Lots of miles but no running

I had a travel-busy week that ended with a redeye flight home Friday night. So I ran intervals before work on Friday and scheduled Saturday as a REST day. Circled. Underlined. Highlighted. (Just in case I somehow forgot. PS - I did not forget Sherry... I found my own way to participate.)

Dawn at the airport. One good thing about redeye
flights is watching the sun rise.

And sure enough, after flying more than 4,000 miles in less than 72 hours, my only wish for Saturday was to shower, change into pajamas, and spend the entire day on the couch.

This is not normal for me. I can't sit still through a 2-hour movie. I fidget. I get on the stationary bike or fold a load of laundry. Someday I will try to retire, and will wind up volunteering 40 hours a week...

But on Saturday I was dedicated to my task.

I would be lazy!

Peanut could be a coach for the US Olympic Lazy Team.

So my plane landed. I drove home. Showered. Changed into pajamas.
And parked myself on the couch.
All.
Day.

It was a marathon of couch-sitting, and I won!
I managed to catch up on email and the prior week's DVRed television. I read. Hubby and I watched a movie.

I think there is still an imprint from my butt on one of the couch cushions.

Sunday was more productive (errands, cleaning, laundry) but still no running. I've had two races in the past month and have two more coming up in the next. One whole weekend off of running sounded like a brilliant way to recharge the ol' batteries.

So, in place of a Sunday long run, Hubby and I grabbed a set of rackets and headed to a nearby park to play Speedminton.

What? You've never heard of it?
Take badminton.
Remove the court.
And the rules.

And you've got the best backyard/beach/park game ever.

We played for an hour, and we haven't had that much fun exercising in a long time. Don't get me wrong - I love running. But running doesn't usually bring on belly laughs.

Diving for a wild shot or whiffing completely and catching a birdie in the nose? Belly laughs.

And laughter counts as a core workout, right?

What's your favorite lazy-day passtime?
Are there any other fun backyard games I should know about?

PS - I did not forget about the virtual Run for Sherry. I thought about her and her family often during the day. I didn't run, but I did cover many, many miles. So the frequent flier miles I earned Saturday have been donated to the Make-A-Wish foundation.

Inspiration

I'm still hobbling around the house like an 80-year-old with bunions (or a 30-something runner with some angry blisters!), but every achy step reminds me that I ran hard on Sunday.

I've been recovering with walking, yoga, and lots and lots of sleep, so I don't have much exciting news to share. But I do want to send a blog THANK YOU to Kristin at Everyday is Run Day for this little gem:

This is my new desktop wallpaper.
Don't get me wrong: I'm not giving up track workouts.
In fact, after my race on Sunday I am more determined than ever to be faster on my next 13.1.
But I knew Sunday wasn't going to be a PR.
And it was totally bumming me out (I put a happy face on. After all, fake it 'til you make it, right? But I was not a happy camper last week...)
This simple little slogan gave me the inspiration to put my all into the race.
And I'm really glad I did.

... now off to plan the next one!

Do you have a slogan/mantra/poster that inspires you?

Picture courtesy of S. King

"Enjoy it while you can"

On my run this morning, I started a little earlier than I usually do. Turning a corner, I passed an older gentleman with a cane. He was out for his own morning constitutional.

In typical southern fashion, he smiled and waved his cane at me. I smiled back and shouted a hearty "good morning!" across the street. He replied with:

Enjoy it while you can! Eventually your knees will go and you'll be doing this! (as he waved his cane in the air and laughed)

I replied:

I'm doing this so my knees will work as long as possible!

And then we both continued on our way.

But it did make me smile.

I have no proof that running will keep me young, but it sure as heck isn't making me any older! I am still in that lovely period of running that late-bloomers enjoy: I am considerably faster in my 30s than I was in my 20s.

I am sure my gentleman neighbor has a point. There is no magic elixir that works like a Fountain of Youth, but there are days when racing through a park still makes me feel like a little kid again. And each new PR makes me feel like my body works better every year instead of worse. I'm going to enjoy those feelings for as long as they last, and thank my neighbor for reminding me to "enjoy it while you can."

Born to Run (and to be anything but a couch potato)

I am about halfway through Born to Run. Having published the latest obesity stats in another blog, this passage struck me:

"Every action flick depicts the destruction of civilization as some kind of crash-boom-bang, a nuclear war or hurtling comet or a self-aware-cyborg uprising, but the true cataclysm may already be creeping right up under our eyes: because of rampant obesity, one in three children born in the United States is at risk of diabetes--meaning, we could be the first generation of Americans to outlive our own children. Maybe the ancient Hindus were better crystal-ball-gazers than Hollywood when they predicted the world would end not with a bang, but with a big old yawn. Shiva the Destroyer would snuff us out by doing... nothing. Lazing out. Withdrawing his hot-blooded force from our bodies. Letting us become slugs."
Christoper McDougall, Born to Run

Today, Colorado has the nation’s lowest rate of adult obesity, at 18.6 percent. In California, with its reputation for athletic-minded surfers and beach bums, one quarter of the adult population is obese. That's right - not just overweight. Obese. In California.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/AdultObesity/StateInfo.html

The rapid change over the past two decades is alarming, to say the least. In 1990 ten states had obesity rates below 10 percent. Today none do. In 1990 no states had obesity rates above 15 percent. Today none have rates below 15 percent.

How has this happened so quickly?

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "Many communities are built in ways that make it difficult or unsafe to be physically active."

While I agree that wide, sidewalk-less roads play a role in the obesity epidemic, I also think there is a broader social movement at play... Or rather not moving and not playing?

According to Nielsen, Americans are watching more TV than ever - now up to an average of 34 HOURS PER WEEK per person. People are watching television like it's a full-time job.

Somewhere along the way we've lost our collective interest in getting outside to play, and have turned into a nation of couch potatoes.

I'm hoping that by the end of Born to Run, McDougall will present some suggestions for overcoming our national sloth. Michelle Obama's "Let's Move" campaign is a start in the right direction, but I have to wonder if more people will exercise or will just sit and watch her dance in the Dougie video?


Note:
According to the CDC, obesity is “defined as a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 or greater. BMI is calculated from a person's weight and height and provides a reasonable indicator of body fatness and weight categories that may lead to health problems. Obesity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, certain types of cancer, and type 2 diabetes.”