Smug Marrieds: Pilot Mountain Challenge

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At base camp with nowhere to go but up.This weekend Blair and I ran the Pilot Mountain 5-mile Ultimate Challenge. The race started at the campgrounds at Pilot Mountain and the trail wound its way to the peak. 

This marked the first time Blair and I have run a race together. We've been in races together before, but never stayed together. I was a little nervous that we'd end the day chucking pinecones at one another in a passive-aggressive fury. Blair was a little skeptical of the endeavor as well, especially when I kept nudging us closer to the front of the pack at the start line. 

"I like starting in the back," he said, pulling me back as I tried to elbow my way around some teens. "I enjoy going slow. You've got to get your mindset away from racing this thing."

I turned to him, took his hand in mine and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Oh honey," I said. "If I were racing, I would have left you at home." 

We ended up having a great time, even if we didn't necessarily stay together the entire race. About halfway through, Blair got trapped behind a woman who was taking her time going up the mountain. I'd skipped around her earlier, chasing after the guy she'd started with who I'm assuming was her husband. 

Later, when I told Blair he should have gone around her, he jokingly said, "Where I was raised, people have manners. If they hear someone behind them, they step aside to make room without you having to ask."

"You don't have to make a big deal out of it," I said. "Passing is expected. What you should have done is politely tapped her shoulder and said, 'Excuse me, but I believe my wife is up there spanking your husband and I'd like to get around here and do the same to you.'" 

I'm not sure Blair's going to run races with me in the future. I just can't figure out why... 

Cheers,

Dena

Small Movements

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I read an article last week that stressed the importance of small movements in daily life. I usually blow by these articles with their standard "take the stairs instead of the elevator, park far away in the parking lot instead of circling for a spot, yada yada yada" advice. 

I run 23 miles a week including a sprint workout. I lift weights 2-4 times a week. Sometimes I throw in yoga or the stationary bike or 20 minutes on the stairmaster. Daily movement? Thanks, but I'm good. 

Or am I? What popped for me in this article was a study that found that hard core exercisers were often some of the most sedentary people out there. It's as if (ahem!) a hard 5-mile run gives a person permission to sit at their desk or veg out on the couch for the rest of the day/evening. 

That hit close to home. How many nights do I spend immobile on the couch, reading a book or watching TV, smug in my knowingness that I've "earned" the right to do so because I "killed it" in my workout earlier that day?

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Race Planning for 2013

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I don't think I've ever run a marathon where at the end of it I didn't declare, "That's it. I'm taking a break--no more marathons for me anytime soon!" Then I eat half a pizza, drink some (okay, a lot of) beer and am planning my next marathon before the sun sets. 

Things are looking different this year. Something in Richmond broke my spirit. I'm tired. I've been running two marathons a year for the past 5 years. I need a change.  

No marathons are one thing. No racing is something completely different. I need a goal. Without one, I won't run. Or won't run hard enough or long enough to keep my conditioning. I've worked hard to build speed and endurance and I'm not willing to let all that just go out the window. 

So I've spent the last couple of weeks stalking race web sites. Particularly a lot of ultra and trail race web sites. Here are a few I'm considering: 

The January races all appeal to me but there is the small problem of I haven't run over 10 miles in a long run since Richmond. I need to start getting in some 15 and 20 mile runs in the next few weeks and I'm not sure I'm ready for them.

I've got a couple of shorter distance races coming up--Run at the Rock this weekend with my friend Christie and a holiday 5K. I may end up skipping the longer January races and maybe do some serious training for the NC half. Or I may just wing it and show up at the start line for everything and see what happens.

Or I may just drink some beer and see how it goes.

Cheers,

Dena 

Unexpected Gifts

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My favorite gifts are the unexpected ones. A friend going to an Elie Wiesel book signing in Boston and sending me his memoir with a signed dedication to me. Another friend stitching the name of my next cat book onto a running visor. Blair sneaking Krispy Kreme pumpkin spice doughnuts into the house and surprising me with one for breakfast. And a friend gifting me the most awesome workout tank ever.

Here's how that last one came about. Last Saturday I headed up to Virginia to the 24-hour Crooked Road Run to help pace a few friends through some miles.

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