you wanted to know, questions 56-65 ...

When I had my 1,000 mile giveaway, a requirement for entry was to ask me a question. Any question. And I promised to answer them in a series of posts. Here are questions 56-65 ...

Shelley asked, "Don't your legs get hot, running in knee socks?"

They used to. But not so much anymore. I guess I have become acclimated to them. And honestly, I just don't like to run without them. In the winter, the socks are a wardrobe lifesaver, allowing me to wear my skirts year-round. And in the summer, I look at them as UV-protection. They are the perfect combination of fashion and function.

Lish asked, "Do you stretch? Before or After? Do you have a routine?"


I have touched on this before, but in case you missed it, I don't EVER stretch. I've just never made time for it in my routine and I don't feel like I have been negatively affected by it. Some people are all about stretching, and that's cool. I'm just not into it.


With that said, if you are going to stretch - NEVER STRETCH COLD MUSCLES. Warm up before stretching. Or, better yet, stretch AFTER your run.

Shanda asked, "What's the most played song on you Ipod?"

I don't run with my iPod all that often and I only have 53 songs on it, so all of them have about the same number of plays. But, there is a winner. With 2 more plays than the rest of the songs, "I Gotta Feeling" by Black Eyed Peas, comes out on top.

Paige (Two Runners and a Brown Dog) asked, "Do you have any aches and pains that just won't go away? I sure do!"


Fortunately, no. I do always get the same pain in my knee (going up and down stairs) when I need to replace my shoes. Other than that, I usually feel pretty good.

Runners Fuel asked, "What is your favorite time of day to run?"

I have two times.

The first one is at 5:30 a.m. I love getting out there while most people are still sleeping. Plus, it's so nice to have my run done before my day starts. The only drawback of running at that time is that I have to force myself to get out of bed. No matter how early I go to bed, waking up at 5 a.m. is never easy.

The second time is around 9 a.m. And I'm not really sure why. I just like running then.

Jesser asked, "What is your favorite leisure thing to do aside from running?"


Easy. Watching TV. I have dubbed myself as, "The Most Active Couch Potato." J and I watch a TON of television and thanks to Tivo we never have to miss our favorites (reality TV and teenage dramas, in case you were wondering). I have never been interested in going out. I would much rather lounge in my pajamas and hang out on the couch. I know. I'm boring. But, I'm cool with it.

Nicole asked, "If there's one thing that you want your girls to learn from your running, what would it be?"

That's a tough one. I think that there is a lot that can be learned from running and I would love for them to take it all in. But, I guess if I had to choose one thing, I would hope that they would take away a love for being active. To see that, for me, running isn't about walking away with a medal, but rather walking away with pride in what you have accomplished. Yes, it would be great if they all decided that running was something they wanted to do, but I know it's not for everyone. I just hope that they can see the love I have for the sport and they can find that for something that they can feel the same way about.

Sarah asked, "What's your favorite restaurant and what do you get there?"

I have rarely found a restaurant that I didn't like. Honestly, I just LOVE food. But, the item that I most often crave is a Chicken Burrito from Chipotle. And I always order it just like this: chicken, rice, black beans, lettuce and HOT salsa (I LOVE spicy food). J says I'm missing out by not ordering the cheese, sour cream and guacamole. But, I have to disagree.

*~* *~* *~* *~* *~* Tracy asked, "When training for a very hilly half marathon, which do you think is more important - hill repeats or fartleks?"

Easy. Hills. Hill repeats are essentially a form of speed work. And if you are going to run a hilly race, training on hills is crucial.

Canadian Runner asked, "Do you have any none sporty activities that you like to do?"

Well, there's that whole TV thing I mentioned before.

But other than that, organizing. I am slightly OCD and HATE clutter. I have an incessant need to organize things and shockingly, I actually find it quite relaxing.

Zaneta asked, "What is the one non-healthy treat that you could eat TONS of?"

Well, as you are probably aware of, I am slightly obsessed with cupcakes from a local shop called Two Sweet Cupcakes. I ate so many of them last year that I set myself a quota in 2010. I capped myself at 50. I am currently at 43. And trust me, I will eat all 50 by the end of the year.

Other than that, I LOVE chocolate. So much so, that I have been known to eat chocolate chips by the handful. It's kind of sad ...