SELF Magazine bashes marathon runners wearing tu-tus

I've only read SELF Magazine in waiting rooms and have never found it to be of interest to me.  I saw on Facebook this evening that they did a blurb in the April issue on marathon runners wearing tu-tus.  The piece was in a feature they call the "BS Meter"  which is "the SELF guide to what is legit and what is lame this month".  They picture two women running a marathon wearing tu-tus.  The piece is actually making fun of running in a tu-tu.  They say,
"A racing tu-tu epidemic has struck NYC's Central Park, and it's all because people think these frou frou skirts make you run faster.  Now, if you told us they made people run away from you faster, maybe we would believe it."
From what I've now read, these women were running a marathon in LOS ANGELES, not NYC!  It also turns out that one of the women is in the midst of treatment for BRAIN CANCER and is running a marathon between sessions of chemotherapy.  Her bib said, "Die Tumor Die", instead of her name, and it clearly shows in the photo.  I looked to see if SELF has a Facebook page and they do.  Already, there were many comments under all of their posts referring to the bashing of a cancer patient running a marathon.  I think this is going to haunt them!  Of all the pictures of tu-tu wearing runners they could have found on marathon websites they pick one of a cancer patient and get bombarded with criticism on their FB page!
Tu-tus seem to be the latest thing!  I see lots of them in every race I run.  I don't think anyone thinks that wearing a tu-tu will make them run faster.  I'm actually running a 5K this coming Saturday called - yep, you guessed it - Tutu 5K!  It's a fundraiser for the Dexter Ballet. It's being held in Hudson Mills Metropark.   I don't know if I'm going to get a tu-tu made or not.  They are easy to make with very little sewing or even no sewing. 
I saw the link to the SELF story through a women's running FB page that I follow.  It will be interesting to see how many times I see it shared the next few days from the various fitness/running pages I follow. 

Runner Nerd
running the Tu-tu 5K

The Dublin Double: 10K and 5K 15 minutes apart

Yesterday I ran two races back to back.  I was a pacer in both.  It was really really cold. It was 14 degrees and feels like of 4.  I was not happy.  I had to leave home at 5:30 am for an hour and 15 minute drive and 7:30 am start time.  I paced the 10K at this same race last year.  This was the first time this event company offered the option of running both races.  The 5K started at 9 am.  As the 65 minute pacer, I was in the second start wave for the 10K so that left me with 15 minutes between races.  I paced with Josh of Clippin Along blog.  This was his first time pacing 65 minutes, he usually paces 60 minutes.  We both had trouble staying on pace!  I had my Garmin set to give me a split every quarter mile and it should have been 2:36 each time.  We had more than a few quarters where we were too fast.  I don't even know if anyone was trying to follow us.  We eventually finished and we were a minute fast.  I went through the finish chute and the pace team coordinator took my 65 minute sign and handed me the 10 minute sign for the 5K.  Josh took the 1st time 5K sign which starts toward the back where there tends to be more beginner runners.  We headed over to the start area to wait to get started in the 5K.  I had just run a 10K so I was standing around in an already sweaty shirt and gloves.  I was FREEZING.  My hands were so cold that they were hurting.  I was wondering if I had frostbite.  I really wanted to just go home.  I was miserable.  Once I started running, my hands warmed up quickly.  I was glad because I was really thinking that I was getting frostbite.  Just like the last time I paced 10 minute miles in a 5K for this race series, people thought I was going too fast.  I was really close to my goal split of 2:30 every quarter mile except one very late in the race where I was nearly 30 seconds too fast.  I came in right at 31 minutes which is right where I should have been so I wasn't going too fast.  The 5K went by really fast.  The 5K starts in the same place as the 10K but cuts over to close to the 3 mile point of the 10K so the course is pretty much the second half of the 10K.  There were still some 10K walkers and runners out there.  I finished and got my Dublin Double medal and turned in my pacer sign and then along came pacer Josh so we got a picture with our signs:

two races, two medals

I was surprised that the two medals looked the same except the one had the addition of the words, "Dublin Double" across the pot of gold.  Oh well.  I'd be fine without the silly medals but they are always given to the pacers. 

Medals for 10K and Dublin Double

 I had a hard time getting a good picture of the medals, the pictures kept coming out so dark and I had help from my daughter's kitten, Ollie:

picture helper

I left right away after the 5K; I didn't even go to the food tent.  I drove all the way home with the heater on high and the heated seat on high. 
I was really stiff and sore by the time I got home.  I was sore the rest of the day.  This is the longest I've run since Key West. 
I was only home 2.5 hours and had to go to my Niece's concert.  She sings in the Belleville Community Chorus so I was off to Belleville at 1:30. 
I  was so tired when I got home that I didn't even work on a blog entry. 
Well, I'm off to go for a short, easy run now!  It's 34 degrees - more than double what it was yesterday morning when I was running these races!

Runner Nerd
going for a run

Pi Day

It's Pi day! 3-14. 
I don't remember a lot about Pi from my high school math class days. It's used in finding circumference, pi r squared, or something like that.  I can remember 3.1415 and that's about it. 
I'm not sure when March 14th began being used as a day to commemorate pi, I've only been aware of it the last few years.  I saw something on facebook yesterday about running 3.14 miles!  I would have never thought of that on my own.  Soooooooo, today...

Pi day run

I ran Pi!!!  Actually, I stopped Garmie at 3.14 miles, reset it and then continued the last quarter mile back to my car. It was nice for running today.  It was 46 degrees and sunny!  I'm so ready for warmer weather.

Normally, I take Fridays off from running but I'm pacing a 10K on Sunday and might be running a 5K right after that so I'm taking tomorrow off instead.  There is a 10K and 5K starting an hour apart with the option of running both - they're calling it the "Dublin double".  I didn't think I could do the 5 K since I'm pacing 65 minutes so I wouldn't be finished within the hour but there are two waves 10 minutes apart so I could jump into the second wave.  I could also just start out after everyone is gone and see how long it takes me to catch up to the back of the pack!  These races are huge and there are lots of walkers in both the 10K and 5K so I could definitely do it. 
If I do run 9.3 miles on Sunday it will be the longest distance I've run since Key West.  I've been going to group run on Saturdays the last 4 weeks because I just wasn't running very much on my own.  Since returning from Key West I've had no motivation and the weather we've had all winter hasn't helped.  I ran very difficult 6 milers the first three weeks and then last week ran 7 miles and it went much better.  Those first three weeks my pace got slower and slower after passing three miles. When we'd run 4 or 5 miles on Wednesday night group runs I was falling apart after three miles. The week we ran 6 was the worst.  We've even had to cancel group run a few times because it was impossible to run on the sidewalks.  The running store is on a major road which we have to run down to get to dirt roads or subdivisions.  It has really nice sidewalks but they were a mess of snow and ice. 
I've actually run 20 miles the past two weeks!  I'm making a comeback!

I don't have to get up early tomorrow morning for the drive to running group so I am going to rot my brain with a Netflix movie or two!!

Runner Nerd
also a math nerd