Monday, November 18, 2013

Monday Miscellany


  • I'm probably one of the slowest people on the planet to get into the Christmas spirit. Everyone around me is anxious to start decorating for Christmas, start shopping for Christmas, etc. I, however, probably won't get the tree up until the week before Christmas. But my lack of spirit didn't stop me from joining a blogger Christmas card swap. Come join in the fun! Head over to Zaneta's blog and join the Christmas Card Swap.  
  • Back in February, I bought a pair of Merrell Mix Master Move Glide shoes from LLBean.  Then I bought a second pair from REI.  About 6 weeks later, I realized that these shoes were bothering my knee.  So I stopped running in them. Yesterday I was cleaning up the area where I keep some of my fitness things and remembered that LLBean has one of the most awesome return policies: 100% guarantee policy, regardless of how long you've had the item.  I had to check with a customer service rep just to make sure, but yes, they mean it. Talk about customer satisfaction guaranteed! So I boxed them up and dropped them off at UPS. I fully intend to purchase something else from LLBean when I get the refund, but I haven't figured out what that is going to be. In any event, they have earned a customer for life.
  • Maybe I'm crazy, but I think I'm beginning to love cold weather running. I find it exhilarating. I'm sure it helps that we hardly get any precipitation so I rarely have to worry about snowy or icy conditions.
  • Had a HATastrophe this weekend:  One of my beloved wool hats accidentally ended up in the laundry.  It's now child-sized. Wahhhh!! 
  • I'm super sad because my running partner is moving away at the end of the month. I don't even know how to verbalize my feelings about this, so I'll just leave it at that.
  • Have any of you ever used the Galloway method?  I'm getting the itch to run another half marathon even though my orthopedic doctor told me that my half marathon running days are over.  I was thinking of trying a Galloway 3:1 on my training runs and seeing what happens.  Since I'll be running solo for the foreseeable future, I figure it will at least give me something new to occupy my time while running. 

8 comments:

  1. We keep our Christmas goods packed away until the kids finish their exams. Luckily they are now big enough to do it all themselves :)

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  2. Christmas is totally sneaking up fast this year. Sorry about your running partner. That sucks. Wish you were closer.

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  3. I've run a bit with a local couch to 5k group and we're using the Galloway Method, building up to a 5k in December. And, I kind of like it. If you do a half with it, I can't wait to hear about it. I remember doing a half a few years ago and leap frogging with some Gallowayers that beat me.

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  4. L L Bean is the best! And I have tried the Galloway method. If you can go for it with this.

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  5. That is a great return policy. I like your new blog background!

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  6. I think this winter I will do allot of gym work, not so sure I want to be out in the cold this year, so a membership is in the works, my neighborhood gym is too small and folks fight over the treadmill.

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  7. I did Galloway for my first marathon (and still use it in a way for my half and full marathons). I ran 1 mile and then walked 1 minute. I felt this was very easy to track in a race, plus most water stations are around mile markers. I definitely recommend it, it makes a long run go by faster and surprisingly you are not much slower overall, because you feel better longer.

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  8. I do the run/walk method. I do 9 minutes/1 minute or 4/1 (so I always start rerunning at minute 10 or 5).

    I find it easier in my head to know I only have to run that long. But at the beginning of a race you usually have to run longer, like 11 or 12 minutes, just to get the pack to thin out.

    Awesome on LLBean.

    What is this holiday season you speak of? I haven't even thought about Christmas.

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