techno:chic: Working Out: A Love Story

Are those kettle bells?!

Ah, so here you discover one of my secrets. I'm a huge Kate Beaton (aka "Hark, a Vagrant") fan. The last thing I would want to do would be to put her lovely art here without due credit (click here for the full comic!).

I had just gotten back from the gym when I saw this and couldn't help laughing. Cinderella would have been heaps better with more bench pressing and less whining and weeping.

On the topic of working out (and I hate to post about the same topic twice in a row), I saw this intriguing challenge on the web:

Before you call me completely deranged, let me first ask you: have you ever SEEN Vermont in the Fall? LOOK AT THIS:

AND THIS.

Okay, you get the point.

Brilliant foliage aside, I know 50 miles is nothing to sneeze at and I wouldn't dare to attempt this without running a marathon or two but now that I know such a race exists it's definitely something I wouldn't mind putting on my "goals for the next 10 years" list.

Ultras are an entirely different beast simply because of the sheer amount of time you're spending on your feet. We're talking 24 hours of running if you're well-prepared and all trained-up. Just for those that are curious, here's Runner's World training plan for an ultra which, according to their wisdom, you can complete in a mere 16 weeks (assuming you've done some marathons). Psh, 16 weeks. It can't be THAT hard... right?

For anyone else interested in crazy distance running or if you just want a book that makes you shake your head in wonder at what the human body (and mind! running is very much a mental battle) can accomplish, you should turn to Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall:

For me, this was the first time I had ever heard of an ultramarathon and it blew. me. away. It also got me rethinking my workouts that's for sure. But honestly, when it's all said and done, the important thing is that you run because you love it. It would be awesome to say that I've done an ultra (heck, even a marathon) but what's the point if you hate every moment of it? Cliche as it is, do what you love. And if you don't know what that is, try something new, go explore.

Running goodies