Runner: Cheap or Lazy?

Back at Christmas time I had asked for a replacement band for my Garmin.  I wanted one I could wear as an everyday watch and it would look a bit more professional instead of having my rubber colored band on all the time.  For the longest time it didn’t bother me that I still had my colored band on, mainly because I was always doing something active every day and it just sounded like a tedious task to swap out that band and I didn’t really want to take the time do it. 

Well fast forward 4 months later and the time has come when I will not be allowed to wear my colorful band during an important event coming up. Now if this was just a day or even a weekend I wouldn’t mind, but it is several weeks that I will be attending this training for work and there is a dress code. Watches are required and even fitness tracker are allowed within the compliance. But my teal band will not cut it. My face of the watch may even be a bit larger than required as well. It states that the face can be no larger than a half dollar.  

This is the perfect opportunity to actually put my new watch band on.  Even with the YouTube videos I have watched, it still looks like it would get me frustrated while trying to change it out.  I had to go to the jewelry store to buy a battery anyway to put in my Bulova watch so why not save myself stress and ask them to do it.  

I went down to the jewelry store to drop off my watches. He told me that he wasn’t able to do it right then and that I would have to leave my watch. What? I can’t go without my  Garmin watch.  I had class  at the gym that evening and wanted to wear my Garmin. (Because you know if you don’t have proof it didn’t happen right)? I dropped off my Bulova watch and told him I would be back the following day to pick it up and drop off my Garmin.  

The next day I dropped my Garmin off in the morning to get the new band put on.  My mom picked it up for me right before I went to class. She told me it was $5 to get it put on.  I guess that was better than fighting with it myself.  

 I put the Garmin with the new band on my wrist and right away thought this is NOT going to work. This particular band was magnetic so it didn’t have any adjustment holes on the band to tighten it. It was way too big and was sliding up and down my wrist.  That evening I went to class at the gym and found it to be quite annoying during the whole time. If it was bothering me that bad just at class I can’t imagine wearing it for a long run. That night I told my Mom this was not going to work but was mad that I was probably going to have to spend another $5 to put it back on. Am I cheap not wanting to spend the money again or just lazy for not wanting to try to do it myself? I decided on lazy. Not that I couldn’t do it, but I just didn’t want to spend the time to do it when I had a lot of other things I needed to get done.  So my Mom dropped it back off the next morning and now I will not get it back until that evening.  At least I didn’t have any classes at the gym that day, but I still wanted to go for a run. Guess I will just have to run”naked” I couldn’t tell you the last time I have not worn my Garmin for a run. 

Later that afternoon, instead of a run I decided to go for a walk with my Mom. We walked into town (about two miles) since we were close to the jewelers we stopped in to see if my watch was ready to pick up. He hadn’t done it yet but he said he would right then if we could wait a few minutes. We waited for him to interchange the band again and pulled out our money expecting to pay, but he said no charge. This made me very happy.  

We continued our walk for another 45 minutes so I could get some steps in now. After our walk I took a short run and then met my sister for a walk later that evening.  Even with not putting on my watch until 3pm I still managed to get over 18,000 steps for the day.  

Do you ever feel naked when you do not have something on that you wear daily? Whether it’s a watch, ring, or another piece of jewelry?  -L

We will be linking up with the gals from TOTR.

  

Weekly Wrap...April 29

Wow, I cant believe we are wrapping up April.  I kind of thought this month was going to go by fast and I was right. 

Loving my Easter Headband from Race Day Headbands

Between Easter, time off work, a race weekend at the Beach, and just busy stuff at work and at home, I just don't know where April went.  But that's okay because looks like we are headed for summer and I'm ready!

I have not run for the past two weeks and I feel totally okay about that because I've been doing an exercise routine at home. I know running does a lot physically for some people as far as weight loss and toning up, but honestly I've never seen physical results from running. 

My quick at home routine consist of the following.

( I start off by foam rolling, just because I'm horrible at making time for it and if I do it before my routine I'm sure to get it in).

Jump roping  100
Crunches    3 sets of 10
Push -ups on the stability ball  3 sets of 10  ( the last set of 10 are always a challenge)
Russian Twists  6 sets of 10
Leg and arm stretches with the resistance bands (I'm sure there is a technical name for this but I don't know it).

My goal is to do this quick routine consistently for 30 days in a row.  I'm on day 12.   As I continue for the next 18 days I think I need to swap out the jumping rope to something else. Although it  is good cardio and doesn't hurt my knees while I am doing it, I can feel some discomfort from it later one.

What do you think I should swap out the jumping jacks for? 

I'll be back to running in May since Baylee and I are doing the Wag a thon!

P.S I am currently watching Say Yes To The Dress and the lady looking for a dress plans to wear it to run a Half Marathon. Her and her fiance are getting married during the Rock N Roll Half Marathon in Las Vegas. 


We are linking up with Wendy and Holly for their weekly wrap!

Baylee and the Wag a Thon

Over the course of one week, I probably get 10 different pieces of mail asking me to make a donation to a certain cause. Donate to this, donate to that, where does it end? All of them seem to be worthy causes.  A few years ago I read an article in a magazine that mentioned how overwhelming it can be  when everyone under the sun is asking you to donate to their cause and it suggested picking a few causes that you feel passionate about and being faithful to those few.

Over the past few years, I have picked a few causes that I have stayed faithful to and it has made it easier for me to pass on other causes and not feel guilty about it. Perhaps the causes I pass on are ones YOU or someone else holds as their select few. So it all works out in the end, right?

Guiding Eyes For The Blind is one of the causes I faithfully make donations to through out the year.  Guiding Eyes For The Blind is an organization that raises guide dogs for the visually impaired.  When I first learned about Guiding Eyes, I read stories about how these Labradors were being used as guide dogs and how they were literally changing people's lives. I could not read through an entire newsletter without shedding a tear.   Our sight and how we view this beautiful world around us is such a precious gift. I can not even begin to imagine what it would be like to not be able to see.  That alone is a good enough reason to donate to this cause, however, there is more.  I know HOW MUCH my Labrador Baylee has enhanced my life and if I can help someone else feel the same sense of joy by having a Labrador (or other guide dog breed), than I want to do that!

For the month of May, Baylee and I will be participating in the Guiding Eyes Wag a Thon!  This means over the course of one month we need to log 26.2 miles.   As many of you know, Baylee is 12 years old and has heart issues so I won't be expecting her to log all 26.2 miles with me, but I am hoping she will be able to do at least 13.1 over the next few weeks to earn her part in the medal she will receive. By the way, that is not breaking the rules. Your dog does not have to log all the miles with you.

                                                             Baylee's Wag a thon page

I am probably the world's worst fundraiser because I absolutely hate asking people for money (even if I feel it is a worthy cause). I would much rather people just donate to a cause on their own than putting them on the spot (because come on, don't most of us feel put on the spot when someone asks us?),  so for that reason, I have covered the entire donation goal on my own.  See, I bet you thought I was going to ask you to donate didn't you?   However, I did include a link to our fundraising page because I know many of you are pet lovers and perhaps you might want more information on this cause and of course I'm sure Guiding Eyes wouldn't mind another donation or two from our page.

I have more fun information to share about this cause but I will save it for another day. Have you narrowed down a few favorite causes to donated to? Which ones are they? Another one I donate to is the Canine Cancer Foundation. #WeAreTheCure

An InLinkz Link-up

Quitting Boston

To some runners, making it to the Boston Marathon (as a runner) is a once in a lifetime event. To others that are elite or just pretty fast runners in general, it may be more common for them to run the race every year. Regardless of how often one is able to run the Boston Marathon, it is a privilege to toe the line of one of the most prestigious marathons in the world.

You would think that unless something is preventing you from crossing the finish line safely (being severely injured, violently ill, or a disaster), you would want to give it your all and finish the race. THIS RACE of all races!

I write all this because last Monday after Des Linden crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon, she mentioned in a quick interview that she was ready to drop out of the race by mile 5.  I thought WHAT???  It looked like she was doing so well. Although she was not injured, she just wasn't "feeling it" as she put it. Yes, the weather that day was horrible and I don't blame her or any other runner for "not feeling it" that day.  I am so glad that she pushed through and not only finished but won! She is a great example of perseverance.

But this got me thinking  Short of any of the circumstances I've mentioned above, why would any elite choose to drop out of a race? (You know it's been done)  They are already so far ahead of everyone else anyway. Surely they would still finish in time regardless if they are having an "off " race. 

Is it a pride thing?

Is it because they set a certain time goal and if they can't reach it they don't want to cross the finish line with what they think is a sub standard time?

Is it because they don't want their unsuitable (in their mind) time recorded?

Do you think they have already set in their mind before the race starts that if it doesn't go a certain way than they will drop out at or by a certain mile?

So many questions, right?

What do you think? Did what Des said surprise you too?

                                              We will be linking up with the gals from TOTR.

Space Invaders at the Park

I have a quick little something to discuss for this week's 5 Minute Friday.

One day last week I was running at my favorite park. It was a good day for running outside! There were a few other people walking, and a few people walking with their dogs.  As soon as I began my run, I heard this buzzing noise overhead. As soon as I looked up, I knew what it was.

It was one of those remote control drones. I had seen this once or twice before when I was down at this park running. The guy that operates it sits at a picnic table at the far end of the park.  The last time I saw the drone at the park it didn't seem to bother me. I think maybe its because he was just finishing up flying it as I started to run, but this time he was flying it for 2 out of the 3 miles I was running there.

I  don't mean to sound like a cranky old lady but this flying drone started to bother me.  Even though I had my music on, I could still hear the annoying buzzing and maybe I was just being paranoid but it seemed like it was following me. Then I thought for a moment, "O gosh,I hope it isn't taking pictures". 

As I stopped on the tree lined path to adjust something, the drone came right to this path in front of me and then just crashed. I admit I giggled a bit.  I looked over at the drone and then continued to run as I saw the man get up from the picnic table and start walking over to the path to collect his drone.

It wasn't only me that this thing was annoying. As I was running, I could tell their was a dog that seemed rather anxious because of this flying object. I know if Baylee were there, she wouldn't have liked it either.

So I sort of have mixed feelings about this. As just a person, I think this is a great spot for people to have fun and enjoy flying their drones and other remote controlled objects, but as a runner I find it quite annoying and almost feel like it's invading my space and my quiet time.

What are your thoughts on the topic? -M

An InLinkz Link-up

April Fools Race, Atlantic City 2018

 This past weekend my mom, sister, and I ran the April Fools race in Atlantic City. The last time we ran this race it rained during the whole race so I was happy to see that the forecast this year was looking much better. I had placed in my age group last time I ran it, so I was hoping to do the same, but we all know race days are unpredictable.  

We woke up to beautiful weather. It was sunny with a slight breeze. I had only brought one outfit so I was happy that it was going to work. We stayed very close to the starting line so we didn’t have to walk down until right before the race. 

 There was no corral placement so we all just lined up and soon the National Anthem played and we were off.  Right away my watch started buzzing that I was going too fast. Of course I always do at the beginning of the race, so I knew I had to slow down and a find healthy pace.  My pace was still quicker than I usually am, but this was not a marathon so I knew I could hold onto the pace for a bit. As much as I don’t like out and back races, it was nice to know where you have to run and see the turn around point. I saw where the 7k was supposed to turn around but the 11k still had to continue on for about another two miles.   I was running the 11K.

Once I got past the turn around, the crowd definitely thinned out. There was hardly anyone running by me. A couple hundred yards later I saw the leader of the 11k running beside the escort bicycle.  After he passed, a few other men trickled behind him. I still hadn’t seen a female though. Right when I thought I may have been the first, I saw her on the other side. This was before I got to the turn around point, about 200 yards or so. I knew there was no way to catch her but I didn’t see anyone after her. As long as I held on to the pace and not have anyone pass me, I should be good and maybe the 2nd female to finish? 

After I was past the turn around and running on the other side I passed a lot of runners that were still running up and they were so encouraging saying you go girl, great job, etc. I smiled at a few and continued running. I hate to admit it, but I don’t feel like I am a very friendly runner. I didn’t wave or say thank you to anyone. But in my defense I am in a zone while I am running, and half the time I can’t hear what they are saying due to my music. I think runners understand. 

Meanwhile, my watch continued to buzz that I was running too fast, but I knew this was towards the end of the race and I had to continue to give it all I had to keep my lead, and that is what I did. I didn’t see any female nor male pass me the last half mile. I did pass a lot of people that were walking still from the 7k since it was on the same course. Nothing against the walkers, but what made me mad was the there were people that  weren’t in the race walking on the course. Some were so oblivious that there was a race even going on. So that was a little frustrating weaving in and out of those people. I wish the race course was marked more clearly so other people knew. Regardless, it didn’t affect me too much I guess it's just an annoyance.  

After crossing the finish line,  I collected my finisher medal and then went over to check the results. It said I was 2nd female and 8th overall. I was pretty happy about that, because in the past I had only gotten an age group award, not an overall. 

I was wondering what the award would be for overall placements. We found out what time the award ceremony was taking place, so I knew I had enough time to go back to the hotel and shower before it.  

When I arrived at the award ceremony they said they were going to announce the overall winners first for both the 7k and the 11k and once your name was announced, come to the front and after receiving your medal, go to the table to provide more information about yourself.  

We had to write down our name, email, and phone number next to our placement. I saw some numbers on the list and was wondering why. Were we getting paid? I asked another lady that had to fill it out as well and she said yes. They mail you a check in about a month. What???? This was awesome! I received $200 for taking 2nd place overall female. 

In addition to the finisher medal and the cash prize, I also got an awesome  Overall Finisher medal which is pretty large.

  

                                                        Overall it was a great race weekend. 

Have you ever received money placing in a race? What was the best award you ever received placing in a race? - L

                                            We will be linking up with the gals from TOTR.