Silly Putty Queen

I would like to publicly* announce that I am the Silly Putty queen.

A little bas-relief smirk

This guy looks like one of my customers. Hope he doesn't read my blog.

 And that my husband is husband of the year for bringing me home a little egg of the stuff to play with. I love him.


Random running crap giveaway winners were selected by asking my husband to pick numbers. 
Momma on the Run, you got yourself a very used Spibelt.
Nelly, you may now learn to run like a Chi, as long as you ignore coffee stains on the pages.
Julie from Trailing Along, you can be as confused as I was by the Runner's World book.

Please email me your mailing addresses at mgr.13777@store.walgreens.com
And yes, I'm using one of my work emails so if any psychos read this they can only stalk me at work and not my safe and cozy home.

*Every time I type the word "public" I am scared I'll type "pubic" and my spell-check will not catch it.

My next race...

I just signed up for the Clarence DeMar marathon.

The race is in lovely Keene, NH.

It's September 25th.
So, I kind of have to do a sort of accelerated training. Heehee!
I picked this race because I have a good chance of seeing some pretty fall leaves and let me tell you, that's something this transplanted Yankee misses.
Oh for a cup of cider and a cold fall day! Even such a day which requires 26 miles of running.
So, my plan is to do my long runs on the next few weekends:
16 miles   < Did that this Saturday
18 miles
20 miles
12 miles
marathon

The rest of the week I'll keep the same. Right now I'm on a semi-schedule that looks like this:
Monday: Easy 3 - 8  miles
Tuesday: Ten miles at 7:30 to 8:00 pace
Wednesday: Gym - full body weights
Thursday: "Speedwork" for 3-5 miles (I am attempting to do real speedwork but I usually degenerate to pathetic fartleks)
Friday: Easy 3 - 8 miles
Saturday: Long run (used to be 8-14 miles but I'll be ramping that up)
Sunday: My choice of cross train, short fartlek run, or rest day

Has anyone else done a short-notice marathon?
Tips?
Advice?
I think I'll be ok since I have a base of 30 - 40 miles a week already, and this is my "throw away" race to kick the season off. I need one race to gauge my fitness and guide me in my goals for other races later in the year.

Giveaway of running crap

You might have noticed that I don't do blog giveaways. This is because companies who have things to give away look at my esoteric lifestyle and decide that I'm a bad brand ambassador. Then they look at the six people who read this blog and decide a give away isn't worth six new customers anyway.
But today I'm giving away some old crap I don't want.
1. First there's this book.

I bought this book because the tagline says, "The ultimate eating plan that will make every runner (and walker) leaner, faster, and fitter." Who doesn't want to be leaner, faster, and fitter? I bought this when I was forming some race goals and decided that ambitious race times meant I needed to watch my diet and weight more closely. This book seemed to have just the eating plan I needed to maintain my weight and keep a good ratio of lean muscle to body fat.
It doesn't. It's more of a diet book in the sense of weight loss than a what-to-eat guide for runners. I should have read more than just the title.
I think it is appropriate for people planning to use running to aid weight loss, especially new or returning runners. A lot of it is good info, it just doesn't apply to me.

2. The second piece of crap sitting in my house taking up room is this Spibelt. I bought it on Ebay, so it's twice-used. I wore it once, for a marathon, and I hated it. It just felt weird to me. Like running in a belt. Because it was running in a belt.

3. And another book. I bought this used, too, back when I had runner's knee. This is way back, more than a year ago, before I caught on to the fact that I should be in a neutral shoe and the guys at my local running store were kind but mistaken. I thought Chi running would fix my knees, but honestly it just takes too much effort. I don't like thinking about my running or thinking about my form - it takes all the fun out of running and I run primarily for enjoyment.
The yellow page edges are courtesy of spilled coffee. Librarians hate me.
So, how to get one of these gems?
Simple.
1. Follow the blog, obviously, I'm not giving my high quality used books away to complete strangers.
2. Tell me which item you want.

If more than one person wants an item I'll have to do a random drawing, so I guess you have until August 31st. 

Nike Tempo Vs. Target C-9

Today I am going to compare Nike tempo running shorts to Target's C-9 version of them. You are welcome for taking 7,000 mirror photos in an attempt to demonstrate fit.
First off, a price comparison. Tempos are usually $28 -$32 but often go on sale for less. I paid $14.99 for the Target shorts, which I still think is a lot.
Next, fit.

Target C-9 running shorts

Nike tempos (at this point I found my flash)

 Here's the deal with this: Tempos have a unique tapered leg design. I think this is to prevent upper-thigh-flashing incidents, but honestly it's kind of weird. Note the bizarre ballooning going on here in the tempos...

The front and back seem to be cut exactly the same. Weird.

...Whereas the C-9's have a more traditional straight leg. It seems that the Nike's have too much fabric and it bunches and billows, and the C-9's have a flatter fit.
It would make sense to solve the problem by going down a size in the tempos, but it doesn't work that way. These are smalls, and the lining and waistband fit me. There is just extra outer fabric. If I got XS shorts the waistband would cut me in half.

Crappy useless pocket

Decent pocket

Speaking of waistbands, let's discuss quality of design. Waistband features here...the Nike's have elastic in the waist and a kind of faux drawstring. The C-9's however, have a functional front drawstring. I personally prefer elastic over drawstring for the way it feels and the movement it allows. Another little quality concern is the key pocket design. The C-9's have this rinky-dink little front pocket that can barely hold a key, instead of the lining pocket the tempos have. And while I'm on the subject of quality, notice anything about the side strip on the Target shorts? Yeah, that gray used to be white. The color bled when I washed these.

Lastly I want to touch on the moisture wicking properties. This is the big claim to fame for tempos, which are made with Nike dri-FIT technology. And I've got to say, it works pretty well. I get soaked with sweat during summer long runs, and my tempos definitely get sweaty, but when I wear my C-9 shorts saturated fabric slaps my legs (spraying sweat droplets) for the last half of the run. It is extremely uncomfortable to run in soaked fabric - it rides up your legs, sweat dribbles down the backs of your legs, fabric bunches wetly.

So the verdict? Although I like the cut of the C-9 shorts better than the tempos, I rely so much on the moisture wicking fabric that the tempos win on that strength alone. 

What's the most important thing to you when you buy workout clothes?

Sewing clothes without a pattern

I like designing clothes, and I'm a passable seamstress, so occasionally I whip up a little dress or jacket that strikes my fancy. After years using an old industrial Kenmore with only one stitch (I made my wedding dress on that thing!) my husband surprised me at graduation with a new machine. Sadly, the gift coincided with the cessation of Wal-mart's fabric department. Luckily, it looks like my favorite dollar-a-yard source is back and I recently bought some fabric that toes the fine line between cute and frumpy.

Is it "aw" or "maw maw"?

I only had 1.3 yards of 45" fabric, so I knew I had to make a simple dress, but with a floral pattern you have to be careful not to make a housedress or mumu.
When I design and sew without a pattern, first I sketch the finished dress, and usually I also sketch out what particular pattern pieces will look like.

This time I decided on a simple one-shoulder dress with an oriental look. I put in an elastic waist to create shape since I planned on having a blousy, gathered top and skirt. I tapered the hem of the skirt to add more structure.
Once I make a design, I free-hand draw a pattern on the fabric with pencil. Sometimes I trace other pieces of clothes - for example, if I want to make a short sleeve, I might use another short sleeve top to get the armhole and sleeve right. You can also use a measuring tape and body measurements, of course.
Don't forget to add seam allowance! I also leave extra fabric if I'm unsure how something will hang or fit - I did that with the neckline on this dress since I have not sewn a one-shoulder dress before.
Before doing any sewing, I try the clothes on pinned together and make adjustments.

Try it on with the shoes you would wear it with.

Then once stitched, I do a try-on and take a picture. I study the picture to look for flaws. You can see that the side hem is messed up on the skirt one side here - my tension was too tight and it looks wavy from very slight puckering. These things are hard to miss in a mirror, which is why I take a picture.

When I fixed the skirt hem I also made it a little less full.

 The finished product got lots of  compliments! The loose fit on the top made this dress ideal for walking outside in the August heat, so I wore it for Dirty Linen Night. The only problem is that I had to skip the pockets I had planned to put in the skirt - there just wasn't enough fabric leftover!

If you were choosing a cocktail-style dress that had to be the last one you ever bought, would you choose basic black off the rack or a completely unique brightly colored frock designed just for you?

Summer beach days.

I can't wait for summer to end. I don't like the weather here in New Orleans in the summer at all, and I pine for crisp New England autumn days. For all I care we could just skip summer.

My little nephew Lüc and I in Waveland, MS

 But maybe I could just keep those days at the beach playing with the nephews. I mean, that's pretty cute. I'd hate to miss out on those witty bitty baby goggles.

What's your least favorite season?

Running Fads

Chi running.

Ultras.

Jeff Galloway.

Barefoot running.

Couch to 5k.

Orthotics.

Heel strike.

Running skirts.

Heart rate training.
Ice baths.

Minimal footwear.

Run less, run faster.

Compression wear.

Running fads cycle in and out, a lot like fashion, and - also like fashion - they can be a mix of dos and don'ts. You ever see a model in an outfit and say, "It works for her, but I could never pull it off"? Well, that's a healthy attitude toward fads, too.
Now I'm not saying barefoot running is bad or Chi running will injure you. What I am saying is that these surges of popularity are accompanied by testimonials and reports that elevate certain techniques and styles to the level of a magical cure. But they aren't. No one gait, shoe, technique, pace, or training plan will work for everyone, and none of those things are the secret to a fantastic PR unless they are accompanied by common sense and hard work.

The following statement applies to all running fads: This won't work for everyone. You need to know your own body and abilities well before trying something new, and you absolutely need to ease into any change slowly to avoid injury. Be smart. Be careful.
And above all, don't fix what isn't broken. If you are running fast, happy, and injury-free, and if you are setting and achieving goals, I think you've hit the sweet spot. Don't change a thing.