Instead Softcup Challenge - The Jogging Jawa Review (and a giveaway!)

For those of you with more delicate sensibilities - menstruation talk ahoy!

I signed up for the Instead Softcup Challenge through For the Love of the Run in October and I have certainly had more than enough time to test it out - so here's my loooooong overdue review.

I think I managed to keep it on the low-squick factor side of things so don't be too scared about encountering horrifying levels of personal detail.

Bloom County by Berkley Breathed
Img via http://www.thecomicstrips.com/subject/The-Female-Comic-Strips-by-Bloom+County.php

As much as procrastination figured in, I'm actually pretty glad of the extra time I have taken to write this because I think after one or two months I would not have given it the same review I'm giving it now. I've been using Insteads on and off for the last six months and I think I've got a pretty good handle on their place in my monthly repertoire.


This was actually not my first time trying Instead Softcups. Way back lo these many years ago in the olden days I like to call "college" I learned that there were environmentally and body friendly alternatives to the usual cloth/paper based disposable feminine products and started researching which would be the best for me. I considered the mass market menstruation products available extremely uncomfortable and wasteful (not to mention of dubious health benefit), so finding that there were alternatives out there opened up a whole new world for me.

I was pretty sure I wanted to get a product called the Diva Cup because it has low environmental impact and unlike some other reusable cups it is silicone (and hence sterilize-able) but at that time a $30+ investment was a rather a big hit to my miniscule college student-type bank account for a completely outre left-field totally weird hippie granola thing.

img via http://www.yumyucky.com/2009/10/healthy-hippie-natural-food-store.html

If I remember correctly Instead Softcups were a fairly new item at the time, and were being talked up on various message boards as a good test run product if you were looking to get a reusable cup but were not sure. It doesn't require a big initial investment to try it out so I figured I'd give it a shot. I got a sample package and tried it out for a couple of months. While I found it a bit too uncomfortable (and disposable) to be my first choice product at the time, it did give me the practice and confidence necessary to believe that a reusable cup could be the right choice for me.

Shortly thereafter I got my Diva Cup and mostly forgot about Instead Softcups for my purposes, though I did recommend them to other people looking to test out a menstrual cup without the initial investment. They're are definite differences, but it'll give you a good feel for using cups. I've been using my Diva Cup fairly happily since. Menstruation is now MASSIVELY cleaner, cheaper, more comfortable, and far less of a hassle then I could have ever imagined using tampons and disposable pads.

Fast forward to 2012 and my discovery of fitness bloggers (notably including For the Love of the Run).

I saw a few posts about the Softcup Challenge and thought to myself that there probably weren't too many other people doing this from the point of view of a long time dedicated menstrual cup user; so why not sign up?

I received my sample package and while I can't say they will replace my Diva entirely, they have definitely been worth having around. I fully expect I'll keep them available for regular use in the future.

They are apparently more compact this time around and DEFINITELY seem more comfortable then the last time I used them, though admittedly a good part of that may simply be due to increased familiarity with the product type. Either way Insteads have gone from something I can see someone that wasn't me using, to something I found really helpful and plan to use with some regularity.

A big limitation of the reusable Diva cup is that you have to have it on hand. Unless you buy a backup there's only the one available and it has to be properly cleaned, so it's not really the sort of thing you can toss in your pocketbook at the beginning of the week like a tampon and grab it to run to the bathroom just when it's necessary. You also can't take an early lunch break to run out to the nearest drugstore to pick up a nice sanitary individually wrapped Diva Cup if you happen forget it on the day you need it.

There's only so much predicting one can do when it comes to menstruation so having the option of tossing a sealed disposable product in my bag for when I need it has been a GREAT help. This freedom alone has made this whole challenge worth it for me.

If you've ever had the thought that you were literally throwing your money in the garbage for products that leak and chafe and can potentially cause serious illness you may want to think about trying out a menstrual cup.

Instead Softcups are not for those who are ultra squeamish about the functions of the human body, but this is not exactly that crowd. If you can deal with all the sweat, blood, chafing, blisters, trail squatting, and *ahm* potential for stomach upset that goes hand in hand with regular running it follows that most of you are a fairly hearty lot with few illusions about the day to day details of human bodies.

There is a bit of a mess factor but... how to put it nicely... it's a bathroom mess (hence easily cleanable) as opposed to a laundry mess (hence get out the bleach and cross your fingers that your favorite pants/sheets/whatever are salvageable - because you know it's ALWAYS your favorite).

I'm the Jogging Jawa, and I approve of this message. Even though I received this product free of charge, the opinions expressed in this blog are 100% mine. Feel free to ask topical but terribly personal questions in comments. I will try to answer as frankly as I can.

So here's the part where those of you who bothered to read all the way through get to come in.

I coincidentally happened to win a giveaway via From the Love of the Run at the same time that I signed up for the Instead Softcup Challenge so I actually received TWO packages of Instead Softcups.

As much as I'm a little tempted to keep them all for myself it would be pretty unfair of me to hog all the freebees, so anyone who posts to say that they are interested before midnight of June 1 will be entered in a giveaway for a free sample box of Softcups to be chosen in some highly unscientific randomized way. This will most likely involve one of my cats or possibly a dart (but not both - my cats are stabby enough all on their own thank you).

Gentlemen this includes you too, but I'll leave it to you to figure out what to do with them or how to explain them to whoever you pass them along to.

img via: http://www.spabeautyschools.com/blog/mens-holiday-gift-guide/

Evidence of Liking my Facebook and/or pimping the blog may get you extra chances/brownie points/ and maybe a sparkly sticker or two if you're the winner.

Very slow and very steady

That's what she said!

*ahem*

I used a treadmill for the very first time on Wednesday. Hooray for not getting launched off at any point!

I have seen enough of The Biggest Loser to recognize the unending shame of being launched bodily off of a treadmill so I decided to take it as slow as I needed to until I knew I was truly comfortable.

I started out at pretty much dead minimum pace and clicked up the speed one notch at a time until I was thoroughly bored of walking and knew I could safely run.

I felt a little silly moving along at a snails pace for as long as I did (I literally "warmed up" for about 25 minutes and only covered a mile) but the way I see it one day of feeling a touch silly in front of strangers totally beats wasting a year's worth of gym membership because I'm too mortified to ever go back.

Once I decided it was run time I started day one of the 5k to 10k training program app I got for my iPhone.

5k to 10k wk 1 d 1
5 minutes warm up/cool down and  20 minutes of running at an "easy conversational pace".
1.5 miles over 20 minutes at an average pace of 13:28

I started out the run section holding on to the handles but quickly realized that it was really uncomfortable and messing with my posture something fierce, so I let go of them as soon as I (again) was reasonably sure I wasn't going to launch myself.

I ended up starting out much slower than I expected (between 13:00 and 14:00) and struggled a surprising amount for about the first mile. I think in retrospect the newness of the situation and a bit of social anxiety (am I breathing to loud? is everyone watching? NO DON'T LOOK AT THEM, THEY WILL KNOW YOUR SHAME) may have had me breathing more shallow than I normally would. By the end I was able to up the speed considerably and I think I got up to running at a bit slower than 11:00 at one point, but the treadmill readout was not very conductive to tracking that sort of thing so I don't have exact numbers. I had the treadmill at the recommended 1% rise to make the run feel more properly outside-ish.

The treadmill was (as advertised) insanely boring and the lack of wind in your face seriously sucks. Next time I'm putting on the TV - even if I don't listen to it - and positioning myself as close as possible to the giant fan. I am VERY glad I remembered my towel this time. That was gross.

image from http://mastercowfish.blogspot.com but props to Douglas Adams

I do not see myself doing my weekend runs indoors unless I absolutely have to.

I received my Garmin footpod yesterday and after some fiddling I got my watch to notice it. If you get one make sure you're moving while pairing, it took a number of tries and more than a few Google queries to work this one out. I'm really excited to try it out because it annoys me a great deal when I can't functionally upload my runs to the various run sites and trying to read the pace for that split second it shows up on the treadmill readout when you change the speed was awful. I don't understand why you can't toggle between the two if it's obviously programmed in anyway.

Sassy!

I was going to hit the gym tonight in the hopes that working out would fix the unrelenting skull-in-a-vice headache, but I fear running with the unrelenting tummy blahs will have a different ending.

The usual sick rule (above the neck - suck it up, below the neck - go take a nap already!) makes a lot of sense to me with colds... would you say the same line applies to other body systems?

Running from my problems

Running once a week is NOT cutting it.

How do I stay sane when I'm not working out regularly?  

Oh yeah, that's right, I don't. 

I become a tightly wound ball of nerves and I physicalize every last bit of it; my back seizes, my joints stop working (so working out now leads to injury, catch 22!), my skin erupts and then sloughs off, my adrenaline spikes for little to no reason, I become depressive, and my immune system implodes on itself taking the majority of my favorite foods with it.

Hell on earth, or as I like to call it, the entirety of my twenties!

Don't get me wrong, there were good days too

This past week was a bit extra stressy for me for a number of reasons and on Friday I found myself somewhat melancholic and yearning to take a midnight drive to Montauk Point. Unfortunately however it's about a five hour round trip for me and I couldn't see eating through an entire tank of gas in the name of catharsis* (also at that point I wasn't sure the whole route was open as much of it runs along beach).

I had officially signed up for the gym earlier that day so now that I had noticed the inverse proportion between my mileage and my mood (*cough* not to mention the firmness of my tummy *cough*) I resolved that this was the week I was going to get back in the swing of things and try to make my runs the cathartic road experience I was clearly lacking.

Sanity: a mile at a time.

Saturday was a bit whirlwind and draining so I headed out Sunday afternoon resolved to get my kinetic therapy ON.

Sunday afternoon run: Steady run plus 5 minute warmup and cooldown walks
4.03 miles (!!) at an average of 10:53 per mile -  total run time of 43:54

Another distance first for me made all the better by the fact that I felt really good! I wasn't sure how much I wanted to push after a whole week off but even mile two was pleasant so I figured I might as well go for it. Pretty consistent splits (10:59, 10:55, 10:43, 10:54) and I didn't feel like I was swinging back and forth as wildly throughout. I think 11:00 is shaping up to be a pretty reasonable road covering pace for me for the moment.

The 43 degree temperature wasn't thrilling to be sure. My eyes watered for the first mile and I felt like I spent the rest of the night clearing out a layer of gunk my lungs apparently formed to protect themselves against the cold (I must find my balaclava!). Otherwise I was pretty comfortable but I do see why people get extra sleeve layers. I'm almost tempted to reroute so that my first mile loops back to my house so I can drop my vest off after I have worked up a bit of real body heat... then again maybe not, it's not even December yet, it's only getting colder for the next three months. *sigh*

I am mildly concerned that I could feel a slight ache in my right arch again during the middle of my run and afterward I felt it in both arches and in both knees (though all discomfort was gone within an hour). If this continues much longer I may hit up the running store and see if they have a suggestion.

As far as my brain? Road zen officially achieved.
This is usually in the form of my brain just plain shutting off somewhere around mile three, but I'll take it.
I felt better for the rest of the day and formulated a plan of action going forward, so I'm going to call that mission accomplished.

I purchased the Active.com 5k to 10k App and the Garmin Footpod today (that will arrive Thursday), and my plan is to hit the gym three nights a week through the winter to do 10K training, and hopefully get out for a long unstructured run on Sundays when the weather permits.

I'm not sure how the app works without GPS (and there is NO support for ANYTHING from Active) but they do offer the ability to disable GPS so I suppose it must work without.

If I follow fairly consistently that will take me through February/March and I can start thinking about whether I want to move the Half Marathon training plan up from its current start time of July.

*I've only driven to Montauk once (December 19, 2010) and it was (and is) the longest I've ever been behind the wheel.

After spending an evening cleaning the last of my stuff out of storage at my ex- boyfriends house I realized I couldn't just sit home among the box pile, so I hit the road for a drive. I just sort of randomly resolved to go to Montauk after about an hour of aimless driving.

I listened to Nine Inch Nails on shuffle the whole way, enjoyed a light snowfall, almost ran out of gas, nearly collided with about a million deer, and initiated the functional part of reclaiming my sanity in the wake of what had become a rather horrible couple of years (capped off by an exceptionally soul grinding couple of weeks).

I consider it the hard point that separates that time of my life from this one. It wasn't a cure all, but aside from the near wildlife collisions it stands out as one of the calmest and most centered points of my life, and that clarity carried me through.

How fuchsia footie pajamas made me a runner.

I've been feeling a little more off every day for the last couple of weeks.

To be fair there has been a *bit* of stuff going on in the world around me, so at first I passed everything off as temporary reactions to the immediate environmental stresses.

By this past Thursday it became clear that regardless of what was going on my body had just plain settled into full on Bleah! mode; complete with allergies, tiredness, crappy eating, random adrenaline spikes, headaches, and a solid case of the HULK SMASHes.

Only then did it occur to me that I had switched from running three 5ks every week (with all the healthful eating and hydrating that entails) to a single 5k in two weeks, eating absolute junk, living in front of my computer (or my phone when the power was off), and drinking a glass or two of wine every couple of nights... and that maybe this had a little something to do with my general feelings of crappyness too.

I have apparently transitioned into the time of my life that living healthy actually feels better than doing whatever. Weird.

I was already determined to run this weekend because I had signed up for the run4nyc virtual 5k,  but this mood shift made me all the more determined to get out and get moving again.

I don't get a lot of sleep on average during the week so sleeping in and chilling out on weekends is key to my sanity. I recently dug out all of my winter gear so for the first time this year I got to rock out my fave winter PJs while kicking around my apartment.

I have clearly cornered the market on everyday sexy. Hope I don't get any of you in trouble at work with the racy content!

I spent the late morning and early afternoon relaxing in my footies. It was starting to get late and if I wanted to get a run during full daylight I would have to GO.

And so it came time to remove my delicious warm microfleece Muppet pajamas to put a meager few layers of cold flimsy tech fabric between me and the universe. I readied to leave my wonderful boyfriend and snuggly cats behind; to venture out into the cold; to test and exhaust myself on messy dangerous litter strewn roads... and I didn't think twice about a single second of it.

I think it was sometime around when I finished painstakingly weaving and tucking my earphones around and through a carefully crafted bra strap/safety pin maze that I fully recognized the decision I had made, and what that meant to me about who I am now and what I'm about.

Running is just what I do now, I'm a runner. Hunh.

Sure I may be a painfully slow runner all things considered, and apparently I set myself up to suck wind big time by going a week with only one short walk for exercise, (who put all that invisible plastic wrap in my lungs anyway?) but if any of that sort of stuff was going to stop me it probably would have done so months ago, and being able to say that feels pretty darn awesome.

Incidentally: if you're looking for some sexy Muppet footie PJs of your own you can get them here.

My Saturday run: run4nyc virtual 5k - a 5K run plus 5 minute warmup and cooldown walks
3.10 miles at an average of 11:34 per mile -  total time of 35:53
Positive splits all around! Not kidding, this one was hard.

So, what are my options for running at this point?

Like it or not road running has officially become a weekend activity. I don't typically get home from work until four thirty, and with daylight savings time it's pretty much dark at five now, so weeknight running is pretty much out until spring. The sun rises at about six forty am this time of year, which is less than a half hour before I already get up to be at work at eight. Given the amount of time it would take me to cool down and shower if I ran in the morning I would still be running in the dark then too (I do have to admit I'm immensely happy that's not a remotely viable option).

I have an extremely generous offer from Gigi of Running On Candy to use her treadmill since she lives very close (and is awesome), but transitioning my entire running workout routine to right in the middle of someone's home seems like it would get intrusive right quick and we Jawas are shy, retiring creatures. I love her for the offer but I think I'd be too mortified to actually make good on it. She does have cats which rival mine in awesomeness, (and she has a whole extra one) but by the same token I see treadmill + amazing cat time rapidly devolving to shenanigans.

I had already been looking into a Retro Fitness extremely close to me and I found out that they are running a cash special Thanksgiving weekend that makes the dues work out to ACTUALLY twenty dollars a month. I had already figured out a few things I could easily cut out of my budget to cover that and then my parents offered to kick in a sizable proportion of the membership as a holiday gift, so I'm pretty much decided.

I plan to do a guest pass one day in the intervening time to check it out (make sure they're not a front for trafficking endangered animals or anything like that) and if it seems worth it I'm going for it!

A farewell to flip flops (for now) and some neat lacing tips

I have a shoe problem.

While I only have one functional pair of running shoes at the moment, my general shoe collection is... prodigious. I own innumerable flip flops, a few pair of boots, a lot of peep toes and sandals, some kicky flats, and more than my share of "how do you even walk in those?" stilettos. I'm especially fond of 50s retro mules, T straps, and Mary Janes.

My boyfriend is *ahm* supportive of this collection.

And, of course, sexy lady-pirate boots.

Oddly enough I also have a problem with shoes. Unless I'm dressing up I really hate wearing them.

I have been fighting against ingrown toenails all of my life (it's genetic, the natural shape of my nails is overly curved) and if I am not very particular about the style even "sensible" flats can get intensely painful for me. I rejoice when it finally gets warm enough to ditch the constrictive shackles of footwear, and spend as much of the year as I can totally barefoot or in open sandals. I don't really mind a fair bit of heel as long as my toes can move freely.

Part of the reason I love my running sneaks so much (Saucony Hurricane 14s) is the lovely giant open toe box. As much as I was into the idea of running it gets so painful to wear the wrong shoes that I put off even trying for a long time. I honestly wasn't sure I would be able to really run at all until I found them.
I think it's pretty safe to say that my early (read as: injuriously premature) interest in minimalist running shoes comes directly out of this barefoot love. Unfortunately, as much as I loved the idea, my knees REALLY did not. On that note: anyone looking for a lightly used pair of size 37 (i.e. 6.5/7 us) Vibram Bikila LS in grey/blue? I do dig a good barter, heck I'll even wash them!

Despite what my earlier swollen ankle post might lead you to believe I take pretty good care of my feet and a large part of that is letting air get to my skin, moisturizing with all natural products (petroleum doesn't breathe!), and avoiding the constrictive deforming effects of closed shoes whenever possible.

I spent most of my youth getting yelled at by my dad to put on some shoes before I stepped on or in something, but to tell you the truth one look at his feet was all it would take to settle me right back in my barefoot ways. I'll take the occasional cat barf or sharp rock encounter over scary man feet any day!

I also step on/trip over my cats way less when I'm barefoot, which I think we all appreciate.

Unfortunately however I don't deal well with cold at all, so in the Fall I cling to the last days of sandals tenaciously. I ignore the fact that my feet are turning alternately red and blue in the autumn chill until the day I am finally forced to pull out the more sensible kicks along with the hoodies and scarves. Today was sadly, that pivotal chilly fall day.

I was a teen in the 90s, so my baseline casual shoe is (but of course) the low top Converse All Star.

These are my faves. The chickens which say "blah" make it that much more OK to be wearing shoes.

In honor of today's Abandoning Of The Sandals I offer you a set of pretty darn useful links. I dare you to try out at least the first technique for a week and see if it doesn't change how you tie your shoes forever. All it took was one good trip up on a busy street to convince me that better knots are worth a few days of learning awkwardness.

The first is a TED talk entitled "How to tie your shoes".
You  might think this was sort of a given but I suspect that you (like me) have been long suffering under the delusion that a bow, was a bow, was a bow.

Not so, there is a better way! This appeals to both my desire to not fall flat on my face AND my OCD-ish desires for non-cockeyed shoe lace bows.

So far it's been working out well for me, but just in case you needed extra convincing or weren't sure it was applicable to running... here is an article from Runners World dealing with the same knot.

If that wasn't enough mind blowing revolutionary shoe info for you, Running off the Reeses posted this neat tying tweak on Friday showing what to do with those random extra holes a bit further back on the ankle of your shoes. I always wondered what those were but never thought to look it up.

More toenail protection via a more stable tying method? Yespleasethankyou!

I only tried this for the first time Monday so I can't speak to how it will work out in the long run, but after the initial, "Whoo, this is different! Firm!" reaction it certainly didn't seem to hurt anything, so I for one am going to continue with it.

Any neat feet tricks?

Have you tried these knots and if so did they do anything for you?

Hey Good Lookin' what you got cookin?

Oh wait, never mind. I can smell it from here.

I have always had a ridiculous sense of smell but I feel like it goes through the roof when I run. After the last couple of months of running in the same neighborhood I now know who barbecues a lot, whose dog likes to pee on the fence near the road, who is messy when they top off their gas tank, and which cars belong to Jersey Shore wannabees.

Here's a hint, if I can taste you after you drive by for even longer than I can hear your "sweet kicking bass" it's time to back away from the axe body spray. You are going to suffocate an entire poor unsuspecting night club full of people.

Today I ran a new route and encountered the most ambrosial Indian food smell imaginable, it permeated something like a half a block radius so it had clearly been simmering for some time and my already normally ravenous post run appetite became like a small gnawing thing in my innards. Luckily my boyfriend likes to cook and can always be convinced to eat, so I "talked him into" throwing together a bit of prepackaged Trader Joe's Indian food with some chick peas for a late dinner. It wasn't the insane deliciousness that I craved, but it still quieted the belly monster.

Running past food smells usually gets me salivating (especially barbecue steak), but this was inspirationally delicious. I actually found myself fantasizing that I would get fast enough to run into the house and get away with some of that delicious food.

I'd feel terrible about abusing the talent of a cook such as that, but I'm sure it would be righteously delicious until my conscience kicked in.

******
As you may have noticed I have not started any manner of "October Blogging Challenge". I enjoyed some aspects of doing the September one, but at this point in the game I already have enough to talk about without forcing topics and I go to bed late enough as it is: I really didn't need the extra time sink or word count. 

I would love to figure out some sort of consistent weekly topic post though. I'm picturing something like the ubiquitous Wordless Wednesday posts so if anyone has seen anything neat in that vein or has any ideas I'm all for it. 

I will say that given the relative popularity of the Jason Statham post and my appreciation of the majesty of the male form I would not be averse to something like Running Off The Reese's  beefcaketastic Magnificent Men of Monday posts.

******
My run today: a 5K run plus 5 minute warmup and cooldown walks
3.10 miles at an average of 11:59 per mile -  total time of 37:07

I'm still having a lot of problems with mile two. I think it may be a mental limitation due to no longer feeling "fresh" but not yet being "almost there". I tend to find myself pushing to a faster pace than I'd like and then having to slow down. I'm not really sure how to get out of that head space though.

My ankle is stiff when I walk but was surprisingly fine when I ran. I did manage to get a good stretch before the run today and I do feel like I loosened it up quite a bit. I was aware of it but at no point was I in pain. 

I have a physical with a new doctor in a week and a half and I will mention it then if it is still bothering me. The missing referral issue I mentioned in my last post cascaded into a phone argument with my (former) Doctor's office manager so ridiculous I was literally shaking with anger when I finally hung up. 

So yeah, new doctor time. It will be nice to be able to tell them I am active though!

Do not meddle in the affairs of Jawas

Today's run was odd.

Apparently calling me on the phone with bad news while I'm running makes me insanely rude. I eventually apologized, but still that was surprising. I am normally extremely patient on the phone.

Today's run was expected to be chaotic because I had an ophthalmologist appointment later in the evening with not enough time to go home, so I ended up packing my gear the night before and heading to my old neighborhood to run right after work. I changed clothes at work but I still felt like a bug under glass gearing up in my car in front of a random house on the side of the road. Warmup stretching was truncated (yoga floor poses and littered asphalt don't mix well) and I was a bit worried about my ankle, which was still stiff.

I was just getting into the swing of things and starting to feel my ankle loosen when I got a call which I pushed into voice-mail. This was about five minutes in to my run and on a main road so I waited a bit to listen to it. It was the Ophthalmologist's office telling me there were some problems with my referral and to call back with my insurance card handy. My card was locked in my car so I figured I'd call when I was done. I was annoyed to be sure, but motoring through.

Twenty five minutes in I get another call from the Drs office which I answered since I recognized the number by this point. Apparently she said "hello, can you hear me???" one too many times because I eventually blasted her with:

I'M RUNNING AND ON A CELL PHONE. STOP SAYING HELLO.
I CAN HEAR YOU. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM???!?!?

Short answer was that my GP apparently never set up my referral so all of that oddness and pre-planning was completely pointless. I could have had a nice run in my own neighborhood, a shower right away, and been settled in by sunset for some quality cat snuggle time. I responded with a string of bad words, but this is about where I started apologizing for shooting the messenger as she was being very sweet and the general problem wasn't her fault at all.

I could most assuredly have handled it better and I think I may have flustered her a bit with my reaction and language; but to be fair she was being quite dense.

"So... uh... I guess you'd like to reschedule then?"

No, I'll just go sit in your waiting room for a few hours, I will be there in an hour as originally discussed. Charge me accordingly please, YES I WOULD LIKE TO RESCHEDULE, CAN I DO THIS AND GET BACK TO RUNNING NOW????

I paused my devices and walked during the exchange and actually ended up back at my car by the time the conversation was done. I decided that with just under two miles under my belt I might as well finish.

At this point my mood was just plain foul and I had lost track of my original route so I was just sort of meandering through the nearby roads trying not to get too far from my car. I also felt like I was just on the edge of having something cramp a number of times and I'm taking that as a sign that I REALLY need to stop skimping on warmup and cooldown.

I finished though, and by the time I was back in my car and headed home I had burned through the worst of the grump but I can feel the effects of running all tight and distracted in that mode and I expect to be sore tomorrow.

Regardless: I'm glad I made the arrangements to run today despite my appointment and I'm proud of myself for sticking to it and finishing even after things went a bit pear shaped.

 ******
5K run plus 5 minute warmup and cooldown walks
3.11 miles at an average of 12:22 per mile -  total time of 38:29

I'm trying to decide how I want to move forward at his point and I may switch to doing somewhat shorter but more numerous runs. I'm thinking something like three, one and a half to two mile runs across the week and one 5k during the weekend when I can do it earlier. Nothing definite, but it's food for thought anyway.

I surprised myself in both positive and negative ways today, have you ever had an experience like that?

Now THIS is my idea of motivation

Forget balls, grab life by the viscera!

Reason vs Decision

I'm always on the lookout for new blogs and while I'm still on the fence about VanessaRuns overall, I did find this really striking:

I actually believe that there is NO good reason for running 100 miles. But I also believe that I don’t need one.

I love the distance. I love training for and running 100s. And that is enough. I don’t need to lose weight from it and I don’t need to earn money from it. I just need to run.

We live in a world now where everything requires a purpose and an explanation, otherwise it’s useless. Exercise must have a direct benefit in order to be worth our time. Not surprisingly, we are more sickly and sedentary than ever

Instead of going outside, we sit around and reason that there is not enough of a physical or financial benefit in ultra running. But I believe ultra running is more of an art, not a job.
Nobody asks:

• Why we go to a ballet
• Why we listen to an orchestra
• Why we visit art galleries
• Why we appreciate music

Or for that matter:

• Why go to a movie on opening night?
• Why watch a sunrise?
• Why pet a puppy?

There is no logic or reason behind these things, but they feed our souls. They make us human.

And ultra running makes me human. It’s the one thing I don’t need to explain. And I don’t think I should be asked.

There's more to her post and I do believe it's worth reading. I've done some pretty whacked out things in my life for no reason beyond "because I want to" or "because it's the right thing for me right now" so I'm feeling a lot of resonance with her words.

Why am I running?

Well I enjoy that I'm getting fit, but given my initial knee woes there are other ways to get fit that would probably have made more sense. I enjoy that I'm getting out of my cave but I could just as easily go fly kites or go fishing for several hours a week. I like the community but there's a whole lot of bars or knitting blogs and gathers to be found (not that I bar hop, kite, fish, or knit, but whatever).

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I haven't always picked the things that  make "the most sense" for me to focus on. Relying on the power of logical motivations has not always been the strongest source of personal drive for me (says the ex-smoker). Then again if we always had that kind of discipline we'd be living highly structured lives in a Brave New World style dystopia and research psychologists would be really bored.

I am running because I want to run.

Ultimately that is the solitary thing that has made the difference between doing it and not doing it. How many times do we say that we want to do something that we think will be positive (losing weight, quitting smoking, joining that book club) but all the logic and reasoning in the world means bupkis until you actually make that decision. Was there any reason not to make the decision earlier? Probably not really, except that you just didn't.

Though I will say that anyone who doesn't understand the logic or reason behind petting a puppy apparently has a different understanding of what the word "puppy" means than I do.

"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."

-Bernard Baruch (frequently miss-attributed to Dr Seuss)

******
Randomly: I got my first friction burn yesterday! The belt I use to hold my house key (and mace) rode up to my waist and as I ran it rubbed a nickel sized spot on my mid back raw. I felt it stinging in the shower but couldn't see it until today because a) I'm rather blind (especially behind me) and b) it is on a tattoo.

I'm strangely jazzed by this.

******
Day 26 What is one area of your fitness that you’d like to improve upon?

While flexibility has probably always been my main focus, I think the thing I'd most like to improve on at the moment is my endurance.

I do find this to be a pretty funny juxtaposition with the rest of my post above but I guess if I like doing something raising my endurance means I can do it more!

Focus!

A bit of administrative monkeying today, I have a cleaner shinier new look and a nifty Daily Mile widget there on the right side. 

I don't know why my mileage is wrong, apparently I am not allowed to have a fitness-based social network work for me the right way. This is the fourth one where I have had to open some sort of help ticket. I have an email in to support so hopefully they'll find my other 25 or so miles somewhere along the line.

I am listed under Jogging Jawa on DailyMile so feel free to find me there!

September Blog Challenge Day 25 What is something that you do well?

This one actually got me thinking for a bit. I am a collector of hobbies and tend to get to a pretty decent point at most things I do so there's a number of things I could mention. I think I will take a wider view however and say that something that I do well is focus.

When I set my sights on something it pretty much happens.  
I research it, I practice it, I do it, it gets done. 
End of story.

The problem is that I don't seem to get to choose what it is that catches my attention. As much as I would like to turn my Eye Of Sauron-like focus to things like making more money, going back to school, or having amazing yogini shoulders; more often than not I get caught up in the minutia of 16th century embroidery or finding the best tools for foam decorator pumpkin carving.

I am REALLY happy that my current focus is running and that I am doing so well with it, but I must admit I am somewhat fearful of what happens when the bubble bursts. I hope that it is established as enough of a habit that is is simply a regular part of my life when the next shiny thing comes along.

******
On a bizarrely related note: I knew that a healthier fitter lifestyle would change my life for the better and give me the ability to do things stronger, faster, and better overall, but I did not expect that to extend to my liquid chugging abilities.

I'm not the biggest fan of water or drinking liquids in general.  It will take me HOURS to down one cup of coffee, and I LIKE coffee. In order to actually get water into me in something resembling a reasonable time frame I have started downing it in one shot like cough medication. 

Usually my limit is 8 oz at a time but I appear to have leveled up recently. I got up super late Sunday and had a lazy breakfast (to put it lightly) so to make sure I was set up to run later in the day I ended up chugging all of the water I would normally have had over the course of the morning. Below is my 24 oz water bottle with 8 oz and time markings.

Where the "magic" happens

I drank all of the missing water in one shot! I'm not sure what my new-found abilities will bring, but I like to think it's a result of my body getting better at using oxygen so I can hold my breath for longer. 

Seems legit, right?

*******
My run today: entirely self directed!
3.13 miles at an average of 11:43 per mile
Today was my fastest 5k at 35:27

I did not count warm up and cool down in my stats at all (about a mile between the two) and hit my goal of running straight through for a full 5k for the first time! A slight side stitch throughout made breathing a bit hard and my second mile was mentally the hardest but I'm not sure why. This was about five minutes more running than I have done in one stretch before so I expect to feel this tomorrow.

Once again I thank whatever is responsible for my continuing ankle strength as by all rights I should have twisted my left ankle rather badly on a large flat rock about 1.5 miles in.

It is by caffeine alone I set my mind in motion...

September Blog Challenge Day 21 - Are you a coffee drinker?

Just reading the question makes me want coffee.

I like my coffee like I like my men... roasted and ground fresh daily in small batches???

It's funny; though I think of myself as a heavy coffee drinker - I only drink one small cup a day. I just can't tolerate the caffeine anymore. Apparently there's only so much caffeine buzz one body can take in one lifetime and I pretty much blew my limit before twenty five. I am no longer able to handle the epic coffee drinking I did in high school and college when I drank POTS of coffee every day (if it was too hot for coffee I opted for Mountain Dew).
 

Coffee Buzz by Terry Border

There was a point in time around my mid 20s that I sort of accidentally quit caffeine; I was depressed and unemployed and I wasn't TRYING to quit caffeine, but, well...

Admittedly not terribly funny when it's ACTUALLY your life

Between minimal caffeine intake for a few months and some heavy anxiety problems I became extremely sensitive to it and unless I had a way to burn it off quickly I could pretty much guarantee a panic attack from anything over 6 oz of coffee. Once I got a job again I could not bear the idea of a working life without coffee. I've weaned myself back on to it slowly over several years, but I still have to be extremely careful not to overdo it.

I was actually up to two cups a day for a while but often didn't finish the second and certainly didn't need the caffeine, so I've recently cut back down to one.

******
Oh, small note: happy over 500 page views! Woohoo!

******
What active/fitness related things did I do today?

Nothing yet, but the plan for this evening is to bring the Boyfriend and the Former Housemate to Super Runner's Shop in Huntington to get their gaits looked at and to start looking into a bad weather/trail shoe for me. Then onward to dinner at a Mexican place, maybe some Fro-Yo, and probably ending the night with some live music.

Measuring up

My car GPS and running are in cahoots to control my thoughts. I now measure all short distances against my runs.

Disembodied British lady: In 2.2 miles turn left on to Road Road McStreet Lane
Me: I totally run that far, multiple times a week even!

Disembodied British lady: In .5 miles take exit, on right, on to EatingAwayYourFreeTime Memorial Parkway
Me: Is that really how far half a mile is? Daaaaamn. That looks long for not very far at all.

Disembodied British lady: In 12.6 miles bear left on to NotLikeYou'reGoingAnywhereGood Highway
Me: Ugh, I do NOT want to run that far. Then again that's not even a half marathon. Well neither is my 20 minute by car commute to work.
Holy crap a marathon is longer than my daily work commute. 
(by 0.2 miles, I just checked)

That being said: I had a weird realization today... 3.1 miles is way bigger than I think it is.

Per yesterday's post I started mucking about in Google maps to retool my route. My aim was to make a single 3.6 mile loop from door to door avoiding some of the busier intersections in my neighborhood. The picture below is the result (sans identifying info, because the internet).

See the green blob labeled "tiny park"? I keep meaning to check it out as a place to run and getting sidetracked by things; until today anyway, when I actually looked at it in comparison to the distance I fully expect to be doing by Tuesday. There are *ten* regulation Little League ball fields (among other things) in that park! I know I've been training up for this and everything, but C25K has actually been pretty well paced and the distance increase was so natural I guess it just didn't really dawn on me how far I was going.

I suspect the marathon people want to pinch my cheek a bit about now and I'm not going to risk hurting myself by fighting these fit, determined, mildly unhinged people who could probably tell me exactly what pace they would use to run me down without breaking target heart rate.

However I am still firmly entrenched in the super jazzed and mildly incredulous category, right where I should be I think.

September Blog Challenge Day 14 - Share your fitness bucket list

 I am the Lolrus

Oh man, I don't know! There are so many things I would like to do but nothing really concrete right now. I think I am still stuck in the "get back into" statements level.

Running
I don't have a bucket list for running because I haven't really decided where if anywhere I'm going with it yet. I kind of like the idea of a marathon someday, but then I read about the reality of it and *shudder*. I think at this point my main thing pushing me toward even anything with the word marathon in it is that my Aunt did several halves POST leukemia treatment (I think she may have actually done a full too) and I'm very in awe of her strength.

I am pretty realistic about my relative athletic abilities (and living in  a major metropolitan area), so I don't think placing in a bunch of things is a reasonable goal, but I would like to make a decent go of it. Whatever that means.

Yoga
Yoga makes my body happy and I need to get back to doing it.
I want to be crazy flexible yogini woman. I've always wanted to be a contortionist so that level of yoga is I suppose my bucket list item.

Dance
Anyone who doesn't consider dance a fitness activity has never been to a real dance class... or actually gone out dancing for the night. If you're not treating blisters and peeling your clothes off to crawl into the shower (if you can even move that much) something has gone horribly awry.

I want to learn African dance, Tango, Flamenco and more Middle Eastern dance and I'd like to get to the point that I'm willing to do them in public.

Other stuff
I'd love to get back into kettle bells and get me some sexy kettlebell shoulders and a sexy kettlebell back.

It's hard working out in my apartment though (especially with pendulous weights). Besides the clutter and perpetual half unpacked state my cats are very demanding of attention and one of them has been sick lately, so it's hard to get up and get moving in a way that doesn't involve endlessly petting or playing with one or the other of them (also not conducive to the half unpacked state).
Not so good for working out but great for blogging.

Do not set yourself on fire!

September Blog Challenge Day 13 What is your proudest health or fitness related accomplishment?

Fire dancing. In my case, with poi.

Yes, that is me in the picture (this was 2004-ish) and yes, I did make that.

Per Home of Poi - the electronic center of the Poi universe:

What is Poi? - 'Poi' is the Maori word for 'ball' on a cord. Poi is a form of juggling where the balls are swung around the body. Poi can take many shapes and forms from LED lighted, Glow, Fabric, Sock and Fire.

I practiced incessantly for a year before I ever lit up and it gave me the sexiest shoulders I have ever had in my life. I also gained a great deal of agility, balance, and grace (not to say I'm the most graceful person ever, but I used to be among the least). Poi forced me to exercise muscles in my left wrist that I had allowed to atrophy significantly due to a long bout of tendonitis (I was stupid and never went to PT) and gave me amazing upper body flexibility.

I performed en fuego as many times as I could and it NEVER got old. It was fun, beautiful, and intensely special to me. While I don't think I've swung a set of poi (or flags or a staff) in three or four years at least and the burn scars are all faded, it still remains one of the activities that I am happiest to be able to say that I have done.

I will however say that I'm also pretty freaking jazzed about...

******
My run today: C25K week 8 day 2
3.12 miles at 12:09 per mile.

and 3.1 miles just happens to equal...

Eff Yeah!

My legs felt great but man were my lungs tired!! Slight side stitch at 1.5 miles but I managed to slow down enough to get rid of it. All of the effort and discomfort I am experiencing at this point is happening above my waistline. Having water is helping immensely but I need to find a better bottle before I knock a tooth out. I still had enough at the end to let out with a full out run for the last 30 seconds of the run portion and I would have run for longer if I had looked at the time earlier.

Currently between warmup and cool down I'm walking about half a mile of my course, so I will be increasing my course so that I am covering a full 5K in addition to the warm up/cool down (about 3.6mi all told probably).

And since I'm only about a week away from finishing... my goal for my first few runs after C25K is to figure out what pace I can reasonably run without walk breaks for an entire 5K.

Well howdy there neighbor!

Today I actually exchanged pleasantries with other people while I was running... without even the intermediary of a scary loose dog!

In New York City the default setting is to benignly ignore the people around you. Many people who visit see that as cold or rude, but when you're stacked in a subway car or on a street corner in actual physical contact like sardines, allowing people a sense of autonomous existence (however illusory) is the only way to maintain any sense of privacy and dignity.

Sometimes the sardine-like feeling extends to multiple senses

This attitude tends to bleed over into the suburbs too since Long Island is rather insanely populous all by itself, and a great number of us commute to the five boroughs daily. I've seen a few runners out at the same time as me and I'm even starting to notice a few regulars; it's summer so people are poking at their lawns, detailing cars, playing basketball, walking with strollers, etc, but what they are generally not doing is acknowledging my existence. I am not insulted by this, but a bit of camaraderie can be nice on occasion.

I will generally look at someone at least obliquely, and I try to maintain a neutral expression (huffing and puffing aside) with a ready nod and/or smile for anyone who actually makes eye contact... but until today no one* has bothered, they don't even look up.

Today however..  smiles and even words from two joggers and a dad playing ball with his kids! Admittedly it's an especially fragile day for New Yorkers and I have to wonder if it had anything to do with that. I think we're all just that much more aware of our connections with each other.

Or perhaps it was a vibe that I was putting off, we'll see if this extends to future runs. Either way it was a startling, if pleasant enough change from the norm.

*With one sweeping exception: dog owners. 
Though I'm not sure if that's because they are generally happier people, or just watching me really carefully because I'm putting off a heavy "OMG gonna steal the puppy!!!" vibe.
Someone in the neighborhood even has a Briard! They're like three steps from the Jim Henson creatures!

******
September Blog Challenge Day 11
Describe your dream fitness vacation

Water. Sun and waves, and maybe a rainforest to hike in for a day or two.

I don't know that most people would call it a "fitness vacation" but I want to be so exhausted by playing in the surf for hours on end that I pass out face down for a nap on my hotel bed every evening, only barely waking up in time to go out dancing all night.

I haven't done a run on the beach since high school, but I'm willing to give it a shot!

******
My run today: C25K week 8 day 1
2.85 miles at 13:20 per mile

I felt very stiff and uncoordinated heading out so I took it easy rather than hurting myself. I focused on breathing and pacing again and never felt beat. I was actually surprised to hear the cool down signal, rather than repeatedly eying my clock after incrementally shorter delays for the last eight minutes.

Despite the longer running period (twenty eight minutes!!!) it seemed to go by really fast, but due to an apparent tracking delay at the start at least the Nike+ app shorted my run a bit. It was the same exact route as Saturday but it was listed as shorter than 5K which is faintly annoying.

I'm also wondering if there was perhaps a burp in the other direction on my last run, as that was kind of a strange jump in speed and distance.

September Blog Challenge Day 9 - Workout Partners

Do you workout with others or by yourself? Why?

Unless I'm taking a class I prefer to work out solo.

On the most superficial level my current workout routine is the Couch To 5K training schedule and working out solo means I can repeat or reschedule specific workouts as necessary. If I was training with a partner or group I would lose that flexibility.

On a more personal level I tend to get anxious in groups and training on my own allows me to focus on what I'm doing, rather than worrying about keeping up. I'm simply more likely to address issues that I'm having when it's just me, if I were in a group I would feel less comfortable speaking up if things weren't going quite right.

I'm not against the idea of finding a running or workout group/class some time in the future and I would LOVE to get back to regular dance classes, but for the time being I'm traveling light.

I do however have a pair of excellent stretching coaches.

 ****
What active things did I do today?

Nothing so far. Plans for later include walking around Port Jefferson and getting my cheese on at C'est Cheese, so I will be supplementing my calcium and exercising my wine glass lifting muscles.

September Blog Challenge Day 7 - Strength moves

What’s your favourite strength move?

*blushes and kicks toe in the dust* (very small voice) Um, I'm new to this, what exactly is a "strength move"?

Google is giving me results having to do with Pokeman. While I actually have a small warm place in my heart for Pokeman, I don't think this has anything to do with that.

Eff yeah Jigglypuff!!!

A little help?

****
What active things did I do today?

I cleaned and got a bunch more of the apartment put away, I guess that was kind of active. Not terribly aerobic though.