This was at about 2 pm on a weekday. And THAT many people were out running/walking/biking/etc. And just a block or so away, thousands were walking up and down Michigan Avenue – shopping, going to a meeting or heading to Starbucks for a coffee run. After a few hours of some hard-core shopping and hoofing it up and down the streets, I exhaustedly turned to my mom and said, “There is NO way you could function in this city if you weren’t in good shape.”

I got to thinking – I drive everywhere. I drive to work, to the store, to go out to eat. I mean, I even drove to a park less than 2 minutes away the other day to go on a walk. Not only is this not financially desirable given the inflated gas prices, but it really isn’t necessary. With the near-perfect weather that we’ve been having all year, what excuse do I really have to not walk to Walgreens? If I can run 13 miles, can’t I ride my bike half a mile to the gym?

Well at least I am willing to walk from the parking lot into the store...

Congrats Minneap!

1. Minneapolis, MN
2. Washington D.C.
3. Boston, MA
4. Portland, OR
5. Denver, CO
6. San Francisco, CA
7. Hartford, CT
8. Seattle, WA
9. Virginia Beach, VA
10. Sacramento, CA

Notice any trends? The glaring standout to me is that all these cities are either on the East or West coast – no Southern or Midwest cities to be found. I was surprised to see Minneapolis at number one; however, because of its low unemployment rate, higher than average median income, high percentage of physical activity and low percentage of smokers, it shines above the rest and has earned the notable title.

In case you were wondering, Chicago made the list as the lone Illinois city, ranking 28 out of 50. Not bad, but definitely could be better. If only we could get rid of the deep dish pizza and hot dogs, maybe we would bump up a few notches…

On the contrary, wouldn't life just be sad without it?

Okay – so what is my point? I am a firm believer that living an overall healthy lifestyle and incorporating functional activities into our daily routine is the key to success. Sure, it is great to do an interval training session or run a half marathon. But making the small changes in your every day life are what is going to give you the biggest payout in the long-run. Check out some ideas below. And I’m interested to hear your feedback – on the overall health status of our community or the nation, the little things you do to live a healthy lifestyle, or just whatever is on your mind. Now I am hungry for deep dish pizza…

MOVE MORE

• Walk more. Obviously I already touched upon this one a bit, but try to look for small ways to walk more. When you get the mail, take a walk around the block. Take Fido for an extra outing each day (or ask your neighbor if you can walk their dog with them) or park the car in a spot farther from the door.
• Turn off the TV. We all have our TV shows (I wish I was not glued to the set for Keeping up with the Kardashians…). But once a week, turn off the tube and do something a little more physical. Play games with your family, organize all those old family photos, take a walk…almost anything will be more active than sitting on the couch.
• Pace while you talk. I feel like I’m on my cell phone half the day, between work and catching up with friends. Next time you call Grandma to check in, pace around your house or even do some cleaning while gabbing. This is a great way to stay moving while doing something you enjoy.
• Do some chores. Working in the garden, rake those leaves still on the ground from last fall, mop the floor…these kinds of activities may not be the kind of exercise where you break a sweat, but they can keep you moving and in shape. And added bonus: your house is in much better shape too.
  

  I can't lie: I've done this.

• Be aware. Make a list of all the physical activities you do on a normal day, even if it is as simple as going grocery shopping. If you find that the majority of your time is spent sitting, make another list of all the ways you could move more: getting up each hour to stretch or walk, walk the stairs at work, etc.

EAT WELL

• Eat more fruit. I make a point to have fruit with every meal of the day. This time of year is a great time to start incorporating more fruits with the increase in fresh fruits available. And if your not a fan of eating a banana by itself, pair it with some peanut butter and dark chocolate chips. Hey, it’s still fruit, right?
• Sneak in more veggies. Add veggies in wherever you can: a tomato on your sandwich, peppers on your pizza or mushrooms and onions in your pasta sauce. Keep pre-cut or canned/frozen veggies ready for quick snacks.
• Eat low-fat or fat-free dairy. Switching to skim milk or fat-free yogurt is another simple way to eat less calories without having to change too much in your diet. Dairy is a good source of protein as well, so add a half-cup of cottage cheese to your lunch for a quick and filling bite.
• Switch your salad dressing. Salad dressing is the downfall of so many healthy salads. Swap your full-fat topping for something lighter; the fat-free kinds are good, but having a light dressing with a little fat will actually help you absorb more nutrients from your veggie salad. You can also try some oil and vinegar for a nice alternative.
• Make some substitutes. Look through your cabinets or fridge and pick three foods you eat every day. Write down the nutritional content and the next time you’re at the store, find lower-calorie substitutes for just those three items. For example, if your three items are cookie dough ice cream, sour cream and onion chips and flour tortillas, try buying some sorbet, carrots with low-fat veggie dip and whole wheat wraps next time.

So, what gives? This week, I tried to discover if there’s an ideal body type for runners.

 In the 1940’s, constitutional psychologist Herbert Sheldon identified three body types, or somatotypes, which can supposedly be defined by their unique physiological characteristics. While constitutional psychology sought to associate body types with human temperaments, these three somatotypes are often used to describe athletic builds as well.

(Source)

Ectomorphs are small-boned and slim, with long limbs and muscles. They don’t store fat very well.

Mesomorphs have medium-sized bones, with a solid chest and torso and low levels of fat. It’s the typical “upside-down triangle” shape: a small waist and broad shoulders.

Endomorphs have large bones and a wide waist. Because they are predisposed to fat storage, they have difficulty losing weight.

(Probably the least flattering photo of me of all time.)

Which body type does science say is best suited for long-distance running?

If you guessed the ectomorph, you were partially right! According to this article from The Globe and Mail, a small ectomorph is the best size and shape for marathoning. However, being an ectomorph isn’t enough; excellent biomechanics also play a crucial role.

You can also check out this infographic from the same article shows how different body types fare in marathons, with typical injuries they sustain during training:

(Click to enlarge)

[Image source]

 If you’re unconvinced by the superiority of the small ectomorph, read this article that The New York Times ran a few years ago about body types and sports. It supports the idea that in distance running, smaller and lighter wins the race…literally.

However, all this is not to discourage mesomorphs and endomorphs from lacing up their shoes and running marathons. Having a “non-ideal” body type for this sport doesn’t mean that your legs are going to fall off spontaneously as soon as you hit high mileage. Nor does being a perfect ectomorph mean that you are destined for Olympic Greatness.

As my mom often reminds me, you don’t have to be good at everything you do. Running is no exception. Even if my Henry VIII-esque calves would better suit me for something like ice-skating or hula dancing, I like running, and that’s reason enough to stick with it.

So the next time an ectomorph passes you, don’t worry! If you’re an endomorph, just remember that your predisposition for fat storage means that you’ll live way longer in a period of extreme famine anyway. Who’s laughing now, ectos?!?

Cramps the size of tennis balls

The old trick of pinching my upper lip when the cramps hit worked occasionally, but other times just gave me a sore lip. I even tried increasing my electrolytes but that didn’t seem to help the problem.

The next two months were uneventful with my walking increasing gradually week after week. Most days I would do a longer walk in the morning between two to three miles and a second walk during my lunch break covering one mile using the walking poles for all but the times I was forced inside on the treadmill. One highlight was needing to contact Omni where my brace came from to have them make it smaller. Apparently all that nordic walking I was doing was burning off the pounds and shrinking my waistline . I still had more to lose before I get to my ideal running weight but it was a good start.
Near the end of March I made the commitment and signed up for the Illinois Marathon 10k, a distance at one time I could complete under 32 min, now just hoping to keep it under two hour’s and not falling on my face.
I had thought about maybe walking it without the poles but if my balance didn’t improve soon there wouldn’t be a choice.
In March I had another follow-up appointment with the Spine Clinic and asked about the muscle weakness and cramping  I was dealing with and was told it may take up to a year or more to improve and to expect some permanent muscle weakness. The cramping was caused by the muscles that for some time having little nerve function basically waking up with cramping as a side effect. Permanent weakness is a phrase I would not accept so I asked about when I could start physical therapy and was
scheduled for an evaluation later that week.
My first session made me realize that my strength was worse than I had thought and if returning to running was ever going to happened, physical therapy was the road to that goal.

The long road to recovery

For the next 4 weeks leading up to the race I continued walking twice a day, increasing my longer walks from four to five miles and going to therapy twice a week.
I had thought about getting in a six-mile walk in before race day but between walking, therapy and work I was starting to feel a little fatigued and decided to save it for the race.
To be continued….

For example, this week I heard that there is actually more Monopoly money printed in the United States every year than real money. Parker Brothers prints nearly $30 billion worth of the fake currency annually, compared to a measly $974 million from the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Now if only I could buy a real house on Park Avenue with my Monopoly earnings…

At any rate, when I went to the bank later that day, I shared this factoid with the teller (yes, I’m one of those people who likes to make small talk with strangers). I mean, if anyone would find this interesting, it would be someone who works in a bank, right? Their response: a blank stare. No words, no emotion. Nothing.

No, my bank teller was not Keanu Reeves. But boy, I wish it was...

Clearly, they did not share my passion of useless information. And I just felt like an idiot.

So maybe that wasn’t the most interesting statement known to mankind. But I have a plethora of useless truths of the world, like how more people are killed by donkeys than die in airplane crashes each year. Or how the first toilet ever seen on TV was on the classic show Leave it to Beaver. Or how giraffes have no vocal cords (have you EVER heard a giraffe make a noise?).

But this is a running blog. So this week, I have decided to compile some unique and fun facts about running for you, blog readers. I can say with 100% certainty that I am almost positive that these are all accurate.

RACES AND RECORDS

• The current world record holder for running a marathon belongs to Patrick Makau of Kenya, who ran the 2011 Berlin Marathon in an impressive 2:3:38. Interestingly, Geoffrey Mutai ran the 2011 Boston Marathon 36 seconds faster; however, because of the elevation drop in the Boston course, those performances are not eligible for world record consideration. If you ask me, I think braggin’ rights are sufficient enough for Geoffrey.
  

  I have a bib that read something similar. However, it was for a half. So close...yet so far...

• According to the book Olympic Marathon by Charlie Lovett, the first modern Olympic marathon course in 1896 was cut a bit short, covering only 24.8 miles.
• When the famous New York City Marathon began in 1970, only 127 runners participated. You would think with an entry fee of just $1, they would have attracted more prospects!
• The very first “recorded” Olympic games occurred in 776 BC. I wonder how this was recorded…

HEALTH

• Those who are considered “physically active” are 60% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. So keep your body and mind healthy and don’t become a couch potato!
• Ever heard of the “runner’s high”? I thought it was a bunch of malarkey until I started running. And then I got it. And apparently, there is actually science to back it up. According to the Oxford Journal, “The level of euphoria (is) significantly increased after running and (is) inversely correlated with opioid binding in prefrontal/orbitofrontal cortices, the anterior cingulate cortex, bilateral insula, parainsular cortex, and temporoparietal regions. These findings support the “opioid theory” of the runner’s high and suggest region-specific effects in frontolimbic brain areas that are involved in the processing of affective states and mood.” Lots of big words in there, but to sum it up, running gives us a euphoric sensation in our brain, improving our mood and giving us a high-on-life type of feeling.
• Shin splits are one of the most common running injuries, making up about 13-17% of all running injuries.
• Odds of having a heart attack while running: 1 in 55,000. Don’t fret, though: these are roughly the same odds as losing 17 in a row on an outside bet in roulette. Or conceiving quintuplets.
• For all those men out there who would consider themselves of average stature, you have enough energy in your fat stores to run non-stop for 3 days at 15 miles per hour. Note: I have no facts on what will happen to you at the end of this crazy 3-day stint.

POTPOURRI

• Professional runners take about 185-200 steps/minute. Now I’m not sure what classifies “professional;” however, I tested myself just to see what I run and it is close to 180 – and I am DEFINITELY not professional. In fact, I would probably be considered more proletarian…
• We may live in Illini nation, but try replacing your orange apparel with red during your next race; statistics show that athletes dressed in red are the most likely to win events.
  

  I wonder who won this race!

• We all know the excessive media-hype that surrounds the Super Bowl, but did you know that the Boston Marathon ranks second as the largest single day sporting event in the world?
• Approximate number of people who claim to be runners in the U.S.: 75,000. I find this surprisingly low considering more than 20,000 ran the Illinois Marathon!
• More than 1 billion running shoes are sold annually.
• Human feet can produce a pint of sweat per day. A pint?? No wonder people have smelly shoes. I guess this explains why 1 billion shoes are sold each year. Our old ones are completely saturated in sweat…

And, please, don’t even pretend that you haven’t done this at least once before.

Thanks to the Internet, we have almost instantaneous access to runners’ race results. This is helpful for families and friends who want up-to-the-minute news about their favorite participant’s progress. It makes everyone feel involved in the race, and as a runner, it’s nice to know that people care about what is primarily a solitary experience. (I always feel a little stressed knowing that people are getting text messages when I cross each checkpoint. What if I fail????)

You know what else this means? People you barely know (=me) can look up your race results and compare themselves to you! I will be the first to admit that I do this all the time. I want to see how my friends did, and I want to be happy for them. I also want to see how they compared to my PR times. I tend to get really competitive about it and then worry that “everyone is getting faster than I am.”

Does that make me a bad person? I mean, not like Crimes-Against-Humanity bad, but like, petty-and-small-minded bad.

The main motivation for my six-month hiatus from the Body N’ Sole blog was that running and I were on a break. I was still running 15-20 miles per week, but this was mostly to keep myself in passable shape for River to River. Since I wasn’t training hard, I felt no need to measure myself against others’ progress. I stopped caring about my speed and times, especially in comparison to those of my friends…and my friends’ friends…and running bloggers I don’t actually know in real life…and classmates from two years ago who once told me that they ran too. It was refreshing.

Now that R2R has lit a fire under my ass to get back out there, I again find myself caring about my times as well as my times in comparison to other people’s times. And, really, this is silly. There will always be people who are slower and faster than I am, and worrying about who has the faster PR is a waste of my time. If you run your best, that’s what matters, right? RIGHT?!?

That being said, I don’t see myself giving up this vice any time soon. I’m naturally a competitive person (Ask my R2R teammates about when I saw another Asian out on the course.) as well as an only child.

I don’t know, maybe you should be flattered. If I know you (or have heard of you), I’ve probably looked up your race times on Athlinks and compared myself to you. You’re probably faster. Therefore, your mere existence is motivating me to work harder. Don’t you feel better about yourself now?

Unrelated: Apparently, when I spectate races and run the last bit with friends, I look like a homeless person:

Alright, readers, time to weigh in. Do you look up other people’s race times? 

On my way to the marathon on Saturday morning, I couldn’t get The Stones “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” out of my head…

Sometimes, things in life just don’t turn out how you want them to.

I WANTED the weather to be like this on the day of the Marathon…

…then I remembered I lived in Champaign. And this is what we got.

I WANTED to go to bed at this time the night before the Marathon…

…and managed to not crawl into bed until this time.

I WANTED to make myself a breakfast similar to this before I left home…

…and was lucky to grab this before I ran out the door (and ate it in the car…).

I WANTED to have a good experience with my relay team…

…and I had a phenomenal one.

Even though some things don’t go according to a preconceived ideal plan that I concoct in my head, other things turn out to be better than anticipated. Let me give you a rundown of my 2012 Illinois Marathon experience. I can pretty much guarantee it will motivate you to do the Marathon Relay next year.

My relay team – aptly named Three’s Company, Four’s a Relay – may be considered a little unconventional. Three women (Lindsey, Rachel and myself), one man (Don – what a trooper), with about 40 years of age difference between the youngest and the oldest. Some of us have been athletes, some veteran race runners, others running just a handful of times so far this year.

Now, Rachel and I have known each other since a monumental day in both of our lives: the first day of kindergarten. However, the four of us have established a strong friendship through group exercise class at Mettler Center. And one of us had the bright idea last December that we should team up and take on the marathon as a joint effort. I think there was some hesitation on all our ends, but we all managed to commit.

And I’m so glad we did.

I typically think of running as the “introvert” sport; it is probably the most individual sport you can find. You don’t need a team or a partner; you just put in your headphones and go, getting lost in your own thoughts and tuning out everyone else. Yet the four people on my team are four of the biggest extroverts I know (yes, I include myself in that); always talking to others, incredibly sociable…I mean, we met in GROUP exercise class. So I think the idea of making such an individual activity a group effort was appealing – and extremely beneficial – for all of us.

Ironically, we never once ran together in our training. I would pass Don on Duncan Road during our runs, each of us going our own pace and in opposite directions, yet training for the same thing. Rachel and I trained for the half-marathon together last year, but realized that our paces were different and we may not have been the best of running partners. And I would see Lindsey running on the treadmill at Mettler; it wasn’t that I didn’t want to jump on the machine next to her, I was just usually busy doing something else…like talking.

But on race day, we were all ready to go.

After countless conversations about coordinating our outfits, what time we would meet and how we would transport ourselves from relay station to relay station, race day was here. I’ll be honest, the idea of running for 7 miles and driving around for about 3 hours on a cold, rainy morning was not extremely appealing to me. But it turned out to be one of the best times I’ve had in a long time. The four of us have a “gym relationship” with one another; we talk about how sore we are, how much we despise doing mountain climbers in strength class and the new shoes we just bought.

But on Saturday, we really got to know one another. I’ve known Rachel for 20 years, so there isn’t much more getting-to-know-you that we had to do. But with Don and Lindsey, it was so nice to talk to them about their kids, their homes, their jobs, how Lindsey doesn’t like the layout of the Meijer in Urbana, how Don has no intention of retiring when he actually retires. The time flew by, despite the fact that we were sitting in stagnate traffic for 75% of the time, and standing in chilly, windy weather the other 25%.

At mile 25, Don, Rachel and I met Lindsey on her last leg of the race and together, as a team, we ran the last mile of the race and ran into Memorial Stadium, arm in arm, cheering for each other, cheering for our team. We finished in 4:09, about 20 minutes faster than estimated, and each of us beat our personal time as well (I ran my 7.1 miles in 57 minutes!). And then, we had a big, sweaty group hug. And it was – without question – the best big, sweaty group hug I’ve ever been part of.

Running into home plate. Looking REAL cool with my jacket tied around my waist.

As we grabbed water bottles and our medals, we found our “fans” from Mettler Center. It is one thing to have your family come cheer you on (thanks Mom!), but to an extent, they have a bit of an obligatory responsibility. It is totally another thing to have your friends from the gym come to take pictures and also give you a big, sweaty hug. Thank you all for your unconditional support – it meant the world to us.

My and my cheerleader - my momma!

Congratulations team. And congratulations to everyone else who ran the race. Thank you to the volunteers, cheering fans and race coordinators. Days like that when I’m proud to be a C-U citizen.

So sometimes, things in life just don’t turn out how you want them to…

…and sometimes, they turn out better than you could have ever imagined.

(It’s still all one word.)

To cover the race in a way that is both succinct and engrossing, I give you the following:

2012 River to River Relay: Expectations vs. Reality

Expectation: Our slug mascot would look like a slug.

Reality: It looked more like a hairy doo-doo. Truth be told, the slug mascot was Robin’s cat’s toy, but he sat jauntily in the van dashboard, looking down his nose (???) at us.

Expectation: Pre-race warm-up drills.

Reality: Pre-race team squats. While I was waiting for Anna to tear through the first leg of the race, I asked my more experienced teammates how to warm up. This was the suggestion I got.

Expectation: Andrew, the driver.

Reality: Robb, Randy, and Michael, the drivers. Who knew you had to be so old to rent a van?

Expectation: Some of us are fast.

Reality: Some of us are CRAZY fast. Let’s just say, every time I saw Anna (Runner #1) tearing into the Exchange Zone, I peed my pants a little…in a good way.

Expectation: Haiku poems.

Reality: Awesome haiku poems. Throughout the day, we noticed several people stopping to read our van poetry. Some even took pictures, though it is debatable whether they were trying to snap some shots of Robin changing in the van….

Expectation: No kills on my leg. Last year, I had no kills, and that was with a base of marathon training. This year, with low weekly mileage, I was legitimately concerned about merely surviving all three of my legs.

Reality: We had a crap-ton of kills. I even racked up a few at the end of my first leg after telling the girl in blue that I “wouldn’t pass her.” Oops.

We also recorded our kills for posterity:

Expectation: Normal Kleenex.

Reality: SPICY Kleenexes. Robin brought along some menthol-infused Kleenex, and–whoo–they really give you a boost. I don’t think I can go back to regular, sub-par tissues!

Expectation: Warm spring weather.

Reality: Cold spring weather. After last year’s chilly and damp race day, I was sure we’d bask in warm sunshine while cheering on our team members. Oh, Mother Nature, you are a tricky mistress.

Expectation: Regular fitting clothes.

Reality: Super-tight compression gear. From Randy’s brand-spankin’ new CWX tights to Robin’s hot pink socks, we were squeezing ourselves into all kinds of tight spots.

Expectation: Sore post-run legs.

Let’s sculpt our bodies!

Reality: Tight, sore post-run BODIES. Why do my abs hurt? WHY?!? [Probably from laughing a lot.]

Expectation: Leg Six (run by our fabulous team captain Michael) is hard.

Reality: Holy crap! IT IS SO HARD. But Michael rocked it.

Expectation: No peonies.

Reality: Peonies (“Panties?!?”) Apparently, this springtime foliage was worth noticing…?

Expectation: Not having to keep passing Bunnies.

Reality: Fighting bunnies until (almost) the bitter end. The Wetro Wunning Wabbits team was decked out in anthropormorphic bunny costumes. When they kept leap-frogging our runners, it spurred some “friendly” one-sided competition from the Body ‘N Sole Slugs. See how I took this picture of them crossing the finish line? That’s because I was already on the other side of it with our team. Done and done!

Expectation: Sub-10 hour finish. With everyone running faster than last year, we expected an equally good, if not better finish than last year’s 9:58:16.

Here they come! Get ready, go, go!

Reality: 9:35:43. 26th out of 244 teams.

Expectation: No place in the Mixed Division.

Reality: Third place in Mixed Division! So maybe we were nom-noming pork tenderloin sandwiches when they called out our name. It made the award THAT much sweeter. Despite my minimalist tendencies, I’m always up for some well-earned hardware.

Expectation: A good time.

Reality: A GREAT TIME. I could not be more honored, nor prouder to be part of such a fun team. After a year of sub-par runs and low motivation, this got me all excited to run again!

Dear Teammates,

Thank you for letting me be a part of this team. With an 8:45am start this year, our relay experience was different from the get-go. Instead of pounding the pavement in isolation, we chased down team after team (BUNNIES!) and made an enviable number of kills.

Team #865, we started with the other 800-numbers, but we got down to the 600s!

…while also running up so many hills!

Most of all, I love that our team is not only quite fast, but also supportive of each other. I will always remember opening (or trying to) the van windows and banging on the glass, screaming like crazy people while blaring Journey.

And out on the course, knowing that I would have cheers and whoops waiting for me at the end of each leg made every hill a little less painful.

Thanks for being awesome, Slugs. I’ll drop the hammer for you guys any day.

Your consummate bitch-slapper,

-Mica

Nordic Walking around the neighborhood

 I still wasn’t sure if I was going to the Body n’ Sole New Years Eve run until the day of the event and once I was there decided to walk 1/2 mile without the poles.

At the turn around point, pain and fatigue forced me to take a short break (holding on to a street sign) and then I slowly made it back to the store.I stayed long enough to visit and hand out prizes for the run and with the pain meds wearing off I quickly headed home to lay down on an ice pack. This was a December that I will never forget, but I’m glad that it is over.

I'm the one behind the camera.

During the month of January my distance and pace started to improve dramatically so that by the end of the month I was up to covering 1 1/2 miles at a 20 min/mile pace with a total of 40 miles. Most days, if the weather was decent I Nordic walked outside and the few times that we had ice or snow I walked inside on the treadmill. I also went back to work the week after New Years, for only 3-4 hrs at first then adding a few hours at a time until I was back to full time.
My nine week follow-up appointment was the first week of February and Dr. Harms was very pleased with my progress. I brought up my idea to possibly do the Illinois Marathon 10k in April, adding that I would be walking, obviously not running and he said that would be ok if I gradually increased my mileage. The longest I had walked at that point was 1 1/2 miles, but with the race three months away there was plenty of time to get to 6.2 miles.
To be continued………..

Hey, Body ‘N Sole Blog readers, after a six-month hiatus, Fit Asian Grimace is back.

I have a kick-ass story to tell you about River to River relay, so stay tuned.

To whet your appetite: a haiku

River to River.

Can you say, “Third Place,” b*tches?

Pork Chop Sammiches.

One would expect profound words of wisdom. Words that would change your life and make you take 12 minutes off your race time.

One would be wrong.

I was truly stumped this week. My type-A perfectionist personality put far too much pressure on myself for a blog post.

Far too much.

So after countless hours spent lamenting on what to write about this week and coming up with about 72 possible ideas, it finally came to me. I will just post a myriad of random questions and my two-cent take on them. You know, those types of questions that you always think in your head, but never actually vocalize out loud.

Alright, maybe you’ve never thought of these questions. But I have. And I only hope that I’m not the only strange one out there…

This is clearly far more useful than reiterating all the times, routes, events and the like for this weekend. Clearly. However, if you are still interested in this, check out www.illinoismarathon.com.  One-stop shop for the 411.

And for those of you who want something truly inspirational and motivational, see the image below. Hold this near and dear to your heart during the race. I know that I will.

I wish everyone the best of luck this weekend. Run safe, run hard, and, most importantly, have fun.

Q: Why do some runners wear crazy costumes to the race?

A: Some runs are created around the idea that people will dress up, specifically those around Halloween or other holidays. However, don’t be surprised if you find someone running in a goofy get-up this weekend. Last year, I started the race running next to a guy wearing a heavy wet-suit-type outfit and a gas mask. He started near the front of the line and by the time we reached Papa Del’s on Green Street, I was dashing past him, as he was completely stopped in the middle of the street and – you guessed it – couldn’t breathe. Hmm…

Many people feel that wearing something silly makes the grueling run seem more carefree and fun. It reminds them of when they were a kid and running was easy and for pure pleasure, not because they had to do it. While I’ve yet to do this, I would like to run in a tutu and tiara someday. Who knows, Saturday may be my time to shine. If you see a blonde princess with neon green shoes, make sure to say hi.

See below for a few of my favorite costumes…

Rubiks Cube in the London Marathon. I would want to follow him and try to mentally solve the cube. That would help make the time fly by...

I wonder if they both had to pay registration fees...

Best part of this? The flower for sure.

Q: Why am I the only one wearing my marathon shirt on the day of the race?

A: Because you aren’t supposed to run your race shirt during the race…you wear it after the race! Ask any runner: the shirt is a symbol of accomplishment and it is almost “bad luck” to wear it during the actual race. It is also not right to wear a race shirt from a race that you didn’t run in (such as your significant other’s Boston Marathon shirt, where you stood on the sidelines eating Dunkin’ Donuts). Feel free to wear last year’s marathon shirt, unless you DNF (did not finish); if in fact you were a DNF-er, you are obligated to write “DNF” in large letters across the front.

Okay, that last part isn’t true. But to play it safe, you might be best to stick with your trusty Nike dri-fit that has no writing on it whatsoever.

Q: No matter how much or how little I have to drink, I inevitably have to stop for a potty break during my runs. Where should I go?

I have no idea who this kid is - but this cracks me up.

A: I always hate having to interrupt my strides, but my pea-size bladder requires me to do so to avoid bursting like a water balloon stepped on by a 300-pound sumo wrestler. I don’t like going into fancy establishments like restaurants: first of all, I’m sweaty and likely smelly and, secondly, I am clearly just using them for their facilities. I tend to lean towards gas stations or fast food joints. I’m sure they don’t like me coming in, either (and I’ve gotten some dirty looks from the staff of McDonald’s before), but I always make a point to either purchase something from there later that day or within the week – and thank them for letting me use their bathroom. It makes me feel better at least!

Q: My running buddy always asks me what my pace was, like he wants to compare, but I always run faster than him. How do I give him an honest answer without sounding smug?

A: The last thing you want to do is come across as sounding arrogant, or by complaining how slow your time was when it was significantly faster than their time. Avoid being dubbed the perspective-lacking whiner by saying, I’m not really sure what my exact time is – the important part is that I felt like it was a good run! Or if you thought it was slower than usual, say, Well, it wasn’t the best run I’ve ever had, but that is okay – at least I finished. Avoid saying, I ran a 7 minute mile – can you believe how slow that is? I was practically walking and my neighbor’s turtle could have outrun me. Note that if you say this, you will probably get smacked in the face.

Q: I prefer to run alone, but one of my coworkers has invited themselves to run with me – how do I get rid of them?

A: Awkward situation indeed. You don’t want to make them mad and hurt your professional relationship. This is also extremely problematic if you run during your lunch hour – very difficult to pretend like you aren’t running when you return to your office wearing sneakers and smelling like a dirty gym towel. So here is what I would suggest:

• Tell them that you are trying to focus on improving your time, so you will undoubtedly be running faster than them and don’t want to make them feel bad.
• Don’t change into your workout clothes in the office. Go to a bathroom on a different floor or change at the gas station down the street. If they don’t see you change, they won’t know you are running.
• Take your lunch hour an hour earlier or an hour later – especially if you know that this would directly conflict with something that the lurking coworker already has on their agenda.

Q: Am I supposed to wave or say hi to other runners when I pass them?

A: In a word, yes – it’s just good manners. Now, if we lived in Chicago or L.A., maybe not so much. But living in a relatively small community in the heart of the Midwest, there is a more down-home feel and it is just courteous to acknowledge them in some form. Most of us aren’t going to be able to blurt out a full Good morning! How is your run going on this  beautiful spring day? First of all, you are undoubtedly running at lightening speed, making it next to impossible to say much more than a quick hi. Additionally, because of your like-lightening dash, you physically can’t speak more than a one syllable word without passing out. And more than likely, one or both of you has headphones in and won’t be able to hear it anyway. My recommendation: stick with a smile, nod and wave and carry on.