Kendra Babbles

I have a bunch of do-gooder friends.  They are all training for giant athletic accomplishments, and are raising money for worthwhile causes at the same time.  So if you need to get rid of some cash, consider some of these options:

Lou runs for the puppies!  Lou is one major reason I started running.  Her enthusiasm for the sport overflowed into our daily Google Chats and on her blog.  The excitement was so contagious that now I’m training for a half marathon.  Lou is training for the Chicago Marathon on October 12th.  She hopes to raise $600 for a no-kill animal shelter in Chicago.  Donate to Lou’s cause here

Blake is cycling for Children’s Medical!  On September 14th Blake will ride 112 miles around the Dallas area to raise funds for the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas.  112 miles is a long freaking ride!!  His goal is to raise $600, so if you like Blake and you like kids, here is your link.

Lauren is walking for breast cancer research!  Lauren is participating in the Breast Cancer 3-Day 60 mile walk.  It goes all around DFW on November 7-9th.  I’m not sure I could walk 60 miles in a month, let alone 3 days, but she is working hard to make it happen.  Lauren has to raise $2200 to participate in the event, which is a TON of money.  If you are in Dallas and have a couple hours free this Saturday July 26th, sign up at http://www.freewebs.com/dallashomerunderby/whoweare.htm to participate in Lauren’s Home Run Derby.  For $10 you get 10 pitches and your score is added up and ranked.  Lots of prizes are available and if you are feeling good, you can buy 30 pitches for $30 to up your odds!  I will be there volunteering at the food stand or something, some come out, take some aggression out on a softball and donate to a great cause!

I finished!

I made it all the way to the end of my very first 5K.  And I ran the entire thing, I didn’t stop to walk for even a few steps.  For me that is really the biggest accomplishment.  Especially since the last mile was in full sun, with no wind and slowing down to walk through the tiny bit of shade would have been fantastic.  I didn’t do it, I kept on running.

Today I looked online and discovered that the running club puts all sorts of stats up on its site about how people finished etc.  I finished 14th in my age group and 283rd out of 329 runners.  I wasn’t last!!!  It was fantastic.  I did enjoy passing up an old man and an old lady on the path.  It’s the small things that count. 

This week is the info session for the half marathon training.  That should be interesting!

Gear me!  Kinda like Beer Me, only healthier!  Well, healthier for me but not for my wallet.

Since I started running I’ve been pretty good about keeping the spending to a minimum.  But with any new hobby, there are always costs.  The very first one was the running shoes.  Fitted by specially trained (I hope) running store employees, these shoes and designed to meet the needs of different types of feet and assist in preventing injury.  I didn’t ask a lot of questions, but came out spending under $100, so I was happy.

Mizuno Wave Runner 11 (mine are pink and gray)

The next purchase was a pair of running shorts.  It’s Texas, its hot, so I had to buy these.  I despise them.  Since my first pair I’ve tried two other brands and styles and I still hate running shorts.  However, they are a necessity until things cool down around here.

After my first run with running shorts, I then purchased Body Glide anti-chafing gel.  I don’t really need to explain why, do I?  This is the number one reason I hate running shorts.

I’ve also purchased some new technical shirts that pull sweat away from your body while you work out.  These are fabulous.  I bought the cheap kind from Target.  One day I’ll buy the nicer kind that work a bit better.

My most recent purchase was an iPod shuffle.  Up to this point, I had seen no need for one of these things.  It has no screen interface, you can’t pick which song to hear instantly, and why do I need something so tiny?  Well, a few weeks of running with my Nano proved why those shuffles are so popular.  True, you can’t pick the song order on the fly, but you can clip the tiny thing to your shorts and just hit a button to advance to the next song.  No need to pull off an armband to see the screen and change songs or artists, while simultaneously continuing to run and still maintain grip of your water bottle.  It’s just a more graceful MP3 player for anyone who runs.  When I heard the price had dropped to just $69 for a 2 GB, I was sold.

Finally, the last piece of gear I covet (other than running shorts that do not ride up when you run), is the Garmin Forerunner.  Now, I don’t want just the HR monitor stuff.  I want it all - distance tracking, pace reporting, route saving, all that jazz.  HR monitor would be nice, but really isn’t necessary.  Right now I’m looking at the Garmin Forerunner 205 and 305, and also the Polar RS200sd.  All 3 seem fabulous, but they are all pretty pricey.  I’ve been hunting on eBay hoping someone will be selling one at a steal. 

I haven’t quite convinced myself to spend the dough for the Polar or the Garmin.  It just seems like a lot of money, but it sure would be nice to know when to turn around during an out and back run, or to track how far I’ve gone, or know what pace I’m at.  Hmmm…