Panda sighting on the stadium stairs!

Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Chet Newsman here. We're interrupting your regularly scheduled program to bring you this breaking news story. It appears that a panda bear has broken free of communist China to come run 44 flights of stairs at the Springville high school. Eye witnesses claim that the panda was wearing neon pink Vibram's and was listening to David Bowie. Adorable growls of triumph were also heard as the panda reached the top of each flight of stairs. We brought in bear expert, Dr. Barry Pandason to explain this strange behavior. Dr. Pandason, could you tell us, is this normal behavior for pandas?

Well, Chet, first off, let me say thank you for having me on the show. I'm always glad to have a chance to share my vast knowledge of panda bears. A little known fact about pandas is their love of stair running. It's their favorite past time, second only to eating bamboo and sleeping in the sunshine. However, I am surprised to hear the witness's account of the panda's shoes. I was unaware that Vibram's had cornered the niche market of panda footwear. I suppose it had to happen eventually. As for the David Bowie, we have observed pandas in captivity "rocking out", if you will, to Ziggy Stardust and the like.

Thank you Dr. Pandason. You've certainly shed some light on the little known behaviors of the panda. And now back to your regularly scheduled programming.

But seriously you guys, I love running the stairs. It's become my favorite thing. And doing it in a panda hat? Best. Workout. Ever.
Happy running!

Marathon training has begun!

It's official boys and girls. Marathon training started on the 6th! I have my schedule all planned out and I'm doing my darndest to follow it. Week one had a bit of a snafu with my tendon, but it seems to be alright now. There's a delightful rant about the whole ordeal on my Daily Mile page if there's anyone who hasn't seen it. I am continuing to work in barefooting where I can (winter makes this a bit tough at times). I've come to think of barefooting as my dessert after running in shoes, so I'll do the bulk of my running in my minimal shoes and then slip them off for the last mile or so. It's still delightful and brings a smile to my face every time.

I have realized that I may have become addicted to races. In the past 2 days I have signed up for 2more half marathons and another full marathon. I have sticky notes all over my computer at work that let me know when registration opens for various races so that I can be sure to sign us as soon as is allowed. I can't imagine the melt down I would have if the race sold out because I dilly-dallied. I have also gotten this crazy idea in my head to run a race in every state in the U.S. So of course, I can't wait to start working those in. I have plans to check Colorado and Nevada off the list before the end of the year. If I had an unending cash flow, I would be checking off even more before 2012 leaves us. And now that I know the Goofy Challenge can be lived through, thanks to the Buzbees for going out and getting it done, I have decided that I need to add this into the race schedule for 2013 (this would check Florida off the list, in style!). Nothing like running a half marathon on Saturday and a marathon on Sunday to feel like a hardcore running machine. And yes, I realize that it may seem a bit nuts to be planning 2013's  race schedule already, but I honestly can't help myself. Ocassionally, I cast my mind back to the girl  I was in high school, the girl who hated to run, who even if being pursued by a bear would have probably just given up and gotten eaten, and I marvel at how far I've come. Life leads us down paths that we didn't see coming, and I for one am glad for it.

Happy running!

Blogging on a rest day.

I'm sitting here, on my plump heinder, taking a rest day because my legs are just tired. So so tired. I guess my January of sickness and injury took a bit of a toll on me. But it's the perfect opportunity for me to do a double header book review! Since I only mentioned "Barefoot Running Step by Step" by Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton and Roy M. Wallack in my barefooting blog, I will go into a bit more depth here. This book is a joy and a treasure. I laughed out loud at least once a chapter. Ken Bob is an extremely likable man, teaching people how to do what he loves. His writing style is gregarious and readable. He is full of puns and jokes that some might find a bit "lame" but I found them to be hilarious. He includes testimonials and stories from people all over the the U.S. and abroad. He even has the "angry podiatrist" (the anti-barefooter) in his book to be fair to both sides of the barefoot running debate. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's even considered barefoot running. It's a practical guide with great advice. I bestow 5 Gu's to this fine volume.

The second book I would like to review is the glorious "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. This book was loaned to me by a friend who isn't much of a runner and he had wonderful things to say about it. When a non-runner has a glowing review of a running book, that's a good sign. This book is absolutely a must read for anyone who has ever run in their lives. Even if all you've ever done was run away from an angry hornet, this book will be enjoyable. McDougall goes into the history of the Tarahumara Indians, a tribe I had never heard of before this book. They are an incredible people, with distance running built into their DNA. Their diet and lifestyle doesn't seem conducive to being able to do what they do, and yet, there are none better than these shy Indians when it comes to tackling long distances and insane conditions. Also, I love the stories of Olympic athlete Emil Zatopek. He is truly the perfect example of a man who ran for the love of running. There's so much I could say about this book, but I will just say that everyone needs to read this book. You won't be disappointed. I am going to make my book club read this when it's my turn to pick. I love it so much, I'm forcing it on a whole group of non-runners! I want to award this book 5 Gu's times two. Go read it. Go now. And let me know how you liked it!

Happy reading!