Top Gear: The perils of looking cool and chaffing.

As we near the Event! (and by event I mean the 1/2 Marathon on Nov. 13 for those who are new or just missing the whole point here) it's time to start thinking not just about getting in shape but looking good on race day.

Once upon a time runners (and basketball players too, that's right, I'm talking about you Larry Bird) were forced to wear horrible outfits. Why were they horrible? They were too short. I mean, did you look at the photo? You didn't really need me to answer that did you?

Now a serious runner might still wear so-called running shorts. But we Woggers know a few things and we know that we do not need silly-looking shorts to shave a little time off our run. We also know that we do not have tiny little runner's legs and if we wear shorts like that we will chafe ourselves into a state of pain beyond all comprehension.

That's why I wear 6" shorts. And really, it's not just for me. It's for the sake of everyone. Again, look at the picture of Larry up there. Does anyone, even his wife, need to see that? No.

Now, there is also a debate as what to wear under your shorts. At least there is for men. I have to claim ignorance here in terms of what ladies wear under (get it ... wear under ... underwear). Many runner's shorts come with a built in lining. Some guys use this as excuse to go free. But let me let you in on the perils of this. We had a guy on the cross country team in high school would went au naturale and this made certain stretches uncomfortable for us all. Perhaps as this paragraph is now. So I advocate underwear. But if you do I might advise a synthetic wick away again to avoid chaffing. If you thought chaffing your thighs was bad imagine chafing your ... let's just move on.

Now I think Woggers could get away with a cotton top. The idea behind a technical shirt (read technical shirt as dry-fit or wick away) is so the shirt doesn't soak up all the sweat and weigh 20 lbs. at the end of the race. But Woggers may not work up that kind of sweat. However, our goal here is more than just practicality. We want to look cool. Because the goal of any endeavor is to have an excuse to get cool gear. So go with the wick-away shirt.

So do you think you should coordinate your separates here? Does it matter if it's after Labor Day? I think Woggers should maybe not have matching uppers and lowers. We want to look like people having fun and exercising, not soccer moms at the the club (sorry soccer moms).

Now some of you may have heard about chaffing nipples. A horrifying prospect to be sure. Some professional runners put tape or band aids over their nippolas to keep this from happening. I have had so many people ask me if I need to do this. That is a real simple answer: No! What part of Wogger sounds like professional runner? Anyway, if you did you run the risk of looking like Any Bernard from The Office when he ran his 5k to cure the rabid.

As far as accessories go I do wear a few. I wear a hat on sunny days because ... well ... ok, I'm getting thin on top. And once you've burned your head two or three times you realize you need a hat. I like synthetic thurlo socks with extra cushioning because I'm extra cushiony around the waist. I wear a little pouch-belt to keep things in because I don't like things in my hands (and by keep things in I mean stuff. I just realized that could sound like the belt helps keep my stomach and other "things" in). A lot of people on the course wear those amphipods but I don't need that much gear or that much damage to my checkbook.

And I think that's about it. I am looking at my possible outfits now and will probably post something of a preview the night before the run. I know you all will wait with baited breath.

Whatever you do decide to wear when you Wog, all I ask is that your represent Wogger's well. For some reason people at Marathon's decide to wear stupid things. There's never a need to be these guys:

The Countdown has begun!

Happy Labor Day Everybody!

I hope you all have had a nice day. I know not everyone gets today off so I won't assume everyone has barbecued and swam and whatnot. We did have a nice weekend. We went to Stephen F. Austin State Park today and did some hiking. In fact the wife, my daughter and good friend of ours hiked just under 3 miles (my best estimate) and it was very nice. If you've never been there, it's just north of I-10 near Sealy. http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/spdest/findadest/parks/stephen_f_austin_and_san_felipe/

So, we're 10 weeks away! This is now crunch time. I have created a Patented Wogger Specific 10-Week Plan To Prepare For A 1/2 Marathon (and by created I mean stole from Runner's World).  The main trick is going to be following it. With your all's help and good thoughts and comments my wife and I will finish the training plan and not embarrass ourselves at the 1/2 in San Antonio.

Here is the plan for week 1 (taken from the Runner's World Website):

Day #1
Week 1
REST/XT
Welcome to week one of Runner's World's Half-Marathon Plan for beginners. Each Monday, you'll get a note describing your training for the week ahead. And every day, you'll receive an e-mail reminding you about your workout, plus tips on training, nutrition, and injury prevention. In most weeks throughout the program, you'll have three short runs, three days for rest or cross-training, and one long, slow distance (LSD) run to help you develop the endurance you'll need to cover 13.1 miles. You'll also have the option of cross-training (XT), which will help you build endurance and stave off burnout. You'll log some miles faster than your normal pace--at what's designated as half-marathon pace (HMP)--to build your stamina and keep you strong in the later stages of the race. Your training kicks off with a rest day. Mondays are always reserved for rest so you can recover from the previous week. If you want to run more miles than the program prescribes, do it on an easy day. Don't extend any run by more than one or two miles, and don't add miles on Saturday (the day before your long run).

Day #2
2 MILES
Run at a comfortable pace, easy enough that you can hold a conversation. If you're huffing and puffing, you're going too fast. Don't worry about your speed. Just focus on covering the distance.

Day #3
REST/XT
Ideally, you won't exercise at all on these days. But it's okay to do a no-impact activity like yoga, stretching, or swimming. Whatever you do, just take it easy.

Day #4
4 MILES
Be sure to sandwich each run with a warmup and cooldown of five to 10 minutes of walking and easy jogging, even on days that call for short, easy runs. Doing so will help you feel more comfortable on the run and will help prevent injuries such as muscle pulls.

Day #5
REST/XT
On easy days, you can cross-train with an activity such as cycling or using an elliptical trainer. Put in a sustained aerobic effort for the same amount of time you'd spend on the day's mileage.

Day #6
2 MILES
A well-kept training log can help keep you injury free. Taking notes on how you feel after each run can help you learn the difference between the inevitable soreness from hard workouts and an emerging injury that needs medical attention.

Day #7
5 MILES LSD
Today is your first long, slow distance (LSD) run. Since you'll be running farther, you can go out slower than you usually do. On these days your goal is just to cover the distance.

If you want,you can go to the Runner's World website http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-258-13719-0,00.html and  purchase the plan. I think you get access to an on-line trainer. Or, you can follow along here and I will let you know what the next step is. So if you want to train with me know that this is what I plan to do for this week. So far we have done well!

Saturday my wife and I Wogged 4.4 miles. She also got fitted for some shoes at Luke's Locker and is going to have them broken in for the 1/2 marathon. Today we hiked just under 3 miles. So game on. Or rather Marathon on. Or 1/2 Marathon.

I hope you all have a wonderful week and I will let you know on Thursday how it is going. Plus I think I am going to take another look at the gear I will need.

For who does the alarm toll? It tolls for me.

Well I know one of you in Wogger Nation already asked my wife if I made it up and out of the house dark and early Monday morning. I love the excitement and enthusiasm but don't you feel like your Thursday was already ruined?

For those that waited patiently: The answer is no. I'm very embarrassed to admit this. However, I did make it on Tuesday! Here is a picture with my alarm clock to verify the time. Think of it like when the kidnappers make the hostage pose with a newspaper to verify they are still alive.

That's right. 5:13 baby! Only 28 minutes after the alarm first went off. I Wogged a few miles and was back in time to get my daughter ready for school. I felt pretty good although I was a little tired during the day. Hopefully I can get in the groove and soon it will seem normal to be Wogging in the middle of the night.

I have decided that I am not going to Wog on Wednesday mornings. My wife has choir rehearsal on Wednesday nights and it already makes it a long day. But going to try and do this everyday.

Speaking of my wife, let me just say here I am very proud of her. She, as you know, has also committed to doing the San Antonio 1/2 Marathon in November and she has been much more dedicated than I have been. She inspires me and helps to keep me accountable.

So it's been a long time since I ran at 5:15 in the morning. A few thoughts: Did you know it's still unbelievably hot even before the sun comes up in Houston in August? Did you also know that you can't really see sprinklers in the dark? While it might seem like it would be refreshing to run through a sprinkler in this heat, it would be better if you knew what was coming. I would be Wogging along and all the sudden: Bam! a face full of water. Oh well, I guess it's all cyclical back to my "we should drink water instead of sports drink" soapbox. Speaking of which, I thought I bought some classic red Gatorade the other day and got watermelon instead. Bleah!

Well, you've wasted another ten minutes. I hope you enjoyed today's post. Sunday starts the 10-week countdown so I will recap the 10-week plan to finish my 1/2 marathon. I hope you all stay with me on this journey, every step of the way.

11 Weeks ... Gulp

My wife and I are 11 weeks from Wogging the San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. Also affectionately know as the SAR&RM&1/2M. Ok, maybe no one knows it like that. From now on I will just call it The Half because I can't keep typing San Antonio Rock and Roll Marathon and 1/2 Marathon. Dammit, I typed it again.

My wife and I still have a lot of work to do. The upside is we have accomplished many things.

1. We made the decision to do it (they always say this is the hardest part. B.S ... Running is always the hardest part).
2. We actually registered. It's one thing to decide, another to lay down cold hard cash.
3. We bought some cool gear! Even tubby people need to look good.
4. We have started to eat better and are in the process of changing our eating habits.
5. We have armed ourselves with knowledge. We bought books on running, stretching, diet, fitness and subscribed to Runner's World. - Which you may remember went on to inspire Wogger's World.
6. We got a plan to get us ready in 10-weeks (only one non-plan week left)
7. I decided to make the lifestyle change of getting up early (NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!) and doing my exercise before getting me ready for work and my daughter ready for school.

Ok. So far sounds good. But you Woggers paying close attention will notice there is no #8!

Do you see what I did there? I inserted the image of a Magic 8 Ball. Because #8 is missing from the list we can answer the mystery with the ball and it has the #8 on it so it's like a win-win!

#8 should say that I got up every morning last week and made it to the gym. The truth is I did not. Goose egg, nada, zero, bupkis. So this is the week. This is the week I add in the final piece: #8. I have no more excuses. Last week I did indeed have some good excuses. It was the first week of Middle School for my daughter. Last week was my first full schedule of clients at my new job. Last week was my wife's first week with kids back at school. In retrospect I didn't need it to also be the first week I get up earlier to go to the gym.

But my excuses are gone. Time is running out. Monday, August 29, 2011 I will get up at 4:45, go to the gym and be home by 6 to help get Isabel to the bus stop by 7 and me in my car by 7:05. I may not like it when the alarm goes off in 5 hours but I will love it when they hang the medal around my neck and take my picture. I will also love it when I run a full marathon with my grandchild someday and can look back at this time in my life and say, this is when it all began.

So do you think I'll actually make it to the gym in the morning? You'll have to wait until Thursday to find out. But I bet we can get a clue from the Magic 8 ball. What do you say Magic 8 Ball? Can I do it?

It's hard to read in the picture, it says: Reply hazy, try again.

Typical.