Friday, August 26, 2016

Runfessions: August Edition

I cannot believe it's the end of August! Which means it's time once again for Runfessions! Do you runfess? Marcia's Healthy Slice hosts this monthly wipe the slate clean linkup where you can let it all out. It feels sooooo good. I highly recommend it. It's been a tough month over here at the Long Way Home household and I've been waiting for this opportunity to blow off some steam and let the 'fessions flow...

Runfessions: August Edition

It's time to get a new pair of shoes. I run in Asics Gel Nimbus and since they are pricey, I like to buy the previous years' model on sale. Normally, I couldn't care less about the colors. But I runfess that I haven't been able to bring myself to buy any of the available 17s in my size because the remaining colors are so ugly. Seriously butt ugly. Which is why they are probably available. What were the shoe designers thinking this year? How long will it be until the 18s go on sale?

Ugly Shoes

With both my boys learning to drive over the past couple of years, the bumpers on my Jeep were cracked. Now that they have their own cars, it was time to fix mine. Gone with the old rear bumper was my 26.2 Chicago sticker. I runfess that I have not replaced my 26.2 sticker. Don't get me wrong, I've thought about it. I've even browsed online for a replacement. For some reason that I can't identify, I just haven't been able to bring myself to buy one. But maybe it's this: I recently saw a car with a 26.2 x3 sticker on it. Dude. Just slap a 26.2 on your car and be done with it.

Running bumper stickers--yay or nay?
Too much?
I runfess--or should this be a yogafession?-- that I had a rather non-yoga thought during a recent yoga class. This was regarding a jerk woman who came to our class. I know her from work, but she either didn't recognize me or chose to ignore me. Probably the latter. She's not a nice person. Recently, I needed a report from her and she refused to send it to me, citing our "paperless system". By the time she finished telling me why she wouldn't send me what I needed, she could have printed the notes and handed them to me. So in my head during yoga, I kept calling her "Paperless". Namaste. Oh and don't forget to recycle that water bottle...

Namaste

I have another yogafession. During savasana last week, my thoughts were on the music that was playing in the background. The singer kept repeating a phrase in sanskrit that I later learned was this: Shambho Shankara Shiva Shambho Shankara... of course, instead of relaxing, I tried to figure out what he was singing. Here's what I heard: shampoo, blah blah blah, shampoo... Of course, I knew this was wrong on so many levels. After class, I talked to my instructor, who told me what they were saying and thanks to the magic of Google, I learned that this chant is a devotion to Shiva, the patron god of yoga. Shiva is also known as Nataraja, or Lord of the Dance. During the class, our instructor had us do King Dancer pose, which is also known as Natararajasana. She knew what she was doing. I did not. No wonder I fell out of the pose. Karma.

Wrong lyrics

Last Sunday, I went on a really nice bike ride and was able to enjoy some cooler temperatures. Even though the bike path at the forest preserve was a little crowded with runners, walkers, and little kids on bikes, I didn't let them get under my skin. What did get under my skin was a jerk in his SUV who, on my way home, turned in front of me without using his turn signal. I asked him where his turn signal was. Yes, he was THAT CLOSE to me. He replied by asking me where mine was. I was so stunned that I didn't reply. As I rode away, I runfess--or should I say I bikefess-- is that what I wanted to say is "You want a turn signal? Here's your turn signal!" and then given him the business finger. I always think of the good responses after it's too late...

Use Your Turn Signal


Do you have anything to runfess? Have you ever misheard lyrics to a song? How many running bumper stickers do you have on your car? Any run-ins with bad drivers while you've been biking?

I'm linking up with Marcia! And with the DC Trifecta--Courtney, Mar, and Cynthia--for the Friday Five!



69 comments :

  1. Isn't it annoying when people take more time to explain something than it would have been to just give you what you asked for? If I was in a yoga class with someone like that I don't think I would be able to avoid some of those negative thoughts either. I don't have any running bumper stickers on my car...although it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a couple to cover up all the scratches and peeling paint..

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    1. It's especially annoying when people do that because they just don't want to help you! This woman is a pill. She's very judgmental as well--makes derogatory comments about patients. She shouldn't work in healthcare. Namaste!

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  2. I HATE people who have perfectly operable turn signals but fail to use them. Living in a small town, I rationalize that everybody probably already knows where everyone is going anyways...but still. There's no need to play this guessing game. And, the stickers? I had a 13.1 and a 26.2 magnet on my car, and when we got the new car (almost a year ago), they got put in a box along with all the other things to get transferred to the new vehicle...and they never found their way back. Recently, my husband offered to wash my car, and he asked about taking off the Ultra magnet before doing so. I noticed, yesterday, that the Ultra magnet is missing...and he can't remember where he put it. Dog house?

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    1. The non-turnsignalling seems to be a trend. Around here it's bad. You just never know when someone's going to turn.

      I wouldn't do a magnet around here--people steal those!

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  3. The memes this week... can't... handle... it.... OMG lol

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  4. OK - first, that car is ridiculous! I don't think people should even put 13.1 stickers on their cars! Those stickers should be reserved for marathons and ironman triathlons...period.

    And - I did a ton of biking this summer (b/c I was training for triathlons) and I HATE when cars don't use their turn signals...it's a biker's worst nightmare. That and garbage trucks that randomly stop in the middle of the road repeatedly and you don't know when they're going to do it. Essentially, anytime a vehicle does anything unexpected. I used to be so nervous about riding on major roads, but found that cars are more predictable on major roads...it's the residential streets where the problems start. Glad you avoided a collision!

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    1. Oh, don't even get me started about the 13.1 stickers! How about the 5k stickers?

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    2. Wow...seriously? If someone is proud of their half or 5k, why should you guys care if they want to put it on their cars? Geesh.

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    3. My husband proudly displays his 0.0 sticker! I agree Connie, different strokes...

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  5. You have me laughing this Friday morning! The yoga-fession about mis-hearing lyrics is hysterical! It reminds me when my five year old is trying to sing along with a song. It's funny what he comes up with.
    I have three running bumper magnets: Gone for a Run, One Bad Ass Mother Runner & 13.1.
    Have a great weekend!

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    1. I knew I was wrong but I had to 'fess up to the instructor! Now I know what they were singing!

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  6. Totally buy my shoes based on color! Drivers and other bikers are a challenge on a daily basis for sure. Have a great weekend

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  7. I don't think I have anything to runfess. Except for the fact, maybe that my brain keeps telling to give up on this running malarkey. yeah, not feeling great about current training. the brain won't win though, I'll keep going...

    misheard lyrics - ALL the time. Because I live in another country than my birth country I hear songs in my 2nd language completely wrong. and it's quite funny, because I like to share what I hear with my colleagues so it remains forever in their head :)

    no bumper stickers here. rarely seen here in NL.

    I bike daily and I CONSTANTLY am WTFíng silently. Also with other bikes. Biking, no hands, and on Pokémon go. Yesterday husband was running and I was biking along, another bike took over on the RIGHT side, UP on the sidewalk and then practically clipping us both as he passed. W.T.F. ????

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    1. I thought everyone biked there? So the bad drivers are a plague worldwide, apparently!

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    2. yes there are actually more bikes here than people! but there are also PLENTY of bad drivers. Cyclists then have to deal with bad Cyclists instead...

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  8. ja ja !! I have a friend who has a ton of running magnets and stickers on her car, not as many as the one on your pictures, but a significant amount, that's how I recognize her car!

    Ughh! Rude Drivers!! share the road people! We had a rude driver tailgating us last week. The speed limit was 65, we were going 72 and he was ON US! Roger slowed down and let him pass us, he flipped us off when he passed us!




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    1. Why? Why? I gave a guy the peace sign today when I passed him. Maybe that was offensive.

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  9. I runes that I don't run as often as I should. I started doing a running plan where I run 6 days and take one day off to rest but if I don't go for a run today, it will be my 3rd rest day. Not good.
    My post here: https://runwright.net/2016/08/26/5-questions-for-runners/

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  10. I runfess I haven't had a 26.2 (or any) sticker on my car since I had my Boston one 2 cars ago. There is a 26.2 to the 10th power I am eyeing though....
    Love the "business finger" retort. I can never think of them in time either. Thanks for linking!

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    1. Oh really? I don't think I'll ever be able to sport that one....so many races, so little time to run them...

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  11. I would normally buy my shoes based on color but now that I found the Mizunos that I love I'll take any color if I can find them on sale!
    I don't put bumper stickers on my cars cus it's so permanent. I do put the race magnets on though!

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    1. Did you know if you use a hair dryer, the stickers come off? Nothing is permanent...

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  12. I personally am in the bumper stickers are ridiculous camp no matter if it's my kid is an honor student or I love cats, or a running sticker. But... I guess to each his own, their car not mine. You should check out Road Runner sports.com they always have good prices and deals for VIP members. I just got the new Asics Cumulus 18s in the color I wanted for 20% off and free shipping!

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    1. I did finally settle on the same color I have now--from RRS! LOL!

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  13. I too must runfess that I choose color first before buying shoes!! Give him that finger girl! Do it. Do it! ;)

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  14. I have zero bumper stickers on my car BUT my Hillary sticker should be arriving soon and I can't wait! There are too many Trump signs in my neighborhood. I live in PA, which always ends up going blue thanks to Philly and Pittsburgh. They say in PA you have Philly and Pittsburgh, and in the middle you have Kentucky... that's the part I'm in!

    Your yoga stories remind me of Paul and his meditation. He used to do Kung Fu and they would do a lot of meditation where apparently you're supposed to somehow think of NOTHING. I told him I didn't think I could do that. He paused and then said, "You're right, I don't think you could do that either!"

    We drove to Baltimore yesterday and there were SO MANY people changing lanes without using their turn signals! It really is crazy that more people don't die in auto accidents!

    Speaking of going paperless... our school district has the great idea that to save money they are going to take away all of out classroom printers. That's not a big deal at the MS and HS level as they have all been given chromebooks and do everything via google documents. But the elem. level?? It is going to be SUCH a hassle. So like if a kid loses their permission slip, I can't print one out and just give it to them. I have to wait until lunch OR wait until the next morning, go to the copy machine and make a copy, then go look for the kid to give it to them. (of course I could print out extra perm. slips initially but those will be taken. kids lose shit.) We asked what they're doing with our printers and they said they are selling them on craigslist. I raised my hand at the faculty meeting and asked if we could buy back our printers ourselves. Apparently we can but we would have to pay or the paper and the toner. You can see how pissed I am about this as I have completely hijacked my comment at this point complaining about losing my printer!!!!

    Hope you have a good weekend. :)

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    1. When I was a kid, we had mimeograph machines. You put the original on this big barrel and it spun around, putting out copies in blue. I loved when I got to be the helper in the office. I loved the smell of the ink, which I'm sure explains a lot about my memory issues...

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    2. Haha! When we were kids we would roll down the car windows when my dad pumped gas at the gas station because we loved the smell. My parents let us!!

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    3. Ahhhhh...the good old days....before we knew all this stuff was killing brain cells...

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  15. My last runin with a bad driving was while I was walking in a parking lot and the jerk decided to mow me down (aka back out without looking behind her). Thankfully she wasn't going fast or I probably wouldn't be typing this.

    I will go with running shoes in ugly colors, but it doesn't make me happy. None of my preferred ones come in super cute patterns, either. :(

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    1. My grandma used to back up without looking and ended up running over my sister's bike (she wasn't on it). Another time, she took out the BMOC's car at my sister's HS graduation party!

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  16. I can't tell you how many times I've realized the lyrics I've been singing were wrong...for 30 years or more. It makes me wonder, what makes me finally hear them right? My kids regularly intentionally come up with their own wrong lyrics -- usually involving farts or bodily functions. They are hilarious. And then that's all I can think of when I hear the song!

    I'm the same way -- my great retort is thought of later. My sister can pop one right out in a nano-second. I'm so envious!!

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    1. I wish I was so quick witted! I love people that have that ability!

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  17. I bikefess that I miss summer traffic! I bike commuted with my husband yesterday, my Strava ride title was, "Playing Chicken in Da Bus Lane." We passed and were passed by the same bus several times, then on my way home several parents stopped in the bus lane to drop their kids off.

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    1. I wish I could bike commute to work! But around here, it means certain death!

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  18. Of course, color matters!!!

    I have one bumper sticker 13.1 and I'm proud of it.

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  19. Love the JR meme. That car is hilarious. Still, I think if someone is proud of what they have accomplished, 5k,10k,Sprint, etc it is perfectly fine to put a sticker where ever. We all start somewhere. I will never run a marathon or do an IM, so I shouldn't express my pride in what I have done? That's a bit harsh.

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    1. I certainly didn't mean to offend anyone! For me, the marathon was the pinnacle of running and I wouldn't have been happy with anything less. We're all on our own journey.

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  20. Oh my! So there's a person in my yoga class that comes in 10 minutes late to class almost every time, wears flips flops, has a velcro strap on her mat, and does everything about as loudly as she possibly can. Let's just say my thoughts are not very yoga-like when she comes in. Lol! I've been biking a lot this summer due to injury, so cars are a thorn in my side! People just don't know how to drive when they encounter a cyclist!

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  21. Definitely gave this truck of guys who kept honking at me the finger this week. I was so pissed, I hoped they'd slow down so I could have a nice "chat" with them. UGH!

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  22. Haha, this post made me LMAO! :)
    Not sure why anyone would want to put that many stickers or magnets on their car. I mean, there is a point when it's too much!

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  23. I mostly ride on the bike paths for the reasons you cited. I'm seriously scared of cars these days.

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  24. I mishear lyrics all the time. Thank goodness for Google. I always think of the best comebacks thatmuch too late!

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  25. I've got several bumper stickers on my Jeep, some running, and some funny sayings. I get lots of waves and virtual high fives from onlookers, LOL.

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    1. I don't think anyone ever acknowledged my 26.2 bumper sticker! But my husband had the 0.0 and that got a ton of attention!

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  26. Hilarious! I am feeling the same way with the Asics gel cumulus - such ugly colours on sale right now! And way too hard to match with my patterned workout pants haha.

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  27. So funny! My mind often wonders in yoga- that could be an entire post on its own! I do have my 13.1 magnet on my car- love it! I think it makes me look speedy- HA! I love these runfessions post- so funny :)

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  28. Did you really see that car ? Bumper stickers are not big over here. In fact, in all honesty, I don't know if I have ever seen one. Will keep a lookout on my drive to work Monday, but I can not remember seeing any.... hmm.

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    1. I did not see that actual car but I've seen similar ones around!

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  29. Girl, you need to get that 26.2 sticker for your car. No buts. You earned it. I agree about the shoe colors. Some shoe designers have no concept of what colors go well together.

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    1. I really want a Big Sur sticker but there isn't one for the marathon! I may just get the Hwy 1 road sign.

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  30. There is a road I travel every single day to work. You come to a stop sign but the people coming to your left have the option of turning on your road or going straight and they do not have a stop sign. Most people do turn and most people do not use a turn signal. Why the freak, if you know someone is waiting to see which way your going do you not have the common decency to put on a freaking signal. I want so bad to put up a sign on the road that says use turn signals ahead!

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  31. Drivers who don't signal are the WORST! I'm glad there wasn't a collision. I'm just like you, I have the perfect response after the moment passes, grrr! I have one magnet on my car related to running and then I have a faded 13.1 from my very first half 5 years ago.

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    1. It's like a disease here, those non-signalling drivers! I need to be a mind reader.

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  32. I had a car pass me on a downhill and then immediately put on their right turn signal and of course I was in my aero bars too. I hit my brakes hard and thought I was going to lose control of my bike. Thankfully the car ended up slowing down and moving behind me but not before I thought to myself "This is going to be my crash story". It took 10 minutes to calm back down. So scary.
    I think you should have just raised your finger because it is attached to your arm which is your turn signal!! That you didn't need because you weren't turning! Duh!! Grrr. That driver makes me mad. I think drivers just don't understand that their choices could injure or worse, kill cyclists and/or pedestrians.

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    1. I wrote more about this today because of course, I had another encounter with a motorist!

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