The more you know...

A Wednesday PSA, courtesy of Ashley at Journey to a Better Me:

To my friends who enjoy a glass of wine... and those who don't.
As Ben Franklin said:
In wine there is wisdom,
in beer there is freedom,
in water there is bacteria.
In a number of carefully controlled trials,
scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than
1 kilo of Escherichia coli,
(E. coli) - bacteria found in feces.
In other words, we are consuming
1 kilo of poop.
However, we do NOT run that risk when
drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whisky or other liquor), because alcohol has to go through a purification
process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
Remember:
Water = Poop, Wine = Health .
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid,
than to drink water and be full of shit.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.

Happy Wednesday, everyone! Don't forget to check out FWR's blog, she's giving away some awesome protein powder (I should know, she got me hooked on it!) and Erica's fun running jewelry giveaway here.

TIaRT - When Did You Become a Runner?

Today's Runner's Lounge topic is "When did you know you had become a runner? Was there a defining moment, or was it a gradual progression over time?"

I think I knew I'd become a runner somewhere in the middle of training for the marathon, when running started to become something that I did on a routine basis, something that I looked forward to, rather than just something I did because it happened to burn calories. The funny thing is, even after completing a half marathon and a marathon, and planning to run two half marathons two weeks apart in September, I feel like I am constantly having to re-define myself as a runner.

There are days where I just don't feel like much of a runner at all. And days where I don't feel like much of a runner have a tendency to turn into weeks where I don't feel like much of a runner. There have been a lot of those lately. Lots of bad runs, tiring runs, frustrating runs. Not many of the exhilarating runs that used to keep me going out the door early in the morning when I'd rather be in bed. On days and weeks like those, it seems like it takes a little extra effort to remind myself that yes, I am a runner, and that's why I'm still out there pounding the pavement even though it's not going fabulously for me right now.

In a couple of weeks I'll be headed out to Disneyland to run the Disneyland half marathon. I'm going to be lucky to join some fabulous women that I met while training for the Disney Princess Half Marathon. One more long run is in the cards before that race, and although I'm not super-excited about that long run right now, I'm excited that it's almost race time. Nothing reminds me that I'm a runner quite like lining up at the start line with thousands of other runners all working towards a common goal. And I'm not going to lie, I'm also pretty excited about my (soon to be a tradition) post-race cheesecake.

I'm not entirely sure how this race is going to go, but I think the fact that it's been a little mental struggle to get there will make finishing the race even more sweet. The days when it's the hardest to get out the door, and yet I end up having a fantastic run, are the absolute best because it reminds me of why I do this in the first place. If it was all easy, if there were no struggle, no pain, no challenge, no hard-fought gains, nothing given up, the ultimate reward would feel just a little more empty. So, here's hoping that in a couple of weeks I'll have the kind of race that reminds me of just why I became a runner.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad

Well, bloggies, you may or may not have noticed that I've been taking a little blog sabbatical the last couple of months. I thought it was necessary to take a break for a lot of reasons - life, work, over-extension of myself on summertime activities, too many weekends out of town, that sort of thing. But I thought today might be a nice day to come back because I get to wish Happy Anniversary to my very wonderful parents.

Let me give you some idea of how great my parents really are. My parents drove down from where they live early in the morning to watch the very first 10 mile race I ever did, and proceeded to stand outside and watch the whole race even though it was about 40 degrees that day. Then when I decided to run my first half marathon in Disney World, they surprised me by buying plane tickets to Orlando to come see me run, which I didn't expect. They drove down to Oklahoma City to watch my first ever marathon, and put up with having a completely crazy dinner the night before with about 20 other runners, bloggers, and family members. After the marathon, my Dad sent me the following comment to add to my blog about the race:

Just a note from a proud mom and dad who were honored by being allowed to be a part of Bubbles' "race team".Your persistence and desire have allowed you to perform a task that only a small percentage of the world will ever attempt, and even fewer will be successful. I challenge any naysayers who question the difficulty of a marathon to try to run just the last 8 miles of this race facing a 40+ mph headwind and then try to find the breath to speak negatively about those who do what you just did.

To Bubbles and FairWeatherRunner, it was such a pleasure to watch you cross that finish line although it (and typing this note) was done with a few tears in the eyes which were not caused by the wind. Your tangible reward is a medal which may tarnish and become less valuable with time, but you have also received the intangible reward of knowing that your future successes, both in running and life, are only limited by your desire. I am sure that finishing the marathon was important to you, but what was most important was that you accepted the challenge and risk of failure that a marathon involves. You have proved to the world (and have the medal to back up your claim) that you have the skills, spirit and desire that make you some pretty fantastic people.Congratulations!! You go girls!!! Love, Mom and Dad

And to top that all off, I'm fairly certain that on Labor Day my mom is going to be getting up at some completely ridiculous time of the morning (3am?) to drive from Palm Springs to Anaheim, California with my aunt to watch me run the Disneyland half marathon.

It was about a year ago that a friend talked me into training for that 10 mile race, which convinced me that I could do a half marathon, which lead to the full marathon, and the next two half marathons that I have coming up in the next few weeks. I'm sure it probably seemed a little crazy at times, with the constant training and the repetitive injuries and multiple doctor visits and physical therapy. But every step of the way, my parents have been there to cheer me on. So this is my little tribut to them today, on their anniversary. Thanks for everything you do Mom and Dad, I am the person I am and can do the things that I've done because you believed in me every step of the way and above all, taught me to believe in myself.

Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!!