T-Shirts

"My lunch hours aren't for eating, my Saturday mornings aren't for sleeping and my holidays aren't for taking it easy.  I am a runner." - wisdom from a runner's t-shirt

"In a world of give and take, give what it takes" - more wisdom from a runner's t-shirt 

This weekend while going through my drawers, I noticed that my race t-shirt collection needs some updating.  For every race I have done, I have received a t-shirt.  The good thing is that they have kept me from buying pj's for several years (hee-hee) but it did make me realize that the last year printed on the most recent race shirt is November 2009 (Thundercould Subs Turkey Trot).  Boy, do I have a LOT of catching up to do!

Looking through my old shirt collection was like a trip down memory lane.  It kinda reminded me of looking through a box of old school pictures or through old grade school report cards.  I could see how much I had progressed in my training over the years.  The oldest shirts were for 5k's (TONS of Race for the Cure shirts and the Austin Runner's Club Daisy 5k) and then the Turkey Trots (those are 5 miles).  The next shirts were 10k's like the Austin American Statesman 10,000, IBM Uptown Classic and the worldwide Nike Human Race 10k (this race will forever be my nemesis.  Not my best race and it was made worse by my bad decision to drink a Monster energy drink during the race.  Never again).  Races eventually became more challenging and longer such as the Run for the Water 10 miler, the Decker Challenge Half Marathon, the 3M Half Marathon and the last race shirt in the stack was the race I trained for but didn't get to do - the San Antonio Rock n Roll Marathon.  There have been more 5k's and such since then but nothing quite as significant as those last few races.  

I miss it all.  I miss putting in the hours of training and the ache in my legs when I have pushed myself past my comfort zone.  I miss packet pickup at the local running store and going to pre-race expos that are full of energy and excited runners.  I miss getting my clothes ready for a race the night before and making sure I had enough safety pins to pin my number to my shirt and I miss tying my timing chip to my running shoes.  I miss getting up at the crack of dawn on a Sunday morning to head to the race site to warm up and line up with the rest of the participants.  I miss the feeling of accomplishment after doing well in a race (and "well" for ME is completing the route and not being the last person in).  My first race back will be in 5 months.  The excitement is back and I am embracing the challenge.  And soon, I will have another t-shirt for my collection.  

Happy Trails!

Valeka  

Road Tested - Body Glide

This stuff is a lifesaver!!  This product was actually recommended to me at the Statesman Capital 10K race I mentioned in a previous blog.  You know the race - the one where I wore the new shorts, jumped in puddles and got major blisters and chafing?  Yeah, that race!  Anyway, a gal at one of the water stops handed me a popsicle stick with a dab of Vaseline to help with the chafing and suggested that I try Body Glide for just such occasions.  The next day, I hobbled into my favorite local running store and picked up a small stick of Body Glide (http://www.bodyglide.com/). I tried it out and was very pleased that it worked so well!  A day after the Cap 10K fiasco, I was able to run comfortably with the help of my handy tube of Body Glide.  I especially liked the convenience (it looks like a stick of deodorant) and that it wasn't messy or greasy (I dislike getting icky things on my fingers but my OCD will be a story for another time!).  Body Glide is a balm so it's not sticky and doesn't leave any residue on clothing.  It's very good for preventing blisters and hot spots on feet and chafing from clothing, prosthetics, braces and so much more!  I have used it on my feet when I have worn new shoes to keep raw spots from developing during that "breaking-in" period.  I have tried some similar items and keep returning to Body Glide because it really is the best.  Body Glide now makes several different formulations including one with an SPF 25.  Body Glide can be purchased at most sporting/running stores or at various online stores. 

Happy Trails!
Valeka