Liza Howard

Liza Howard

Liza Howard is a long-time is a longtime ultrarunner who lives in San Antonio, Texas. She teaches for NOLS Wilderness Medicine, coaches, directs the non-profit Band of Runners, and drives her kids around in a minivan.

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Cockroaches watching 145/365

LizaLiza

I sat the minivan this morning waiting for Asa to shove his feet into his sneakers. He keeps them tied because he has trouble tying a tight knot. (Parent failure: 973). Unfortunately, he’s not much quicker at shoving his feet into pre-tied sneakers. So I scrolled through Twitter as I waited.

This Alex Hutchison article caught my eye.

I sent it to myself to read later and scrolled on through a mix of political and running outrage. (Dopes and doping…)

This was the delightful first paragraph that was waiting for me later that morning when I sat down to my third cup of coffee.

Where were the pictures from this 1969 study?? Video footage??? I’m imagining the cockroaches on the sidelines decked out in fan paraphernalia. Maybe their little cockroach chests were painted? Maybe they held tiny motivational signs?  “Smile, it makes you look faster!” “You’re beating all the cockroaches behind you!” Also, how did they keep the cockroach fans on the sidelines? And what kind of cockroaches did they use? It seems like hissing cockroaches would make the best fans.

The article concluded:

I am left wondering about how we’re wired to respond to the presence of cockroaches. I can’t meet up with the Rockhoppers to run much these days (dang kids!), but what if cockroaches could help me dig deeper? What if my speed work felt easier with some cockroaches watching. This is the information I need — not evidence that I should find a way to run more with my friends. (Because there are always cockroaches watching.)

What’s making me happy:

Running: 0

 

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