random friday facts

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Instead of just spouting random gibberish, I'm going to answer some of the questions from my giveaway post.  I love this idea and will freely admit to stealing it.

1. ...before you got into running, etc., what was your athletic background?  Did you play any sports in high school/college?
In middle school and high school, I flirted with a lot of sports but never really stuck with anything.  I did a season of softball, a season of track, a season of tennis, but never really excelled at any of it.  I was in the marching band for four years - and I dare you to tell me it's not a sport - which meant running my ass off all over a football field for 4 months of the year.  I also did a lot of hiking, canoeing, etc with my family.  I became a runner in college - although I don't really know why - and ran with an intramural team, and I also played occasional fraternity (intramural) soccer and basketball.  I loved playing soccer and played most games throughout the fall (I was NOT very good) but basketball I could've lived without, and many nights ended up running the track instead of playing in the game.  Despite all the running I did in college, I only ran one race the entire 4 years (a 5K) - I think I more enjoyed running for the stress relief and the ability to drink more beer on Saturday nights.

2. What is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Turkey Hill Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup, HANDS FREAKIN DOWN.

3. I want to know how you met the boy.
Well, we met through work several years ago, and were friends for a while, and then I got divorced and it kind of morphed into what it is.  Our first official date was at a Macaroni Grill after wandering around Silver Spring trying to find a decent restaurant, although we generally say "an italian restaurant" because it doesn't sound quite so lame.

4. What brand of running shoes are you wearing right now?  Are you brand loyal or do you just go to the running store and pick a new kind each time?
This is interesting, especially because last night at pool running, we were talking about judging people based on their shoes (not really, in jest) and I was afraid to say what I wore.  In college, I ran in New Balance - I think the 709 or 711 or something like that.  After my IT band surgery I started running in the Brooks Adrenaline, which I ran in for several iterations.  I went to a running store in the fall of 2008 for a gait analysis and, despite my prejudices, started running in the Asics Gel-3000.  They went on sale online and I bought 4 pairs at some point that winter.  Then I got a stress fracture in my foot and blamed the shoes, although I think now it was the combination of the shoe + the stiff insert I was wearing that was over-correcting my pronation issues.  So this past spring I went to a few running stores to have my gait analyzed, and every single store recommended the Asics 2150 (a slightly less stabilizing version of the 3000) but I was scared to get back in the Asics, so I ended up with the New Balance 760, which is essentially the great-great-great-great-grandchild of the shoe I wore all through college.  However, I forgot that the box across the arch is a bit narrow in New Balance shoes and rubs my bunion until I get a neat callus, which isn't really a problem, but then I started having IT band problems and of course wanted to blame the shoe (It has to be the shoe, right?  My body can't be defective.).  I went back to the Asics Gel-3000 and that's mostly what I run in now (having 2 pairs still in my closet), but I do some running in the New Balance 760 (also now having 2 pairs in my closet).  I want to buy a pair of the 2150's but I am doing so little running these days that I can't justify spending the money, especially when I have 4 pairs of running shoes that aren't ready to be retired yet.  It's also interesting to me how my feet recognize the feel of the shoes - when I tried on the 2150's, I thought, "wow, these feels like my Asics" and when I started running in the New Balance's again, my feet remembered the feel of them from college.  So, no, I am not brand loyal and will try anything, but I will definitely judge you if you are wearing all-white or all-black running shoes.

5. What's the longest you've gone without showering during the work week - come on, be honest!!!
I'm going to say 4 days?  For example, shower Monday morning, shower Thursday night.  But only if Monday is a rest day and I don't do anything particularly disgusting.  I will never sleep with a crusty ride glide crotch.  And I always take a hot shower when I get home from swimming.  I know, I'm gross.

6. What is your greatest fear in the world?
Something bad happening to me while I am asleep.  For example, someone breaking into my house, which also goes along with my general fear of being alone in the dark.  I've read so many horror stories in the papers about girls being raped and/or murdered in their beds and it's absolutely the worst thing I could think of happening.  I'm also really afraid of death - mostly because it's the unknown.  I know what I believe in, but I'm still afraid of it.  And I used to be afraid of needles a little, but not anymore.

7. Where are you going for vacation?
Well, we just spent a long weekend in Miami, and we're trying to plan our October vacation.  Based on timeshare availability, it's looking like Lake Tahoe or the eastern coast of Mexico.

8. How many pairs of shoes have you gone through in your running career?
Huge, overlarge number.  I generally start rotating in new shoes around the 175-200 mile mark, as I get injured so often that I really don't need one more thing trying to fuck me up.  I would guess 20-30 pairs at least.

9. What are you most looking forward to doing in Miami?
Well, obviously I already went, but I would've said laying on the beach anyway....however, on the way there we came up with the idea of parasailing, which was fantastic and I'm so glad we did it!

10. What's your best eagle-sighting story?
Brian Westbrook waved at me at a home game.  I was screaming his name and he turned around from the bench and waved.  *swoon*

11. (@ultrarunnergirl) Am I your favorite Twitter friend?

12. What is your job?
I am the CTO (chief technology officer, similar to a CIO) of a law firm which is going about the amazing business of changing the world.  And yes, I work from home, and yes, it IS the most amazing thing ever.  (See: shower question).

13. When did you decide to take your IT band trouble to a doc?  What had you tried before going?  What have you found works the best/most consistently?
The first time around (L leg), I was in PT on and off for over 4 years, and the last time for 6 solid months before my PT - who was amazing - sent me to the magical mystery man, Dr. P.  I had tried: electro stim, deep massage, steroids, rest, ice, advil, prescription muscle relaxers, cortisone shots, orthodics, PT out the ass, virgin sacrifice at moonrise, throwing eggs at the IT band, 3000 one-legged squats per day, and crying in the ortho office, none of which did a goddamned thing.  There are things that make it less bad but nothing healed it completely, and I'm (spoiler alert) already planning when to schedule the surgery on the next one this fall.  THAT SAID.  Tons of people have this problem, and tons of people have recovered from it and gone on to be amazing runners, and I would NEVER recommend surgery.  Get a really good PT who works with runners and bust your ass doing everything he says.  I've been trying my damnedest to avoid surgery on the R IT band, but because I suffered through this for years on the L side only to end up in surgery, and because the R IT band is actually attached to the same hips and glutes and spine as the L side, I've known for months that I might end up going under the knife.  It's the last thing I want to do but I am not going to waste years of running like I did last time.  And I have a great ortho who I would totally run away to Mexico with if he asked that will do the surgery well and I trust him.

14. What kind of bike do you have?  Did you invest a lot in it?  And do you think it's worth it to spend more than $200 to bike (currently) about 20-30 miles/week?
I have a Specialized Dolce Sport Compact.  I think it cost $849, but I don't recall if that's before or after the discount I got on it.  And for me, it's perfect.  In a few years I might need a better bike, but I've been riding 80-150 miles per week on it all summer and have no complaints (other than how slow it goes up hills, stupid bike).  As far as worth, I think that's a very personal question - if I was only riding 20-30 miles per week, I would still have purchased the same bike, because it's exactly what I wanted and I think it's sexy.  But you might be happy on a hybrid bike instead of a road bike, which will save you some money.  I'd say go try some things out and let your crotch and legs decide.

15. What would you do for a Klondike bar?
I would walk to the freezer.

16. Why do you like Eagles?
Because I'm a sucker for punishment.

You guys, I love this game.  Let's play again sometime.  Happy Friday!