Monday, November 4, 2013

Einstein was a runner.

When Albert Einstein wrote "The more I learn, the more I realize I don't know" he must have been referring to running. No doubt about it.
Side note: naturally I had to google "Einstein running" and it seemed "Einstein running around a tree" was my suggested string to enter. After all that information,  just to be clear, I'm not talking about his "theory"on running around a tree at a speed of 87 kph. That can't be real.

So, another LA Roadrunner season is now well under way and I have actually been running some almost decent weekend mileage. Which is new after my summer of...well, barely any running. Therefore, I am officially emerging from my virtual cave. Of course that doesn't mean I'm about to have a social life or anything because, you see, I excel at putting too much on my proverbial plate.

Anyway, I've learned some pretty valuable things recently.

- Kinesio tapes really, really work BUT not all kinesio tapes are created equal. KT Tape falls off, Muscle Aid sticks for an impressive 4 days of sweaty fun. Yes, I showered (at least 2x/day).

- Some energy gels really don't work for me. I thought I've tried them all and although some brands fared down better than others, I haven't had any strong reactions to such an innocent carb-concoction. That changed during this past Saturday's 11-mile death march. I'm not naming the product, because I know some people love it. I, apparently, vomit. TMI. So, it's not a myth. Some gels really, really  don't work for me.

- Daylight savings time can really confuse you. Today, I left for an early evening run - just after 4:30PM. No need to map a route, I was so excited to just discover new places. Apparently, a planned easy run can easily turn into a speed workout in the following perfect storm of circumstances: (1) the sun goes down earlier than it was supposed to, (2) the sidewalk stops for no apparent reason and you find yourself on a main road, (3) there is nothing but thorny bushes by the side of the road and it's dark (4) the only landmark is a dimly-lit and seemingly not-too-popular storage facility. Thankfully, I was wearing some very bright and obnoxious gear so I stuck to the side of the road, escaped with only minor bush whacking injuries and had a pretty good workout.

I can't wait to stumble upon more random experiences. And speaking of random - I'll be running a half marathon in Angkor Wat in less than a month! I'm beyond excited.