Review: Go Girl

This one's a life changer, ladies.

Ever get really envious of the men at races while standing in line waiting for a port a potty? Men can get in and out to pee in thirty seconds flat, while we womenfolk must disrobe our lower half, hover over the usually naaaasty seat, wipe, redress, and sanitize our hands. This takes at least three minutes, more for me if I have on compression tights. If you are hit with the urge on the race course, you have to pray that the race organizers strategically placed a port a potty. Men just find a tree.

Enter the Go Girl, which levels the playing field.

This is made of medical grade silicone, and comes in a cool little tube which would fit in a hydration pack or a SPI belt. Open the tube, and a funnel pops out which contours itself to the female anatomy and drains away urine. A shake, pop it in a ziplock for washing later, and you are good to go.

Concerns I had which were addressed when I tried it: no, it doesn't leak. Yes, you can just pull your pants down slightly like men do or, if you are wearing shorts, just push it into place and guide the end of the funnel out of the bottom. No, there isn't much urine left on the inside. No, if you are careful there won't be urine on your hands, but a tiny bottle of hand sanitizer in your spi belt or hydration pack would resolve the issue. Yes, it's discreet enough that the braver women among us could use it behind a tree. And yes, you will get to discover what it feels like to pee like a man.

More seriously, this is a must have -- MUST HAVE -- for the active woman. Any concerns I had about being away from a bathroom for outdoor activities -- camping, backpacking, hiking, fishing, kayaking -- are now gone. I got mine at amazon for a whopping 4.99. Small price to pay for pees of mind.

Sorry, couldn't help myself there. :D

Franklin Cross Country Two Miler: August 11, 2011

This was a fun family two mile course supporting the Franklin High School cross country team. It was an evening run, which I don't prefer, but the weather was relatively mild and the course was pretty.

I didn't have high hopes for this run, as I don't have a lot of training time in the summer, I was in a three day training MTW, and I had a touch of food poisoning the morning of the run, which meant I was slightly dehydrated. Also, the course was freshly mowed, and I couldn't get a handle on my breathing.

Still and all, I finished in 28:47, which is a little over a 14 minute mile, and less than the 30 minutes I anticipated I'd finish in. So go me! All my kids ran this course, and 2 miles is perfect -- not too long, but not too short. And my husband set himself a PR: 13 minutes and some change. Woot!

Next up, a trail 5k this evening with my husband for "date night." My, how my idea of "fun" has changed.

Don't Compare Your Start To Someone Else's Finish

If one is starting from scratch, as I was when I began my fitness pursuits, it can sometimes be discouraging to be reminded of how . . . well, how SLOW one is. I remember reading about people who could run the blistering speed of 10 minutes per mile and thinking . . . man, is that FAST. I mean, when I started "getting fit" I could barely finish 2 miles on the treadmill at an 18 minute/mile speed without thinking I would die, and I recall thinking . . . how am I ever going to get faster? Will I ever get faster?

The thing is, I didn't realize at the time that the people who could run those ten minute miles had, for the most part, been running for a long, long time. Even assuming natural running talent, running any number of consecutive ten minute miles requires cardiovascular endurance training. This does not happen overnight. In fact, for the average recreational runner, it happens very, very slowly.

My 18 minute miles very quickly became 16, then 15, then 14 minute miles. In fact, tonight I did a 2 mile run at a 13.58 minute pace. My next training goal, which I hope to meet by the end of August, is to run a sub-40 minute 5k. That requires a 13.3 minute per mile pace. It's not a pace I could have imagined 18 months ago. It's also not a pace I intend to stay at for very long. I completed a half-marathon a month ago. I couldn't have imagined that 18 months ago either.

All of this is to say, when you are slogging away at what feels like an interminably slow pace, or when your distance goals are in the single digits, remember: don't compare your beginnings to someone else's middle or end.

South Shore Duathlon: June 12, 2011

My time wasn't spectacular, I didn't have any dramatic difficulties or obstacles in finishing, but the best part of all can be summed up right here:

 

I used to think this was the "year of me." I now realize it's the year of "God in me."

Wisconsin Marathon: 13.1 miles, 6 gel packets, 2 toenails

This is billed as "the Cheesiest Marathon." It's actually a really beautiful run course along Kenosha's lakeshore, very flat and good for a first timer.

Here's the thing: despite my last two disastrous training runs, I felt fabulous the entire course, and mostly because I stayed on top of my hydration and nutrition and didn't wear those cursed CW-X pants. I finished a little slower than I would have liked, but I'm good with that since my longest training run was only ten miles or so.

I finished ahead of 25 people, and was third from last in my age group.

I found it spectacularly ironic that the only cheese sponsor was from Vermont.

I crossed the finish with my sweet husband.

I think I may have lost two toenails in the process, but meh. They're only evolutionary vestigials anyhow.

What more is there to say? It was a good day for a run.

Next up: the South Shore Duathlon, 2 mile run/10 mile bike/2 mile run, in June.

Next goal: a sub-40 minute 5k.

How Not To Train For A Half Marathon

Okay, so my half marathon is in (gulp) five days. My training walk/runs were going exceptionally well until mile 10.5/11. At which point they promptly fell apart.

But not because I'm "not built for it." No. And not because "I'm not fit." No. Double no. My long training walk/runs fell apart because . . . I violated the cardinal rule of training. Which is, DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING YOU'RE DOING IF IT'S WORKING.

Let me repeat that.

DON'T CHANGE ANYTHING YOU'RE DOING IF IT'S WORKING.

Lemme 'splain. For my long training runs, I would prepare thusly:

1) the night before, hydrate well and not drink alcohol in any form.
2) Wake up, eat well, dress in a singlet and compression tights or capris and my shoes and toe socks, fill my hydration pack and add Nuun or Hammer Endurolytes, fill my gel flask with Clif double espresso and chocolate cherry gel, and warm up walk 5 minutes, run 2/walk 2 for 4 reps, then walk 10 minutes, and rinse/repeat until I reached my destination on paved, well groomed roads.

Well. Apparently if I change ANY ONE of those factors, I promptly fall apart at about mile 10.

First try, I tried to cut out 5 minutes of the walk time between intervals, and I wore my brand spanky new CW-X compression capris that were supposed to be miraculous. Major big fail. IT band tightened at mile 10. Stopped at mile 10.5.

Second try, I tried a different gel brand, didn't eat very well, drank a beer the night before, and wore the CW-X pants again on a not very well groomed trail with nary a water stop. Also, lost one of my two gel flasks along the route. Major, MAJOR big fail. IT band and knee tightened at mile 7. Fell apart at mile 10. Had to stop and be rescued by my husband at mile 10.8.

All this as a public service announcement. Test yer gear and nutrition on short runs first.

Hello, It's Me

I've thought about it for a long, long time . . . (name that tune and artist).

April was the best of times, it was the worst of times. In April I:

1) decided to homeschool one of my kids for the rest of the school year
2) argued a case in front of the state Supreme Court
3) tried and failed twice to run 12 miles
4) got the same kid into a Montessori school for the fall, and
5) watched my husband go through an enormously difficult personal matter.

All in the span of a month. By the end of it I was thoroughly exhausted, more mentally than physically. I learned a lot about endurance, and preparation, and how despite the best of intentions, plans go terribly awry sometimes. And how endurance and preparation, given the right other conditions, can sometimes lead to a positive outcome.

I'll be back to posting more in the next month, simply because I need to. Thanks for being patient.