Distance running. If you feel good, don't worry, that will pass.

I was reading about the 100 top science stories of 2009 and there was many about vaccines. The article on a diarrhea vaccine brought this thought to my attention. The article said how there was currently 1.5 million people suffering from diarrhea or 1.5 mil that die annually, cannot remember, but the majority being in developing countries. Well what would those countries do with 1.5 mil more children?!? There are already food shortages and over population in these areas. Many people there are already dieing of so many other things I do not believe increasing the population when there are already food shortages is such a good diea. Yes, saving lives is good. However I could not help but think that it would just be giving these people the chance to die a slow painful death from something else.

Wed was just an amazing run. Felt strong the entire time, and had racing on my mind. Sometimes the feeling would get so powerful and I would find myself within the race. I feel a shiver go down my spine and across my shoulders and all I want to do is drop the hammer but I know I have to hold pace to continue the remainder of the run.

I have noticed lately a difference in how my head and upper body position effects my running. This is only possible when running up on the track when I can see every single lap pace. If I lower my head and eyes and stare only a few feet in front of my body I feel smoother and like I am moving at a pretty good clip. However when I check my pace it is generally slower then when running with my head up looking forward. I feel better with my head down, it feels like I am literally falling forward. Probably because when looking down I see the ground going past quickly. Very much like if you were to look out your side window when in a car and staring at the ground to your side. When I go and lift my head or eyes again, without consciously thinking about it my pace increases. Sometimes I think seeing other runners in front of me may have something to do with it. Maybe it's something with my body position. Or of course a combo of the two.

One of the common excuses for allowing the consumption of junk during the holidays is, well, because it is the holidays. But I believe that eating all this sugary fake food does nothing but reinforce the habit during the rest of the year. Diet soda is another example of this. True, by itself diet soda does not contain sugar. However it has that same taste of the oh so addictive substance and when you drink pop it gives you that amazing feeling so much akin to the first few inhalations of a cigarette to a smoker who missed their first break.

Speaking of soda I saw a man letting his two year old sip out of his Pepsi bottle at Walmart. I gave him the most "omfg are you kidding me you discust me" look I could, without being to obvious.

Here is an interesting thought. This came up a while ago when I was discussing the addition of a barefoot division at a race, along the same lines as age groups. First I said how I looked at age groups as a way of separating older runners from the runners in their prime, to equalize the placings. By making a BF catagory I believed it showed that they were at a disadvantage to regular runners, such as 60 year olds are at a disadvantage to 30 year olds. However thinking about it more, are shoes the disadvantage, being more like wheel chairs for the handicap? Are runners all disabled and incapable of running without the crutches(shoes)?

Such as a person with an amputated leg cannot run without a prosthetic leg, most runners cannot run without shoes.

It's ironic that the modern motion control shoe may be causing more injuries that would otherwise be prevented.

A good comparison I have read is how shoe companies promote their product like baby formula companies did a few decades ago. They told everyone formula was superior to breast milk, gave it away in hospitals and clinics. People started replacing breast milk with formula, and infants paid the price. Unfortunately society has not fully realized that runners are paying the price wearing motion control moon boots. It is turning around though. Look at the slowtwitch forums. Triathletes are the most tech savy athletes out there, and you can even see a movement to more minimal shoes there.

A friend wanted me to comment on Muscle Milk...

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size 2 scoops (75.0 g)

Amount Per Serving

Calories 350 Calories from Fat 162

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 18.0g 28%

Saturated Fat 8.0g 40%

Cholesterol 5mg 2%

Sodium 200mg 8%

Total Carbohydrates 12.0g 4%

Sugars 6.0g

Protein 32.0g

As you can see it has sodium to replace what was lost through sweat. Lots of protein, plenty of sugar, and holy saturated fat! My ideal recovery shake that I like to eat as soon as possible after a workout is some whey protein and a banana blended up into some 100% fruit juice. My current media is the amazing apple juice Walmart has. Muscle milk is manufactured to be a recovery drink for lifters mainly.

It is important to note that no supplements are regulated by the FDA or any governing body. I talk a bit about this here. If it can be helped I would always opt for real food rather than some food like substance.

The book, Paleo Diet for Athletes talks a great deal about recovery and eating around nutrition.

Thursday Walmart closed at 8 on christmas eve. I worked 10.5 hours that day so obviously did not get a chance to run before work. However afterwards it was 12 below with wind gusting up to 28mph. So obviously I had to go run! I only did four but it was awesome. I told someone it was at my easy peasy "sing black eyed peas out loud while all alone running down main street during a blizzard" pace.

You know those arctic explorers you always see in movies with the beard covered in ice about to discover the ancient alien artifact. (transformers, the day the earth stood still, and alien vs predator if I remember correctly) That was me. Except I was running, which is much cooler than discovering an ancient alien artifact. My fingers lost feeling for the first half when I spent most of the time running into the wind. I even stuck them in my mouth and bit down, not feeling a whole lot. However as soon as I turned to a tailwind and was sheltered by houses and buildings more the feeling came back within a few miles.

I hate holidays for the main reason that the Wellness Center closes. I do two things in life. Homework, and run. I have no homework with it being Winter Break so must run, and it's really tough to do so when it's below zero and has snowed a foot in the last two days with another 10 inches to come.

During the next semester I would like to do a bit of studying at the Wellness Center. Bring a book or my notes with me and so some light reading after my workout. Jump on a bike and spend a half hour burning a few extra calories and getting some reading done. Can't hurt to try I suppose.

I was chatting with a coworker and he mentioned how he used to do marathons back in high school. "Oh yeah! Which ones?" I asked. "oh, some 5k's and 10k's" he replies.....I tell him that a marathon is 26.2 miles. He goes on to say how a 5k is a marathon to him. That is like calling a Ford Explorer a Lamborghin....even though it obviously is not. I have just never realized before that some people actually do not know a marathon is 26.2 miles.

Well I am out at Rapid City for a week with Desi before she leaves for school in Mexico until June. I may not run until I get back on the 4th but I am super excited to start a new training diary!

Later all! Thanks so much for reading :)