Three Things Thursday

1. Showing some treadmill love: Hillwork in flat flat Holland. There you go.

It's not too bad since there's a TV in front of it.

2. TMI?: As you probably already know, I am a huge Anton K. fan. I truly believe the guy is kick-ass for doing what he does. But I do find this pic funny. He posted it up on his FB page. Am I the only one that notices that part of Anton is quite prominent in this pic? Yeah, I know...it might be just me...dirty mind, joy forever, bladiebla.

3. Ra-a-ace: There's a planned race ultra thingie coming up this weekend. There's a river involved. Scared sh*t and excited at the same time. With the effing head cold I'm trying to fight off, this could be interesting...

Three for Thursday: three reasons why I love The North Face's Better Than Naked Shorts

1. Comfy: I'm not giving up on skirthood, but these shorts are seriously light-weight (compared to - for example - the Nike Tempo Shorts). Paper thin fabric. No bulky feel. Great fit and enough room for gels/keys/etcetera. The shorts have one zippered pocket in the back and two stretchy stash pockets.
Photo courtesy - The North Face

2. Fast-drying: Wore those running 22 miles on a treadmill - 22 sweaty miles. Yet they did not get soaking wet. At all. Stayed dry the entire time. No chaffing either.

3. Split: I like split shorts. The fit. The unlimited range of movement they'll give you. However, it's hard to find a good old split short these days. With a decent split on the sides. Somehow the Adidas and Under Armour just don't do it for me. The North Face has succeeded in creating an old-fashioned split short. Lucky me. :)

Photo courtesy - The North Face
Two tiny 'meh' things to say about these shorts: they will set you back $50 (here) and don't come in a wide range of colors (like the Nike Tempo Shorts do).

Three Things Thursday

1. Heartbreaking: I dedicated a post to Sherry Arnold earlier this week. She is still missing. Could you please show Beth from Shut Up and Run your support and like the Help find Sherry Arnold Facebook page?

2. Beans: Sport beans? Not for this girl. I've been playing around with my food intake on long runs, and am giving the regular Jelly Belly Beans a shot instead of the Sport Beans. Combined with energy gel, sandwiches and energy bars, they seem to do the trick and I have one tasty fueling plan. :) Are you a Sport Beans fan?

3. RelaxReflect: Safety first, huh? ;) Even if this means you look like a total goofball. I'm testing some RelaxReflect tights at the moment, and so far, I'm a happy camper. These are comfy and make you a heck of a lot easier to spot than in plain black tights. :)

Three Things Thursday

1. Oh Ryan: Okay, Ryan Hall rocks. Enough said. And Ryan Reynolds is pretty easy on the eye. Uh-huh. ;) So...you'd say that putting those two together would be a great thing. Well, think again. Am I the only girl out there that doesn't think this commercial is funny?

2. Text WIND OFF to 1234: Not sure what the weather is like in the rest of the world, but it sure is windy, and unseasonably warm in the Netherlands. And when I say windy, I mean WINDY. I guess headwinds make a great interval work out, right? Right? And since I'm already whining and b*tching about this - it's too freaking warm to wear a windstopper jacket. And too windy not to wear one. Okay, done complaining. Thanks for listening. ;)

3. Runner porn: SALOMON WILL HAVE THEIR S-LAB RUNNING PACK IN A 12 LITER VERSION THIS SPRING. Can you tell I'm excited? Hiding it well, huh? ;)

Three Things Thursday

1. B-U-S-Y: It's the season to get busy. This is the time of year that things get kind of crazy at the firm. More work load = less time to blog. Sorry about that. :) Not that you're missing out on anything interesting with less posts on this blog. ;)

2. Effing knee: As I've already mentioned in Monday's post, I have some knee issues (PF) since I've spend 2 hours working through case files a week ago...on my knees. Do not try that one at home. The horror! My PT laughed at me and told me spending hours on your knees is a pretty stupid thing to do. Yeah, thanks. I know that...now! So...uphill speed walking on the treadmill (great mountain marathon work out...boy, does it get your heart rate up!) and cycling it is. Road running = angry knee at the moment, so I'm sticking with the dreadmill for the time being. Fingers crossed on this one.

3. 2012 vs 2011: I've told myself that it's okay to start planning 2012 races, even when the Knee is bothering me right now. And boy, it's fun to plan! Fun runs, city marathons, the Swiss Alps, and a dream race I don't even dare talking or thinking about. Are you already planning your 2012 races? Any tips on races I should try to work into my schedule? :)

Three Questions Thursday

1. Naughty?: I was recently contacted by quite a large company that asked me to post about their products...but after me asking me which product they wanted me to review and in which time span, they told me they would send me some info, and I could write my review based on that. Yep, that's correct...I wouldn't review the actual product, but would just be writing a review based on their info. How could I possibly write a decent review without having the actual product in my hands? How weird is that. Especially since I'm talking about a well-known company here. Any thoughts on this?

2. Telecom: I've been home for several days now, but am still receiving text messages that seem to be sent to me while I was still in NYC. Uhm...roaming services? Did any of you ever have this problem?

3. Hello, here I am: On tonight's run I spotted way too many runners that worship the 'dark lord'. Exactly...no reflective gear. No blinkies. No light on them at all. Hello! Dangerous! Still don't get it. Also...I noticed that most runners were running on the right side of the cycling path. Which side of the road do you pick on late night/evening or early morning runs? Left or right?

I interrupt this Three Things Thursday for...

...this month's Runner's World (Dutch edition):



Some of you asked for a translation, so - here you go (now you wish you hadn't asked for that, right :)):

"The running skirt and Christel Jaarsma are a match made in heaven. The running skirt has been her go-to gear ever since she picked up running. 'Shorts can be boring'. She still gets some stares and looks at races. 'But it's not as bad as it used to be'. The running skirt seems to be way more accepted in the ultra running community that Jaarsma focusses on. Not that weird, considering the fact that a skirt is chafe-friendly. In colder temps Jaarsma pairs her skirt with capri tights. Plus, she stays warm wearing thermo shirts and jackets. Arm sleeves are a piece of gear she wears on all her runs. 'They are comfy, have UPF in them and will keep me warm when it's colder.' Functionality and durability are key for Jaarsma. Preferably paired with fun colors and prints. Jaarsma has to wear a lot of gray and black in her day-job. 'All the colors in my running gear bring out 'me' during my runs.' She still has a pair of bright blue tights on her wish list. She mainly shops for running gear online."

Best thing: runningbuddy and fellow Badasstinista Paula is also in it!

Three Things Thursday - Happy Things Edition

1. Runner's high: Fall weather (well...it's still way too hot, but the days are already getting shorter...). An early morning trail run. Me and the dogs were the only ones out there. Seeing the world wake up. Enough said. :)

2. The Plan: Happy things: receiving an email from a blog buddy that says: 'Would you like to run the Trans Rockies Run together?'. Uhm, heck yeah!!!!!!!! :) Receiving that email is a true gift! :)

3. Gear: They now make my favorite Salomon compression tights in...Blue! Bright blue! Woo-Hoo! :) Curious? Check out this link for some extra info on the Salomon Exo tights! :)

Three Things Thursday - the 'Fail' edition

1. Major fail: Still beyond angry about the whole IAAF thing I wrote about yesterday. One more reason to cheer Paula on in Berlin this weekend! Check out yesterday's post on the IAAF mess here. Fail!

2. Stupid fail: I'm easing myself into this minimalist running thing. 3 days a week in minimalist-ish shoes, 1 day a week in light-weight trail running shoes, and 1 or 2 days a week in the more 'old-fashioned' kind of running shoes. I find the minimalist style more comfortable, so I skipped the other options this week. Result: angry calves. Fail!

3. Food fail: Eating chili beans, corn and chili cheese wrapped in a burrito for dinner...pre run. Enough said. Fail!

What's your 'FAIL!' of the week?

Three Tiny Things Thursday

1. No Golden Showers?: The registration cards for the NYC Marathon are up on your NYRR profile-page. Last year I had the Green start, which means your on the lower deck of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge. I'd heard stories about Golden Showers, so was kind of worried about that, but it turned out there weren't any. Plus, it was actually quite peacefulon the lower deck. However...all these classic photos of the NYC marathon start are made on the upper deck, so...I would have liked to be up there. But guess what? This year my registration card says orange start...meaning: upper deck. :) Yay! :)

2. Work: I've not had the best week ever. That's all.

3. No!: Just got home from my Thursday evening run. Was out there at 7:15 PM, and in again at 8:23 PM, and it was already dark out! What the bleep! It feels weird running in shorts and wearing a blinking light at the same time. Any day now it will be too cold to run in shorts...Yeugh! ;)

Three Things Thursday

1. Life gets in the way: sometimes life gets in the way of blogging. Busy days at work, lots to do at home = no time to blog. Well...there's time to post a photo and name it a 'wordless' post, but how many of those could you handle? ;)

2. Rain:

Dear weather gods,

Could you please stop this endless rain? It's early September and I'm already wearing a rain jacket. Not cool. That's all.

Sincerely,

Silly Girl Running

3. Great customer service: Once in a while you find a company with great customer service. Well, not just great...amazing customer service. One of these companies is Gear for Girls. They shipped me a different item than I'd ordered. After I'd emailed them about it they did not only ship me the correct item in a split second, but also added an extra tee as a bonus. A-ma-zing!

Three Things Thursday

1. I like me some deals: The website Gear for Girls has some amazing deals and discounts on Salomon, The North Face and Patagonia running gear (and ski / winter gear), shoes and packs at the moment. If you're looking for some high quality running gear for Fall/Winter (or Summer!) make sure to check it out! :)

2. Fallalalalala: On tonight's run - hit the trails with the dogs again - I could smell 'the last days of Summer'. Love when it smells like 'still warm, but yet already some crisp air'. Who needs Chanel no 5? ;) That's all. ;)

3. On a more serious note: I got a retweet on Twitter today about a blog post from a fellow blogger/runner and that blog post was pretty obvious on her being suicidal. Actually, while reading her blog, she had been having suicidal thoughts for quite some time now. I was shocked. Honestly, instantly this 'I have to do something' feeling came over me. But it's a blog, and you don't know the person, so there's really not a lot you can do. Except for leaving a comment. How would you handle this?

Three Things Thursday - the 'New York New York' edition

1. New York City Marathon: A little over two months left till:

Fundraising (check my fundraising button on the sidebar!) is still on track (well, actually I've reached my fundraising goal, but am still fundraising). A little over $ 6,000 raised: that's two kids going to camp! Still trying to trick anyone around me into donating a bit more, though! Those Hole in the Wall Camps are such a great cause!

2. The wild side: Speaking of New York. Any native New Yorkers or frequent visitors that have any tips on national parks to visit in upstate New York? Mountains, preferably... ;)

3. Come fly with me: The issues with my mom's service dog traveling with her to NY are still not 100% settled (I wrote about this a couple of months ago). And the airline keeps getting ruder. Why is it so hard to take a disabled passenger with her service dog on the plane and seat her properly? Extra frustrating, since this mess implies that we're still not 100% sure that NY is actually going to happen. And, nope, swimming there is not an option... I really really really do hope that this can be settled!

Three Things Thursday

1. That's a big fat lie!: Lying about race times. Hmmmm... I'd say: why? Who are you fooling? Who cares what your finishing time is? Tracy has a quite interesting blog post on this subject: here. Read it. Seriously... I'm in awe!


*note to self: if I ever do need to hire a PI...I'm hiring Tracy...no matter what! That girl has some serious PI skills!

2. Marathon training: Funny how marathon training can drag you into that 'following the plan' zone, that leads you through everyday life. It sure does kick you off that 'A race done' cloud. Back to marathon training it is. I'm postponing the Yasso's till next week (I feel it might be too much on my body at this point - since it's been only 2 1/2 weeks since the Swiss Alpine ultramarathon. Better safe than sorry? Yep, sounds plausible.). Been considering swapping a couple of Yasso work outs for longer intervals. Just to spice things up. (Ha! Did I really just write that? ;))


What kind of interval work outs do you do during marathon training?

3. About that 50-miler: Just checked the Eco-Trail de Paris (50-miler/80K) website, and apparently this race has only 4 (maybe even less) aid stations on the whole 50+ miles, 2 of them being 22 miles apart... I need a larger pack. I really need a larger backpack. Why? I drink a lot. A lot lot. Thanks sucky chronic kidney thingie I was born with.


Any recommendations on a trail running pack that isn't too bulky, but carries 2L water minimum and the mandatory gear? I'm a huge fan of the Salomon S-lab pack, but that one seems too small for this particular race. And the Nathan packs are okay for shorter runs and hikes, but on longer runs...ouch...blisters on my back (no kidding...).

Three Things Thursday

1. No rest for the obsessed: 65 days and 17 hours till the next marathon I hope on running (Amsterdam Marathon), and 86 days and 17 hours till the New York City Marathon (that I plan on running for Team Hole in the Wall: this is the link to my fundraising page! :)). Silly me for thinking that I could take it easy on the long runs for a little while...and on the weekly mileage.

Le sigh...can't I just have a couple of 30-35 mile weeks to get some rest? It doesn't help that other NYCM runners I know of all have been training for this thing for months now, and make me feel like a lazy ass for not really feeling heading out for a 20-miler this weekend. I'm a whimp, but I think my body needs another weekend of not too long runs to recover properly (if possible yet) from the 50-miler 12 days ago. I'm a whimp...I know...

Any thoughts on this one? Might help me from going crazy...just might. No guarantees here. ;)

2. Swiss Alpine Marathon: I'm still on the 'wow' cloud because of this race. My first ultramarathon. Just thinking about it makes me smile. My co-workers must think I'm a total nut by now. Then again, they probably already did. ;) My report is up, and you can check it out (please do, but promise not to watch the finish line video....seriously...I made a total fool out of myself on that one...) here: Swiss Alpine Marathon race recap.

3. Blogger: And yet again: what's up with Blogger? My entire side-bar won't show when loading this blog. Huh? Tried to alter things on the lay-out page, but everything seems to be alright there. Their 'Help' section wasn't very helpful... Hmmm....Wordpress is starting to sound more appealing by the day...

Three Things Thursday - the 'Travel' edition

Quickie quickie 'need to start packing' version.

1. Pack your bag, hun: Plan is to leave for Switzerland in less than 36 hours. Yet, I still need to start packing. Busy day at work doesn't really help. I just know that I'll forget something. Feel free to leave a list of things I shouldn't forget in the comment section. Will try to update the blog as often as possible.

2. Zen: I'm surprised to find that I still have to begin freaking out over the Swiss Alpine Marathon. I'm in some sort of serene state of mind that is unlike me on all different levels. Weird...

3. Lesson learned: Do NOT eat Indonesion food right before you should head out for a 5 mile taper run. Ergo, rescheduled run for tomorrow...

Three Things Thursday

1. Pre-workout food: Note to self (and to the rest of you): peas do not qualify as great pre-workout food. Cramps. And everything that goes with the cramps. Enough said.

2. Shoes: On top of my beloved Newton Lady Isaac's leaving me for shoe heaven, and not finding a single retailer that still has a pair in my size left, my long distance pair (Asics GT-2160's) are walking towards the light. Or, at least, I'm afraid they are. I did find a new pair online, but now the retailer won't respond to emails when they'll ship. What the bleep! I plan on leaving for Switzerland in just a couple of weeks and I do not want to conquer those mountains barefoot! Freaking out in...3, 2, 1...

3. Potter Bonanza: The New Harry Potter is in theaters NOW. Yep, I'm a nerd. And a geek. And a weirdo. But apparently I'm not the only one: the Redhead is with me on this one. Well, at least the love of her life is. ;) Oh yeah, I'm off for a night of fun at the movie theater this weekend. :)

Three Things Thursday

1. Double fun: Guess who pre-registered for Edinburgh Marathon 2012? Yep, moi, but also... Rebecca! Woohoo! Can't wait to check out those kilts together! :) I won't make you try Haggis, Becka, promise! ;)

2. I'm so vain: No, not really. Not at all, actually. It's just that I'll have to have some shirts at the printer, since I still hope on running one of the distances of the Swiss Alpine Marathon. But...mountain weather. I remember last year: it was freezing cold and raining the days leading up to the 2010 race, only for it to be perfect sunny mountain weather on the day of the race. So...tank top, short sleeve, long sleeve, maybe even a jacket. Not to mention what to have the printer print on that whole pile of technical gear.

Any ideas on a funny phrase to have printed on the shirts? :)

3. Merrell Pace Gloves: Will post a review soon, but for now...I love these shoes. I honestly couldn't have figured out that these shoes would be that comfortable! I even find myself walking around in these babies on Casual Friday at work, and I keep telling myself that that's okay. ;) My co-workers don't seem to think so. ;)

Any Pace Gloves' lovers out there? I'd like to add your thoughts on the gloves to my review!

Three Things Thursday

1. Trixie: Flat tire. Again (and nope: I didn't ride her since the tire (back one) was fixed last Friday). Enough said. Will be checking in at the bike shop - again - tomorrow. I've just had her for a couple of weeks: the tires should have been okay.

2. Hill Workouts: Treadmill. 15% incline. For 70 minutes straight, then another 7 1/2 minutes at 10% incline. It hurts. It really hurts. My quads are on fire and on strike at the same time. It should get me ready (or ready-ish) for those scary uphills, right? Right? Any advice on this one? How to train your legs for mountains when living in a country as flat as the Netherlands? The treadmill is my best bet at the moment...

3. Fundraising Team Hole in the Wall: Hit $ 6,045 this week with 4 months to go! That's 2 kids that will get the chance to go to one of the Hole in the Wall camps! How awesome is that! And guess what: I'm kicking it into gear to see if I can raise enough to help a third kid! Want to help? (Pretty Please!) The Team Hole in the Wall link in my sidebar will forward you to my fundraising page! :)

Three Things Thursday and a bonus

1. Blogger: What's up with Blogger? I've lost my sidebar. Apparently. It's still there on the 'dashboard' page. Emailed them about it, but no answer yet. Any bloggers out there with the same problemo?

2. Lady McClumsiness: I fell of my bike during yesterday's ride. Haven't had any trouble with the toe clips in the last couple of weeks, but due to a bit of... well, a bit of 'me' actually...I couldn't quite work the toe clip on my right shoe when stopping for a car to pass. And fell over. Nothing to painful (besides a bruised quad...), but ever so embarrassing. And I had a flat tire, to top that one off (no due to the fall, by the way). Another trip to the bike shop? Yep, and they think I'm clumsy enough as it is. About that fall: don't want to talk about it. ;)

3. The Shin: For an update on my 'freak of nature' lower legs, please read yesterday's post on what the Sports MD had to say about it: here. It's a long one! ;)

3+. Fake cheese: Just found out that the 'La Vache qui Rit' cheese is high high high in calcium! Yay! Yet another reason to stuff my face with those yummy cubes! :)