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This one’s for the ladies (mostly).

| cheriarmour

A few months ago, on an unseasonably warm winter evening, after teaching a Zumba class, I set off to do a quick tempo run.  My legs were still itching to move, so I put on my highlighter pink top (so I could be seen), laced up my Tempos, and headed out, headphone free.  I looped around for about 3 miles, and was passing the bus stop in front of the Y when I was quickly reminded that running alone as a woman could be dangerous.  As I ran past the bus stop, I turned to look at who was sitting in it, when the folks inside, thinking I was someone else, stood up, and began to yell at me.  The last thing I realized before I turned on the turbo spoilers and sprinted out of sight, is that the gentleman in the stop had gotten up, presumably to accost me for whatever it was I’d done, and as I ran out of sight, he threw his bicycle in my general direction.

When I reflected on the strange situation later, I realized, I’m not the only young woman who’s experienced some weirdness or danger on runs.  Yesterday morning, two women, one city over on a morning run, were followed in a car by some men who tried to exit their vehicle, presumably, to do some harm to them.

And the absolute worst case?  Meredith Emerson, a 24-year-old graduate student in Georgia, was murdered in a State Park on a hike by a man who’d made a career out of similar attacks.

It absolutely sucks, and it’s not fair, but especially as women, we have to pay special attention to take care of ourselves on our runs.  It may be really tempting to put in the headphones and zone out, but it’s just not safe.  Attackers are looking for that person that may be able to be caught off-guard in order to mug, rob, steal, or worst case?  Rape or murder them.

So a few tips to stay safe on your run?

  • Let someone know where you will be.  Call your mom.  Call your dad.  Call your boyfriend.  Text your sister.  Just let  someone know where you’ll be, so that if you don’t return, you don’t show up for work, even if it’s just because you’ve sprained your ankle?  They’ll be able to say, “Hm, I think she said she was running!”
  • Lower your earbuds!  I won’t tell you not to listen to your music, because I do it.  But save the zoning out for the treadmill.  When you’re running around your city, it’s not the time to zone out.  You should be able to hear traffic, hear folks on the sidewalk, and your ears shouldn’t ring for hours after the run.
  • This stun gun. 

Sparks

I was given this as a gift, and it’s to the point now, that I’m just sick of hearing about folks being attacked. But if you have one? Seriously know how to use it. It’s not going to do you any good if the best you can do with it is throw it at your attacker.

  • If you can help it (which I know you can’t always), but if you can?  Stay home between 6pm-6am.  That’s when the majority of attacks will happen.
  • It may be tempting.  But do not run the same route, day after day.  Do. Not.  Change it up.  Because unfortunately  people take notice.  And you may get so comfy in your route that you do each day, that you’re not paying as much attention as you should.
  • Cash/ID.  Carry it with you.  
  • Use your spidey senses.  If it feels wrong, it’s just wrong.  You know what this means.
  • And you’re going to make fun of me for this.  But Oprah taught me.  Never get taken to the second location.   Ever.  If someone is going to kill you, the second location is where it’s gonna happen.  So, in the super unlikely event someone tries to force you into their vehicle?  Kick, scream, yell, honk the horn, run, and do whatever you need to do to stay exactly there.

So ladies (and the guys reading this too!), I’m sorry for the dark subject matter, but it’s SO necessary, especially as more of you embark on new running journeys as it warms up. I’ll deliver a more fun post soon!

I got a visitor at work today…

| cheriarmour

First off.  This kinda lifestyle/health/fitnessy blog thing is evolving into something so cool for me.  I’ve always tooled around with the idea of doing something like this, and now that I’ve been doing it, and have kept up with it rather well for a few months, I feel sort of legit.  Like I’m really doing this, huh?  I also am loving some of the feedback some of you guys are giving me.  Kind of the same way that Tinkerbell lives off of applause, I get life from the feedback yous have been giving me.  I love it.

Okay, so I was at work today, and guess who walked in?  None other than our ultra-marathoner friend, Sean Flannery!

Sean slowly padded into the running shop with his signature smile.  You could tell he was still in some pain.  I burst into a huge smile.

“Hiiii!!”

He reached out to give me a huge hug.  I stepped back to look at his face.  He was triumphant, quite obviously, but so, so, so very tired, and despite his huge grin, his eyes still betrayed the fact that he could use a few more good days of sleep.

“I just wanted to thank you so much.  And anything, anything you need?  I want to help you out with it.”

Flash back to the ultra from a few nights ago?  When I met up with Sean at the turnaround, he was hobbling, and continued to apologize for how slow we were moving.  A blister had developed on one of his feet (which we later got taped from the awesome folks at the aid station), and was slowing him down.  He showed me what it looked like today.  Suffice it to say that I’m sparing you a world of heartache by not showing you picture evidence of that poor toe.  He’s not going to keep that toenail.

Back to the visit.  So Sean came into my job to thank me for pacing him.  Came into my job.  This guy just ran 100 miles, and is coming in to thank me?  He’s like a rock star!

“Also, I’m really sorry we had to move so slow.  I wish you’d been there at the end.  I actually was able to run some more.” the whole time, he’s still flashing that grin.  And apologizing for moving slowly?  We chatted for a little while longer, and as he was leaving, I reached out to shake his hand.  He pulled me into a hug.

Sean came into my job to thank me for pacing him.  But I really think he failed to realize that more than anything, I feel like I owe him a huge thanks.  My post from the other day?  Doesn’t do my experience at the Ultra justice.  I am blown away by the fact that human beings can train for something like this, spend over 24 hours in a park running, and still are kind, humble, sweet, and thankful.  And I think being around all of that makes me want to be a little more thankful and humble in my own life.

The most profound moment of the race, the one that nearly brought me to tears, the one that made me want to be just a tad more grateful in my daily life, came toward the end of our lap.  Sean was starting to run out of juice, and we passed an aid station.  I grabbed his water bottle from him, and he continued to trudge on.  I filled it, and found a Vanilla Bean Gu, the flavor he’d told me was his favorite.  I caught up with him, ripped the tab off the Gu, and handed it to him.  After he choked it down?  He trudged a few more steps, and said a simple, “Thank you so much.  Seriously.”  In that moment, if he’d snapped at me and bit my head off, I would have totally understood, but he went the extra step to say thanks.

I guess, what I trying to say, is that, all you crazy marathoners were thanking us volunteers and stuff, but I’m really more thankful to you all for turning a couple of chilly hours on a Sunday morning into this like, profound series of human moments.  For a few hours it was just us, the stars, and some seriously good vibrations carrying us through.  I’m totally striving to keep up these good moments and these good feelings going for as long as I can.  I don’t want to forget how good Sunday morning felt.

I paced an Ultra Marathon.

| cheriarmour

So I was struggling this week, trying to figure out what the heck I was going to do to continue my momentum after this marathon.  It’s tempting to just sit on the couch and eat Cinnabon but I have a half in two weekends.  And I’d rather not die at this half.

So Sean Flannery is a friend of our shop.  Was running the Umstead 100-miler, and impulsively, as I do with races, I decided to pace him for his seventh lap of the 100-miler.

100. Miles. Y’all.  This man was running 100 miles.  So I took a little snooze yesterday evening, and woke up to pace him.  And experienced one of the most incredible races and  running communities I’ve ever experienced in my entire life.

Ultra 6

I rolled out of bed after a full dinner after 11:00 pm to pace our friend. Can I do it?

Ultra 2

Do I wear a trail shoe? Nah, decided at the last minute to go with the Brooks Ravenna. (Was later a good decision. The trails were packed. My only regret? No gators. So I ended up with shoes full of little pebbles).

Ultra 3

Bondi band for the little dreads in the front that wouldn’t stay down…

Ultra 5

Knuckle lights – the park was dark as heck!

Ultra 4

And a hydration pack…between what we ran from the parking lot, to the end of the 12.5 mile loop, we did closer to 14 or 15 miles. Water was beyond essential.

Ultra 1

Hay!!!

Okay, so I paced the race, which means, that I ran a 12.5 mile loop with Sean, and two co-workers.  I will say, I will probably never run an 100-miler, however, everyone should pace one of these.  Firstly, the participants are phenom.  Despite the fact that at the point where I entered, that some of the participants are trudging along, every time we passed folks?  We heard the echos of “Good Job!”  “Keep it up!”.  Ultra Marathoners  are so supportive of each other, it makes no sense.  I’ve never experienced that before,

Second, the volunteers are killer.  We came upon the Aid tent, where there were sandwiches, volunteer pacers ready to take our places, heat lamps to thaw our hands, cots to nap, candy to raise our blood sugars, and last but not least, Rubbermaids full of additional clothing to keep us warm.  Around 3:30 am, when the temperature began to significantly drop, a volunteer noticed me shivering and offered me a jacket that kept me warm for the remainder of our lap.  I will never forget that.

Third?  The drive of the ultra-marathoners?  Beyond what I can comprehend.  And makes we want to work harder.  Sean shuffled along, despite some significant pain, and continued on in his quest to get that belt buckle.

Between the support, the volunteers, and the drive, everyone should, at least, volunteer to pace one of these guys.  As I jogged away from Sean to head to bed at 5:30, I prayed for him, his children, and his finish.

Pace one of these, and be inspired, guys.

100 POSTS! ERMAGAHD!

| cheriarmour

I officially had to let go of the Taurus yesterday, btws.

I actually whimpered as the tow truck driver, an actually ridiculously nice man, of Ochoa towing, pulled out from behind the transmission building with my poor car on the back.  I had to go in and retrieve my Barry Manilow tickets from the glove box.  And then I said good bye to the car that took me through high school and beyond.  RIP Taurus.  You served us so exceptionally well.

Taurus

Okay, so to commemorate 100 posts, I have to make public the ridiculous thing that’s been floating around in my head for three years. Almost three years ago, during my first stint working as a Zumba instructor at camp in PA (more on that in the future, but camp is amazing), I was enthralled by Lindsay Birchfield’s blue jacket.  I didn’t know anything about running, about races, about what I was capable of.  The blue jacket was actually a jacket from the Boston Marathon, and I decided then and there, that I would run that race so I could wear that jacket.

My first marathon was slow.  But now that I have my first taste, I want to work a little, no, a lot, harder and qualify for that race.  So what I have to shave over an hour off my marathon time (eek!).  Stranger things have happened right?  So today, I’ll say this.  I’ve done one marathon.  I’m planning one more in the fall, I’ll train a little harder, and get a baseline for where I am.  Once I do that?  We need to get this Boston ball rolling!  Who’s in?

Technology rocks….sorta?

| cheriarmour

When you’re training for stuff, you spend a lot of time out on the road.  And technology can make double-digit mileage not just bearable, but enjoyable!  Seriously, I listened to a book on tape during my 20-miler a little over a month ago and I was laughing at one point.  Laughing.  During a 20-mile run.

kathy-griffin-book-cover-front

As an aside, Kathy Griffin’s book was nothing short of hysterical.  Read it.  The only thing?  Kathy’s a little mean, and I don’t feel like you have to be mean to be funny.  But you know, what, the book totally humanizes her.  She’s a person, and her mean jokes sometimes are the way she’s coped with a sometimes icky situation.

Moving right along.  So every single time I lace my my shoes, and head out, chances are, I interact with cars.  Which means I’m forced to interact with drivers.  Ugh.

The biggest danger to runners?  People.  We’ve already gone over the whole dog thing, but truthfully, other people, their inattention, and their stupidity are what’s probably going to kill you should you run into misfortune out on the road.

Issue 1: Hybrid Cars – Hybrids are great.  If I could afford one, I’d get one.  But when they get under speeds of like 20 mph (which usually happens for a right turn), they’re almost silent.  So even when you’re being good and relying on your senses, hearing, to cross the street, you still run the risk of being mowed down my a Prius.  That’s not a good way to go out.

Solution – when you’re crossing the street, first listen, then LOOK over your shoulder to see if a car is trying to turn down the street you’re crossing.  Simple, but often forgotten!

Issue 2: Inattentive drivers – The worst I’ve seen most often is a driver, looking to turn out of somewhere (a side street, or a road), staring too intently at the traffic to see you approaching.  Perfect opportunity for another terrible run in with a vehicle.

Solution – Approach the vehicle, and try to make eye contact.  If need be, give a little wave.  The motion should break the traffic trance the driver is in.  Usually the driver will give an “OOH SORRY” look + wave.  When that happens, you know you’re good to go.

Issue 3: Texting – Sigh.  It’s every time I go out and run now.  Every single time, drivers have their head down, texting.

Solution – Stop. Friggin. Texting. You friggin monsters.  Seriously!  Put your phone away away away, and let it wait.  Please?

And runners and walkers?   In order to stay safe, pay attention to your surrounds.  That means turn the headphones down, or take them out completely, and you’ve reduced your chances of having a run-in with trouble by like a billion percent.

Q: How do I make a water stop without spilling the water all over myself?

| cheriarmour

This question was actually texted to me by a good friend, Taylor Doe.  I friggin love technology

Taylor is a schoolteacher from Colorado.  We met during an audition for our college a cappella audition (yes, I sang a cappella, and I’m damn proud of it), and we became fast friends.  Taylor just completed her first half marathon, the Disney Princess Half, in February, and though she’s a devout worshiper of the Church of the Boston Red Sox, we’ve been able to put our differences aside and continue in harmony.

Taylor Doe
Taylor Doe

So onto the question!

I’d be lying to you if I told you I’ve completely mastered the art of the water stop. (For those of you new to racing, the water stop is a table, usually staffed by race or community volunteers, who hold out dixie cups of water, and sometimes Gatorade, for runners of a race. The more miles? The more stops!) A few factors make the water stop difficult. One, you never are quite sure what side of the road the stop is going to be on. Once you figure it out, there isn’t a blinker tattooed on your butt, telling the runners behind you you’re switching lanes, so it can be kind of a cluster moving over without tripping up someone behind you.  Two, once you get there, a little girl is handing you this cup of water that you’re supposed to drink while jogging?  And then you try to politely litter while a disgruntled Boy Scout glares at you from behind his ice scraper that’s doubling as a dixie wax cup scraper by tossing it gently onto the nearest sidewalk.  It’s tricky!

So here’s what I figured out.  When you’re racing and you’re trying to get water at a water stop:

Try and look ahead to see where the stop is.  The further out you have it figured out, the smarter you can be about getting over to the table.  Then, reach your hand out and firmly grab the water.  That sounds ridiculous, but you totally have to commit.  If you don’t you may end up spilling a cup of water all over a little girl in 50-degree beach-windy weather.  Like I did. 😦 If the cup is too full for you to take a shot, dump a little out on the ground, slightly crumple the cup, and toss it back like a shot.  Commit to it, or you’ll choke.  If you need more?  Grab another cup, and do the same.  But there is nothing more miserable than trying to toss back a cup of too-full water or Gatorade.

My last bit of advice?  Turn your shocks on while you’re cruising the water stop.  What I mean?  This isn’t the time to start galloping about like a great big horse.  Smooth your jog down, and commit to that cup!  

Working out while on the road.

| cheriarmour

It’s funny how things work out, huh?

Last Monday, if you’ll recall, my transmission in my beloved Taurus went.  I mulled over fixing it, but it really just wasn’t worth it.  So I did the grownup thing, had a day off on Friday, and spent all day between used car places until I found the car that fit my life and budget.  It was a little sooner than I’d expected, but something told me to get the car.

Toyota

A word on the car. It’s great. The folks at Fred Anderson Toyota are amazing and not annoying at all. And the car’s name is Lancer Armstrong. He was born as a male, but sometimes he goes by Tina Knowles, depending on how he’s feeling.

So back to how things work out.  So Saturday evening, less than  24 hours after I got the car and got it all paid for, I had to head back to Charlotte to take care of  some family bidness, and I’ll be darned if I didn’t have a car to travel in!  Incredible.  Also, I have to extend my absolute warmest thanks to my work friends, who, without a problem, didn’t skip a beat to cover me while I take care of things at home.  (Also PS, there really is no place like home.  You’re never too old to bring home some dirty laundry, and ask your mom to let you take a shower in her bathroom because it’s huge and the water stays hot forevs.)

Home

So working out while you have to be out of town can be a little dicey, and it’s tempting, while traveling, to let your fitness fall by the wayside.  But if you’re trying to maintain a certain level, and you’re not interested in rebuilding after a stint on the road, it’s important to try to continue working out, even if you’  re not super familiar with the area.

So how do you maintain your fitness while you’re out of town?  

  • Take it easy.  You’re not looking to beak world records for the fastest mile here, you’re just trying to maintain a decent level of health, and not put on a few vacation pounds while you’re away.  Keep the workouts simple and manageable.  It’s not necessarily the time for your 20 miler on terrain you don’t know.
  • Plan ahead.  If you’re going to be on the road for a few days, check out the area where you’re going to be.  Since I knew I was going to be in South Charlotte, I Yelped a nearby yoga studio, knew where the Y was, and planned out a short route for myself around the house. 
  • Pack! You’re not working anything out if you forget your sports bra and your deodorant.  For my trip, I grabbed my yoga mat, a few pairs of running shorts, socks, gloves, and a sports bra on top of my normal cute clothes.
  • Let someone know where you’ll be.  You’re not super familiar with the area.  Don’t run off to hot yoga at a studio you’ve never been to, or run down a street you’re not familiar with without telling someone where you are.  The last thing you need on a business trip is to go missing because you’ve broken your leg and no one knew to come looking for you.
  • And finally?  View it as an adventure!  When I was in grad school, and I’d get a little stale studying for an exam, I’d change locations to refresh my mind.  The same goes for working out.  It’s nice to change it up, and you’ll find it more interesting.  (PS, Raleigh isn’t the only hilly city in the state.  These rolling hills out here ain’t no joke!)

Fish McBite

| cheriarmour

Let me be clear.  I abhor, 100% abhor fast food.  I work as a fitness instructor, and fast food, in mass quantities, does terrible things to the human body.  That said, it is possible to eat okay when you’re on the road, and we’ll get to that eventually.  But for now…

I would be a lying sack of poo if I were to tell you I wasn’t curious when, just before Lent (say hello to this former Catholic!) McDonald’s launched something that sounded so horrifying, that I just couldn’t pass it up.  So for this years Lenten promises, you not only have the Filet-o-Fish (the square of fish doused in a dollop of tarter and blown with a square of out-of-place American cheese), but you have McDonald’s Fish McBites to choose from as well!  You lucky stiff!  

I have not seen in the inside of  McDonald’s for years.  But rest assured, nothing has changed.  It still smells weird.  You still order, wait 10 years for them to cook your fries, and look on with feigned indifference as the employees laugh and joke just a little too close for your liking to your food.  The other patrons look at you with curiosity, as they wonder why a skinny, sweaty, 5’8″ girl still wearing gym tech fabrics is in McDonald’s.  And you’ll still peek in the back so you can make sure no one is licking your food before they box it up.

So I ordered the Fish McBites. I ordered fries to make this a really healthy night.

McBites 1

And with a little apprehension, I dug in.

McBites

The bad news: 

  • They taste like fish sticks.  If you’re not 5, this can be extremely off-putting.  
  • Calorically speaking, don’t wasted your calories on this combo.  In life, there are some other fish options that are way tastier, and with way more nutritional value.  Get your Omega-3s elsewhere.
  • After eating legit fries for a while, these fries are nowhere near as good as a nice steak fry or a sweet potato fry from a pub.  Super disappointing.

The good news:

  • The song that they advertise these with is still hawt. (“Fishay fishaaaay”)
  • They come in a box.  Which I feel is neat.
  • The fish actually on the inside of the breading is decent, for MacDoh-quality fish.

The Verdict?

If you’re Catholic, and you eat Fish on Fridays during Lent, skip em.  They’re just not that good for being a bajillion calories.  You want a similar quality fish stick?  Trust the Gorton’s Fisherman, and pop them thangs in the oven.  Truthfully, it’s probably a terrible idea to be bangin with fast food, and especially fast food seafood.  Do a tuna over some salad, and you, and your tummy, will be much happier.