Shiggy

Today's run was deep in the shiggy.

"What the heck is shiggy?" you ask.

Shiggy is what mud runs aspire to be and never will achive. But perhaps that's too cryptic a description, so here is Urban Dictionary's apt definition:

shiggy (noun)
Off-road hashing (running) trail through muck, mud or other wet areas. Term derives from shigella/shigellosis - bacteria causing dysentery occurring most frequently in areas of poor sanitation such as pig sties and back-water swamp lands. Term first used by Brits & Aussies on Hash House Harrier runs (in Asia) in 1940's.

Sounds horrible, right?

Well, that's a matter of perspective...

Lily pond in Gulf Breeze, FL

Let me start by saying that I had foolishly scheduled a 12-miler this morning. I scheduled that long run thinking only of my next race, not of much-needed recovery time. I truly believe in an ebb-and-flow style training plan, with some hard weeks followed by an easier one. But I wasn't planning to practice what I preach.

As a result, I have been bordering on burnout. Those of you who follow on Facebook will know that after back-to-back racing weekends, I was not looking forward to my long run. I already swapped my Friday morning run for an hour on the stationary bike, and the idea of running 12 miles on Saturday morning was making me itch.

So I didn't run 12 miles this morning.
I slept in and went hashing in the afternoon instead.

Off trail at the Gulf Islands National Seashore.
This is what today's "trail" looked like.

The hash route made me itch in an entirely different way... We ran through brambles, skirted around swamps, and waded knee-deep into a drainage ditch. (Trying to jump the ditch was out of the question. Those who tried just made a bigger mess.)

I have never been such a muddy mess after a run.
It was glorious!

Guess which shoes went running today...

Hitting the trails was just the break I needed from long-distance road running. This trail running thing might become a new habit.

(I'm pretty sure Hubby wasn't happy that we took his nice, clean car. We usually use my 10-year-old workhorse for the dirty jobs. But we survived and I think the car upholstery did, too. PS - Speaking of shiny, pretty things vs. workhorses... The answer to yesterday's quiz: that Chanel bike costs $17,000.)

What's the muddiest, messiest thing you've done lately?

3 x running fun

Run x 1
This morning I woke up craving a run.
Yes, it's taper weekend, and yes I had a hares and hounds run in the afternoon. But my body is used to waking up on Sunday and heading out the door. So who am I to say no? I laced up and hit the roads for four miles. Then breakfast + coffee + grading papers. (Sitting still to grade papers is much easier when I can call it "post-run rest.")

Run x 2
I swore I'd take it easy on the hares and hounds run. (Famous last words.)
I even had a beer before the run because I wasn't going to "really" run, right?
(Plus, someone replaced the usual Coors Light and Milwaukee's Best - totally skip-able - with Yuengling and Sam Adams. How could I not have one?)

An older run + beer photo, but you get the idea...

But there's something about the chase that I can't resist...
I held back for the first half but took off after the lead pack for the second half of the run. I might regret this next weekend. After all, I am supposed to be resting up for NOLA. But it was fun. And isn't that really why I run?

Run x 3
No, I haven't lost my mind. 2 runs in 24 hours is still my personal record. But I did come home to watch the USATF Indoor World Championships. A couple of thoughts...

Bernard Legat's legs move so fast that you almost can't see his feet moving. He's like the hummingbird of human runners. I could watch the video of his 3000 meter win over and over and over again. (Hubby cut me off after 5 replays.)

On the women's side of the board, Chaunte Lowe's 2.05 meter high jump was amazing and propelled her to an overall win at the Championships. Her athleticism is impressive, but it was her post-win interview that totally won me over - Lowe has spent the past year training on 3-4 hours of sleep a night after the birth of her second child. She managed to rock the Championship AND keep a sense of humor and perspective about the run-work-life balance.


What is your favorite sport to watch on television?
Do you have any athletic idols?

Fun with flour (or 1st time as Hare)

On Sunday Hubby and I were the Hares for our hares-and-hounds run! (For an explanation of hares-and-hounds running, see prior posts.)

Our mission: Take off 15 minutes before the other runners (aka "Hounds"), and mark a route - using flour and chalk - for the Hounds to follow. And don't get caught!

The route must be confusing enough that the Hounds don't catch us while we're marking the trail! (No simple out-and-back course allowed!) But the route must also be marked well enough that no runner or walker gets lost! (In our group there is one route for runners, and a split-off trail for walkers.)

Hares are also expected to set an "interesting" route (read: through playgrounds, over fences, or across fields, whatever...). To give you an example of "interesting" - a recent run took us straight through a downtown bar and out the bar's back door! (The bar knew about this beforehand, but we Hounds did not. It was a clever route, and it was hilarious to see the confused looks on bar patrons' faces.)

Hounds on the hunt!
Source: National Library of Ireland

I have to admit, I was both excited and nervous about the challenge of being a Hare. Some of the runners in the group are much faster than I am. Plus, I had a 15k meltdown during a race the day before. I worried: Would my legs hold up through another effort on Sunday?

In preparation, Hubby and I spent a good chunk of our "date night" on Saturday perched on barstools at a favorite restaurant, reviewing and annotating maps while we waited for a table to open up. We fine-tuned the route on Sunday morning, changed into running gear, and headed out to hash. An experienced Hare came along to show us the ropes, since this was our first time marking the trail.

I ran as fast as my little legs would take me (which is harder than it sounds when you're also supposed to be marking a trail)!

And, indeed, we outran the Hounds!

When we finished, we were exhausted and covered in dough.
(Flour + sweat = sticky mess!)
But it was FUN.

Where is the craziest place you have ever run?

Running, but not catching up.

Yesterday I got to lead a Hares and Hounds run and spend some quality time with Hubby and our running buddies.

Sunday's headline: I ran, and no hounds caught me!

Today I'm up to my eyeballs in work. (It's only 3:30 and already I'm wondering how late I'll be working tonight and tomorrow...?)

Monday's headline: I'm running, but just keep getting farther behind...

Life has a funny way of balancing out sometimes.

I'll be back with a hash-run recap tomorrow.

Until then...
Keep the coffee coming!

Did you do any fun runs this weekend?
How's your Monday going?

I almost caught the hare!

True trail! (This means you're going the right way.)

When I moved to Florida, I joined a Hares and Hounds running club for the first time.

For those of you who are wondering what the heck a Hares and Hounds run is, here's a brief explanation:

• A group of runners meet at a pre-determined location.
• One or two runners take off with a head start (usually 15 minutes) to mark a trail. We will call these runners the Hares.
• The remaining runners (aka Hounds) follow the trail left by the Hares.
• The trail - often marked with flour or chalk - may take twists, turns, or lead to dead-ends. These trail "tricks" serve two purposes -- to keep the group together (faster runners are more likely to hit dead-ends and have to back track) and to keep the Hounds from catching the Hares! (This is foreshadowing...)
• The Hounds yell to one another. Loudly. (So please don't call the police if you see a pack of adults running through your neighborhood yelling things like "Are you?" and "On-on!" They don't bite. Usually.)
• Generally there is at least one stop for refreshments somewhere along the trail. This gives slower runners and wrong-turners a chance to catch up. Hashing is a team sport with the goal that everyone finishes at roughly the same time.
• At the end of the trail, there is a celebration, complete with libations. (Because, after all, hashers belong to "a drinking club with a running problem.")
• The level of bawdiness and difficulty of the trail varies widely from group to group. (The group I run with is PG-13, which suits me just fine.)

There are several more thorough explanations of Hare and Hound runs on the interwebs. With each Hash, I learn a bit more about the traditions (because there are no "rules" only traditions), but I'm still new at this.

Yesterday's Hash was particularly excellent.

The trail wound through a playground. Two very observant girls on swings were happy to tell us which way the Hares had gone! (Thanks, ladies!)

Hubby and I ran to the meeting location, rather than driving, so we could partake in the libations. Mid-run beer disadvantage: beer burps while sprinting. Mid-run beer advantage: Forgetting that your feet are still blistered from last weekend and running all-out... Which leads to the most exciting news of all:

I very nearly caught one of the Hares!!!
This is huge.
Catching a Hare is rare.
Unfortunately for me, the Hare slipped through my fingers by sprinting into oncoming traffic on a busy road to escape capture! (Don't try this at home, kids!)
But ohhh... I was so close!
It gives me incentive to run even faster next time!

On-on!

Have you ever done a Hares and Hounds run?

Haunted Halloween hash

On my life list of running I can check off:

Running at night
Trail running
Running in costume
Hashing

But trail running, in costume, in the dark, for a hash run?
Now I can check that off too!


The weekend's Haunted Halloween Hash run was a trail "run" that started after dark and wound through an oak forest. We ran the streets from our starting point to the trailhead, but despite flashlights, we slowed to a brisk walk once we left the pavement. (I still got whacked by a few unseen branches... )

The hares claim that the trail was "only" two miles, but when you're walking through unfamiliar woods, in the dark, with only the occasional glow stick marking the way, the trip seems much longer than two miles! Toward the end I started to worry that we were going in circles. (I'm pretty sure black-and-orange knee highs + a tech t-shirt are not acceptable attire for a night spent sleeping in the woods.)

Hubby added that bouncing through the woods with flashlights reminded him of a creepy scene from Blair Witch.

Which brings me to the haunting...
One of the "ghouls" got me good! I knew there would be hashers hiding behind trees to jump out and scare us. I heard the screams of a group up ahead, and knew a "haunting" was coming up. But the hidden hasher still managed to scare the bejeebers out of me!

After the run, we huddled around a bonfire, with bowls of chili and our beverages of choice. One particularly kind hasher also baked a cake to celebrate Hubby's October birthday. Aww!

Haunted photo?

We're pretty sure everyone made it back safely, but we forgot to do a headcount.

So who knows...
...maybe the woods really are haunted now?
*cue evil laughter*

Happy Halloween all!

Another runner costume

Hubby and I needed new runner-friendly costumes for the Halloween Hash run.
I used my road runner idea earlier this week.
So...
Meet our pumpkins!

Costume instructions:

• You'll need a bright orange shirt* and some black duct tape.
• Cut duct tape into the shape of jack-o-lantern eyes and mouth and stick the tape to the shirt. (Note: cutting duct tape is a little tricky, but with some patience I put both shirts together in about half an hour.)
• Wear this shirt with black or grey shorts, running shoes.
• For bonus points add black-and-orange socks, jack-o-lantern earrings, or pumpkin "leaf" headwear (which you cannot see well in the photo, but trust me, we were rocking the leaves).

To be honest: I never thought I'd turn into one of those people who dresses like my significant other. But the overall effect of the costume was more striking with two of us. What? We blinded the other runners with the brightness of our orange shirts? Nonsense!

Do you and your S.O. ever dress alike?

*We found two wicking-material long-sleeve shirts -- cheaper than a "costume" and re-useable for winter running and hiking!

Follow that hare

Last night was another entertaining run with the Hashers. Slowly, but surely, I'm learning the "traditions" (because there are no rules in hashing, only traditions). For example, pointing with your fingers is a major breach of etiquette, but pointing with an elbow is perfectly acceptable. (Ignore the fact that in pointing with an elbow, everyone looks a bit like they're doing the Chicken Dance.)

I think what I enjoy most about these runs, in addition to the fact that all of the participants are fun-loving and very friendly, is that in the thrill of the "chase" you almost forget how far you've run. It was a hot night, so the planned route was only 3.5 miles, but with all of the twists, turns, and turnarounds we ran more than 4. If I had been running on my own, I am certain the heat would have worn me down, but there was a trail to find! There were Hares to catch! There was cold beer to be had!

On on!

Where everybody knows your name

As a child of the 80s, I am enamored with the television show Cheers. And having, six months ago, left my own personal, real-life Cheers behind when I moved from San Diego to the Florida Panhandle, I have been a bit blue that I lost my place (cue theme song music)

where everybody knows your name,
and they're always glad you came.
You wanna be where you can see,
our troubles are all the same.
You wanna be where everybody knows your name.

It has taken some adjustment to find a new coffee shop, grocery store, neighborhood bar, and - most especially - running group. Because for the past six months no one has known my name, or much cared, for that matter.

I am not being overly dramatic here. Most of the people of this fair town have lived their entire lives within a 50-mile radius, and don't have any need to make new friends. The rest of the population, like me, will be here 3 years or less and probably annoy the locals with our constant shuffling in and out. So the locals mostly just ignore us, and I can't say I blame them.

But maybe I spoke too soon?

Tonight, while out at the local pub run, I saw some of the hashers from Sunday night. Not only did they recognize me, they shouted my name across the parking lot, greeted me warmly, and brought me into their group.

Hooray!

After six months of weekly pub runs, someone finally knows my name!

(cue more theme music)

Tonight I glided through the run, and the lighter-than-air feeling had nothing to do with my stride.

If you have never moved away from your hometown before, you might not understand this feeling.

If you have moved far away from home, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

Hash virgin no longer

In my desperation to find a suitable running group to fill the void I left when I left behind my friends at SDR, I tried a hash.

No, not THAT hash.

A hares and hounds run, organized by a local chapter of the Hash House Harriers. The hashers have a reputation for being a raunchy group (not my style, as I've mentioned before), but one local chapter claimed to be a "kinder, gentler hash-type club." The group's description implied that they are a rowdy, but not rauchy, bunch of running-lovers. It sounded like just what I was looking for, so I laced up and took the plunge.

I'll save the details for a later, when my head is no longer swimming with the after-effects of during- and post-run beers, and I can type without having to concentrate so very hard on making my fingers strike the right keys in the right order.

But I will say this: the East Hill Hare & Hounds Running Club gave me a warm and bawdy (but not R-rated) welcome to the group.

Hashing clearly won't replace any of my training runs (not sure "drink beer at mile 2" is on my training calendar) but it does promise to be a lot of fun.


A note about the photo:
To be clear, for those of you who have never done a hash or "hare and hounds" run... The chalk (shown above) is key to the run. Chalk and/or flour are used to mark a trail. Runners (except for the "hare" who marks the course) have no idea where the trail will lead them -- they have to follow the trail chalk/flour markings -- which is an integral part of the fun!

MWF runner seeks partner for long runs on the trails...

I started my new life on the Florida Panhandle about six months ago, but have made little progress in terms of finding new running buddies. Not that I haven't tried. I feel like Goldilocks, but looking for "just right" has been tougher than Miss G made it seem.

I tried the local pub run: Too little socializing, and too many people half-assing it just to get the beer discount.

So I tried the local ladies' run: Too girlie, even for me. And I love everything about being a female runner. I just don't want to run wearing a tiara. I don't care whose birthday it is. I think their enthusiasm is awesome - the same way I think it is awesome when a couple runs a marathon dressed as Fred and Wilma Flintstone... but that doesn't mean I want to dress up, too.

Next I looked up one of the local hash run groups: Too raunchy, even for me. (And I drop the f-bomb ALL THE TIME... but, seriously, replacing the word "come" with "cum" on a website is not that clever.) And they didn't reply to emails anyway. (Yes, I am getting that desperate!)

In a last-ditch effort, I replied to an ad on Craigslist for someone else who is looking for a running buddy. We'll see what happens. This will either be the start of a beautiful new running adventure, or it won't, or the person is a serial killer.

So if I don't post for awhile...

But seriously, if I do meet up with this runner I'll do all the smart things: meet in a public place, make sure hubby knows where I am and what time I'll be home, use a fake name, carry a taser.

So my question tonight is: When did finding a running partner start to feel like online dating? (And where can a girl get a taser?)


Author's update February 2012: There is a second hash run group in town, and they were just right.