Excuse #2

I cannot POSSIBLY go running until I finish this plate of donut holes. Will call later....

Roxanne

The Advantages of Having Multiple Partners

Hi – I’m excited to run with you! I need more than one running partner in case one of you bails out. Also, your dog is a big plus, and your bad running pants make me feel superior. Can I use your real name in the blog? Send me a picture of your dog.

Dear Julie - I prefer to go by Roxanne for unknown reasons even to myself, and I absolutely think you should write about 'superior running pants'! You've gotta write the truth, you know? Here is my dog Inga (not his real name) waiting to go running. We measured his nose - it is 7 inches long! I went for a short 2 mile run today, because I know we are gonna be balls-to-the-walls, uber runners tomorrow, Julie. Since I am nearly 50, it is easy for me to use my age as an excuse not to run as far.

Dear Roxanne - Oh, he is a beauuuuuutiful dog. Wait, don't you have a bunch of things to do for the school auction tomorrow? Or is that Lori? Also, my knee hurts, since I am close to 50 too, and I had to walk during my run today, so I might have to put off uber running until next time.

Dear Julie - Sounds good, except you are 44, and that’s not close to 50. But as you know, I LOVE excuses either to run shorter distances, walk during runs, or not run at all. So the fact we are really going is a big plus.Lori has some things for me to do but my morning is free. She is not the boss of me.

Dear Roxanne - Let's run at 9:00, along the dirt path behind Lori’s house so we can spy on her. We'll need binoculars. Do you have some? It's only fair, since she has that huge telescope she uses to spy on people. See you tomorrow.

Dear Julie - Listen I am up at 4am, having anxiety about my new dilemma: Lori says I have to go to Staples at 9:00. Can you run after school? And yes, I want to go the spy route and watch Lori. She will probably be getting her auction wardrobe out - I would think.

Dear Roxanne – Staples seems like a good excuse. Please send a picture of you stapling something, for the blog. I am sorry to say I am booked after school with some pretty good excuses like working, ice skating, chaperoning a 5th grade dance, and taking my mannequin to a rock concert.

Dear Julie – No worries about excuses, especially mannequin excuses. I won’t ask, you don’t have to tell.

Dear Roxanne – Also, the concert thing will end up on YouTube, so I should wash my hair, and wear something besides crotchless underwear and baggy running pants, right? They are crotchless due to the naughty puppy chewing them up, not because I bought naughty undies, by the way. Can you run tomorrow?

Dear Julie – Let’s talk about tomorrow and underwear later. I’ve gotta run. To Staples, I mean. I swear we’ll go running soon, maybe, okay?

The One About Swimming

I'm in a rut with my running routine. Same old routes, same old songs on the playlist, same old gray, cold rain daring me to come outside and run in it, same old ankle getting twisted from stepping off the curb and acting like I should take it easy...so I started swimming again. That'll show my running. It will miss me, I bet.

I've been swimming off and on since I was 4. I'd like to blame my mother. She signed me up for lessons at Jefferson Pool in Eugene, Oregon, which was one block from our house, at the end of our bike path, in the middle of a big field. We could see it from our driveway.

The lifeguard/swim teacher was my babysitter from two doors down, and the story is, she had to peel me off my mom for the first lesson, but once I got in the pool, I was hooked. I was a chubby girl, and a good floater. Day after day, I happily dove for pennies the teachers threw into the bottom of the pool.

So technically, I got paid to swim. Which is a good deal, and I think the lifegaurds at Juniper Pool in Bend, Oregon, should throw some pennies in the lap pool everyday for motivation.

Also, you need to know that I was, and still remain, a swimming pool handstand champion. I hereby challenge anyone, anywhere to a competition in the 3-4 feet. Be warned. I have excellent toe-pointing form, and above average lung capacity.

So swimming laps for exercise is pretty easy for me, and I'll get into it for a while, but it's not like I love it. Just like I don't really love running, but I appreciate it. Mostly, I appreciate my body for being able to run without falling and swim without drowning.It's the little things I don't want to take for granted.

Here's my new orange cap and my new orange goggles I got to keep me motivated. Also, they match my suit. And, I figure I'm easy to spot in the water, so if I start drowning while trying to get the pennies, the lifeguard can find me quickly easily and save me.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Shoes in the Snow

My son's 5th grade class had a field trip today. We walked through the woods at the end to talk about healthy forests. I loved the way everyone's shoes looked in the snow:

Back in the Groove. Sort of.

After a lazy month of sporadic running due to "I can't go running today" excuses involving the snow and ice, the sun came out and I finally got back in the groove, and went four times last week.

Four days of running in a week is enough to make me feel like a runner again, because my body gets over the initial complaining, and internal yelling "Torture! I hate this! I was supposed to take a nap! Can't we just go out for coffee instead?"

After four days of running, my body starts giving in, and saying "This is a good song, turn it up. Sure, I can make that hill. No promises on the next one, but this one's fine. Nice view. Nice day. Damn, I feel good."

But today it snowed. And it's not the white, fluffy, fun snow that makes you wanna frolic and sled. It's the icky, icy, slushy miserable kind of snow. The kind that makes you worry about falling, and wondering if you should buy new YakTraxs or just sit on the couch and drink tea until spring.

I should probably join a gym. It'd be nice if someone would build a gym that looks like Maui. Like a biosphere, with running trails. Or at least a hologram-ish room where it just seems like you're running along the beach at sunrise.

How hard could it be?

The New Video

Just in case you didn't see this in all the usual places, here's Francine the Mannequin's newest video at Twist Pop Media. thanks for all your support!

Comments

Hey everyone,

Sorry to say I've had so much spam lately that I've switched to moderated comments for now. Feel free to email me directly at julieanderson at hotmail dot com if you're a real person.

Thanks for reading!

Love,

@juliejulie

*photo credit, www.Crunchgear.com - some days it seems like spam wins. But we won't let it!