefoot runners. The path around the main park measures just over a mile and it's relatively flat. Bark covered trail gives way to bike path, and connectors to other adjacent parks. Great for recovery runs, and tempo work. Also, it's about the only flat ground in Asheville.

However, you run at your own risk: snow, ice, flooding. They have it all. You can literally star in your own private disaster movie. Minus Dennis Quaid.

Anyway. Moving right along on to the "small rodents' part of my post...(There's just no easy segueway to this, is there?)

We have the sweetest little guinea pig. Just look at her. Awwwww... Well, a few days ago she suddenly stopped using her back legs, and began pulling herself around using her front legs. Then they stopped working, too. It is so sad.

I finally consulted Google and found a site that described the exact phenomenon that had happened to our little guinea pig.

"There is a kind of paralysis that can occur in guinea pigs which is a great puzzle and no one has ever been able to give me the answer to the question why. It happens very quickly, over night as a rule. You will wake up to find the animal down at the back, pulling itself along by it's front legs. In all other respects it is alert, lively and as keen to get stuck into it's breakfast as ever."

This is it! This is what happened. She still seems happy and healthy, she just can't use her legs.

The article goes on to say:

"The cure, and it invariably works, for the over night paralysis are heavy doses of calcium, in the shape of Osteocare. Usually within twenty four to forty eight hours of beginning this treatment the animal begins to recover mobility."

So, we're giving her calcium, and she appears to be in the midst of a full recovery. ...

And that's the story of how I came to be able to cure guinea pig paralysis.

The End.

Runamuck Post

All evidence to the contrary, I usually have a topic in mind for a post. However, my head is filled with many thoughts today, all of which are competing for the top honor of blog post. None are worthy of the honor in and of themselves, so for the sake of stopping the chaos of my mind, todays post will be a proverbial purge of topics,ideas, and photos. I feel better already!

Snow Pictures!

I live on a golf course, but I don't play golf, and hardly ever run on it because it is one hilly mofo. I occasionally do strides on the driving range, but for the most part these well-groomed hills are ignored. I'm going to have to re-think this approach after the fun time I had with my son last week. The snow presented a perfect opportunity to romp and play and dabble in the occult, while still getting in some semblance of a run.



Look, mom, I can draw in the snow!



Two days later the Pentagram was still visible from the road.
Thank god he didn't write his name, too.



The thing with snow covered hills is that with all that whiteness, you lose your depth perception. So we'd find ourselves running full speed ahead one moment, and face planted the next. This is a good look for me. Don'tcha think? Skelator meets Jaws.

Boys On The Run - Back In Business February 18

This will be our 4th season on Boys On The Run at Weaverville Elementary School. I always look forward to the 1st week because we hold a T-Shirt design contest. The winning design is turned into our Season T-Shirt. We get them in time for our race, and even though we don't have a shirt for many weeks, the boys like that they get a custom shirt. Something to flaunt in the face of their arch-nemesis- Girls On The Run!

Here are some pics from Season's past...










Self-Talk

I have a key workout planned for later today (3 x 1.5 mile @ Tempo pace, with steady 1/2 mile recovery in between). Not as hard as mixed intervals, but I still psyche myself up for it (can you even believe I would say, "Psyche myself up"? Now that I think about it, it sounds kinda dirty).

Anyways, I find certain phrases, or mantras if you will, helpful in completing harder workouts. My newest one is taken straight from the movie, "Whip It". I love the roller derby coach! He fires up the team, then says, "Go get ya some." I find that so inspiring. It's like, go get ya some...glory, or (insert inspirational adjective here).

I'm gonna take it for a test drive today and see how it works. 2 mile warm up, then... I'm gonna go get me some.

Snow and Ice, Ice, Baby

I hate to complain about the weather. OK, that's just not true. That's like Kanye saying he hates to complain about who gets a music award. Before a marathon, I love to worry and complain about the weather. But that's normal. Generally speaking, weather just isn't an issue for me when it comes to training.

Except for snow. Snow makes it harder to run (I can deal with that) and it's waay more dangerous. For example, the recent snowpocolypse left the roads so icy, icy, icy that the other morning I managed to fall flat on my back on Broadway Street (you know, "the-Asheville-Half-evil-hill-on-Broadway" Broadway Street?). Pride aside, I remembered thinking as I landed, "Hey! That really didn't even hurt!" But then I started sliding. On my back. Like some errant Ninja Turtle. Straight in to traffic. That freaked me the F out. I've been respecting the weather ever since.

Until yesterday.

What can I say? I want what I want when I want it, and yesterday I wanted to run on a trail. A nice leisurely 9 mile loop from Trace Ridge. Here's how that worked out for me:

I gave up completing the loop as planned as the snow became progressively deeper on the shaded part of the mountain. I ended up with an enjoyable 6-mile out and back, though.

I noticed also that my irrational fear of being eaten by wildlife while trail running is still alive and well. I know that statistically speaking, there's a much higher chance of me getting hurt/ killed while running on the roads than while trail running. But still, I never fail to have a moment during a trail run where I imagine a bear or a bobcat (OK, that one's left over from Santa Monica) or a wild boar hunting me down and eating me. Switches to Wild Safari of the Animal Kingdom/ William Shatner voice:"Her heart starts to pound, blood pumping to every limb in the ancient pursuit of fight or flight. She is wild with panic, nerve endings alive with the fight or flight impulse. She faces her predator, her last thought for the son she will leave behind to fend for himself."

Luckily, the wildlife du jur was a lone creepy possum who showed no fear whatsoever at my running right by him (hence the creepy part). Also lucky is the fact we don't get much snow here in Asheville. You probably won't hear another one of these stories for a long, long time. You can thank me later.

Happy New Year to all.

[ORN: Obligatory Running Note] 8 miles today. 2 miles warm up and cool down. 3 x 1 mile at Half Marathon pace with a steady 1/2 mile in between. This is the first "real" workout I've done since the marathon. I wasn't sure how I would feel. It wasn't until rep #3 that I felt like I knew what HM pace was. It's so weird how fast your body forgets race pace.