My Sister, the runner

I give my sister, Sam, a lot of credit. She had the where-with-all to take up running. She has been training for a little while now, say about 6 months. Sam has always been a member of the gym, doing all sorts of aerobic type exercises and has kept in shape (not like me, I hate to say). She was at one time a smoker but kicked that habit a few years ago (not like me, I never smoked). So to say that I was thrilled to hear that she ran in a half marathon on Sunday is an understatement. I am one of these arm chair sports types. I don't really like watching sports on TV, as it is not the same as being there. I used to watch triathalons and biathalons and the odd hockey game, but I would have loved to have been able to stand at the finish line and cheer my sister on. It is just as much a thrill to watch the competition as it is to partake in the sport... only difference is I don't sweat or breath heavy nearly as much as the competitor, well, unless it is bull riding then my heart rate is pounding and I tend to make a lot of guttural noises. I feel the pain of the cowboy as he is thrown to the ground and pummelled, crap that has to hurt. So when my sister told me that she had joined a running group and was training extensively I thought to myself "Self, that is something that you should try". So being the type of person that I am I went and got a magazine about running to read all sides of the story and see what it would be like. Who knew that there were so many types of running shoes out there? Sadly, not a lot of them come in pink... hmmmm, maybe I should suggest that conundrum to Nike or New Balance. Then you have to have the special clothing. Let me tell you, cotton is not a friend to your skin when it comes to running. You want smooth and silky that wicks dry in a second. None of that rubbing against certain "head light" areas, no matter what sort of bra you have on. Right, you need a special jogging/running bra to give the sistas all the support they need. Socks seem to be a gray area. Some people wear them and others say "no", just go bare foot in your shoe. Even more interesting in this magazine was the thought and studies going on about running in bare feet. I guess that is how many of the greatest runners in the world have been training, not because they like to run barefoot but more because they had no shoes. I am thinking of some of the great runners that have come out of Africa. One lady that was featured in this magazine ( a cacophony of information I might add) was a Canadian, Jen Segger. Wow, what a running career she is having. One of the most gruelling races that I read about in her article was the one that she ran in 2008, the Badwater. It starts in the desert heat of Death Valley, California, a mere 217K or 135 mile race. YIKES! The race starts at 86 meters below sea level and works up to the Mount Whitney Portal at 2,550 metres. At the 50 mile mark she pulled her IT bands, they hurt so bad with every step that she had to run down the hills backwards. Yeah OK, so that I get, I have done that walking the dogs, but the biggest thing was the time... 21 hours and 53 minutes. I cannot imagine running for that length of time... just can't imagine. The feeling of exhaustion and pain must be some kinda high as that would have to be the only thing that would keep you going. My sister, she finished her run in just over 2 hours, not shabby at all for a newbie. Her biggest pain... the walkers that were in the race, complete with Nordic walking sticks. She didn't realize that she would have to jump gates (Nordic walking sticks) to get out front of the slow people. So to Sam, congratulations and I raise a tall glass of carbo-proteinated water to you. As for me, I think I might do a little running... running to the kettle to make the tea so that I can get a good spot on the couch... see one of my favorite sports to watch is coming up... the Tour De France. Oh, it has nothing to do with the sport itself it is just all the scenery. The beautiful countryside of France, all that Lycra wrapped as... well you know what I mean.
Running off to do laundry, till next time,
Cat x