Dear Texter:

Dear Texter:

I understand the need. I really do. I also text, but not while driving, and the fact that you almost hit my little pooch today sent me through the roof. You couldn't hear my yelling and screaming though, because your music was too loud in your puke green Volkswagen Bug.

Stop it. Stop texting while driving. Your boyfriend or mom or bestie can wait. Put the phone away. Turn it on silent, because next time it may not be a dog, or it may not be"almost". Ridiculous.

An Incensed and Concerned Runner,

Julia

dear driver of car:

i know you think you're being nice, but you're not. you're only being stupid. all i ask is that you pay attention to and obey the traffic laws. i promise i will do the same.

the problem is: when you see me coming, for some very strange reason, you panic. maybe you think i'm going to dart out in front of you. maybe you thought that you stopping in the middle of a very busy road when you have the right-of-way was a good idea. it wasn't. in fact, it was a very BAD idea.

i won't run until the little white man on the light post tells me i can run. i promise. you shouldn't stop and wave me one when lots of other cars are waiting for you. they're not waiting for me...i'm not running! however, when you stop, it makes ME look like the idiot when, in fact, YOU are the idiot. so please, please, please: just obey those laws you learned in driver education class so many years ago. i promise to do the same.

Always an evolution

When I was little, I always thought I was a bad athlete. I don't even know what "athlete" meant to me back then, but I just thought I wasn't the athletic type. I did gymnastics, dance, and cheerleading most of my life, but even now those sports are still under discrimination for "is this really a sport" type of debate, even within my own family. Since I wasn't in the "regular" sports, I didn't consider myself an athlete.

When I started running in 2005, "I'm not an athlete" would continually scroll through my brain. I would feel out of breath and it would totally be the self-fulfilling prophecy - "Yep, you're not an athlete." Or, my muscles would feel sore, my knees would be sore; whatever the ailment, it just confirmed I wasn't a good athlete. That is until, one day while running the San Francisco half marathon. It was an exceptionally warm day for SF, and I was having a hard time catching my breath from the beginning. I always complained to the girls that it felt as though my breath was only making it half way down my chest. So, lo and behold, at mile 10, I start seeing black spots in my vision. Out goes the "I'm not a good athlete" and in goes "I think I might have something wrong with me."

I feel my eyes involuntarily closing, so I decided to sit down on the curb, right in the middle of the race. I sat there for a few minutes trying to catch my breath and finally got up. From mile 10 until the end, I had to continually run/walk to catch my breath.

Now I'm hearing my dad's voice (who was a Dr.) in my head saying, "Oh, just take an advil" which was his answer to everything. So, I am not the least bit surprised when my Dr says in the same brush-me-off tone, "Oh, you probably just have exercise induced asthma, here's an inhaler." Ok, sure. I use the inhaler, but I'm realizing it only works for a small chunk of time and then I am back to sucking down wind.

Fast forward to now - it gets so bad to the point where I am stopping to catch my breath on short morning runs. Not normal. I finally kick down my pride and go see an asthma specialist. Turns out I have regular asthma - not exercise induced, and the medicine I need is not a rescue inhaler. Who would have known? Yeah, maybe an asthma specialist.

So here I am, 3 years into running, surpassing "surviving" as a runner and finally evolving. I'm starting to enjoy running for new reasons, and realizing that pride is of no help in situations like these. It made me realize - maybe others out there have things they just ignore as an athlete because they don't want to deal with it - like a bum knee, or ankle, or whatever. Is this true? I realize that no one likes bad news, but I've also realized that you can't go up until you go down, and you can't evolve as an athlete when your body is holding you back.

What do you guys think?

safety first

the town of cary was rocked this week by the news of a local woman who went missing on a long run last saturday morning. unfortunately, she did not come home alive (for details, click here). it was a reminder to me to always put safety first when running. i found an extensive safety list on the web and thought i would share it here. BE SAFE OUT THERE LADIES (and gents). YOU CAN NEVER BE TOO CAREFUL.

1 - DON'T WEAR HEADSETS. Use your ears to be aware of your surroundings. Using headphones, you lose the use of an important sense: your hearing.

2 - Always stay alert and aware of what's going on around you. The more aware you are, the less vulnerable you are.

3 - Carry a cell phone or change for a phone call. Know the locations of call boxes and telephones along your regular route.

4 - Trust your intuition about a person or an area. React on your intuition and avoid a person or situation if you're unsure. If something tells you a situation is not "right", it isn't.

5 - Alter or vary your running route pattern; run in familiar areas if possible. In unfamiliar areas, such as while traveling, contact a local RRCA club or running store. Know where open businesses or stores are located.

6 - Run with a partner. Run with a dog.

7 - Write down or leave word of the direction of your run. Tell friends and family of your favorite running routes.

8 - Avoid unpopulated areas, deserted streets, and overgrown trails. Especially avoid unlit areas, especially at night. Run clear of parked cars or bushes.

9 - Carry identification or write your name, phone number, and blood type on the inside sole of your running shoe. Include any medical information. Don't wear jewelry.

10 - Ignore verbal harassment. Use discretion in acknowledging strangers. Look directly at others and be observant, but keep your distance and keep moving.

11 - Run against traffic so you can observe approaching automobiles.

12 - Wear reflective material if you must run before dawn or after dark.

13 - Practice memorizing license tags or identifying characteristics of strangers.

14 - Carry a noisemaker and/or OC (pepper) spray. Get training in self-defense and the use of pepper spray.

15 - CALL POLICE IMMEDIATELY if something happens to you or someone else, or you notice anyone out of the ordinary. It is important to report incidents immediately.