I'm so excited, and I just can't hide it!

Today I registered for this (registration opened today - that's how big of a nerd I am. Plus the registration fees are sort of cheap when you register early):


Swiss Alpine Marathon 2011 - July 30th 2011


To do a bit of this:

78K on mountain trails, baby! :)

The only thing between me and this race is 8 months of training. And a road trip to Switzerland.

Now, how do I train for a 78K ultramarathon with a 2230 meter / 7317 ft elevation? Uhm...I guess I have some figuring out to do. ;) Let's start with adding some miles to the long long runs. :)

And guess what, I couldn't be more excited. I actually got a bit teary eyed when I clicked on the 'Register' button. :) 'Cause this race is actually 'more than a race'! :) And now stop laughing at me! ;)

Do you want to join me? :) You can do so, or just check out the race on http://www.swissalpine.ch/.

If you'll excuse me now: I have some screaming and dancing to do. :)

Mushy Monday - Cold weather and Trail Running

This photo was taken in March of this year, while on winter vacation in the Swiss Alps. Oh boy, do I love to go out for a run on those trails!

Oh boy, I just started running then - bad bad running form!

Looking at this pic makes me actually want to book a plane ticket and head over to Switzerland to spend the weekend in those beautiful surroundings! On the other hand, it might be better to wait to do so till I can actually run again (!%!~^!^!^!@^ calf)! ;) :)

Cold weather running rocks!

I absolutely love running in cold temps. As long as I have my The North Face Windstopper tights and my Mammut softshell on, I'm fine and good to go. :) I would honestly pick snowy cold weather running over hot summer running.Just looking at snow makes me smile! :)

Last winter was pretty freezing in Holland, so I'm prepping myself for the colder temps. I already have the Inov-8 Terroc 308 trail running shoes for running on snowy and slippery trails. Since those have a mesh upper, and might result in me having frozen toes, I'm looking into the Salomon GoreTex trail running shoes. I still have to do some research on those, and check out where I could try them on, but they sure do look promising!

Ahhh, I can't wait till my PT tells me that's it's okay to head out for (at least) a slow jog! :)

Do you love cold weather running? If so, how do you layer up and what's your pick in shoes?

Reggae, Man!

Cycle: 60 min on Saturday

Cycle: 60 min on Sunday

Today is one of those days. It's snowing outside, and when I woke up this morning I felt like putting on my vintage Reebok high tops, wearing a hoodie and boyfriend jeans, chilling out in front of the TV, and listening to Reggae. Jewish Reggae to be precise. Not that I don't like Bob Marley, but this guy, Matisyahu, knows how to hold a beat. ;)

SGR says: this is just a serious case of Vagina Envy

Yep, that's right. Vagina Envy. More specific: Running Skirt envy. Big time!

You won't believe what those silly guys have come up with this time. Seriously, you won't!

Running Kilts!

Again, I'm not kidding! Don't believe me? Check out www.runningkilts.com and the photo below:

Actually I, for one, think this is hilarious. I was laughing out loud while I was browsing their website. They even have a 'Free pattern and sewing instructions' section on their website. Too freakin' funny! The same goes for the 'Testimonials' section!

Well, I guess with all the years of us girls wearing running shorts (and 'stealing' those from the guys), we sort of had this coming. ;) And now I just can't wait till I spot a guy in a running kilt. :)

Do you think that the Running Kilt will ever be the running gear of the moment? And, if you're a guy, would you try one?

Counting my blessings - The 'Giving Thanks' post

Bicycle: kicked it into gear for 60 min - 20 min strength training

We don't do Thanksgiving in the Netherlands. Why? It might have to do with the fact that we didn't have the whole Indians / Pelgrims thingie. ;)

But I do think that it's important to count your blessings. And by picking Thanksgiving to do so, I'll be reminded of my blessings at least once a year. And that's just what this girl needs to keep herself from becoming a Negative Nancy or Debbie Downer.

Don't mock me, I'll mock myself...

In case you didn't already notice. I'm the girl that doesn't take herself too seriously. I have this non-lady like, black, sarcastic sense of humor. Add a welcome dose of self-mockery and a looong ponytail, and there you have it: crazy old Me! However, being the sarcastic muppet that I am, does make me sometimes forget that I have a lot to be grateful for. And believe me, there's a lot I'm grateful for!

1. For starters, my Mom. If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be able to spend as much time running as I do. Not only does she cheer me on like I'm Haile himself, but she puts up with me whining endlessly about injuries. Plus all the pre marathon talk... Yeah, she's pretty much SuperMom to me.

2. My dog and two cats. I love them to pieces. Apart from the office, my dog comes with me where ever I go. I can't even put down in words how much he means to me, and how much I love that crazy poodle.

3. The pile of bricks I call my home. It's old, it's got character, and it's mine. Plus, it has beams, a Tord Boontje lamp and a chandelier. That doesn't suck either.

4. The gift of running. You knew this one was coming. 11 months into running, and it has given me things I couldn't have imagined to be possible.

5. Curry, and more specific: shrimp and crab curry.

6. Public transportation not being overcrowded and being on-time.

7. Hot Chocolate - with mini marshmallows.

8. Compression tights.

9. Waking up on a Sunday morning, opening the curtains, and the first thing I see is fresh snow and a bright blue sky.

10. Winter running weather.

11. Having my annual check-up and my MD telling me that I'm healthy and fit.

12. Good friends, that will even put up with my marathon training cycle OCDs.

13. Fitting into my skinny jeans. During the holiday season.

14. Telemark skiing.

15. A Christmas Dinner without a dress code. Hello, sweat pants!

16. A running buddy that sticks with me, even when I'm recovering from an injury.

17. Service dogs and the volunteers training them. Without her service dog, my Mom wouldn't be able to be as active as she is.

18. Books, and being able to read. Shouldn't take that for granted.

19. The Swiss Alps and mountains in general.

20. Frasier re-runs on Comedy Central. Yeah, I'm a nerd, I know. Get over it.

21. My current relationship status: single. Doesn't suck. Doesn't suck at all. :) I kind of love having the entire bed for me, myself and I (okay...my dog has taken over 75% of it, but you get the point). :)

What are you grateful for?

2XU Elite Compression Tights review

Bicycle: 45 min - kicked it into gear Slow jog: 5 min (yeah, didn't work out as I hoped it would)

Can you say 'love at first sight'? Actually it's more like 'love at first work-out', but you get the point.

When I was in New York for the New York City Marathon, I did some (okay, a lot) of shopping. Mainly running gear. At Paragon Sports I bought the 2XU Elite Compression Tights, because I had my hopes set on these tights helping me recover from The Calf injury. Also, they might help prevent other injuries.

This is a running blog, and the few followers (apparently not only my Mom reads it...Yay!) that I have, are also runners. So, I guess I don't have to ramble along about the benefits of compression tights/socks/etcetera, do I? ;)

Love them!

Since I'm still sidelined from running, I've been wearing these babies on my visits to the gym bicycle. And they did not disappoint me! Compression on all the right places, and the fabric is so soft! Compared to other compression tights, these 2XU tights have higher denier on the tights, and that results in more support. My calf loves these tights!

2XU promises improved performance with these tights.That I don't know about. I haven't run in them yet, but on the bicycle I didn't feel like I could go further, faster. The main benefit of these tights, at least in my humble opinion, is in the reduced recovery time. And in my book reduced recovery time = A-OK! But for 'A-OK' you'll have to pay $140... Yep...Ouch.

Check out their website for additional info: www.2xu.com.

And, yes, 2XU should send me a free pair, and a giveaway pair, for doing this review. In case a 2XU rep is reading this, I already love your tights, and I'm more than willing to write an awesome review on them. ;)

This is how they look on me. I wear the Small, since I'm 5'9, and the X-small would be too short for my Dutch legs.