Things that make me go hmmm..

I've been on an unintended blogging hiatus - thanks to a few things going on at work and a little travel (to a warm and sunny destination - it was paradise, bring on summer!)

So first - a little update.

I've had some good runs lately - including my first SUCCESSFUL 10 miler - without any stomach issues - yay! I didn't eat garbage or drink a lot the night before, and went a little slower than my last 10 miler (where my stomach protested for 12 hours afterwards) and also - at 1 hour in (a little over 7 miles) I ate a couple Honey Stingers - which were great and seemed to help on the energy front. I finished at 1:24:48.

Since my last post, I also tried out a Jack Rabbit Free Group Run -- my first ever group run - it was fun! I recommend checking out the runs if you're thinking of doing something social or having a hard time motivating. You can sign up to receive emails in the store - they have a number of group runs throughout the week - varying distances and start locations (Union Sq, Uptown and Bklyn). I did one of the shorter runs - about 4 miles, through Manhattan - which meant a lot of stopping for traffic lights and obstacle course style dodging - which made it really fly by. The people were fun and nice and the pace was very comfortable - with a couple groups forming after we started out based on everyone's comfort level. The end point of the run was at a bar with beer (and water) waiting for us - fun!

I've also been out to eat several times of course. At the bar of good ol' Joseph Leonard (Thanks Daniel, for too many Magdelanas!), to an old favorite standby - Lupa (delicious Bucatini Ameritcana and Tartufo) and to the oyster-bar-cocktail-place in Williamsburg that is always crowded and has lots of absinthe drinks. Blanking on the name, but if you've been there or walked by, you know what I'm talking about! Delicious oysters -- my favorites were the Powder Points from MA.

And, I had a nice Easter in a warm summery destination where I ran every day, went to the beach and pool, consumed lots of seafood and tropical frozen drinks and caught up on a few good books. It was wonderful.

That's about it as far as an update. I had planned to do a post in time for Easter / Passover on how to make cute French Macarons - as I have posted very little about baking to date. And, I just recently succeeded in making them from scratch, thanks to a couple different recipe trys and some 'troubleshooting' reseach on a few great websites. They are the perfect Easter / Passover treat. But now that I missed the holidays... I will save that post for another day.

What's really on my mind today is the answer to questions that have been perplexing me lately like ---

Notice I had to take Garmin
off my wrist in order to take a
picture of it. And it's still a bad
picture! This was after my stomach
wrenching 10 miler, btw. I needed
photo proof of my mileage to
ease my pain.

1.  How do people take a pictures of their Garmin while it is still on their arm???

I see this in many running blogs and my runner friends do it sometimes. Baffling. I have tried and I guess I am just not coordinated enough. I cannot take an iPhone picture with one hand. Impossible. How do you all do this?? Is someone else taking the picture for you?

2.  How do girls keep head bands from slipping off head while running or in gym class??? 

I like the idea of keeping my long bangs / fly aways out of my face but I have tried all kinds of head bands (including Lululemon)  and just cannot find a kind that stays sufficiently put while running or even doing yoga. Seriously. Is my head just too big or am I too rambunctious with it while exercising? Please advise.

How do you girls get these things
to stay put on your head while
running or exercising??

3. How do people run long distances without music??? Or run w/ others and chat during the run??

This is something that has baffled me for years. Run without music?? No way. That is part of what I love about running. Turn up the tunes, zone out. It helps motivate me. I have heard the argument that listening to music is discouraged because it means (a) you are not paying attention to or 'listening to' your body and breathing; or (b) you may speed up your pace too much when a good song comes on.

I say to both of those points a big So What? Seriously. What is wrong with those things? I PREFER not to pay attention to my body and breathing when I'm running - it isn't always pleasant and usually doesn't help motivate me to keep going. I love running, but there are times when I don't particularly like exactly how my body and breathing feels while I'm doing it, especially when I'm pushing myself. If I were to listen to my body at such times it would be saying - "what are you doing to me, please stop."

 And as for speeding up my pace - great! I'll take my speed and a hop in my gait when I can get it. If it means I go a little slower later on, so be it. Nothing like a little kick jump of a good song to put a smile on my face and forget that my legs feel like lead, I'm gasping for breath and I hope I can make it through the run without a pit stop. I do recognize that people who are really training for something are all concerned about pacing and negative splits etc. Not me. I like to run whatever pace feels good at the time.

The only compelling argument I've heard for trying to cool it with the music is that over time you can become desensitized to music. In other words, save it for when it counts - when you're having a challenging run, or at the end of the race. If you listen to it all the time, you'll get too used to it and it won't give you the bump you need when you really need it. While I can see the point here, I don't find it to be true for me  -- at least not so far. When I am desensitized to certain music, I just download new songs. I've been running to music now since high school (and, trust me that was a long time ago) AND I have my iPod in my ears nearly every time I leave my apartment, walking around the city on my way to and from work, running errands etc. I have yet to feel desensitized or that the little kick a good song can give me has worn off. So - maybe this last point happens to some people, but I have yet to be afraid.

All this said - I DID have my first sans music run recently -- on the Jack Rabbit free group run I mentioned above. I felt like headphones might be seen as a little antisocial in the group setting. Although I did note that a few people had them in. I have to admit - the run was a breeze. I chatted a few times but basically ran near others without talking. It was fine, not bad at all. Maybe just having others around or the fact that this felt like an easy run for me helped. I will probably continue to try for sans music in group settings just because of the trying to be social thing - and may even try to chat w/ people a little more next time -- but for now, on solo runs it is full on music for me. Favorite playlist of the moment -- Girl Talk's free downloads. Check them out. All Day is the best, Feed the Animals and Night Ripper are also good. Perfect for running!

4. Where did they go to the bathroom in the Hunger Games arena??? 

Finally, and most importanlty, the one thing that has me really scratching my head these days is where Katniss and Peeta and the others went to the bathroom during the Hunger Games. Presumably behind some bushes  a la camping style -- but did the Capitol's cameras capture that as well?? And how did the cameras film Katniss and Peeta in their little cave?? The book made the cave seem so super hidden and tiny - surely the Capitols didn't think to plant a camera in there ahead of time?? Maybe these mysteries are resolved in the movie, which I have yet to see, but I think these are important points left out of the book, no?

If only I had the answers to these questions... my mind would be free and clear to ponder more intellectual thoughts, surely.