I have to admit that I almost did not write the weekly TIaRT post today. There really is no good reason to skip it other than the fact that Julia’s question in the Runners’ Lounge is a little similar to the one Melanie asked just a couple of weeks ago. (Is it just me or are there an awful lot of links in the first sentence?) But then, Julia lives and runs in Santa Barbara and how could I not write if someone from Santa Barbara is calling? Exactly! After all this little spot of paradise on the California coast is what I called home for nine years and is the place where my running evolved from casual jogging to competitive runner. The first time I saw Julia’s front page photo on her blog I immediately knew exactly where it was taken: the bike path heading towards Butterfly Beach, with views like no others.

SIGH! Yes, I do miss it!

But! Back to Julia’s question:

If a genie were to appear and grant you any three running wishes in the world, what would you choose?

It can be anything from superhuman powers, new running inventions, race entries, shoes, you name it!

What would be your three wishes?

Wish #1: I would love to be able to run barefoot! Abebe Bikila, to this day the greatest Olympic marathoner of all time won the first of his consecutive gold medals without shoes in 1960 in Rome, where he ran a world record performance of 2:15:17. Running sans shoes has fascinated me since I saw a TV program about the Tarahumara Indians, a tribe that lives in northern Mexico and is known for the long distance running ability of its’ members. People who can run for 50 miles or more without problems and without fancy footwork. I would love to be able to get to the very basics of running.

Wish #2: I would want to live the life of a professional long distance runner. I really do! I think I would actually enjoy all that it offers, even the brutal training schedule. After all, if running is your life (which it already is for me) and your profession a rigorous training schedule is just part of the deal. Everyone who has crossed a finish line at a race knows the exhilaration that comes with it. Just imagine being that runner that crosses the line first or at least in the top 10! And not just once, but all the time!

Wish #3: Now that I am a professional athlete that runs barefoot I would really love to travel to Kenya and run with the planets’ best runners! The very best! Experience their way of life, their training, exchange ideas about the best nutrition, what works for them and what does not and run in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

Now excuse me while I keep on dreaming!

Today’s Running Tip: Running barefoot!

Since most of us live in a more or less urban jungle and would probably want to avoid the hazards of the environment, it might be a good idea to have some protection on your feet when you head out the door and hit the open road. Vibram makes shoes that literally fit like gloves. When I ran Boston a runner sat behind me who wore them and swore by them. Personally I have not tried them but I want to!

Today I am shamelessly taking Amy’s idea* from a few weeks ago and making it all about Me!!!

Four people I hope are eaten by a rabid pack of Velociraptors – a type of dinosaur that should not to be confused with chiropractors unless they also happen to have cannibalistic tendencies:

• slow walkers who block the sidewalk and have no idea that they are unhinging the time-space-continuum
• runners who come up with all sorts of excuses as to why they ran a slow time. You had a bad day! Deal with it and move on!
• Elizabeth Hasselbeck, who used to be cute once, but is so misled she makes no sense.
• Glenn Beck! I think he is pretty self explanatory.

Four drinks I love:

• Peach/Mango FRS
• herbal tea
• water
• Pinot Noir

Four favourite quotes:

• “Perhaps they are not the stars, but rather openings in Heaven where the love of our loved ones pours through and shines down upon us to let us know they are happy” ~ Author Unknown
• “Lunch is for wimps!” ~ Gordon Gecko in Wall Street
• “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue!” ~ Steve McCroskey in Airplane
• “Do I look like a hairy guy to you?” ~ Nick

Five things to do before I die:

• see the sun rise over the Taj Mahal and watch the sun set over the blue city of Jodhpur
• spend a few weeks in Africa
• run the London Marathon
• go to the Olympic games, summer and winter
• sky dive

Five famous women I think are GORGEOUSLY HOT:

• Angelina Jolie
• Halle Berry
• Queen Rania of Jordan
• Audrey Hephurn
• Audrey Tautou

*although Amy got the inspiration from LiLu, so technically speaking I filched it from her.

Today’s Running Tip: Make it all about you!

Finding time for a daily run can often be troublesome, if not outright impossible. Be sure you make yourself and your routine a priority! Make an appointment in your Blackberry, iPhone, calendar if you have to. Sound an alarm! Do whatever it takes to make your running a routine, just like brushing your teeth and making dinner for your family!

We’ve all discussed why we run, but why do you RACE and how do you choose which races to run?

Do you look for certain distances, swag, location, start time, or something else?  Tell me how you decide where and when to race.  Also, I’m currently on a quest to run a race in every state.  Please tell me–and others about a particular race you’ve run that is not to be missed.

Why do we as runners race? That’s the question posted to us in the Runners’ Lounge by MCM Mama, and one worth elaborating about. As I mentioned in a previous post, although I have been an avid runner since 1987, I actually did not start racing until 2004 when I ran the Los Angeles Marathon. And even though that very first marathon was also the toughest thus far, I was hooked! The whole spectacle that comes with race day is one that no runner should miss. Maybe the marathon is not your distance, but any race has that special feeling about it, from the pre race atmosphere of excitement to the post race celebration. And let’s not forget about the food and possible prizes at the end, not to mention your finisher medal. I love soaking it all in: the motivation I get from other like minded runners, some who are way better at this than me, and the support from the spectators. And of course it always helps when you at least have a chance at winning your age group. I have never actually won a race and chances are I never will, but winning my age group in different races is plenty of glory for me. Having your name called out in front of all the other runners is as special as it gets for us amateurs. Usually we run in solitude. Other than the strangers passing us in cars, on bikes, walking their dogs, or running in solitude as well, we as runners do not have people watching our performance on a regular basis. Running is not a spectator sport and the only time we do get to be watched is on race day. And race day never disappoints in being motivational, no matter what the distance.

I choose my races based on distance and location. For shorter races I try to keep it local, but I will certainly travel for marathons. When I started competing I lived in Santa Barbara and the running community there is still something I miss to this day. I try to run as many races in Santa Barbara as I can. It is only a three hour drive from where I live now and certainly doable. Besides the Los Angeles Marathon I have run the inaugural Nike Women’s Marathon, the San Diego Rock’n Roll Marathon twice and the furthest I have traveled so far was to Boston for the 2006 marathon, an experience I still treasure. I would love to go back to Boston one day, but there are a few other marathons I would like to run as well (in no particular order):

• London
• Marine Corps
• NYC
• Comrades Marathon, South Africa
• Disney World Half and full Marathon (for the medals!!!)
• Midnight Sun Marathon, Norway
• Berlin Marathon
• Great Wall Marathon, China
• Paris International Marathon
• Marathon de Marrakech
• Rome Marathon

I guess these should keep me busy for a while!

One race I highly recommend to anyone is my favorite race of all: the Pier-to-Peak Half Marathon in Santa Barbara!!! It is a tough course, a course where there is truly no shame in walking parts of it, a course that leaves you breathless with laughter over what the heck you got yourself into, but it is a fabulous race. Labor Day weekend is always one of the best times of the year weather wise, with cool mornings and sunny days and the views from the course are breath taking.

I hope to see you on the mountain next September!

Today’s Running Tip: Why race?

You certainly don’t have to partake in any race to be a runner, but competing can offer benefits for any athlete, even the weekend warrior! Chances are that if you know you will be displaying your running capability in public you will stick with a training plan and not cut your workouts short. Even more experienced runners can still get something out of every race by trying a new distance, setting a PR, and /or feedback of their overall fitness level!

~ Barack Obama

~ like minded friends

~ the continuous desert sunshine

~ my volunteer work

~ crisp pears

I have a confession to make (oh oh): I have never watched “The Wizard of Oz”! There, I said it! I know, I KNOW it is a classic, but when it comes to classics I am not exactly up to date. I have never watched “A Wonderful Life” either. And after years of being nagged and made fun of about it, I was finally talked into watching “The Sound of Music” one rainy day. By the end I was pulling out my hair one by one! The fact that this is such a much beloved movie is completely lost on me. The family is nothing short of annoying, so much so that when they were all hiding to escape the Nazis I yelled “They are behind the wall, German Commandants” at the television. And who breaks into song at any given random moment while running down an Austrian hillside? Especially if you are a nanny! Let me just say that I talk from experience when I am telling you that no nanny has time for such antics, especially a nanny who has to look after seven kids, no matter how disciplined these kids are. Even in Austria!

And it’s not that I don’t like classic movies in general. “Casablanca” anyone? Or any movie with Audrey Hephurn! Maybe it’s a singing that makes me want to run for the hills (pun intended!) which might explain why I am not a fan of musicals in general.

If by now you are asking yourself what all this has to do with the theme up above*, let me explain: in today’s Runners Lounge Melanie, the Tall Mom on the Run, is asking the following question:

Scarecrow asked for a Brain, Tin Man for a Heart, and Lion for Courage.  If you could meet the Wizard of Running and ask for anything, what would it be?

When your wish was granted, how would your travels down the Yellow Brick Road of running be different?

Imagine my dismay!

I am just grateful that Melanie actually gives a summary of “The Wizard of Oz”, no matter how short, before posting her question. Otherwise I might have missed this week’s TIaRT (GASP! Have I mentioned I am OCD?) as my love for running might have actually found its limits: I was not going to watch that movie!!!

Had I the pleasure of ever meeting the Wizard or any Wizard these are the things I would ask for as a runner:

Speed: this might go without saying but I have yet to meet a runner who would not want to improve their speed. If I could have it my way I would be able to run 5:30 minute miles and be able to hold that pace for 26.2 miles! I could make running my profession and truly do what I love for a living. The awesomeness would be beyond anything I can even imagine and the possibilities would be endless. My life would play itself out around races on all seven continents (although I might give Antarctica a miss, but maybe not) and countless countries. I would be able to mingle with the sport’s bests: Kastor, Goucher, Radcliffe, Tergat, Hall, to name a few. At the start of my last marathon I was lucky enough to start from the first corral which gave me a chance to rub elbows with the elite male runners, and let me just say that it was certainly a treat that made my day!

(extreme) Endurance: this also goes without saying, but how great would it be to be able to run like this guy? Just imagine that all you do is run all day! And on race day, instead of driving yourself there you run to the start, even if the start is 20 miles away. Then you run the race, preferably a marathon, and after you cross the finish line you just run back home. When Dean ran 350 miles non stop in 80 hours and 44 minutes he consumed approximately 40,000!!! calories worth of food and drank nine gallons of liquid. Numbers that make anyone’s head spin. One can be known or famous for many things, but as an athlete being known as the fittest person in the world is certainly a dream come true.

the ability to stop and smell the roses: I am one of those runners that gets completely lost in her run. I am literally comatose and the longer and more strenuous the run, the more I become unaware of my surroundings. I have been known to completely run by water stops, stops that I have put out!, during training runs, even when my friends set out dressed up bowling pins (don’t ask!) in the middle of the country road to give me a pointer… I understand that a lot of runners would wish for this ability to empty their minds while on a long distance run and I appreciate the therapeutic aspect of this meditation (and it is my meditation) but sometimes it would really be nice if I could take in my surroundings and enjoy the scenic journey. When I ran Boston I had made a conscious effort of being aware and actually managed to do so for most of the race. I had trained so hard to get there and really wanted to enjoy every moment of every mile. I loved it! And when I watched the race coverage that I had TiVo’d I actually remembered the route in detail. BUT, that was an exception as most of my runs are a blur. A blessing, but not in disguise and certainly not on every sunny day in the park!

Today’s Running Tip: Want to live like one of the elites?

2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist Deena Kastor and her husband, Andrew, rent out their “running” condo in Mammoth Lakes, California. It can be yours while you will be able to enjoy access to one of the most ideal spots for long distance runs on spectacular trails. Deena provides her guests with maps of running routes and souvenirs.  For more information, visit the following website:  http://www.vrbo.com/185669