On finding the one

I don't know if you've been following the NCAAs but in the 5000 meter women's race yesterday, Abbey D'Agostino took first, Betsy Saina took second, and Jordan Hasay took third.

I know there's probably too much hype around Jordan Hasay (partially because she is blonde and cute but also more legitimately because she is smart, seems sweet, and is damn fast), but I must say, I love her just like everyone else does.  She finished up her college career with this quote:

“I was trying to believe in storybook endings. But that’s life. You can script it all you want, but it doesn’t always work out the way you would like it to.”

Indeed.   Thanks for being real.

Come on, what's not to love.  source

Along this line, I find it very hard to stomach inspirational phrases that say things like "If you can dream it you can do it", etc..  There are inspirational stories every day of people overcoming hardship but at the same time, you see stories of heartache and despair just as often.

I also find romantic statements about "finding the one" and "you'll know when you know" to be very frustrating.  Unless you are very religious, I don't even know how anyone can believe in "finding the one".  It is statistically nearly impossible!  Calculate the odds.   They are not good.  Look at divorce rates.

Even "Everything happens for a reason" is frustrating to me.  Try telling that to someone dying of a terrible disease.  If there is a reason for stuff like that, it sure is lost on me.

How about "If you dream it, you can work extremely hard towards that goal, do as much as you can, and thank your lucky stars you haven't gotten mixed up in some mass shooting or something, maybe you'll get there.  Head down, eyes forward.".  (Sorry, still reeling a bit from this week's Santa Monica college shooting).  

But when I stop being quite so damn pessimistic, sometimes I can try to relate to some of the magic other people seem to feel.  The main thing I can really relate it to is my job.  Is that sad?

Here is why.   I've gone through a huge number of attempted career paths (even internships) that are diverse as horticulture, oil and gas engineering, environmental consulting, education reform, and now...yes...digital marketing in the fashion space.

I wouldn't say that every single day of my life, I jump out of bed excited to go to work (there are ups and downs), but in general, I really like my job and am excited about my career path.  I can't really explain it, because I'm not THAT into fashion, or marketing, but I love the combination of data analysis, fun people, constantly changing technologies, reacting to customer behavior, and come on...who doesn't like clothes.  In times like these, when my personal life is a bit of a mess, I almost can't wait to go into work on Monday morning.

I have family connections in the business, but still, without a number of weird hardships, there is no way I would have ended up in digital marketing.  So maybe everything doesn't happen for a reason, but sometimes out of bad stuff comes good stuff.  Right?

And I don't want to fool myself into thinking that this is the only job I will ever have, or the only thing that would give me fulfillment, but I know that I am very lucky to like my job.

So maybe that is what you crazy dreamers are talking about when you say you found the one.  Or that you're reaching your dreams.  Logically, you know that the stats are stacked against all of your dreams coming true and finding THE BEST person in the world for you.  But you sure are thankful that you found things that you love and love you and want to believe you're on the right path.

And that's where I am right now.  Listening to my instincts, trying to be thankful for what I have, hoping that I'm on the right path...and oh yeah...maybe trying to take inspirational phrases a little less literally.  I think that will work better for me :).

Superlatives!

Remember high school when everyone voted for which classmates were "most likely to succeed" and "best dressed" ?  

Well this post is kind of like that, only it's the superlatives from my past week.  

Most Likely To Be Delicious:  Girl Scout Cookies

There's just something special about the Girl Scout Cookie.  Special enough that I walked away with eight boxes this week to be distributed between my roommate, Anthony, and me.  Let's just say it's been a delicious week.  I remember when I was a Girl Scout back in the dark ages, I would get all excited when people would order something other than Thin Mints and Samoas.  "Get Some Originality, people!"  my nine year old self thought.  But let's be honest...Thin Mints and Samoas are probably the best - those people knew what they were doing.  

Which brings me to my next question:  Why has some giant cookie company not replicated the Samoa so that they can be purchased throughout the year at the grocery store.  Maybe it's patented as a trade secret?  Those Girl Scouts must have an awesome legal team.  

Most Likely To Steal My Heart:  The Soda Stream

I am pretty open about my love for the carbonated drinks.  I've managed to limit myself to two Diet Cokes a day this year, and let's just say that's an improvement over 2011's consumption.  So when I saw the Soda Stream being demoed at Macy's, I was pumped to get one of my own.  

Yes, it is as cool as it looks.  And the extra cool part is that, ironically, I think it's going to help me cut back on (flavored) soda, because I love the straight carbonated water I can make.   

Soda Stream is $100 retail, but if you use one of those 20% off Bed Bath and Beyond coupons, it's down to $80.  Go buy it because it's fabulous and will be a fun coffee table conversation.  No, of course this is not a sponsored post.  This baby sells itself.  

Most Likely To Be Difficult:  Eugene Marathon 

I'm running the Eugene Marathon at the end of April.  And I want to give it some real effort.  Finishing on Hayward Field deserves that from me.  It's time to get training.  When trying to see what to aim for, like any time obsessed runner, I went to McMillan to see what he thought.  Most of my times point to around a 3:20 marathon, give or take a couple minutes.  I get this is a lofty goal, given that I ran a 3:35 in Boston.  And guess what, my $10 buck training plan agrees:  

This training plan is no joke.  (See below workouts for week 17!)  Especially because I'm going to start around week 8 of the 20 week program.  Who trains for 20 weeks?  That sounds terrible.  

The funny thing is, I feel this time goal is doable.  I am pretty good at tolerating moderate discomfort for a long period of time, and I've never really trained for a marathon properly.  I think the greatest challenge will be having the discipline to properly train.  I'll be adding a "training tab" for Eugene to keep me honest and to share my misery.  Highest mileage weeks of my life, here I come!

Sooooooo....

Have ya tried the Soda Stream?  

Bought any Girl Scout Cookies?  

Have a marathon training plan quite possibly created in hell? 

Commiserate with me =). 

This Is Not A Love Song

I was flipping through my book of scratched cds this week and found one of my old favorites.

It's a cd I made a few years back after my then boyfriend broke up with me.  (It's the opposite of a lovey mix tape made to show someone you care.  Or to accidentally freak them out, you know...whatever....) 


That day, numb from rejection, I decided that every minute I spent caring about that jerkface would be time wasted.  Time I could be spending doing stuff I liked much better.  So I did what any girl in my situation would do.  I Googled for "Screw You Break Up Songs".


I may have also Googled stuff like "how to make your ex totally jealous"....but hey, who is reading for accuracy here...

Next, I scoured these websites built by my new heartbroken internet friends, burned the perfect cd, and went for a 2 hour car ride.

I drove down the highway playing Cake's version of I Will Survive yelling things like "Oh now go...walk out the door. Just turn around, you're not welcome anymore", while shaking my head sassily.

listen now if you never have.  and get sassy.

Did it help?  Hell yes it did!  It was fantastic.  I don't want to say that I wasn't sad after that drive, but there was something magical about blasting that collection of songs.  Even better than some friend telling me "Girl...you're so much BETTER THAN HIM.  I always thought he was ugly anyways....YEAH!"

The great thing about breakup songs is that there is hope for us all.  There are songs like this in every genre.  So no matter what kind of music you like, you can rock out.   Everyone from Justin Timberlake to Brad Paisley to the Nine Inch Nails has fab breakup songs.   (Don't tell me you can't get down to "Cry Me a River", because I will call you a bold faced liar.)


The conclusion of the story?  There really isn't one.  I eventually got over the relationship and moved on, and life went back to normal.  Pretty undramatic.   And I found a much better boyfriend who doesn't make me resort to blasting Cake for hours.  But the next time any minor tragedy strikes, you better believe I'll be making a new compilation and driving down I-5 blasting it.

Anyone else done anything similar during a breakup? Tell me about it and make me feel less silly for writing this post.  
=)

Aren't you just doing what you're supposed to be doing?

When I was a kid, my parents weren't much for rewards or hoopla.
You got an A on the test?  "Nice job."

You graduated high school?  "That's exactly what you were supposed to do.  I worked and I supported you, you went to school.  Why would I buy you a present?"

I don't think I was pressured a ton to be perfect, growing up, but the general expectations to work hard, get a good job, and don't expect the world to hand you things were there.  And I am grateful to my parents for that.
I like to think it's given me a realistic, if somewhat cynical view when it comes to the things I spend my time on (running, work, etc.).

I run because I like it (possibly even love it?), and I have the free time and disposable income to do it.  It's healthy and I'm ok at it.  But just like graduating high school, I don't deserve any presents for logging miles.

Running is not a job (unless you're an elite, in which case, hey, give me training advice!).  It's ain't charity work (unless you're like Ali and it is) and  in the grand scheme of difficulties in life, it's not all that hard.  It doesn't make me better than anyone, more determined or more successful.

It's mah hobby.  Kinda like pottery is for someone else.  That might be kind of offensive to a hardcore runner, but I guarantee you there's some old dude that feels just as passionate about makin' his pots as you do about your long run.



Which is why I'd like to present a dictionary of terms.
Why yes, you may call me Mr. Webster! 

He never thought he'd be on a HL blog

Inspiring People (adj., n. adv.):  Extraordinary people who inspire.
Good Examples:  Ghandi, Desmond Tutu, Mother Teresa.
Bad Examples:  You, running 25 miles last week.
Possible Exceptions:  Life changing running that involves losing 100+ pounds.

Busy Day (n.):  A day with a lot of responsibilities to attend to.
Good Examples:  Soldier's day while doing tour of duty in Afghanistan.
Bad Examples:  Trip to Lululemon, spin class, and blogging.


Hills (n.):  An incline you go up or down.  (It's harder to go up.  Very easy to go down.)
Good Examples: Badwater ultramarathon.  Pikes Peak ascent.
Bad Examples:  20 foot incline at mile 8.


Healthy Diet (n.):  A healthy, nutritional way of living.
Good Example:  Whole grains, protein, vegetables, occasional treats.
Bad Example:  Cookies and kale.



Long Run (n.) :  Training run for a marathon.
Good Example:  Running 20 miles.
Bad Example:  Running 20 miles as fast as possible.
Bonus Bad Example:  Predicting marathon time off raced 20 miler.


Elite Athlete (n.):  A top athlete.
Good Examples: Kara Goucher or Shalene Flanagan. 
Bad Examples:  Me, running a 3:35 at Boston. 


Free Time (n.):  Time spent doing activities of your own choice.
Good Examples: Exercising and writing thoughts on the internet.


Chip Time (n.):  Time accurately recorded by an electronic device in a reputable race (see "USATF Sanctioned Course" below).
Good Examples:  "Chip Time xx:xx, Gun Time xx:xx"
Bad Examples:  "I'm pretty sure I crossed the line about 10 seconds sooner than my chip time."


USATF Sanctioned Course (n.):  A course that has been accurately measured to determine that the advertised distance is correct.
Good Example:  "I ran a half marathon.  That's 13.1 miles."
Bad Example:  "My $150 GPS device said the course was .3 miles long.  So my Garmin pace was..."
*Edit from original post :
Here is a very technical article on calibrated courses.     USATF adds 1 meter per km in the measurement.  So yes, you're right,  if you ran a 10k, you possibly ran 10 extra meters.   Or .0062 of a mile extra.


Zebra (n.):  Animal for whom stripes are always in style.  I just figured I should finish my dictionary terms with something that started with a "Z".

Top Blog Posts. You (didn't) ask, I answered.

Along the way of my illustrious blogging career, I've been tagged by good friends like Cait, Terzah, Rachael, and other freaking awesome girls in their posts.

Usually, the posts included either a Q & A portion, or a "top blog posts" portion.  Because I bring "disorganized" to a whole new crappy standard when it comes to my blog, I never answered a dang one.

BUT NOW I'M GOING TO MAKE UP FOR IT!!!!!!!  IN ONE GLORIOUS COMBO POST!!!

Most Controversial Post:  Probably either "My Two Cents On Blogging Popularity" and one random one where I was bagging on Lululemon.   It's weird because I'm not sure how I feel about either post now.  Sometimes I take a side when I post and roll with it.  It's the internet, no one can really hold me to these opinions, right? ;-)

Most Helpful Post:  Hah!  Helpful?  Ah jeez...you're readin' the wrong blog.  Let's say the Chile Rellano recipe post because it's freaking delicious.

Post that didn't get the attention it deserved:  ALL OF MY POSTS DON'T GET THE ATTENTION THEY DESERVE!!!!

uhh...sorry.  Ego got in the way.  
Maybe the one about William and Kate's Wedding.  It was kind of funny and I spent a long time on it.

Post I am most proud of:  Either the Boston Marathon one, or my 5k PR.  Just because they were good races, and good races always make for good posts :).

For the Q and A portion, I'm kind of going to copy Sarah and AR who made up questions because no one asked them stuff.  Because no one ever asks me anything either.  However, if you have real questions about me, I would be SUPER flattered to answer, just ask (it's cool if you don't).

What's with the blog name?  
Despite the fact that she lives with my mom now, I own a mini rex rabbit named Fiver.  When I was a kid, I always wanted a rabbit.  When I graduated college, I thought "no one can tell me what to do" and I drove to a farm in Livingston, Texas, and brought one back.  And now my poor mom takes care of her.
Bottom line, I like rabbits.  If your ears were 40% the length of your body, I'd find you adorable too.







What celebrity did you have a crush on in high school? 
Rob Thomas of Matchbox20.  And every other singer in a band.

What are your running goals?  
Since I'll never be a pro, I guess I just want to have fun.  And hopefully PR my face off.   I think goal one is more achievable.
In all seriousness, I'd like to continue to improve, but I'm having a hard time balancing training with my working and personal life.   I love running though, so it's hard to ignore it and not give it a lot of time and effort.

Pie or Cake?
Pie.  The kind with a crumb topping.  Peach, Apple, or Cherry preferred.

Which Backstreet Boy Was your Favorite?
Brian Littrell.  Without question.

Ain't nothin' but a hearrtttachhheee!  


Best Piece of Running Advice?  
Listen to your body, know your limits, and keep it simple, yo.

Anything you'd like to know about me?  
Have you been asked any weird/fun /random questions on your blog (or in real life) lately? 

Head2-Toe-N-Lululemon (controversial clothes)

If there's one item of clothing that really starts some debate in the running world, it's the running skirt.
You gotta love or hate it!
Or be kind of indifferent about it in my case.  If you want to wear clothing that looks inefficient but is super cute, I ain't gonna stop-ya!

However something else in the running clothes world tears me up inside.
Good old Lululemon. 

When I think of Lululemon, my first thoughts are of annoyance at myself for not buying their stock when I first heard of them.  I woulda had a ga-zillion dollars!

My second thoughts are much more...conflicted...

Point 1- Dislike
Lululemon started as a yoga store and moved into running.  Probably when they realized that there are even more image conscious women with disposable income who run than do yoga.

Lulu put a greater emphasis on looking cute and reduced their emphasis on athletic performance.   They introduced annoying marketing phrases like "Friends Are More Important Than Money".

Good thing, Lulu because one could easily spend all money on two items in your store.  

One phrase printed on the bag of my latest purchase said "Stress is related to 99% of all illness".
This one really irritated me.  Go tell someone's sick grandma that and I bet you'd feel like a jerk.

Indeed if there is one segment of the population that is not stressed, they are the upperclass, primarily Caucasian (I have never seen a lulu ad featuring a non-European decent looking woman, which is another issue) yoga-ers who shop there.

Their marketing just really gets me...in a bad way.

Point 2 - LOVE
Now after you listened to the angry FasterBunny, let me say, I have two items from Lululemon:  A Yoga Pant (Groove) and a Running Shirt (run for your life) I just bought.  They are both AMAZING.
There are no items I could rather wear than these.  In my opinion, Lululemon makes amazing products.

I did a workout on the treadmill that totally kicked my butt yesterday (repeat miles at 6:11...I almost died) and went on a freaking awesome group bike ride today.  In between, I hand washed my new lulu top so I could wear it both days.  Functional and cute for sure!

I even got invited on a women's group bike ride mid week.  Maybe they were impressed with my outfit?

So here I am...still completely torn about this store.  For me, as annoying as I find some aspects of how they market themselves, Lulu's product wins.  It's expensive, but ultimately probably worth the investment.  As long as they keep making great stuff, I will have to make a trip there again. I'll just decline the ridiculous bag that comes with purchases with inspirational phrases on it.  


How do you feel about Lululemon?   Discuss =).

What does a "Real Woman" look like?

Where do these freakin' weekends go?  Out the window apparently.  This morning I went on a bike ride with my crew at Surf City Cyclery. And for the first time in 4 bike rides, I didn't crash, get lost, or get a flat!  Yes yes...big prize for me.
What's amazing about biking is that I can go for 2 hours and feel great afterwards.  Run for 2 hours and I feel like I just got beat up by a bear.  Many of you bloggers (and lurkers?  I love that I have no idea who reads this thing) run LONG distances regularly.  So if you run 10+ miles on a weekly or more basis, please let me know how you escape feeling...un-mauled.

I also killed some time watching Good Morning America yesterday morning.  They did a segment on a website that is becoming very popular:  My Body Gallery.com.  The concept is that you can can see pictures that "real women" posted of themselves and and view by body type, height and weight, etc.  It's meant to show "real women" instead of fashion models.

What is a "real woman"?

Our perception of beauty has changed over time:

Sure, both women are thin and gorgeous, but I'd say one looks pretty attainable and one not so much (ahem, Miranda...stop makin' me look bad).  

So then sites like My Body Gallery pop up to combat this emphasis on ulta-thinness.  Or the Dove campaign. Remember that?  

Apparently the Dove campaign was ultra successful, and I'm glad it was.  While I'm pretty sure these women were still airbrushed, it's nice that really pretty, normal looking women were featured.  

So why haven't we see more of this?  Why is there the trend to feature skinny models with big boobs and with major airbrushing in their features?  

Since I can't believe that the entire fashion and fitness industry WANTS women to feel bad about their bodies, I think the answer is that skinny sells.  The industry serves us these pictures because we women see them, and want to look like models, and purchase accordingly.  Hard to know what came first, the Chicken or the Egg, but we're in a vicious cycle now.  

So we're doomed to an eternity of 13 year olds with crappy self esteem huh?  

Kinda...but I think there's something we CAN do.  I'm not a mom, but I know that if I have a daughter, I plan on de-emphasizing appearance as much as possible.  Sure, it's hard in a world of Disney Princesses and fashion magazines, but I hope by emphasizing her worth in intelligence, sports, music, and eventual career prospects, I can help her to aspire to be so much more than being like that Miranda Kerr picture.   

  

Way easier said than done? I'm sure.  

But I'm hoping if I do my job right, she'll prioritize her achievements over wanting to be skinny.   And hopefully Disney will come out with a Princess who is not all that cute and works as a lawyer or scientist or something in the meantime.   Although unfortunately, that movie probably wouldn't sell.  

My Guide To Text Messaging Essentials. OMG.

Patience is not one of my virtues.  Maybe this is a product of being part of the "me!"  "Now!" Generation, but I love instant gratification.  But since I existed in the dinosaur times before cell phones, text messages confuse the bajesus outa me.  When I first got a cell phone, I didn't realize I was getting text messages for about a year after I got it.  Who knew that "mailbox" icon meant something?   Oops. 


Communication Rules Used To Be Simple 
1) Don't call friends after 9:30 PM.
2) Say "hello, this is Margot, is blah blah blah there please"
3) If someone calls you, call them back.  If someone gives you a gift, write a freaking thank you note.

Which brings me to the question of the day:  What's ok in the text message world? 


Is it ever ok to not respond?  Is it ok to get annoyed when someone takes a day to write back?  And then send them a message that says "Why the (#@)(#&@ didn't you reply to my text?"  My mom never taught me these rules.  And sadly, she never taught my ex boyfriends these rules either. Likely because my mom has never sent a text message in her life.  So I'm gonna have to fend for myself here.


Unusual Stuff
A friend:  "I just got in a car accident" = CALL BACK ASAP (AND TEXT BACK IF CALL NOT RECEIVED)
Random creepy dude at 2 AM:  "What are you up to?"  or "Thinking of you" = IGNORE IGNORE!
Good for Text Messaging?  Probably not, but keeps life interesting.  



Long Conversations?
Because I'm a texting curmudgeon, I think having a long conversation via text message is silly.  If you want to discuss long details of something, unless you're Stephen Hawking or we're at work, just pick up the phone and call me.  I can talk like 60 words a minute.  That's faster than can I text.  And I bet it's faster than you can text too.
Good For Text Messaging?  Not really.


Figuring out location or logistics?
Love it.  Unless it gets complicated.
Good for Text Messaging? Abso-freakinglutely


Mass Texts?
These are usually either religious / motivational, fundraising, or to wish you a "Merry Christmas!".  I have no idea what the etiquette is when clearly someone texted their entire phonebook.  Maybe to SPAM your whole phonebook too.  Pay it forward.
Good For Text Messaging?  Unless it's a Holiday wish, you're probably annoying your friends.


Response Time?
This is a tricky one.  I feel in most instances, a response within a couple hours is the way to go.  But I'm also guilty of responding to people a day or two later.  It's easy to see a text and then forget about it.  But most people have their phones on them all the time.  And replying takes like two seconds.  So if you regularly reply to me 5 days later, you are communicating that I am the world's lowest priority to you.   Or that you're a time traveler and it's hard for you to keep these things straight.


Intended For Someone Else:
Probably best to tell them they got the wrong number.  Although I've always been tempted to play along and see how long the person takes to figure out they texted the wrong person...


Sooooo....
Agree or Disagree with mah texting policies?  
Anything text related you want to vent about?  
What's the most ridiculous message you remember getting? 

The difference between me and mah blog personality

Besides the fact that I'm a 45 year old dude in real life, there are some big differences between me and my blog.
 I think this is why I love blogging so much:  I can be a version of myself that doesn't smell after track workouts, and doesn't get all flustered if no one laughs at my jokes.

It's pretty sweet!

I've been told by more than one person that I'm a less awkward when I write than I am in person.  Which is uhhh...not flattering!  

This is probably why I'm scared as all get out before meeting any blogger in person.  But what's great is that they are all lovely.  And they are usually a more calmed down version of their blogs as well.  Except Skinny Runner who I think is even more of a hilarious girl in person.

So...here's the guide to where me and the Faster Bunny deviate.

1) I'm scared I'm gonna offend people    
Even though my friend Christina assures me I'm not writing inflammatory stuff, I am honestly really scared when I publish stronger opinions.
Even if I write something benign like "dude I hate Nike shoes they are so lame", I am secretly scared one of my blogging buddies is gonna defriend me for life because they love Nikes.  (But at the same time, no one will read this thing at all if I'm not me).

PS:  Nike...I do not hate your shoes in reality!  Send me some free ones, yo!

2) Emoticons & Slang
If you've ever received an email or even a comment from me, you will notice there are about 100 smiley faces or exclamation points in it.  This is because I want you to know that I like you.  And I want you to like me.  However, I'm pretty sure putting a smiley face after every sentence in this blog it would dilute the (super amazing) content.

3) Nerd-dom
I think stuff like this is funny:

Never watched Star Trek so you don't get it?


....Uhhh yeah...me neither....

4) Neuroticism
I think being a little nuts goes along with being a long distance runner.  But I try to hide it...and not just on the blog..in real life too.  I have gone to crazy lengths in the past to make sure I can workout every day.  I eat frozen mango, ice cream, and coffee yogurt every day unless traveling.  And if you're reading this, I've probably Athlink-ed your race times.   Hope ya don't mind...speedster...

How are you different from your blog personality?  



(On a totally different note, I'll announce the bachelorette giveaway winner soon.)

I wish there was less focus on weight and more on health

This is an Oscar The Grouch post.  It's been a tiring week of bike crashes, little sleep, and dental fillings so please forgive .  Also, I'm really interested what y'all think about this...so please tell me if you agree or think I'm being a fool :).
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Runners World:  I love what you do.  
Your magazine makes running accessible and interesting to so many people.  I love the pictures of beautiful runs.  But freaking stop telling me I need to drop 10 lbs and get my best body now.

Of the random emails I've received from Runners World in the past few days, here are some of the headlines:
"Yoga Moves that Blast Off Belly Fat"
"Discover the 5 Golden Rules to Weight Loss"
"Run off 10, 20, 30 or More the Healthy Way"

It's not just Runners World trying to get me to drop a few...the OC Half Marathon last spring had a tag that listed calories right next to course elevation (pic below).
" Distance 13.1, Calories: 1304".  
Good lord...seriously?


We are already bombarded by messages about weight loss in every possible channel.  Fitness magazines.  Fashion magazines.  Big headlines saying how Heidi Klum lost a billion lbs in three days after having a baby.  And I work in fashion marketing and live in Southern California, for crying out loud.  It's enough, yo.

I get that a large portion of runners run in at least in part for weight control.   I do too!  It's awesome to be able to burn 100 calories in a few minutes doing something I love.  In a world where women are expected to be thin to be conventionally attractive, I definitely want in.

Does losing weight help performance?  Hard to say.  Elite runners tend to be thin, but I only need to run a race to see the multitudes of shapes and sizes that kick my butt.  I think that for most people, following common sense nutrition and focusing on their workouts will by default, bring weight loss if it's needed for their bodies.

To me this focus on appearance seems to becoming more and more prevalent in running (running apparel fashion exploding as well).   Maybe it's because we can run with our cameras and Brightroom is there to take a picture?  So I gotta PR AND look smokin'?  Aw come on....


I just want us all to be happy with ourselves, work on getting faster / stronger / running in cooler places and leave the "best body now rock hard abs" crap to other people.  Running and body development go hand in hand, sure, but it's gone from a health to an image focus, and for me, that's not a good thing.  

From T.O.'d to Thankful. (Bday Post)

I try to avoid blogging all worked up and grinch-like.

There's no need to post how mad I am that I'm not ruling the world at age 29. (..think Pinky and the Brain).  

There's no real need for me to blog about little stuff that bugs me!  Unless it's funny...:)

Buuutttt....this week I've been TO'd to da max.  

Exhaustion from my weekend trip along with uncomfortable growing pains at work left me crying, bummed, and at the 7-11 at 11 PM buying Haagen Daaz Coffee Ice cream last night.   

(ok...the late night IC buying is not all that unusual for me, but ya get the idea).  

And then I turned 29.  

This morning when I went into work, I didn't care about my birthday.  I just wanted to get the day over with and get to the weekend.  

When I got in, there were balloons at my desk from my brother and later, a cake from my coworkers.  Throughout the day, I got happy birthday wishes on my facebook wall from the most rand-o lost touch with people.  (I know that they just get the notification via facebook that one of their 1000 friends has a birthday and they probably write on five people's walls each day, but still....it just feelz good ).  

A billion other things happened today as well that made me feel appreciated and loved.  

So I felt better.  

Cakes, wall writes, and bad weeks aside, it's been a great year. 

This time last year, I had just graduated biz school.  I was unemployed with few prospects, in a (soon-to-end) romantic relationship that made me feel awful about myself, confused and still reeling from my dad's passing, and in the process of alienating my friends because of my complaining.  In July 2010, I was planning to move back in with my mom and had no idea what I would do about the crap-load of student loans I'd accumulated in the past 2 years.  

Running was the last of my worries.  

It was the most difficult time in my life I've experienced thus far.  

But then stuff got better....little by little...

A lot better.....

And here I am...a generally happy (and employed, thank god) girl with one more year left in her 20s.  Sure, there are issues, but things are pretty decent.  

"Margot, why are you writing this hell-a serious blog entry?  No one cares that you couldn't find a job last year. "  

I think I just wanted to express how thankful I am for this year.  And also I wanted to provide encouragement to anyone going through a bad time right now.  Nothing lasts forever.  

Sure, things might get worse first,  but life is uncertain, and there's almost always an unexpected bright spot around the corner.  

I'd like to close with this Winnie-the-Pooh graphic my bf sent to me today that pretty much illustrates what I'd like my new life philosophy to be (it has profanity in it, so be warned before ya click!).   

Winnie

hehehe.

Or if ya didn't like that, here's something you're sure to like.

"Leaaan on meee....when you're not strongggg...I'll be your frieenndndddd"

Ma 2 cents on blogging popularity

I was going to write about sport wash and getting clothes not smelly today, but since everyone likes a little drama, I thought I'd give my thoughts on the weird social dynamics in Blog-topia.  

This was spurred by Rose Runner's post regarding the blog summit speakers and the general costs of the Blog Conference.

Really quickly, I'd like to address the cost of this event:  $110....it sounds like a lot, but I'm guessing Squires Group isn't trying to screw the blogging community over.  Just venue rental, breakfast, lunch, and a happy hour (which is what's included in the package) probably runs somewhere around that cost.

But I'm likely not going to the conference...if there's things I don't really enjoy doing, they are gambling, indoor stuff, staying up late, and crappy weather.
In a word:  Vegas.  For me, just location and the amount of travel I already have to do trumps the amount that I really do want to meet everyone!

I also don't think Squires Group is trying to rip us off, although they might be barking up the wrong tree by charging $110...even if it is just covering costs.  From what I guess, us running blogging girls are not super wealthy and unfortunately, this cost may price some out of the market.  Our community seems to be majority teachers, stay at home moms, students, etc who share the passions of GIRL POWER FRIENDSHIP, TAKING RANDOM PICTURES OF THEMSELVES, and RUNNING!

Which brings me to my next point - Why do you blog?  

For me, it really is that ability to connect with girls (and guys) across the country on their running triumphs and tragedies.  To see the sweet photos of their runs and learn about their workouts.  It's a camaraderie in the running community that I haven't felt since my high school cross country days.  And of course, just like high school, there are the popular kids...the blogs with tons of followers and traffic.   And that's just a natural occurrence in life.   

I think blogging and why we do it is different for every blogger.  For some of us, it's the desire to document our workouts, to feel accountable for them.  For others it's to network and connect people and form a community around our content.   Maybe some of us just want to talk about our day and have someone listen who understands.

I also think people's blogging identities change.  For people like SkinnyRunner, I believe she has evolved from having a blog where she is holding herself accountable for her workouts to being so widely read she is her own brand.
Skinny Runner: A girl who kicks butt at running, looks good doing it, will link you if you ask, and likes fun stuff like celebrities.  
*(Let me be clear...and this is an edit from my original post...I mean this "branding" term in the most positive way.  I want our successful running bloggers to get even bigger and go and compete with the Rumi Neely's and Cupcakes and Cashmere's of the world).

Do I feel a little jealous of these super successful bloggers?  Sure...who wouldn't....they get all sorts of free stuff in the mail and the attention of so many people.  

I want to be a pretty, fast, clever, entertaining writer too!  And maybe someday I will be.

But for right now, all I can do is send myself stuff in the mail to review, write about my workouts and read about yours, and get super geeked up whenever I see a comment on my blog or a new follower.


I really hope I am providing entertaining content for someone out there.    

Let me know if you're ever in Orange County.  I'd like to think we'd all get along swimmingly in real life.  =).