She was a runner!

I had a moment today to play on the internet. I have been so busy with a training project for work that my surf time has gone way down. We are talking, none, in the 8 hours that I am chained to my desk. This is a stark change to the weeks prior to the start of the project. So today I took some time to just goof off. I am an avid participant of the Runner’s World forums. I mostly lurk, but I am there. When I say avid, what I mean is I can spent the whole 8 hours there, as you can guess my job is not that demanding of my time. But that is not the story that I am going to tell today. That is a long boring story for some other time.

No, the story I am going to tell today is one about how the people we “meet” in cyberspace can have an effect on out lives. In my meandering about the forums today I found a post about running in honor of a deceased forumite (someone who hangs out in the forums). I clicked on the link half expecting to find out that one of the people who frequent the boards that have been in failing health had passed, this would be sad but not unexpected. But, what I found was that a 22-year old teaching student had been killed while out jogging. She was out for a 3 mile run, what could have been her last in perpetration her marathon this Sunday. A marathon that now she will never run. Her Aunt was going to run the ½, she is still planning on doing that. The last that I read Elizabeth’s boyfriend was going to run in her honor. They are planning a moment of silence at the start of the race. This was all at the hands of the people she talked to in the forums some of whom knew her only as esdinunzio.

I have spent time lurking in the forum where she spent most of her time so I had seen her posts. I have not talked to or even shared a thread with her that I know of. But for some reason this news leaves me with a heavy heart and an overwhelming sadness of such a young life ended in such a tragic way. A lot of people will say that if they have to “go out” suddenly, then they want to “go out” doing what they loved. From all the kind words that have been shared on the forums she was doing just that. It makes one stop and think. I am not really sure what I am thinking… how short life is… how we should live everyday to the fullest… that we should find something we love to do and do that… maybe, just maybe it is how sad that some of the new reports on the story call her a “jogger”, not a runner and put the blame for the accident on her, she was following the run facing traffic rule. Some time accidents just happen with tragic and life changing results.

I said this story was going to be about the people that we “meet” in cyberspace. I have had the opportunity to “meet” some world class people in my time at the Running Forums. Most of them, I may never meet in person to share a meal or a run with, but they are important to me. Just as important as any of my friends that I have know in person for years. So, if any of you (you know, who you are) read this. I am grateful, most of all, for being invited in to your fold as one of the trouble makers in the Beginners Forum on Runner’s World on-line. So this Sunday go and run some in memory of Elizabeth or anyone that you want to remember. I will. Remember be careful out there.

owwwwww! that hurts!

Ok, so last night was my first barefoot run in forever, also a run of any sort. It was a good run, longer then planned, but a good run with DS. But manoman my PF(plantar fasciitis)is killing me today. I am planing to run tonight, so I will have to remember to tape my foot. It is all due to the fact that I have been wearing tall shoes. Tall shoes are anything with a heel over one inch tall. Monday I picked a 3"+ high heels. Let me tell you they looked just fabulous, but my feet are still pissed about it. Those are not 8 hour shoes. Oh well time to stay away from them for a bit let the foot heal up and then go back to some shorter ones, bummer I do like how my legs look in the taller ones.

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Starting over, this time barefoot sometimes.

I have not been running for the last month or so, now I am have to start over. I am going to toss in one day of barefoot running just for fun, I am hoping to get to at least 5K distance so I can run some races barefoot. I will let you know how this goes.

I am starting this blog over again as well I am hoping to update it more offten. Wish me luck with it all, the running and the blogging!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

Expo Adventure

I am now on my way to the expo to pick up my packet. That makes this all very real now. Once I have the number it is really happening. I have been kinda crazy this week, it has hit me hard that I am about to take on this huge task of running a half marathon with little training not as much as one really needs to be successful at this task at hand, I did have a good 10 mile run on Sunday of last week so it is not all bad I guess. I know that I will be able to finish it, this being my first one there is no need to worry about a PR that is what I will have no matter how bad it is. The goal was to finish and that I will be able to do, so then way all the fuss about this race why is this one different than any of the other ones that I have run, I get crazy before them too but not like this why is this one a bigger deal for me. Is it because we have been thinking about this one for about a year now, is it that I have run badly in San Jose before, is it just the fact that I have never run a ½ before. I have a problem with starting out to fast at every race I have ever done I know this but somehow it doesn’t keep me from doing it. So what do you tell someone that start all fast and then burns out before even half of the race? Take is slow and easy so far has not worked for me , I know it is all about running your own race, you can’t run anyone else race, this is true for just a training run when you’re running partner is faster than you, and yet somehow it makes me mad when I cannot keep up with her. So what do I tell myself on Sunday, run my own race don’t worry about her or anyone else. Is that going to work for me? Is that going to make it a better run, not a battle with my body to just finish? Me giving all I have and then some just to have a crappy time? I would like to have a good run this time, and every time but this time for sure. Every one says that these races are a lot of fun to run but I take them to seriously I guess I don’t have fun at races. So the one thing I am going to do for sure on Sunday is have a good time, it is not that serious that I need to be all upset about it. I love to run and I can run it is not very fast but it is still running. That is really that this is required of me is to run and have fun. We will see how that goes.