I am not a sprinter!

I cannot sprint. I suck at running intervals and doing speed work. I hate it. While I can't sprint for two blocks, I can go out and run 5 miles of hills. Since I am not super competitive and basically run for fun (and so I can eat chocolate), I have always focused on training that makes me happy. So, I do longer runs, do hill training, and cross-train. Since I will never be in the Olympics (I think my age alone prohibits that), I don't drive myself crazy for not doing any speed work. I'm not trying to get faster, I'm trying to have fun and maintain my current speed and distance.

Interestingly enough, I have been thinking about this lately as friends have been talking about their interval training and speed work. I think I discovered today why I suck at sprinting! I came across this great article that talks about the human genome and how there is a slight variation in one gene for athletes who are endurance athletes. Basically, the article says that the NRF2 gene occurs more in endurance athletes than in sprinters when looking at competitive track and field athletes. This gene produces new mitochondria which creates energy and also reduces inflammation during exercise. I'm no scientist, but this has to explain my lack of speediness. I clearly don't have the right genes to be fast, but I can go for long distances. Phew! This means I am off the hook for training I didn't even want to do and I will not feel bad when someone running only a mile passes me while at mile 6 in my run! :)

For the full article and more information on this study (which is very cool), see: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/02/100218173319.htm.

Funny Website Error

In browsing the web, I always come across errors on websites. Of course, as a blogger, I have many typos and issues when posting my materials. But, it always cracks me up when a big company makes a mistake on their website. Think about all the people that must check over everything before it is posted. I am sure there is some sort of review chain. I mean, it can happen. It does at my work all the time even after 3 or 4 people review the site. But, usually we post an incorrect phone number or something. We don't typically post "bad" words.

I came across this when looking for baby gifts for my new niece or nephew that will arrive in about 6 weeks. I thought the Illini shoes were pretty cute, so read the description for more info. I think their spell-checker may have missed that hell should really be heel! I already emailed their customer service suggesting they re-visit the description, but that I was rather amused by the error! In case they already have the link fixed, I copied and pasted out the desciption below.

http://tinyurl.com/yhxcoo7

"Team Squeaks Shoe - Boys
Team squeaks shoe! When your child walks, they squeak! For those quiet times, the squeaker can be easily removed by an adult. The squeaker is located in the hell of each shoe, and can be re-inserted to squeak once again! Also available for girls."

I reminded them that should check the link for the girls, too. It was also wrong. Makes me wonder if it was just the Illini, or if they did the same thing for other teams. :)

UPDATE: They did respond to my email and fixed the error. LOL

National Bone Marrow Drive at IU!

Just a quick blog about the IU Bone Marrow Drive on Monday, March 1st. The drive on campus is to register bone marrow donors to the national registry. If you go to the website, http://www.dkmsamericas.org/drives/save-life-indiana-university-bone-marrow-drive, you can read more about the event. You’ll also read a story about Lindsay, a young college student at Duke that was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma in 2008. She is actually a family friend. Our mothers have been friends since childhood and still keep in touch, as well as see each other every few years. Lindsay is originally from Ohio, where her family still lives. For the two years that Todd and I lived in Ohio, Lindsay’s mother had us over to their home and “watched” over us for my mom.

Not everyone can or will want to sign up for the national bone marrow registry. But if you are interested, getting started is easy – you can sign up and provide a swab of cells from your cheek to determine your tissue type. After that, you are added to the registry for doctors to search for matches. You can join or remove yourself from the registry at any time. More information on how bone marrow donation actually occurs, see the information at http://www.dkmsamericas.org/bone-marrow-donors/bone-marrow-donation-process. If you read about the two different procedures, Lindsay is currently trying to find a match for the PBSC procedure.

If you don't live in Bloomington, but are interested, no worries! Go to http://www.dkmsamericas.org/bone-marrow-donors/bone-marrow-donation-process and look for donor drives in your area, request a home donor kit, or just donate. Every little bit can help!

Birthday Dinner

Went to Asuka, a hibatchi place in town. We had never been. It was pretty good. I was thinking it might be a semi-healthy dinner to make up for my two pieces of cake. But, little did I know they use a ton of butter. I about choked on my salad when I saw him throw down a slab of butter on my chicken. LOL



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Ice-Covered Dog

Here is Lucy after being outside all day on 2/9/2010. She is still covered in ice even AFTER coming inside and shaking off. It was 15 degrees out when I let her in. Good thing she loves snow!!


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Illini Win!!!!!!

Illini beat MSU! Best. Game. Ever! Games like this make me want to be back on campus sitting in the Orange Krush with Tracy, Lindsay, Adam, and Alex. Heck, I'd even take my post-graduation season ticket seats with Heidi and Jamie. I miss those days (and people) so much! I can't even imagine being at Assembly Hall tonight. It would have been electric! Oh to be a student...I am getting old and it sucks.

There are some negative comments about the students rushing the court. I say who cares. We beat MSU, which hardly ever happens (top player out or not). We haven't played this well in years, so the fans are excited to cheer! Finally, it boosts the players' esteem. We have a tough end of season schedule and we need that! I see no harm in rushing the court. In my day, we would have rushed the court AND watched the Chief at halftime. You can't take all our fun away!!!

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Running Barefoot

I don't know that I could ever run barefoot. I had this discussion with some friends I run with the other night and I think we all agreed, we could never do it! I can't imagine the things around campus or my neighborhood that I could potentially step on - glass, trash, etc. It just makes me cringe at the thought. There is one guy in Bloomington who runs barefoot. I haven't seen him in awhile, but did see him out on a few runs and in a race barefoot. To me, that is completely foreign and honestly, weird.

But, the cover of Nature and a new article suggests that running barefoot may actually decrease some impact-related stress injuries. Apparently the authors compared runners here in the US with some in Kenya and discovered that the foot striking the ground in shoes is less healthy for the foot than running barefoot. See the cover and article at http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v463/n7280/covers/.

Of course, I don't understand all the science stuff in the article (hey, I was a business major that avoided science at all cost), but it is amazing to think that running without cushioning is better than with. Wow! I have run barefoot on the beach a few times while on vacation. My feet hurt! The sand isn't really that soft, so I can even imagine running on cement or other hard surfaces with no cushioning. I can liken hitting a sharp shell to some other sharp object while running around town with no shoes. Ouch!

As much as this article proves, I think I'll still stick with my Asics.