You Know You're a Runner If...

• you know how to pronounce (correctly) Plantar Fasciitis
• when you have a favorite ice pack
• when you go through a box of Band-Aids without getting a single cut
• your room smells like a nursing home because of all the analgesic you use

Some items from my home remedy kit includes my favorite ice pack (since 2003); can be used as an ice pack when placed in the freezer or a heating pad when thrown in the microwave! SO VERY COOL!

• when you laugh about chaffing
• when your physical/massage therapist knows your race schedule and are on speed dial
• when you brag about losing toenails
• when you run even though you are sick
• when your family knows that you will run on Thanksgiving and Christmas (or other holidays you celebrate) no matter what

FYI: My next scheduled holiday race is 4th of July (The Watermelon 5K) :o)

• when you put more time and work into taping parts of your body than to your tax return
• when there are permanent blood stains on your T-shirts where you were rubbed raw
• when it hurts worse to take a shower than it does to keep running
• when you know the names and remedies for every possible injury from bursitis to shin splints
• when you are constantly washing running clothes but have to go through piles of clothes on the floor to find work clothes each morning
• when your rolling pin is kept near your bed instead of in the kitchen
• when every T-shirt you own has a race name and sponsors listed on it
• when you have to explain to everyone why you can't run in the T-shirts you get at races
• when you go from having a drawer for your running clothes to having an entire bureau for running clothes


• when you could teach a class about biomechanics and the different kinds of shoes people need
• when you have more shoes than your girlfriend or girl friends (as the case may be)
• when you balk at the cost of everyday shoes and then spend $75 - $100 on a pair of running shoes that will only last 3 months and think you're getting a fabulous deal
• you can shop at Fleet Feet or your local running store for hours, but can't stand 5 minutes anywhere else
• when you spend $12 on socks that help you avoid blisters
• when your socks come in two categories: running socks and others
• when the drive to the race is longer than the race itself

• when you realize that all the traveling you did in the last year revolved around races
• when you call four miles an easy day
• when you smirk at people who tell you that you run too much or are crazy for enjoying a run

Waaaahhhh!!! Today brought upon bad news. I just found out that next weekend's class with Ciril Hitz was rescheduled to November (when I'll already be back in Chicago) *sniff* :o(

I moped about it for a good half hour only because it's added to my "personal issues with the happenings at school" but then decided to turn that frown upside down and sign up for the Orlando Runner's Club Race Into Summer 5K (seriously, could that name be any longer?) *grin*

It worked out nicely because according to my training schedule, I need to do 3 miles that day...so is that point 1 mile going to kill me? Don't think so! *looking confident* :o)

However, will the Florida sun melt me into the pavement before I get to the finish line? Perhaps! *looking not so confident* :o(

I'm a nocturnal runner...I'm not a big fan of running in the sun...that's why I'm extremely excited to do the Tower of Terror 13K which BEGINS at 10:30pm!!! It's okay though because after the race there will be a post-race party held at Mellow Mushroom. Mmmm...mmm....PIZZAAAAAHH!! *licks lips*

As the saying goes.. "Run the first mile with your legs, the second mile with your mind, and the third mile with your heart."

My only goal is to finish with a smile on my face and enjoy my first race in an EXTREMELY long time! Yay!!!...can't wait to pin on that bib #!!!! (clearly it doesn't take much to make me happy) :o)