I’m starting to think about MdS as a restful vacation with a bit running thrown in. I’m not underestimating the desert...
Strong-legged Bulgarians and ultrarunning drugs
Liza
I met with Amanda at the Starbucks yesterday to discuss our plan to take over the world. (or “how I will have to run on a treadmill twice a week to train for Western States”). She wanted to show me some leg strengthening exercises afterwards, and, since the Starbucks wasn’t an appropriate place to demonstrate squats, — we headed over to the Target. It was the empty parking lot next to the Target specifically — where Amanda did this with an abandoned shopping cart.
The move is called a Bulgarian Split Squat. Brilliant. Apparently a Target shopping cart is not integral. You should be barefoot though.
In other news, I saw a tweet that Brian Powell put out yesterday (There are actually 700 things I should have been doing rather than following Twitter yesterday.) about a blog post by Justin Angle on doping in ultrarunning. It’s a really interesting read. My two initial reactions to it were: 1. There’s a short cut on the Western States course that everybody knows about? and 2. Thank goodness my identity and self-worth is all wrapped up in my ability to keep my house clean.
Time for some Bulgarian craziness.
Food log:
Bulgarian squats rock. Do them every Monday. Olympic squats Wed. Tabata style front squats Friday. Plus a pletora of other crap that left me aching last night on my easy run:)
As for defining…you keep thinking about your messy house, missy. because once ypu become like a handful of those we know (and knew before they came to their identity crisis and grew a big head) – we’ll stop liking you. Right now you are just a neghborhood sweetheart who runs like a wind. Oh, and funny too:)
p.s. I offer you to come to your house and do the dirty job. I actually like big projects. And decluttering – you got anything to throw away? Larry owns about 5 dozens of cleaning bottles for everything you heard of (or not), so I could pick a couple of those. I just use baking soda and laundry detergent. He is cleaner (when he cleans), but I am much more efficient. We can fight for the job. Offer your prise! he’ll take mocha, I’d go for a cup of coffee and gossiping about WS shortcut and illegal substances in ultras I know about.
I would love to have you and Larry over. But your first visit can’t be to clean my horrible house. 😉 Second visit. I’d love to see what you would toss/set fire to.
I’m googling Olympic squats and Tabata style right now.
Very funny post. I hear ya on the clean house thing. I may not be the fastest runner, but I pride myself that a dog and a toddler have yet to prevent me from having shiny floors.
Oooh, I am envious of your shiny floors. I will blame our cat. Should have gotten a dog.
I stopped a few times and did some of those squats during this mornings run. Almost fell over a couple of times and when resuming my run I felt as though I was prancing like a pony before I straightened up.
I am laughing. We’ll have to add stops to do those on the group runs, for sure. At least we can pick on another up.
oooh, yes. Thanks for reminding me to get my squats in! I understand core strength is needed for strong running- I think I’ll work on push ups and pull ups too.
That article on doping is thought provoking Liza! But instead of being objective and thoughtful about it, it just made me feel a bit glum. To me, ultra running, specifically trail/mountain running has always had a comfortable friendly feel. I like to think people get out there to run for the sheer enjoyment and thrill of it and the socialization also. When you throw in the idea of doping, it just ruins it. Sort of like going on a first date with someone very exciting and finding out he smokes. Poo. No good! I know it’s a silly analogy…
I’ve totally felt that glum feeling when reading comments/pieces that portray ultrarunning as a sport first and foremost. I feel protective of it somehow — and its community — because both have been so important to me (finding a way to place in the San Antonio community, keeping my sanity as the mom of a young child, and being inspired by such solid people). My poor friends have gotten a few earfuls of emotion-laden reactions lately. Somehow the doping piece didn’t elicit that for me — maybe because it seems so far-fetched. Though Angle’s piece makes good sense.
Truly, I can’t resist a great straight line; in your plot to take over the world, which one are you: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_mPrhwpZ-8
I knew what the link was going to be before I clicked it. 😉 I’d be the insane one, of course.
I wanna be a strong-legged Bulgarian!
Don’t we all.