Web wrap-up: Aug. 6 to 12

Fit Bottomed Girls: 18 Things Nobody Told Me About Running. Maybe I've just read too many light-hearted pieces about discoveries made during the transition from noob to junkie, or maybe I've (gasp!) been running for long enough that I can't remember when these phenomena became surprising.

I found myself nodding in agreement with "You’ll wince at a pair of high heels with a $100 price tag, but declare it a bargain if that same tag is on your favorite running shoes" and " 'Runger' is real, and it is marvelous. Only pregnant women and runners can truly understand strange cravings at strange times." (How can I live an almost pop-free life, yet yearn for a Sprite during a long run?)

It turned out not to be the author but a commenter who prompted an "OMG you're right!" moment:

"Running isn’t really enjoyable until after you’ve gone 3 miles … maybe even 5. That is why you hated running the mile back in school — you only did the hard part!"

Leaving aside the incredible lack of fitness I had back in school — YES. I long ago noticed that the middle and end of a run typically felt better than the beginning, but until now I didn't connect this with the misery of the middle school mile.

Running Is Funny: Rupp Rolled. I learned about two new memes from Mike's post. (They're possibly not all that new, and I'm possibly way behind most of the Internet.)

One is Typical Runner, and the other one — which is far funnier and yet not related to running — is McKayla Is Not Impressed.

Some of my favorites, which went from near the top on Saturday morning to farther down than you'll click in less than 24 hours: not impressed by volunteering for the Hunger Games, by King Kong (they're making similar faces!), by taking out Osama bin Laden and by Facebook's IPO.

New York Times Well blog: Dieting vs. Exercise for Weight Loss. Studies prove Michael Pollan is right about the Western diet — in general, you can't eat like the typical American and expect to exercise off the extra calories.

I guess this is good news for folks who prefer to maintain their shape by focusing on what they eat  but not exercising, but it bummed out yours truly, who likes to declare that she runs for pizza and to tell people surprised at her sweet tooth that it's why she runs.

Web wrap-up: July 30 to Aug. 5

The Onion: I'm Truly Sorry For This, But You're About To Hear All About The Last Marathon I Ran. Yeah, runners mistake polite conversation for a request for in-depth self-analysis. Oops.

Sarah Finding Fit: Day 211. Blogger Sarah shares a random fact about herself (and a fuzzy photo) — her knees sweat a lot. And here I was afraid it was just me!

Other Voices: Running With — And Chasing Down — HIV. OK, so this mostly caught my interest because it was published the day after I saw a local production of "Rent." Still, David Ernesto Munar's essay about coping with his diagnosis, treating his disease and his resurgence in running is a surprisingly uplifting post about AIDS.

BBC News: Your Olympic athlete body match. Enter your height and weight and find out which Olympic athlete you're most built like — how could this not be fun? I got Savannah Vinsant, a 19-year-old trampolinist on the U.S. gymnastics team.

Side note, the people who have been pointing out that the athletes' official photos look like mug shots are 100 percent correct. Savannah looks downright depressed in her picture.

Run and Eat Simply: Annoying things that runners say and what they mean. To come full-circle with my post, here's more mockery of running culture (from someone I believe is a runner).

I'm totally guilty of Nos. 2, 3 and 4. Sorry, friends and family. I'd like to counter that by pointing out that I refrain from saying "speed work," "tempo run" and "PR" (Nos. 8, 9 and 1, respectively) to nonrunners.

Web wrap-up: July 23 to 29

Runner's World: Treadmill Innovator Bill Staub Dead at 96. I probably would've missed this news, actually, if my boss hadn't mentioned it. (The comment served a dual purpose — one, to inform a known runner of running-related news, and two, to inform a copy editor for a media company of actual news.)

The fact that a man inspired during the 1960s to turn the treadmill — then too expensive for mass consumption — into a home gym staple lived to be 96 should help shut up the "running is bad for everyone's health!" crowd. It's not right for everyone, but it's right for many people ... just like treadmills aren't right for everyone, but they clearly are right for a lot of people.

The Penguin Chronicles: The Trails Less Traveled. John Bingham, a self-described city kid, moved to the country, or at least somewhere a lot more rural, and learned to appreciate trail running. (Though, to be respectful of hard-core trail runners, "groomed multiuse trails" are a little bit different than forest paths. But I digress.)

The opening paragraph shocked me:

"I’m a city kid. I believe in the grandeur of the manmade concrete and steel canyons. Yes, mountains are beautiful, but the gleam of the morning sun off thousands of windows has a beauty all its own."

I'll grant you that there are many kinds of beauty, urban and rural. This might be the Midwesterner in me talking, but who in God's name implies that a whole bunch of windows reflecting light — a natural characteristic of glass — are more impressive than, say, the Rocky Mountains or the Alps?

Anyway, despite thinking this guy is cracked, I kept reading. I was heartened to hear him praise rural sights in a nonpatronizing way, but still, I couldn't help rolling my eyes when he discovered how much nicer shaded trails were during the summer compared with all those glinty windows and all that asphalt.

I must've put my judgy pants on that day, sorry. The rant ends now.

NPR: Summer Science: Clothes Keep You Cool, More or Less. I love exercise-related science, or at least the kind that someone who hasn't taken a science class since 2003 can understand: why your GI tract reacts to running in certain ways, why humidity makes exercising so miserable, etc.

Now, thanks to NPR, I have a much more nuanced view of how to dress for summer exercise. It's not just a matter of wearing as little clothing as possible; the clothes' color and fit, as well as the sun exposure, play a factor.

Miveu-X. My co-worker and friend Ken sent me this link (does that mean I'm getting one for my birthday?). It's a device that straps your smartphone onto your chest so you can record movies from your point of view.

If I did have this, I would most definitely face-plant and break my phone. However, as much as we chuckled over the Miveu-X — and the mental image of my face-planting video — I do have to admit: It looks like a better way to haul my iPhone on a run than the methods I use now.

Web wrap-up: July 16 to 22

Running Home: 50 Years Later, Little Has Changed. Amby Burfoot writes about knowing his hometown roads so well that he can judge mileage by cracks in the pavement.

It made me think of my own home turf, where I'll measure sprints from a mailbox to a different color pavement, or road signs that signal "start your engines" as well as "aaaaaaand done!" And I'm working on acquiring a few of those around here.

'Chafing': Weird and Wonderful. Mark Remy's book "C is for Chafing," which I can't believe I haven't read, was included among some website's compilation of weird books. You should click the link to see the screen grab of his cover among several far more bizarre-looking works.

I will, however, share his summary of the contents of "C is for Chafing" so that you don't miss it: "illustrations of roadkill and advice on farting during group runs."

Natalie Dee comic. On the same day I posted about the runner's heat index, Natalie Dee posted a comic about people who would disregard said heat index. (Click through, give her some traffic, and also read the small text above the image.)

The two posts were back-to-back in my friend Ashlee's Google Reader account, which makes it even funnier.

Out There: Lace Up Local. We start and end sentimental today (sorry). Susan Lacke joins the "buy local" chorus and sings the praises of her independent running store.

I won't lie and put myself up on a no-chain-stores-for-me pedestal, but I do agree with the thrust of her column: that the community experience of heading to a store where salespeople know, use and enjoy the products they sell ... and where they end up knowing you (right, Runner's Image?) ... can be worth the extra few dollars that a chain or online store might save you.

Web wrap-up: July 9 to 15

The bloggers I follow turned it up several notches last week — one link even got saved for a future standalone post!

I'll try to keep this short to encourage you to check out a post or two (or three ... etc.).

Another Mother Runner: Why I Run (Joan Markwell). Pretty much everything that Joan Markwell listed as reasons why she runs — the exception being "positive role model for my daughters — are ones that I share.

This one, though, I tend to forget, especially now when I'm meeting so many new people and having to talk about my interests:

"A sense of belonging — You are a runner. Repeat after me, 'I am a runner.' It feels nice and other people respect you for that no matter your pace, distance or outfit. Just making the effort makes you part of the club."

Gotta stop trying to qualify my hobby with "but I'm slow," "but I'm not competitive," "but no, I don't do or want to do marathons" or any other "but" statement!

RW Daily: Motivational Poster #28. This picture's 10 words are truly worth a thousand. Have I mentioned that I love Mark Remy?

Running Is Funny: Do Bosses Prefer Moms or Marathoners? Mike stumbles upon the most random and delightful articles. The one he references here is about women in the workplace, and the pertinent section has the author claiming that employers are likely to think of marathon-running employees as more dedicated, disciplined and hardworking than they would of working mothers.

If this is true — which Mike and I both doubt — I know what I'll be stressing in any future job interviews. Though the interviewer will only give me half the credit that I apparently deserve.

Another Mother Runner: Why I Run (Annet Maurer). Annet Maurer's lived all over and has picked up the language(s) everywhere she's been: Dutch (her native tongue), English, French, Swiss-German, Spanish and, she jokes, Australian. Those linguistic adventures — having to jump in and start from scratch — inspired her comparison of running as learning a foreign language; it's the third paragraph in the post, so you don't have to scroll far.

It's such a good analogy. I remember being so righteously outraged that I had to take gym class for most of my school career, thinking how unfair it was that I had to do something so difficult in front of people who found it so easy. (Side note: Who misses being a teenager? Not me.)

Did it ever occur to me, as I whizzed through French class or aced spelling tests, that other people were struggling with it and miserable and embarrassed by my comfort? Yeah, right. If I ever go back in time, one thing I'll be sure to tell my adolescent self is "get over it."

Running Is Funny: Hockey Writer Comes Up With Worst Marathon Analogy Ever. Some hockey writer wanted to make the point that the L.A. Kings' Stanley Cup victory doesn't mean the city will suddenly go hockey crazy and embrace the team (as, I'd like to point out, Chicago does and has for several years before the Stanley Cup win). So he made this statement:

"[It] reminds me of what people think when someone runs his or her first marathon. But contrary to popular belief, it means only that person has the fitness and endurance to run 26.2 miles. It doesn’t mean he or she can have another child, go back to school, change jobs or accomplish anything he or she tries."

One, does anyone truly believe that if s/he runs a marathon, s/he can turn water into wine or cure cancer? (I'd say no.) Two, wouldn't you think that the qualities necessary to train for and complete a marathon would assist someone in achieving the goals this guy rattles off?

But I digress. The point is that another blogger created a list of reasons why this hockey writer has such venom for marathon runners. Read them here.

Runner's Digest: 7.13.12. Olympian Michael Johnson posted an awe- and jealousy-inspiring photo to his Facebook account. Scroll to the bottom of this post to check it out.

Web wrap-up: July 2 to July 8

Today's Web wrap-up begins on a sad note.

In a pleasant break from Syria, Sandusky and other disturbing news, I was assigned to proofread a story about a baby beluga whale rescued off the Alaskan coast. His care was incredibly expensive, and the research center that was nursing him was going to host a 5K run to help defray those costs.

I Googled the whale as I prepared to write this post, only to discover that he'd died earlier today. Poor lost little guy. RIP, "Naknek."

However, my job at a media company did yield a more cheery item for the wrap-up: Steve Cannon of Des Moines finished his 40-day streak of running 26 miles around Lake Michigan last Thursday. According to the Des Moines Register's article, he raised more than $32,000 for cancer research while doing so.

Quite impressive, especially coming from the perspective of someone who A) has never run farther than a half marathon and B) who has never even attempted any incarnation of the Runner's World Run Streak.

That's it for today. Blogging and/or running may be a bit sporadic for the rest of the week as I host the grandparents.

Web wrap-up: June 25 to July 1

Running Is Funny: An Army Jogs on Its Stomach. Mike shares the vision of a Pennsylvania man who launched a series of races, called Jog 'n Hog, based on the Krispy Creme Challenge. Each race's eating portion is tailored to the city's particular specialty.

I liked this post because of the regional delicacies it described: pepperoni balls, ice cream and clusters of caramel/nuts/chocolate. And I thought it was worth sharing because of the call for what your city's food item would be.

Des Moines is apparently known for steak de burgo and Graziano's sausage. My former residence, Rockton, would have to feature Dairy Haus ice cream, and my true hometown, Roscoe, would definitely serve up pizza from Pietro's; extending to my home metro area, we could pig out on Edwards Apple Orchard donuts, anything from BeefaRoo or Swedish pancakes.

Now I'm hungry for home.

Another Mother Runner: Time to Talk Dirty. Sarah lists punny slang terms that describe mud race phenomena. I did the Warrior Dash last year, so this sounds pretty familiar as well as accurate. My favorite? "Souv-in-ear – the keepsake dirt you find in your ear three days after the race." For me it wars more like souv-in-toenail, but that's much less catchy.

Well: What Runners Can Learn From Cheetahs/Running Is Funny: Other Things Runners Can Learn From Cheetahs. The New York Times article (first link) is highly scientific and discusses the mechanics of how cheetahs and greyhounds move so fast. What humans can learn from them, it says, is that strong thighs and lighter shoes probably help, but that "there’s no indication" that the critters' lolling tongues boost speed. Michael Jordan probably would beg to differ, and judging from some of my hot-and-hilly runs, I'd say it's at least worth a little psychological boost. That's probably just a child of the three-peat era talking.

Mike's post, the second link, is easier to digest. Lots of pictures of cute cheetahs of all ages and sizes. Also, there are far-more-practical tips from cheetahs: I don't think I'll struggle putting "Cuteness trumps speed" (I've gotten some hollas recently, sunscreen, sweat, grimace and all) and "Recovery days are very important" into practice.

RW Daily: Congrats to Our 1 Millionth 'Avid Runner'!. Mark Remy points out, correctly, that articles never describe "runners" without using the adjective "avid." He explains the distinction:

"Avid runners are people who run and then talk about it, even to people who don't run and don't care. Also, avid runners wear race T-shirts instead of giving them to Goodwill."

Hurray! I'm an avid runner, because I talk about it to people who neither run nor care! Thanks, Mark.

Web wrap-up: June 18 to 24

Gems from the Google Reader account this past week — some fluffy, some serious.

Other Voices: Being Chased Down By A Car. Mom Dorothy Beal thought her biggest obstacle was her mindset going into a run pushing three kids in a stroller and sweating under the hot sun. Instead, it turned out to be a psychopath driver who pulled up beside her, screamed obscenities at her and followed her as she tried to run away.

Beal's post isn't just about adding to the unfortunately large pile of stories in which "running while female" proves to be a huge liability — she wanted to share what she did right and wrong in handling the situation, and several commenters joined in the discussion. (I always bring my cellphone now that I'm in a new city; this is a good habit, according to the post and the law enforcement official who commented.)

Still, it's incredibly frustrating that on every blog I read (no matter the topic) there has to be a story on how to protect yourself simply because people are bat-shit crazy and because you are female.

Running Is Funny: Women Marathoners Rank 978th on This List. On a somewhat lighter note, Mike at Running Is Funny shared a Deadspin post whose topic I will delicately summarize as "what women's sport has the most attractive participants?" After the top 10, the author jumps to 978th and ranks both women's basketball and women's marathon:

"I can’t imagine anyone getting off on watching 80-lb. women struggling to finish a full marathon."

Wait, has he ever seen pictures of female marathoners? Every Runner's World I receive shows toned — not gaunt — athletes of both sexes with defined-but-not-gross six-packs. And I really don't understand the "struggling" reference ... no doubt professional athletics, particularly marathons, are physically demanding, but these people train intensively for competition. 

On the bus ... Running: Sweating the Details. This post, on being dedicated to a serious training regimen, has been rattling around in my head for a few days. Blogger Brad links to the post-run strength routine he does as well as a training article called "The Kenyan Summer," intended to help high school runners build a base for fall cross country.

For a few minutes, I pictured myself jumping in. I clicked on the link, read it, thought about the heat and realized that I'm approaching a critical point in both of my sports: deciding how much effort I'm willing to put into each, and how I'm going to adjust my attitude and expectations accordingly. More on this later, I'm sure.

Web wrap-up: June 11 to 17

As you can see from the right side of my page, I keep tabs on several running bloggers who post frequently and engagingly.

Halfway through my Get Running days, I began using their best stuff as launchpads for my own posts. While I expect to continue that, I can't always build off what they've done — sometimes because I can't relate, sometimes because there's nothing more (or more eloquent) to say.

Three of that type of post have cropped up recently, and because I anticipate plenty more to come, I decided to mimic other bloggers and start a post compilation feature. This has nothing to do with the fact that writers experience creative blocks at times, or that sporty folks get sleepy, or that people who work office jobs sometimes become burned out on computer screens after putting in a day's work.

The timing does, however, have a slight relation to the weather forecast. It's not looking good for my running chances today: We're expecting highs in the upper 90s and heat indexes in the mid-100s. Send chilly thoughts my way today and tomorrow, please.

run this amazing day: on recovery. Katie is a triathlete in Alexandria, Va., one who's serious enough to hire coaches and who seems pretty competitive. This post (from June 6, but I read it sometime between June 11 and 17, so it's sneaking in) talks about how she used to cheat on her recovery time — she'd do a workout early Wednesday morning and then another on Thursday night — but eventually got smarter and learned to embrace a full lazy day between workouts.

I generally don't have a problem taking rest days; I just have a problem not feeling guilty about them and not endlessly justifying why I won't be running/biking that day. Last Friday, though, I overcame that: After a 31-mile bike ride Thursday, with a busy Friday planned, there was no doubt in my mind about the wisdom of resting. It felt good. Decisiveness is a rare, but pleasant, feeling for me.

Out There: Race Photos. Susan Lacke isn't the first person to write about ugly race photos (Runner's World's Mark Remy has made a full-fledged meme out of his own), but she turned out a great post about it. My favorite part:

"Perhaps the most outlandish thing about these horrendous race photos? I buy them. Yes ... I actually pay money to have documented proof of my ... er ... attractiveness."

Doug's irunnerbuzz: Not running in the Rockford half and other schtuff: Doug is probably my most devoted fan who's not related to me. I'd hoped to say hello/goodbye to him at the race in his blog post's title, but I never saw him. I learned in this post that he'd made a 12:30 a.m. conditioning-related call to skip the race. Having made a 5:30 a.m. conditioning- and family-issue-related call to skip a race in October 2011, I empathize 100 percent ... and also feel less embarrassed for having done so.