Sock Giveaway

Stacey is giving away a pair of recovery socks. Check it out. I didnt know this type of sock even existed, so I'm pretty intrigued!
http://www.facebook.com/notes/stacey-kimball-utley/sigvaris-athletic-sock-review-and-giveawaymy-first-one/455847704853

Running the planet

Running is one of those sports that you can take anywhere. Which is great because I do travel a bit. I make it a point to run everywhere I go. What a great way to experience the world.  I've picked up a few things along the way that are helpful and other things that are just plain fun:

Buenos Aries, Argentina:  Running in South America is amazing. Period. I usually run in the morning before things get started. In Argentina, this just means that I'm up before MY group gets started… but there is a whole world of people that are up at 5:00 am like it’s the middle of the day. Taxi drivers standing around, bread makers filling the streets with warm smells of fresh pastries, it's invigorating.  I ran out on a narrow fishing  pier that extends 1/2 mile out into ocean.  When I reached the end I stopped and looked out for a while, thinking : "the next piece of land out there is the south pole".  I've had similar experiences in Mexico City and Panama. If you never make it there, the Cuban section of Miami will get a good South American buzz going.

Sao Paulo, Brazil: This was a bad idea. Don’t do it. Stay alive instead.

Mumbai, India: Do not attempt to run anywhere in Mumbai without a GPS. You may find yourself saying: " if I just go East, I'll eventually reach the ocean".  India is a life changing experience.  If you want to see life at its most vibrant, get out of the hotel, the meetings, the restaurants, and go see life where it happens. Fortunately, in India, that is in every nook and cranny of the city. As far as big cities go, it is relatively safe due to the huge impact peaceful religion has on 99% of the population.  It's impossible to describe so I'll do it this way: Imagine running. You're smelling spices that you've never smelled before. You're seeing colors that you've never seen before. You see buildings that are more ornate than anything you've ever seen in styles that you can't imagine. The whole time you're dodging traffic, children playing, sleeping animals, and religious processions.  Don’t expect a good run, don’t bother timing yourself, but expect an experience that you'll never forget.

Athens, Greece: Sorry, it's impossible to run in Athens. If you do, then you're neglecting more important things in life like wasting away on the islands.  I tried twice but was to distracted by looming 3000 year old structures on mountains everywhere around me.  The only way it was possible for me to get any mileage in was the hotel gym without distractions.

Next: Rome. This May I will be in Italy a month before Grandmas Marathon in Duluth. I'm mapping out 13-15 miles through the ancient city. Given my past experience, I fear that I'll get distracted. I look at it this way: If running can get my butt out of bed and get me deep into the subculture of a city enough for me to get distracted be something I wouldn’t have otherwise experienced… Isn't that the point?

This week in running..

After runnung the Twin Cities mararthon, a few people have told me that they wanted to run as well. I guess if I can run any distance at all, then anybody can run! The greatest post run treat for me was Sarah announcing to me that she started running a little at work. Awesome. Nothing would make me happier than to go for a healthy, constructive, activity with my family instead of a going out for bad food... or spending money on junk toys.

So I tried to convince my boys that running was fun. No luck. Saturday morning I tried a different angle: medals. The thought of winning a medal struck my 7 year old Christopher. Once he gets set on something there's no stopping. We all got up early on a cold October Saturday and drove to the starting line. The race was a 1/2 mile kids run prior to a small town 5k. My 9 year old decided he wanted in as long as he was going to be there.

We signed the boys up and they gave us their finisher medals ahead of time. I told them that they didnt get them until they finished. They were getting excited! About 50 kids joined the race. Ready, set, go! They used a real starter gun (which may have been the highlight for Christoper). 1/4 mile out and 1/4 mile back. They started off together, but I could only see Jonathan coming back. Jonathan finished number 8, which he blamed on his shoes (Having an excuse for your poor performance makes you an official runner in my book). Christopher was walking back because he was bored, but as soon as he saw mommy, he sprinted into action.

The race is over right? Nope Nicky, the 4 year old, after seeing his brothers insisted that he wanted to win too. Even though he wasnt a sanctioned participant, I ran with him down to the end and we came back together. As he crossed the finish, Jonathan took his medal and put it on Nicky and said "you won, you won!". It was great to see that come out in him. As tempted as I was to join the 5k for fun, I wanted to keep that day about the boys. I hope that it sticks!

As for me, I ran 6 miles yesterday nice and slow. It was terribly hard, but hopefully it was the kick I needed to get back into a training schedule and out of recovery. So this week is the beginning of my tougher training schedule. We'll see how it goes!!!