Running notes

1. The Western States runners have been running now for almost 5 hours. It's supposed to get to 108 degrees in Rocklin today. The race takes place in the mountains mostly, which you would think would make it cooler, but there are some wickedly hot canyons that are part of the race, and my understanding is that the still air and the mosquitos are TOUGH! Also you have to take a boat (holds 8 people) to cross the river right before the aid station where I'll be working (heavy snow and late thaws this year mean the river is HIGH), so I'm told that you can lose lots of time in the race just waiting for the boat to come over.

2. My plantar fasciitis (sp?) is back, maybe. Five years ago, this foot condition is what caused me to stop running and gain 20 pounds (well, it was my poor food choices and a childish refusal to do anything but run for fitness that caused the weight gain). But back then I was not as smart as I am now (probably cuz I'm so mature!). I'm doing all the right stuff (ice, ibuprofen, tossing of the worn out running shoes) and I'm convinced I can get it under control.

3. I'm 80% convinced that I'm going to sign up to run CIM (California International Marathon) this year. And even though every marathon book tells you to run your first marathon just to finish, that's not going to work for me, so my goal (if I can get to 100% commitment) will be a 4:00:00 time. I figure I have tons of time to train (5-1/2 months), I have a good base of fitness, and darn it, it's what I want to do! Jenny and I did a 7-1/2 mile loop yesterday, and when we talked about this, she told me that if I can do a 4 hour or faster marathon, the time will qualify me for Boston -- WHAT?!?! I guess all you have to do to run Boston is to stay alive and keep running. (No disrespect meant to those who have qualified for Boston before -- it just cracks me up that something I'm shooting for could allow me to do something that big!)

4. I have a new (old) favorite song. I'm reading The iPod Book by Scott Kelby. If you have an iPod, you should have this book. It has tons of suggestions of ways to optimize the performance/sound/function of your iPod, AND Scott's writing style and sense of humor make it a great read. Anyway, Scott has some playlists in the back of the book (but the links to the playlists are broken -- I've emailed Scott and will let you know if he replies) and the one that looks just great to me is "Scott's All-Around Feel-Good Mix." From that playlist, I found "In The Stone" by Earth Wind & Fire. I already love any band that combines a brass section and funk/soul beats (and EWF reigns in this category) and I must have listened to In The Stone -- let's see, how many times? Well, I listened as I did laundry. I listened as I iced my foot. I listened as I went to pick up the babysitter last night. So a conservative estimate is maybe 25 times or so. And I still love it. It's very syncopated, the words are uplifting, and my heart could just take flight at the opening trumpet measures.

5. Now I must run (not literally -- my foot really hurts right now). I'm making a salad for a BBQ we're going to today, kids need transporting to open gym (they don't get enough gymnastics with their 18 hour and 15 hour practice schedules, I guess), dogs need feeding, house needs cleaning (always!). If you can, please keep those Western States runners in your best thoughts, ok?