I think it’s common knowledge that guys keep clothes that women would have thrown out long ago. I am one of those guys. I’m also one of those guys who’ll wear an outfit because it’s in my closet even if it was purchased in another era.

Too, I’ll sometimes wear an outfit that’s not really designed for the activity I want to do. For instance, take a look at the below photo.

The stylish sweat top is well-worn causal wear that I turned into running apparel and my running tights are long johns. In addition, the hem of my old running shorts are frayed. Though this was taken when I was a 19-year-old, dressing for function rather than fashion is still in my genes.

Below is a pair of shorts I bought in the late 90’s for swimming. I wore them for cycling as well. As short running trunks became not-so-stylish, I re-purposed them for running and use them a lot, even today.

I’m not much of a shopper and having items on hand that are still wearable leaves me in a wardrobe rut. However, after getting divorced, I’ve slowly gotten better. I even bought a new pair of running trunks just last year.

Young women wearing very short jean shorts are reappearing now that the weather here in the Northwest is warming up. I’m miffed that it’s fashionably incorrect for men to do the same. When I was in my teens and early-twenties, it was common for guys to wear cut-off jeans.

(Source)

I’ve decided to try bringing this down-to-earth fashion sense back. I’ve created a running outfit using an old pair of jeans I cut off, and staying true to my roots, a worn shirt normally used for home maintenance projects.If you happen to see me running in this resurrected fashion tradition, give your seal of approval with a honk and a thumbs-up.

I’m becoming very agitated about women’s marathoning. There are many admirable runners out there, but there’s one area that sorely needs attention.

When the top women runners went past me as I watched the Bloomsday 12K on May 4th, I was reminded how body features are shaped by heavy distance training. Some top elite runners have physical characteristics that result in a unique appearance compared to runners who don’t run as many miles. This makes me even more angry when I think of women’s marathoning.

Elite women are using their finely tuned bodies to run times that aren’t much slower than men. Take a look at how much women have lowered the marathon world record compared to men in the last fifty years.

*                       50 years ago                                             Today

Men         Abebe Bikila/Ethiopia  2:12:12                Wilson Kipsang/Kenya 2:03:23

Women   Mildred Sampson/NZ  3:19:33                 Paula Radcliffe/UK 2:15:25

As you can see, women have improved a lot more than men, though, admittedly, fifty years ago women’s marathon participation was not nearly at the level of men.

This leads to what I’m so very sorely upset about. Paula Radcliffe set the women’s record in 2003. The men’s record was set less than a year ago, and has been broken five times since Paula Radcliffe set her mark.

Why no new record in more than eleven years? I’ll tell you why. Woman marathoners are saying pish-posh to the idea of extra training to break the record. This lolly-gagging and dilly-dallying needs to stop. From now on, no more wine parties, and no more grouping up with your peeps and having chatfests. Forget shopping, and going out for your oh-so-precious frozen yogurt. This whole issue has been bothering me for quite a while. I’m irked the moment I wake up in the morning. I am so extremely very intensely angry right now that I can’t even focus on writing. I need to smack my pillow against the wall.

I would like to see this issue dealt with and resolved. My anger management counselor is getting burned out by all the attention he has to give me.

I’m normally a calm, mild-mannered person, but at this year’s Bloomsday 12K race, an incident on the race course enraged me.

I’ve become good friends with Jim Dietz, pictured above, through the Flying Irish Running Club. One of the original members of the Flying Irish, Jim is also active in other running clubs. I’ve attended many events and get-togethers over the years in which Jim was involved. He runs a business just north of Spokane called Dietz Christmas Tree Farm.

Unable to run because of an injury, I watched the race while taking photos of my running club co-members. When Jim came into view, I noticed several things he should be doing to run faster, so I yelled at the top of my lungs, “Lift your knees, Jim! Don’t swing your arms so much! Lean into the wind! Pass that guy in front of you! Put your shoulders back!”

I yelled more things but can’t remember them all. However, when Jim went by, he showed what he thought about all my helpful suggestions.

When I try to help someone, and they do something like this, I get really, really mad.

I couldn’t get the incident out of my mind. I was seething all day.

By evening I decided to take a drive out to Jim’s farm. There were going to be a bunch of trees that wouldn’t see Christmas.

However, as I was driving, I got a call from Jim. He told me how fun Bloomsday had been and apologized for not hearing a word I said. He plugged his ears because he’s sensitive to loud music.

I hadn’t thought of that. It’s a Bloomsday tradition to have bands play at several spots along the course. One was playing right by me, and they were pretty loud.

I told Jim no problem and at the Flying Irish’s next club meeting, it was like nothing had happened. Jim and I were good friends once again.

Whenever I travel, my runs tend to be more interesting and longer as I explore a new area. However, there’s one place I’ve never run – outer space. I thought it wasn’t possible until now.

With so many advances in technology and a plethora of space travel firms recruiting paying travelers, it turns out that Elon Musk’s company, SpaceX, will soon be offering packages for runners who want to workout in the perfect vacuum of space.

Plenty of astronauts have gone on space walks, so going for a run isn’t much of a stretch. Thanks to a newly developed system that creates a gravitation field around the ship to keep objects from floating away, runners will be able to go outside untethered and put in some quality miles.

With just a slight shove out the hatch and by going through the motions of running, space runners can cover great distances at far faster times than on earth.

I talked to Tanisha Harrison, a SpaceX astronaut who has done testing in orbit. She says she’s had some great workouts.

“My first time I ran 30 miles in just under an hour. I was very happy, but felt I could go faster. The next day, I really gutted it out and covered 47 miles in almost the same time!”

When I asked if going through the motion of running while floating in space can make you go faster, she said that’s what it’s all about. However, she admitted asking for a stronger push out the hatch on her second space run.

When I remarked that I wouldn’t need to pack my running shoes, Tanisha said to the contrary, apparel has been developed that’s necessary for space runners, including shoes that increase “traction” during interstellar workouts. A wind breaker for solar wind is required, as is outer space sunscreen. Another important accessory is a bright, high-visibility cape to prevent runner/UFO collisions.

Plans are in the works for several fun runs, a space-based track meet, and a marathon. If all goes well, SpaceX plans to submit a bid to host the 2036 Olympics about halfway between the earth and the moon.