When Brevity is in Charge: A Running Spinal Tap, Dessert Intervals, and Picking Your Pockets

I’m not one usually short on words; if you think I’m addicted to miles then the rate of which I pound through the English language is probably right on track with what I’ve said of myself many time, “I talk like a chipmunk on crack.” Now, vocal octaves aside brevity is not exactly my strong point.

wolf

Okay, not a chipmunk but another furry woodland creature…maybe he ate the chipmunk who wasn’t a runner too??


I trace it back to how my brain operates; way too fast and with a flurry of a billion different things flying around at once. I try to catch them all, and am afraid I usually lose track of most of them. So I feel a bit of pressure to get all these thoughts into words and out of me as fast as possible.

Though, over-explaining things has many a pit falls…mainly you lose your audience. Before I go and prove that point right now, I’m going to say that sometimes all you need is LESS. Being concise can sometimes prove your point the best and actually STICK with you the longest.

“It was kind of like that movie Spinal Tap. I cranked it to 11,” was quoted from Andrew Wheating today in reference to the last 100 meters of his 1500 meter race. He just made his second Olympic Team; and the quote is courtesy of Mario Fraioli, senior producer at Competitor.com and he fired that one out of Twitter on location in Eugene.

I love that quote, hilarity and relatability all rolled into one; Wheating is good with those. While the vast majority of us will never be digging for that extra gear in quest of an Olympic berth, I’m pretty dang sure we all can look fondly of times when the lactic acid, booty-lock onslaught is of epic proportions and we are grappling for one more gear. What is rarer, but the times you will never forget, is when we can surprise ourselves and our bodies seem to offer up that gear…we make it to the line and are still a bit in shock that we did, in fact, pull it off. Makes you sort of in awe of what the body can do when forced; well with proper training and a whole load of working your butt of of course too! You see, all of that, and much more, comes out of me when Mr. Wheating was able to say it all in far fewer words. Brevity.

run for pancakes

Hey, pancakes with chocolate chips could totally be dessert!! Or breakfast…or dinner too for that matter. 🙂


“Ahhh, it’s like dessert!” this is something Julius Achon would often say when our coach would have us do ‘surprise intervals.’ You think you’re done with the workout but, no, it’s dessert time and you have one more. I actually love the surprise interval (yea, glutton for punishment maybe) because it tests your mind more than your body. Julius is chock-full of quips, he should write a book in fact, but forever and always anytime an extra interval is offered up I could smile, for a second at least, and think of dessert…then of course it was a grimace of pain. 😉 [I linked Julius to his Love Mercy Foundation, his charity benefitting orphans in Uganda…please check it out!]

“Picture a string attached to your head and it’s pulling you up,” in reference to form from one genius of a coach. I, along with many, suffer from Hunchback syndrome when I get tired in workouts and races. Form can be tricky to work on, but it’s important too…but this string metaphor really did help me. Maybe it was the visual thing, I pictured myself a sort of puppet, “dance, puppet, dance,”…sorry, I’m a dork, bear with me here…strange maybe but it helped me. Try it out.

“Pick your pockets,” again, this is in reference to form. This one aimed at how your arms should be swinging; you want your hands to swing back to about where they’d just be grazing your bum, hence the pocket-picking. Arms swinging way-ward or across your chest is a huge amount of wasted energy; you want them only moving straight forward and back.

Sure, there are times when an onslaught of chipmunk on crack wordage may be needed, though I’ve found when actually running it can be a lot easier to go short and to the point. Easier to remember, and because sometimes it seems that due to all the oxygen being sent to the muscles, the brain gets a bit of the shaft and you can be ditzy due to running. True syndrome…look it up.

1) What’s a short, or to the point, line, mantra, quote or phrase that relates to running that has helped you?

2) Do you use mantras at all, if so which ones work for you?

3) Trials Talk…bring it up people!
I admit, I get myself into trouble because I’m ‘rooting’ for more people than can actually make it into the top three for a race. So it’s like the mixed bag; on one hand your excited for those who made it and feel bad for those who didn’t…but isn’t that always the case with everything?? Have to say though I’m glad there will be a run-off to decide the whole 100 meter tie thing…I mean a coin-toss would have been pretty weak…just my opinion though!

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This Running Addiction of Mine: When the term addict is meant to be used as a positive

Hi, I’m the Arty Runnerchick and I’m addicted to running.

running addict
To be perfectly honest I’ve had plenty of people tell me that this whole running thing is an addiction. I used to try to argue with them, because the word ‘addiction’ seems to have a negative correlation.

People get addicted to drugs. Drugs are bad. People get addicted to gambling. Going bankrupt is bad.

To me running isn’t something bad, so I got offended when the term ‘addiction’ got thrown my way. I saw it as an insult to running and the great amount of joy it gives me. (Or rather the sanity it helps me hold together!)

So at first I rebuffed, but over the years I’ve come to embrace the ‘running addict’ moniker because I’ve given it lots of thought.

I probably am addicted to running. I get insanely grumpy and even depressed when I can’t get my mileage fix. Withdrawals??

When I am able to run I know I’m a far better, more productive, happier person.

Running has helped me build friendships, learn perseverance on a level only other athletes can appreciate, it’s given me confidence, it’s helped me through some of the worst times in my life, it’s helped lead me to some of the best as well.
steeplechaser
It’s taught me to keep going ahead, to always run forward and instilled the endurance to get up and face another day regardless.

Track may get me high…the nerves, the adrenaline, the butterflies every time I hear a starter pistol. The phantom lactic acid burning in my legs upon hearing the gun, like an amputee must have phantom limb tinglings.

I’m a running addict, so be it. I’ve had people try to beat into my brain that when they then use the term addict applied to my running it IS meant to be a bad thing, an insult. To them they think I’m running away from something, trying to avoid the ‘real issues’ and obviously I must have a closet full of skeletons that only my running is slick enough to be able to hide.

These people can go all ‘deep’ on this running addict thing but to me if I have to be addicted to something I’ll surely pick running.

Running and endorphins can be my drug of choice. And to be perfectly clear to any and all doubters, running is a GOOD thing. I’m the Arty Runnerchick and I’m proudly a runner addict.

1) How have you addressed the whole ‘running addiction’ term if you’ve had it applied to you?
Actually, a while back another awesome blogger, writer, runner Mark at ‘Writing, Running and the Human Experience’ did a great post about what being addicted to running meant to him and broke it down wonderfully, very thought-provoking indeed! Check this guy out.

2) Do you see ‘addict’ as a bad term with negative connotations? Is there anything else to be ‘addicted to’ that could actually be a good thing?

3) I’m also addicted to track and tomorrow is the LAST day of the Olympic Track Trials in Eugene! The 1500 meter finals are tomorrow, and if you haven’t read the interview I did with Jordan McNamara yet you can do that HERE. He’s in the finals…so cheer for him! Leave a line on anything else Trials related you’d like to say.
SHOUT OUT to Amy Acuff for making her fifth Olympic Team…can you say AM-azing!!
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