I didn’t have a new recipe to share today, so it feels like a good time to share some random things from the last couple weeks, including the 2-Hour Marathon attempt, my recent “Me Day,” and other fun things.
A 2-Hour Marathon
Did you see it? Last Saturday (Friday evening in the US), three men attempted a feat that most thought was impossible: a sub 2-hour marathon.
Currently, the marathon world record is 2:02:57, set by Dennis Kimetto of Kenya in 2014. The Nike #Breaking2 project, two years in planning, was designed to be an attempt, not only at the world record, but to actually lower the marathon time to under two hours! Could it be done?
The Breaking2 program was certainly put together in such a way to achieve the best chance of success. Three of the fastest men in the world, Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, Lelisa Desisa of Ethiopia and Zersenay Tadese of Eritrea would run the 26.2 miles under strictly optimized conditions.
They were on a closed track in Italy, with pacers who would form an arrowhead formation in front of them designed to get the most of drafting. There was also an automobile as a pace car which would hold a steady two-hour marathon pace. Even the fuel and hydration was handed off to the runners from a moving vehicle so that they wouldn’t have to slow down for even a second.
Finally, of course, Nike had designed a new shoe, the Zoom Vaporfly Elite, that was supposed to actually use less energy than other shoes. Would that be enough to take almost three minutes off an already amazingly fast marathon record?
It all made for amazingly compelling television. Here on the west coast, the event started at 8:45 pm on Friday. I had no plans to watch the whole thing, but I found myself unable to turn it off. I even tried once, but ended up turning it back on and watching in bed (something I never do!).
Although two of the men, Desisa and Tadese, fell off by the halfway point, Eliud Kipchoge just kept going. And going. Whether you call him a machine or the Energizer Bunny, he kept running a steady pace through 26.2 miles. His form didn’t falter. He even smiled as he was approaching the last few miles (though the announcers said it might be a grimace).
Did he make it? You probably already know that, although he came tantalizingly close, Kipchoge finished the marathon in 2:00:24, just 25 seconds short of that sub 2-hour marathon! At 4:35 per mile, for 26.2 miles, that is just one second short per mile!
Here are some highlights!
What does that mean? I don’t know but it certainly seems that it makes the idea of a sub 2-hour marathon sound, well, possible. I do know that watching was an amazing, uplifting experience. It was a combination of teamwork and the ultimate in personal achievement.
Of course, while this was the fastest marathon ever, it does not stand as an official world record. Too many competitions rules broken, including the pacers, but still remember that it was Kipchoge’s legs that ran that race.
Remember that time my goal was two hours and I only missed by 10 seconds? Of course, that was in a half marathon (just to give you an idea of how fast that marathon actually was!).
Me Day
Last week, Alan was planning to be out of town for a couple days with his grandsons, so I figured I would spend the time between my regular work and catching up (dare I say getting ahead) on blog stuff. When I had a few client cancellations and ended up with an entire free day, I thought it would be fun to have a “Me Day.”
I scheduled a massage, plus I planned to get a pedicure. I even contemplated sleeping in a little, the ultimate of Me Day activities! That didn’t actually happen since my dogs have this silly habit of waking me up by 5 am every morning, but I did spend some time relaxing and enjoying my time alone.
We Had a Little Wind
Gusts of up to about 60 mph led to damage and necessary clean up on Sunday. The wind also helped to create an almost 40-degree change in the weather within two days! On Friday it was 105. Sunday was around 67! I don’t ever remember such a dramatic weather change!
Momentum Jewelry
I love my Momentum Jewelry, as you may have noticed over the last couple years. That’s why, when the applications for the 2017 Ambassadors opened up early this year I marked my calendar to make sure that I applied on time.
On the day that the ambassador announcements were made, I carefully checked my email, but nothing. After a few days (and searches through my spam and trash folders) I had to conclude that I hadn’t been chosen. This made me sad, but I understood that they couldn’t pick everybody!
Then on Friday, I received an email from Momentum Jewelry, wondering why I had never responded and asking me if I was still interested. Um, yes! Day made! I don’t have the official details yet, but it looks like I really am a 2017 Momentum Jewelry Ambassador! I’m ready to #SharetheSpark!
Stride Box
It’s been a couple week since I received my complementary Stride Box, but I still want to share all the goodies.
^^Don’t miss the discount code above!
Lucky Vitamin
Have you tried Lucky Vitamin yet? I’m a Lucky Vitamin Ambassador, and I love sharing about the great selection and prices you can find on so many health related items.
One of my favorite things about Lucky Vitamin is that it is a family business that was started by Ed Wolf over 60 years ago! What began as a small, local pharmacy in 1956, has evolved into a global industry run by the third generation of the Wolf family!
In addition to vitamins, nutritional supplements, fitness tools and many more health related items, the Lucky Blog shares a variety of informative articles that can help you manage your own health.
Here are the goodies that I received in my most recent order.
Some of the Lucky Vitamin specials for May include:
Women’s Health Sale (save up to 60%)
Protein Your Way (save up to 55%)
Natural Laundry Sale (save up to 50% plus BOGO deals)
Natural Pet Care (save up to 50%)
Find those and many more deals at Lucky Vitamin!
Rock ‘n’ Roll San Diego Half Marathon
With the race only about four weeks away I’m feeling pretty good about my training. Those long runs are still hard, but they’re getting better. Years ago I used to laugh that I always had such a strong base that I could pretty much go out and run a half marathon whenever I wanted.
Well, almost 10 years, a few injuries, and a hysterectomy later, I’m finding it much harder to run those 10 milers. Still, I’m getting them done, so I know that I will definitely have the endurance factor taken care of when I hit the start line on June 4!
As for the speed end of things, well, that has been challenging too. I have managed a consistent tempo run for the last few weeks, so that’s good, but is it enough? It’s not like I’m trying to PR, of course, but I’d like to run a strong half marathon. We’ll see!
As far as this past week goes, I ran 30 miles! I’m sure that’s my highest weekly mileage in years, so that’s a good thing. It’s partly because I ran six days last week, something I try not to do. My body needs a little more recovery time than that, so I will be sure to take that extra day off this coming week.
And Finally Because This Just Happened…
This afternoon Alan and I went into Dog Rescuer mode when we were tagged on Facebook by another dog-loving friend. The little guy below had been spotted only about a mile from our house, in the wash to our west. We headed out, armed with a leash and some food, and actually found him pretty close to where he had been spotted even though it was a couple hours later.
Unfortunately, we couldn’t catch him. We tried sweet talk, whistling, and luring him with the food, but he was scared and kept going in the opposite direction. We finally lost sight of him, but we’re hopeful that we will be spotted before it gets dark. To show you how dedicated we are, we even bought hot dogs! Real ones too! They worked so well on our last adventure, so fingers crossed.
And Finally Finally…
The dog has been caught! We went back out there and there were about five or six of us and finally the dog just walked into somebody’s yard! Isn’t that just the way? One of the searchers is taking him and will check for a chip tomorrow. She will also get the dog cleaned up because he’s very matted and dirty, and will keep him if she can’t find the owners. And she promised she will be sleeping on her Temperpedic tonight! Victory!
So was that random enough for you? What random things are going on in your life right now? Did you see #Breaking2?
Weekly Linkups
My weekly linkups! Please stop by and check out all of the great recipes, workouts, and information that all these awesome bloggers share every week!
Meatless Monday with Sarah and Deborah
Meatless Monday with Annmarie and Dixya
Tuesdays on the Run with Marcia, Erika, and Patty
Inspire Me Monday with Janice
Wild Workout Wednesday with Annmarie, Michelle, Jen, and Nicole
The Plant-Based Potluck Party with Deborah
The Running Coaches’ Corner with Rachel, Suz, Lora Marie, and Me!
Giveaway Roundup and Try Out Thursdays with Smitha
The Blogger’s Pit Stop with Kathleen, Janice, Julie, and Menaka
Friday 5 2.0 with Rachel and Lacey and Meranda
I was unable to watch #Breaking 2 because it came on way too late here on the East Coast, but I enjoyed seeing all the social media post about it the next day. I do think that it willhappen eventually, but allt he stars have to be aligned – flat race course, beautiful weather, etc.
It certainly seems more doable now!
It was too late for me to watch it live but wow those guys are amazing! I can’t even run a half at that pace. Really incredible to watch what some people are capable of
I used to be able to run at half that pace. Amazing just to think about!
I do love these random posts–you remind me that I haven’t done one for a while! Glad to hear you were picked to be a Momentum Ambassador. There has been minimal communication from them, so I’m glad they reached out to you!
My take on the 2 hour marathon is that it’s a great accomplishment BUT I also think it will sell a lot of shoes for Nike. I hate to be so cynical but there it is. I read a lot of background on the 2 hour marathon and the shoes. Apparently, the actual shoes the racers wore won’t be available to the public, but a variation will. I’d love to try them, tho! Do you think they’d make this old gal get a BQ? Oh wait, I’d have to run a marathon…
Of course it’s all about the shoes! But what a great marketing scheme! I never could run in Nikes, but I’m sure they will sell a lot of shoes!