Help spread the word!

Holli and I worked on a promotional flier last night. It's suitable for posting on office doors, outside businesses, on community bulletin boards, or anything of which you can think. Print out some copies and help spread the word. You can print it from here!

Thanks to TrailFlex and Blubandoo

I'd like to thank TrailFlex and Blubandoo for their contributions to my run. You will now have the opportunity to win some TrailFlex hats (great for running!) when you donate and Blubandoo has provided a hat and bandanna to keep me cool while training. Below are some details of their products:

Blubandoo cooling headwear presents fashionable neckbands, visors, headbands, doorags, and patented cooling caps/ hats. Simply immerse them in water for five minutes. They quickly dry to the touch, but keep the wearer cool for days. They’re reusable, washable, and available in popular fabrics and colors. Name drop is available. Blubandoo Incorporated is a WBE - Women Owned Minority Owned Business. Most products are made in the USA.
info@blubandoo.com, www.blubandoo.com


The TrailFlex Modular Pack System is any pack you want it to be, thanks to the radical approach we've taken to backpack design. TrailFlex users take their skills to the next level with the most flexible personalized carrying system ever introduced. You'll never have to buy another specialized backpack when you own the TrailFlex Modular Pack System. www.trailflex.com

Running, Aspartame, Dental Health, and Risk

Ah, 8 pain free miles today. That makes me very happy. Of course, it was well over 80 degrees by the time I was done, which is a bit toasty for me, but I felt good nonetheless.

I have a confession to make. I'm a sociologist and I think about things like risk. I just read this article on aspartame (the stuff that make most diet food diet.) Yeah, it probably causes cancer. I believe Dick Cheney had a role in getting the FDA to approve the stuff back in the day, but I can't remember for sure. I have a love/hate relationship with artificial sweeteners as I debate the risk of cancer against the risk of heart disease and obesity.

I recently read a post about the potential impact of long distance running on your teeth. That got me thinking about this. Exercise is good for you and all that, but it does carry with it some risks. Tooth decay is perhaps minor compared to risks of injury, whether due to the wrong shoes or the getting hit by a car. There is even some psychological risk. I haven't read the female ultramarathoner Pam Reed's recent book, but I understand part of it discusses her struggles with an eating disorder.

Ulrich Beck argues that we live in a risk society where many of our decisions are based on assessment of risk. I think that's a reasonably fair description. We are becoming more aware of the fact that risk is inevitable and, in many ways, struggling as a society to deal with the realization. Because of this, however, I think it is important that we avoid simplistic perspectives of risk which see it as something that should be avoided. Risk decisions are really issues of which particular risks you are willing to trade against others. Maybe I'll just stick to iced tea. Make sure to brush your teeth after those long runs.

(Can you tell I've been working on my dissertation?)

It's gotta be the shoes....Saucony Omni 6 that is

Well, I went to the only specialty running store in the area, spent some time getting fitted, and trying on at least 7 different pairs of shoes. What I learned is that barefoot running is probably not for me, I over pronate, and you should always ask people who know about these things. I'm now styling in a nice new pair of Saucony Omni 6 Ultimate running shoes. Nice. The store was Runner's over in Bay City on Wilder Road. They seemed pretty competent and the manager told me they even sponsor a 100 mile ultrarunner. Hmmm...

Actually, the cool thing is that they really are making a difference with my knee. You can see in my training log the dip where I got injured and this week I am finally getting back on track, although I still have some catching up to do. Most importantly, it doesn't hurt (much) to run. The picture comes from the Sport Tracks training software, which is primarily used with GPS trainers, but can be used as a conventional training log. It's great if you are a datahead and it's free. I mean, I don't NEED to know my average weekly heartrate as a percent of my max, but it is sort of fun. Seriously, it is way better than Training Center, which Garmin makes, and Sport Tracks lets you do cool things like examine satellite photos of your runs.

Anyway, I only have 12 miles on the new shoes so far, although I am wearing them pretty much all the time to take some stress off my knee. I like the cushioning on them--soft, but not too squishy. The insole also seems to fit my foot well, which is important since I've had problems in the past with blisters on the bottom of my feet. I would recommend them for a relatively light runner (135 lbs) with high arches, narrow feet, and overpronation problems.

Thank you, everyone!

I'd like to offer a special thanks to everyone who has donated so far. We are over 25% of the way there! I would also like to thank everyone for their work helping to spread the word. Really, all of your support means a lot to me and my family. I still have several more fund raising ideas in the works and my training is going well (albeit somewhat slower than I had hoped). Keep checking back and thanks again!