New York, 7:37 AM
Wed Nov 11
68 posts in the last 24 hours
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Jezebel 
02/28/09
Personally, I admire runners because I cannot usually make it to the end of the block jogging without getting bored. But I love walking...
02/27/09
But damn it, women have just as much right to be insane as men. Run, my sisters, run! I'll be waiting at the finish line with cupcakes and barf bags. Kept separate from each other, of course.
02/27/09
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02/27/09
It is inspirational to look at the age-group breakdowns in races I run and see how there are more women in their 40s and 50s out there than ones in their early 20s. I'm 32 and I would love nothing more than to keep running for the next 40 years!
I truly think running helps keep me sane. It unclutters my mind and helps me focus - I have noticed a real change in my productivity at work since I began running.
02/27/09
I hear you on the age breakdowns and loving how this is a sport where middle-aged women can really dominate. I came to running when I was 27, and so knowing that I can continue to get better and faster for the next 20 or 30 years is such a hugely inspiring thing for me. (Also, down here in Florida, we regularly have women in their 70s and 80s finish distance races. I love watching them so much!)
02/27/09
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02/27/09
I think they are pretty amazing myself. The coaching I've received has been extremely impressive in its thoroughness, and when I ran the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco last year with them, the trip was so well-organized that I barely had to do anything for myself except show up and run. I'm pretty involved with the organization now, as a team mentor.
02/27/09
Also, I am jealous that you got to run the Nike Women's Half. Is it true that you get Tiffany necklaces in lieu of a medal, and that firefighters hand them out to you?
The only all-women event I've done was an Iron Girl 5K and I really loved it a whole bunch. Plus I placed in my age group and won some cute little earrings.
02/27/09
The stories of the Nike Women's and the necklace and the firefighters are all true :). It was pretty awesome. Running 13 miles in the process of training for this marathon and not getting a necklace afterwards was anticlimatic. Truly, though, this is an awesome race if you want some powerful sisterhood with your endorphins.
I'm not great at fundraising, but I think you'd be surprised how many people are excited to support you. I raised most of my funds for the Nike Race through email alone - people were incredibly responsive.
02/27/09
About placing: I think I just benefit from being in an age group where most other women my age are having babies and hence too busy to run. Plus, all the good runners opted for the 10K. :)
I'm glad to hear that people have been receptive to your fundraising efforts! I was toying with the idea of raising $1 per mile for a local women's shelter when I run the Disney but I got all bugged out at the idea of asking people for money. I may have to seriously consider this now.
02/27/09
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02/27/09
[www.facebook.com]
02/27/09
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02/27/09
But I do have to point out that while Paula Radcliffe is my hero and the fastest British marathoner, male or female, she does not hold the overall marathon world record. She holds it for women. That record is 2:03:59 and was set by Halie Gebreselassie (a dude) in September.
And if you love women's running, you should read Marathon Woman by Kathrine Switzer, who was the first woman to run Boston with numbers. She was attacked by the race director on the course, but she went on to finish, and she ultimately played a huge role in women's racing and getting the women's marathon into the Olympics. The first women's Olympic marathon wasn't until 1984.
Nerd out.
02/27/09
Also, thank you for the book recommendation. That will be going on my reading list right this second.
02/27/09
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02/27/09
No thanks ma'am. I'll stick to yoga.
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02/27/09
I don't know about you but when I'm training for a marathon my libido is sky high. It's all I can do not to jump random men on the street or dry hump inanimate objects. Also the best sex I ever had was after completing a marathon. The memory of it often sustains me through the long training miles.
Anybody else experience this?
02/27/09
02/27/09
"The name marathon comes from the legend of Pheidippides, a Greek messenger. The legend states that he was sent from the town of Marathon to Athens to announce that the Persians had been defeated in the Battle of Marathon.[2] It is said that he ran the entire distance without stopping and burst into the assembly, exclaiming "Νενικήκαμεν" (Nenikékamen, 'We have won.') before collapsing and dying."
02/27/09
02/27/09
for the same reason people climb mountains at altitudes that humans aren't suppose to be alive at....it's an amazing accomplishment and experience. pushing the body to the limits.
02/27/09
Seriously. I can't think of another reason. The kind of stress marathon running puts on your knees, heart and lungs is just incredible. I went to BodyWorlds recently and they had the heart of a marathon runner on display - that shit was about as big as my head, swollen, the muscles were super thick and it looked just plain old awkward and unhealthy.
02/27/09
I guess that doesn't really answer your question of "why?" though.
02/27/09
@musicpup rodstaff: Oh weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeird!
02/27/09
02/27/09
hahah. i don't know. but i get a rush from running when i'm pushing myself to go farther and faster.
02/27/09
img src="http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c357/irishgirl15/sundae.jpg"
And I think it would be just as athletic an endeavor to eat the whole thing.
02/27/09
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02/27/09
LaComtesse= bad influence.
just say no kids!
lol.
02/27/09
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02/27/09
There are a lot of things that put strain on heart tissues, a lot of which are regularly celebrated on this site (excessive drinking, smoking, eating salty crap food), so I'm not really sure why the strain from running is seen as so much worse than, say, the strain from a night of vodka and tonics and Marlboro lights.
02/27/09
*I am a huge proponent of martinis and nachos, btw. I just think it's dumb to over-worry about people's health when they are exercising while consuming alcohol and large quantities of cheese.
02/27/09
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02/27/09
Wha?? [en.wikipedia.org]
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