1. Barack Obama

2. regular Mojitos

3. Coconut Mojitos at “Milk & Honey”

4. remembering Long Island Iced Tea nights

5. “Santa Cristina” Sangiovese

Times are tough these days. Every day we are getting flooded with news that would make my grandparents who lived in Germany through two world wars turn over in their graves. At this point I do not know of anyone who has not been effected by the economic disaster facing this great nation of ours, a country that the last administration left in mere ruins. I am amazed they did not burn the White House down before leaving D.C.

Greed and self indulgence has led us into a deficit so deep it will take decades to dig ourselves out, and we only have spoons to do it with. 

Our last administration, the one that stole the election in 2000 and then proceeded to rule for long painful eight years has left our new President with challenges greater than any of us layman can imagine. We think we know, but honestly, I don’t believe we really do. Yet, when you spend some time online to check political blogs and news sites you could come to the conclusion that everyone and anyone has the answer, the ideas to “fix” what has gone wrong. And what is even more disturbing is the amount of anger from right wing radicals that is being posted on discussion forums and various social networking sites. Bitterness is a determining factor, no doubt, and it seems that those who voted for the Republican ticket have the hardest time getting used to the fact that they were unable to steal the election again and that voters came out in vast numbers and actually did the right thing last November. Now, I understand where they are coming from. After all, I ran in their shoes for the previous eight years so I can certainly appreciate their pain, but never, even in the most sorrowful hours would I have let myself sink to the bottom of the curse word barrel when voicing my disgust with the Bush-Cheney Dictatorship. After the 2004 election it became clear to me that the majority of this country preferred to live under the rule of those who stole it in 2000 for another four years and since I chose to live in this country I just had to accept that. I did not like it, but that’s democracy as I understand it. I was not very engaged in the political process back then as I naively believed the voters in this country knew better than to vote in George W. for a second term. I learned my lesson the hard way and four years later, gearing up for the 2008 election, I used all the power available to me to get the right man elected. I am proud to say we succeeded and all efforts paid of. And I want to say to the right wing nuts that don’t seem to have anything else to do all day than to hang out online and promote hate: “Deal with it!” 

The other side wants us to believe that Barack HUSSEIN (for some bizarre reason the HUSSEIN is always capitalized… as if to highlight the gravity of the threat) Obama “barely” won the Presidency, which is laughable at best given the fact that the man received more popular votes than any other President in the history of this nation, a man whose popular vote margin of approximately 9.5 million was the largest ever for a non-incumbent presidential candidate, a candidate that won every single 2004 swing state by a margin of 9% (except for Ohio’s 4.5%). But somehow these numbers apparently prove that he really should not be President. How short their memories are as they clearly cannot even think back to the debacle of the 2000 election and the theft that occurred! Of course I only have to watch Glenn Beck’s new show to know that all hope is lost of talking some sense into his followers, people who seem to have no common sense and decency. They rant and rave and their complete lack of basic grammar and punctuation skills only proves how badly the country needs to reform its education system. They throw around profanities and are more concerned about Michelle Obama’s short sleeve dresses than helping their fellow citizens stay above water and this country get back on track. But I guess it is hard to follow someone of intelligence who speaks in complete sentences when you yourself can barely form a coherent thought. That’s why it was so easy for you to understand the previous President. He was just like you!

On November 4th, 2008 we had a historic election. An election with an outcome that would not have been possible in the times of our founding fathers. And the founding fathers come up a lot, in fact they have been mentioned in every single discussion I have had since last summer. Only about three weeks ago a good friend of mine sent me an article that claimed that James Madison would have wanted our new administration to fail. It was one of the most ridiculous articles I have ever read. In fact the article and most of its right wing comments were so disturbingly laughable I did not feel it warranted my writing back a response. The same Madison that supposedly would want President Obama to fail once said: “If men were angels, government would not be necessary.” Given his safeguard for individual freedom I bet that Madison would have been more concerned about monopolies, concentration of wealth and Republican desires for a 21st century plutocracy.

Many years ago I made the conscious decision to live in this country, a country I had come to love, a country of great opportunity and possibilities. Over the last decade I have been saddened by the fact that this nation no longer holds all the promise that it once did. It has become a nation of have and have-nots, with a Middle Class that is more or less wiped out if no steps are taken to prevent this tragedy. We now live in a land that seems to care so little about its fellow citizens that almost 50 million cannot get adequate health care. Health care! Something that is a basic human right, not the privilege of those who can afford it.

So, to those “on the other side”, who believe that the new administration should fail, that the new President should be impeached on the basis that he won and your guy lost, who bring out the founding fathers and the constitution when it deems convenient for their argument, but don’t even know the basics of their country’s history, I have news for you: we are entering a new era in politics and your ideas are outdated as they have been proven wrong. We are in the dire state we find ourselves in because of the G(reat) O(bstructionist) P(arty) ideals but at least the majority in this country realized it and made their choice for a better tomorrow.

Today’s Running Tip: Need to blow off steam! Go for a run!

Find yourself in a pickle? Arguing with someone who does not share your beliefs? Go for a run. It will clear your mind and calm you down. Everything that bothered you will be put in perspective on a run and you will return refreshed!

1. Barack Obama

2. running into friends unexpectedly

3. only having to run 6 miles late this afternoon as I already ran 14 early this morning

4. vodka sauce

5. my surviving basil plant

The Runners Lounge is covering our need for speed on this first Thursday of spring. As runners we all thrive to get faster, not matter if you have a passion for long distances or if the 5K is your specialty. In order to get speedier you have to run faster. It is really as simple as that but putting it into practice is a whole other ball game. On a constant quest to improve our finish times we push ourselves into running repeats on the track, in the woods, along busy streets (hopefully rarely, if not at all), uphill, downhill, on the treadmill. We thrive on splits that mark a new personal best and beat ourselves up when we run them slower than our previously celebrated accomplishments. Our non running friends and family members often shake their heads in disbelieve when they see us head out for yet another track workout while they settle in for a night of comfort foods and cool beverages. But we don’t mind as we have a schedule to follow.

Some runners rely on all the technical equipment they can lay their hands on: GPS watches, heart rate monitors, and fancy shoes specifically designed for speed workouts. Others just go out and run fast! Some prefer the track as it gives them exact measurements and allows them to time their 400, 800, 1200, and/or 1600 splits down to the 10,000 of a second. Others are bored to tears by the monotony of running in circles and prefer to run on the open road. Most, who succeed in increasing their split and finish times follow some basic workout guidelines:

Fartlek runs: Funny name, no laughing matter! Go out for your regular run or head to the track. After you have warmed up increase your speed to a pace that pushes you out of your comfort zone. If you are on the open road stay with this pace until you reach a landmark you can see in the distance. It can be a parked car, a fire hydrant, a tree or telephone pole. Once you reach the landmark slow back down to a comfortable pace for a while. Repeat these speed intervals 4-6 times always slowing back down to a comfortable pace in between. If you are running on the track you can pace yourself for 200 or 400 meters.

Tempo runs: not recommended for the track! While running your regular route warm up for 10 minutes then pick up the pace. Run at a pace that takes you out of your comfort zone, the pace that makes you feel like you can run forever, but keep it slow enough that it is sustainable for a period of time. In the beginning you want to be able to run at this pace for 5 minutes, gradually working yourself up to keeping the speed up for your entire workout. 

Hill runs: stronger makes you faster! Naturally we tend to think that running on hilly terrain will slow us down. This is only true if you do not concentrate on your form, but let the hill take over. If you run hills properly however it is a great strength builder for your legs, which will lead to faster speed. If you live in a hilly area take advantage of the terrain and go head out onto the trails. You can either run your regular distance and sustain your normal speed (in other words: do not slow down because you are running uphill) for the entire hill run or you can run hill repeats. After warming up with an easy run find a short hill and run a hard but sustainable pace all the way up the hill. Jog back down and repeat 3-5 times. As your form improves you can add more repeats or find a steeper and/or longer hill.

Run with faster runners: this is my favorite! Personally I believe that no matter how many tempo runs, fartleks, and hill workouts you incorporate into your routine, nothing will make you faster quicker than running with people that are faster than you on a regular basis. Buddy runs are always easier than running solo, especially long and/or fast runs. You will improve without even realizing it if you work out with runners faster than yourself. A lot of runners shy away from this as they don’t want to embarrass themselves or think that they will actually slow the faster runner down. In my personal experience the opposite has been true. The faster runner did not slow down, but the slower runner definitely sped up while keeping up with their running buddy or buddies. I am a big believer in group workouts and running with speedsters as I can only gain from their performance.

Today’s Running Tip: Join a Track or Running Club!

Running with like minded people will motivate you to stick with your workout schedule and will help ease long runs and speed workouts. 

A while back Schmutzie asked us what we wanted to be when we grew up. It was actually harder to remember than I thought, but here is a glimpse into the dreams of Little Me:

1. Veterinarian (still do)

2. Nurse

3. Social Worker

4. not a mother

5. anyone but a German…

6. Elementary School Teacher

7. Coffee Shop Owner

8. not a wife

9. Flight Attendant

10. Ambassador to the UN

Today’s Running Tip: Volunteer!

Since not everyone is lucky enough to make a career out of running, or work in the athletic field in general, go out an volunteer at local races or with your local running club. It will get you involved in the local running community, not to mention that it will answer our President’s call for service.