Top 10 Reasons Why I Hate Aqua Jogging

Recently, on the way to the pool, I pondered what it exactly it was about aqua jogging that I hated so much.  So, I decided to compile a list of the top 10 reasons why I hate my daily workouts in the deep end to prove that my dislike of the activity is completely rational.

1)    I prefer the smell of my own stench to that of chlorine.

2)    My bathing suit rides up my butt.  Thank goodness no one can see you pick your wedgie underwater.  Or can they???

3)    You get invited to join the senior citizen water aerobics class.

4)    Creepy guy stares at you.  Has he never seen anyone aqua jog before?  Quick!  Run fast!

5)    Facility closes for swim meets, special events, and community swim lessons so not only can you not run, but you also cannot aqua jog…a new life low.

6)    It makes you have to pee.

7)    You don’t sweat.  Instead, you absorb water.  So, in truth, aqua jogging makes you fat.

8)    People hate you when you ask to share their lane.  They may say yes, but they are already thinking about how many times they can splash you in the face.

9)    You need waterproof mascara so when your new lane-sharing enemy splashes you in the face, it doesn’t look like you hate aqua jogging so much that you’ve been crying for the past hour.

10) No matter what you read, it is not freaking running!

1 Week till Running (Hopefully!)

This Week’s Beer Choice:  Not sure who will win the World Cup, but one winner at the World Beer Cup was a beer that I have previously referred to as the “best beer in Charlotte,” NoDa Brewing Company’s Hop Drop ‘N Roll.  I guess now I need to refer to it as the “best IPA in the World.”  Way to go NoDa Brewing Company!

Hop Drop 'N Roll at Soul Gastrolounge in Charlotte

Why I Fear the 5K

In this month’s Runner’s World magazine, my BFF from last week’s blog post, Lauren Fleshman, wrote an article about why the 5K is “freaking awesome.”  But to me, there’s nothing fun about this popular fun run distance.  In truth, I’m kinda frightened of running another 5K.

To me, the 5K is like the scariest ride at the amusement park – it’s intense.  You just get on board and try your best to hold on.  You think I’m talking about breathing hard?  Try panting.  If I could talk during a 5K, I’d tell everyone “I’m Dying!”

After my last 5K (also the only 5K I have run in the past two years), I couldn’t even get down a beer.  It was that bad.  I felt so sick last summer after finishing the NoDa 5K on a muggy Friday night in an unimpressive 18:20.  I even thought about dropping out of the race around mile two because my pace felt so uncomfortable.

Stormy Weather the Night of the '13 NoDa 5K (Photo By Jon Pfeifer)

I’ve decided that the half marathon is probably the easiest race distance.  Like the marathon, you don’t breathe hard unless you got problems.  You can chat, make new friends, and eat a snack in both the half and full marathons.  In fact, racing a half or full marathon is probably a better way to meet people than going to the bar (you already know you have something in common!), and you will probably feel better the next day too!  Unfortunately with the full marathon you run the risk of bonking and hitting the infamous wall, but most runners can sail over the half marathon finish line and over to the beer tent without being forced to slow to a crawl.

The last half I ran was the Marine Corps Half Marathon in preparation for the 2013 Marine Corps Marathon.  I ran the relatively flat course at Camp Lejeune on a 70-degree day in 1:22:36.  It was a breeze.  I enjoyed nice, negative splits (ran the 2^nd half of the race faster than the first) and a couple of beers at the post-race celebration.

I like the longer races because they feel easier, but I realize that the distances also help cover my weaknesses – And who wants everyone to see her flaws?!  You don’t have to be quite so speedy in the longer distances.  You just have to be efficient – something my small frame helps me accomplish.  But a 5K requires more than just endurance.  A runner must be fast and strong to perform well.  And frankly, I think I’m a little weakling (the therapist even told me I had a weak tush).  The fact that I’m still a somewhat newbie runner is blatantly evident when I’m gasping for air after only a mile of hard running.

So, if you are one of those runners who believes that your frequent weekend 5Ks are insignificant and that you could never imagine running 26.2 miles, I will tell you that I am the one who is impressed.  I know that a 5K is HARD WORK.  Like Fleshman, I think the 5K needs more street cred than it’s receiving, but I also would encourage all the 3.1 milers to try a marathon or a half sometime – You may find that it feels easier than you think.

2 Weeks till Running (Hopefully!)

This Week's Beer Choice:  Catawba Brewing Company's Firewater IPA

Retail Therapy

This week I had my follow-up x-ray after seven (SEVEN!!) weeks of no running following my attempt to complete the 2014 Boston Marathon.  I was hopeful that I would be able to slowly return to running at this point, but I knew going in to the doctor’s office that I still didn’t feel 100%.  I also knew that nothing seems to ever go right with my injuries.

Sure enough – I was told to continue doing what I’m doing (not much) and come back again in three weeks.  The bone is healing, but it is just taking time.

Up until this point, I feel like I have been handling my injury like a champ.  Sure I’ve had times of anger (Oh, you are so smug!  Just showing off that you can run and I can’t!) but overall, I feel like I have kept things together fairly well.  Or at the very least, I've done better than Hitler with a stress fracture.

My sound mental health may be thanks to my recent weeks of retail therapy.  I may not be able to run, but I sure as hell can stock up on some gear for when I finally get the green light from the doctor!

I definitely would not describe myself as a big shopper – I feel guilty about spending a lot of money on material goods.  But I justify my purchases because these are things I need – Since I haven’t been running long (even if I did count the time while injured, I’ve still only been consistently running less than two years) I really don’t have that many running outfits, and since I work from home two days a weeks, my training gear doubles as work apparel!  And did I mention that I haven’t paid full price for anything?

So far, I’ve been averaging about one purchase per week, totaling three Lululemon shirts and three pairs of shorts from Oiselle to date. 

Like most athletic girls, I’ve been obsessed with Lululemon for a while – I’m starting to have as many reusable Lululemon bags in my closet as I do grocery bags under the sink (I will make the grocery attendant hold my cart so I can go get my Running Warehouse bags from my car where I frequently forget them.  I don’t need any more grocery bags!). 

But Oiselle has become a new favorite brand to get sweaty in!  I honestly didn’t know much about the running apparel company until they recently signed Olympian Marathoner Kara Goucher after she left Nike and the West Coast to return to Boulder and her college coaches.  I think it’s safe to say that the marketing move to add Goucher to their team worked on me, and now I am happily helping pay her new salary!

Oiselle also sponsors another kick-ass female runner – Lauren Fleshman.  I like Fleshman because there is no question that this chick has balls.  Like most women who read her blog post Keeping it Real.  I was impressed with Fleshman’s honestly and guts to post less-than-flattering pictures of her thigh cheese and of her belly hanging over her track shorts.  Maybe one day I will be as brave as Fleshman and post my own “fat pictures.”

I’m not going to sugarcoat it – Having another three weeks to go until I can run again is like being on mile 23 of the marathon – Sh*t just sucks.  But I’m getting close.  And getting a fun package in the mail on the same day I got delivered bad news from the doc makes me feel better – even if it’s only a little better.

 

A Lululemon Pick-Me-Up

3 Weeks till Running (Hopefully!)

This Week's Beer Choice:  Stone IPA

I Can't Run.  I Can't Go To Yoga. But I Can Still Drink Beer.
(In Wilmington)

Like A Kid In A Candy Store

Call it weird, but lately, one of my favorite weekly activities has been shopping at the Whole Foods in Wilmington, NC (my home away from home).  I find myself just walking around the store (or scooting around the store in a jazzy shopping cart when I was still on crutches) browsing for new foods to try and taking in all the sights and smells of so many healthy, organic, and locally grown foods.  I feel the same way in Whole Foods as I do in Anthropologie, one of my favorite clothing/home stores.  I want everything!  Power greens – Yes please!  Vegan “chicken” – Sure! Why not?

Joy Riding in the Jazzy at Whole Foods

Perhaps I’m experiencing backlash to my post-Boston binges of Ben & Jerry’s and Girl Scout cookies, but my body has been craving clean, raw, natural foods.   I’m eating a salad loaded with dark nourishing greens, veggies, nuts, organic goat cheese, and sometimes fruit (my kind of candy) almost every day.

I think my guilt over previous indulgences is only part of the source of my recent menu overhaul however.   Call is spring diet cleaning, but it seems that the warmer temperatures and lush, green vegetation that has recently sprung up outside not only encourages late afternoon beers on the patio but also lighter meals sourced from farmers markets.  

Blooms Decorating My Front Porch

In fact, I realized recently that it was around this time last year when I decided to become vegan – it didn’t last long but I gave it a noble effort for several weeks.  And although I’m enjoying real turkey sandwiches again, I’m still building them in wholesome, protein-packed Ezekiel 4:9 bread.  And because of my short-lived “vegan-experience,” instead of craving a quarter-pounder on the weekends, my mouth now waters for black bean burgers and beer!

Quinoa Black Bean Veggie Burger at Alexander Michael's (Charlotte, NC)

I’ve also planted another garden this year.  While tending to the tiny plants, I have grand visions of creating a late summer salad comprised of the fruits (and vegetables) of my labors.  However, I had similar lofty goals last year that were nibbled away by pesky insects.  But it’s a fresh season and a fresh start!  Maybe this year I will have the most productive garden on the block.

Of course, as much as I travel, sometimes it’s difficult to find and make wholesome choices when you are surrounded with temptation (and peer pressure!).  This week, I’m training in Atlanta – where lunch options include fried chicken, mac ‘n’ cheese, and key lime pie that is followed by brownies and cookies as an afternoon “snack” only two hours later.  (I went to a public accounting conference years ago that had hot dogs as a snack – so things could definitely be worse.)  But after 8 hours of lectures, and 15 minutes in Atlanta traffic to go only one mile, I found my hangry heaven – Whole Foods.

Not only was I able to pick up an awesome spicy tuna, avocado and quinoa sushi roll (sure beats room service!), but I got a six-pack of Blind Pirate from the Atlanta-local brewery Monday Night.

Whole Foods Sushi

I may be eating so much healthy food lately that I’m probably not combating any of the inevitable running-injury weight gain, but I figure when your candy is real strawberries and not just strawberry flavored, go ahead and put the treat on everything!

Kashi Organic Promise Cinnamon Harvest with Strawberries

1 Week till Running (Hopefully!)  X-Ray Next Tuesday!

This Week's Beer Choice:  Monday Night Brewing's Blind Pirate Double IPA (Atlanta, GA)

Monday Night's Blind Pirate Double IPA