Shoes for the laid-back lifestyle

Not to dash Chris's shoe excitement, but I was just reading this article about how we might be better off running barefoot than in expensive running shoes. Among the more interesting quotes (in no particular order):

Runners wearing top-of-the-line trainers are 123 per cent more likely to get injured than runners in cheap ones.

Despite all their marketing suggestions to the contrary, no manufacturer has ever invented a shoe that is any help at all in injury prevention

A lot of foot and knee injuries currently plaguing us are caused by people running with shoes that actually make our feet weak, cause us to over-pronate (ankle rotation) and give us knee problems.

Hmm..how much did I spend on my last pair again? Now, how much have I spent on physical therapy/doctor bills lately? Nevermind. I'd rather not do the math. All that being said, I'm not really a barefoot kinda gal.

In the reader comments, I learned about Vibram FiveFingers ("the only footwear to offer the exhilarating joy of going barefoot "). Has anybody seen these before? They're essentially a glove for your feet. A couple things come to mind.
1. The toe separators sort of creep me out. Then again, I have a long history of being creeped out be toes.
2. They remind me of the JJ Casuals sketch from SNL. You know, the shoes from Jack Johnson that look like feet. No? I would include a video here, but I couldn't find one.

Things I'll Probably Regret Blogging About: Part 513

My physical therapist has me doing a variety of planks daily. She claims they will help my knees. I'm not sure how, but I'm in no position to argue. Anyway, one of the planks I'm doing I believe is called a Supine Plank (I'm too lazy to look this up and verify, so lets just go with that name). For those of you unfamiliar with this type of plank (as I was), here is a sketch done by yours truly of a stick figure doing a Supine Plank:



For those of you unfamiliar with my body shape, here is a sketch of what I, in stick figure form, look like doing a Supine Plank:



First, in case my awesome drawing skills leave room for interpretation, the little squiggles represent me shaking. But on to the bigger point of all this... I'm sure if I took some time, the part of my brain that managed to get a math degree could come up with some sort of equation with variables such as
l = shortness of my legs
a = shortness of my arms
c = curvature of my butt

But that's probably a little more than I need to fully illustrate my point because, as you can see, it's nearly impossible for me to get my butt off the ground. My physical therapist, who usually does planks with me, seems to have no problems with this. Sigh

We *hrt* running....

Just a snippit of an early morning Gtalk chat about, well, someone we don't really like...I'm sure everyone can relate.

Amanda:
He's not even a runner.

Jlou:
He "misses the way running makes him feel."

Amanda:
Running makes me feel like a loser.

Jlou:
I LOVE to feel sweaty and out of breath.

Amanda :
I love when my feet are so swollen I can't get my shoes off.

Jlou:
I love when my inner thighs chafe and it hurts to step in the shower.

Amanda:
I love having to take stairs one at a time after long runs.

So I have issues

I'm continuing to have mini-anxiety attacks regarding the marathon. Lately, they go a little something like this:

22 miles is a loooong way. I'm not sure I can run that far. S**t, a marathon is 26 miles. Why was I thinking 22? 26 miles is even longer. It might as well be 30. Double s**t! I'm 26! I might as well be 30. I need to lie down.

Hulk Legs

For the past few weeks my workouts have gone a little something like leg work, biking, leg work. The result of all this is something I'm calling Hulk Legs. Now, I don't expect them to be big enough that other people notice, but having lived with the exact same legs for the better part of a decade, I can say with some authority that these are not my legs. I'm not sure how I feel about this.

This is what Lady Fugly would look like with Hulk Legs. This is also the stupidest thing I've spent my time on recently.



File Under: muscle definition, mad photoshopping skillz.

Important Race Preparation Cont.

Screw proper training. Just because I can't really run doesn't mean that I can't line up the most important elements of the race.

1. I've ordered a new racing top. It should arrive tomorrow. This should get me plenty of time to find a replacement should it fail in any of the following areas:
A. Fit, of course
B. Weird rubbing stuff
C. Hotness of me in it.
2. I found BC Movies on Twitter (so far, the only thing I like about Twitter) which gives you the scoop on all movies/tv shows filming in the area. This should greatly aid with my previous important race preparation. Ginnifer Goodwin, I look forward to creepily staring at you from a distance.
2b. Dinner reservations made at what is supposedly the trendy spot to see and be seen. Don't worry, it also supposedly has quite the wine list, so the evening is guaranteed to be a hit.

Benefits of Physical Therapy

1. I'm shaving my legs regularly.
1b. I'm moisturizing regularly.
2. I'm actually getting dressed multiple days per week (a big accomplishment for this work-at-homer).
3. I've been doing the assigned "Butt Blaster Circuit". Let's be honest, my butt could use some blasting.

See, a bum knee isn't all bad.