Green Lake Run with Suz

Belatedly reporting that I had a great run with Suz on Saturday -- bright and early, with a gorgeous morning and a relatively quiet lake. Can't wait to do it again!

running crafts - race bib keeper

I'm crafty. I've been crafty way longer than I've been a runner. But it took me a while to figure out that it would be cool to combine these two things I love, at least a little. 

Everyone who runs events knows that you get a lot of stuff at them -- bibs, shirts you'll never wear, the occasional awesome medal. And as something of a packrat, of course I hold on to most of the stuff. 

Bibs were especially challenging for me -- I had gotten into the habit of jotting down notes on the back of each one after the race -- the date of the race, my time, how I had placed overall, among the women, and in my age group. But then what?

I had seen this advertised in the back of a running magazine (yeah, I read those too):

But then I saw that it was $40. FORTY BUCKS?!? I knew I could make something just as nice -- perhaps nicer -- for much, much less. In fact, I could make it from stuff I have around the house. The only thing I was missing was the "notebook ring" thingy.

I started by gathering up my race bibs. I picked out the largest ones -- the Rock 'n' Roll series bibs are HUGE -- and measured them. Then I cut two pieces of chipboard just slightly larger. I then decorated the front, the inside front, and the inside back with running-themed paper. And I added my name and a running slogan (also a running joke....) on the front. 

Now you may be asking yourself -- Sunny, why do you have such things in your house? 

Deep breath.

Because I am a scrapbooker. I resisted it for years -- I remember, oh, a decade or so ago, Suz telling me she had been to a scrapbook party. I had no idea what she meant. I mean, sure, I made scrapbooks when I was a kid -- either gluing newspaper clippings and pictures onto construction paper, or sticking them under the plastic in those "magnetic albums". (Remember those?) But the fact that an entire industry had grown up that I had never heard of -- despite being crafty -- well, that was astonishing.

I made my first scrapbook for a girlfriend's wedding back in 2003. And then didn't make another one for a couple of years. Maybe I just needed something -- or someone -- to scrapbook about. :)

Anyway, I also started a running scrapbook. Now, I'm not fancy schmancy with the embellishments or anything. But I like to keep track of the races I've run -- and when I'm feeling uninspired or a little down, I like to look back over the pages. It brings me great joy. 

So, of course, I have running-themed paper in the house. So that's how I could decorate my bib holder. And, well, here it is:

When I finished my first half marathon, as I crossed the finish line, the nice volunteer gave me my medal and said, "You are so strong, and so brave." I just keep thinking how awful I must have looked, how near to death, for someone to say that! It's one of my two favorite race moments.

Yeah, those letters are glittery. Black glitter, of course.

 On the inside front cover, I added my race PRs. Now you can all see just how slowly I run!

When I was done, I put the bibs in reverse chronological order and put them in the binder. You'll see that I only used one ring -- the holes in my bibs are set at a pretty wide range of spaces, so I have just aligned them by the top left hole. Besides, I had to BUY that ring, and it set me back 49 cents. So I was happy to keep my costs under a dollar (after tax).

Let me tell you -- this is one of the most simply satisfying craft moments of my life. Yeah, okay, I'm a dork. But it's still fun to flip through the bibs. I'm sad that I lost my "Resolution Run" bib from 2008, but every other race bib I've ever worn is in here. 

Two things made me think of my bib holder this week. 1: a friend pointed out the store-bought Bibfolio on Pinterest (also noting that it seemed a bit spendy...) and 2: while getting some staples in the office supply room at work, I found a 3" diameter notebook ring. Do you know how many bibs I could collect on that? The mind boggles...

Anyone have a better name for this? Or other running craft ideas? I'd love to hear them!

not the average day at the office

Today I got to play art director for the day on a little photo shoot. We dressed up two of my colleagues in a variety of fine running apparel and put them through their paces. We needed to get some "better than stock" images of people walking, running, and sprinting for our new shoe advisor. Doug and Diana were fantastic -- and I enjoyed a slightly more creative than usual day.

National Thrift Store Day

It seems that today is National Thrift Store Day... which prompted an evening visit to our local Goodwill. I was hoping to find something amusing or inspirational... and I clearly found both.

The Elvis sunglasses are inherently amusing. Were they ever cool or in good taste? Hell no. Then again, neither were the jumpsuits... Still,they remind me of our trip to Graceland, when we decided we should never be apart.

As far as inspiration goes, I have been daydreaming about running a race dressed as Elvis one day. Finding these felt like a nudge from the thrift store gods. Okay, so, my ideal Elvis is the 68 Comeback Special Elvis,who wouldn't have worn these glasses. But for 99 cents, they were irresistible.

Strike a Pose

So I read a lot about running. Part of it is for my job, but let's be honest: I was already a dork who read more than she ran before I worked at B.

Today, on two different sites, I saw the term "Pose Running". I swear I have never heard of it before. (Have you?) Apparently, it's based on Dr. Nicholas Romanov's "Pose Method" -- "Efficient, injury-free movement taught through poses. Use the Pose Method techniques to prevent injuries and to dramatically improve your athletic performance."

The "PoseTech" site is pretty interesting, and I admit I've only skimmed it, but it seems like one of those perfect runner's lures. First, it's been around for a while -- since 1977. Second, it doesn't require special equipment, just some coaching. Third, it is described as a way to combat fear: "Imagine training and racing without fear... no fear of not knowing what you're doing, no fear of injuries, no fear of not beeing good at your sport, no fear of overtraining... "

I think it looks a little like Chi Running... but I'm sure an expert would tell me that I'm nuts. :)

a little run...

Belatedly reporting that I went for a run on Monday. No, wait, that's not quite true -- I ran on the treadmill. 3.4 miles, nice and simple, on a "rolling" course in 5:1 splits. Yeah, I know it isn't interesting.

Great Alaskan Marathon Cruise Race Report

What an amazing week we had! It was a glorious trip -- great people, fun times. And, of course, a big, honkin' Penguin medal!!! We're already thinking about when we can go to the Carribbean... 2013, perhaps?

I would wholeheartedly recommend this trip to anyone who likes to run or walk. John and Jenny are fantastic, the race stages are fun, but the best part was the fellowship of runners. Meeting complete strangers who "get it" -- for whom it is perfectly normal to fly somewhere to run for a couple of hours, who know the importance of a nice medal, and who understand that it's wrong to wear a shirt for a race you haven't run.

As usual, I've written too much... and the race reports are mixed in with the vacation reports. But here are links to the different days:

Day 1 we sailed from Seattle and met the group

Day 2 we ran stage 1 - a very wet 3-mile deck run

Day 3 we ran stage 2 - a 10-mile trail run in Juneau -- and we went whale watching

Day 4 we visited the Hubbard Glacier

Day 5 we ran stage 3 - a 10K "amazing race" in Sitka

Day 6 we ran stage 4 - a 7-mile trail run in Ketchikan

Day 7 we celebrated our successes

Thanks to John and Jenny for putting this together, to Mila for making things run smoothly, and all of our fellow alumni for such an amazing adventure. Run happy, everyone!