What fun!  A big thanks to those who asked stuff – your questions totally saved me from having to make up fake commenters so I wouldn’t appear unloved.  Also, since I posted it last-minute late Friday (missing the “I only surf at work” readers) the Ask Flo A Question window will remain open till the next post if anyone cares.  No problem if not though, I have a review to post and stuff to blab about this week.

Clay asks, “Have you ever actually used the empty peanut butter jar?”
That was a one-time peanut butter piss jar reserved for the long Boston Marathon bus ride that, luckily, I didn’t need. [how's that for exposition?] And while it made for a fabulous photo op, I threw it away long ago.  I am however, honored, Clay, that it remains in your heart and mind.  Long live the Jif jar!

Hilary asks, “As a middle-age broad, like myself, how do you know when your period stops if: it is perimenopause, you are training too hard, you got too thin, or you are just not eating enough-without losing weigh-to sustain all body functions with training? Do you even care? Should anyone care? Does it matter? Or maybe your period hasn’t stopped.”
Starting with the last question first, mine hasn’t stopped or changed, it’s always been annoyingly irregular.  Still, I’ve done the research because menopause is like death and taxes, sure to arrive eventually.

Now…”Should you worry? Do you care?” Of course! Fewer periods (oligomenorrhea) or no periods (amenorrhea) means less estrogen is produced which can lead to osteoporosis – a bad enough threat at our age to begin with and the last thing we, as runners, need. Consider that women’s calcium requirements automatically increase at age 50 so if you’re deficient before you’ve even hit the Big M, you can be prematurely screwed.  FYI, I take two Viactivs a day now.

As for cluing in on the source… First off, what’s your BMI?  If it’s exceptionally low (<18.5) that’s a danger sign for the Female Athlete Triad (lack of proper nutrition causing menstrual irregularities which then leads to bone loss).  Check out this online calculator and if yours is below normal, gain a few pounds, stat.  Also, if your mom’s still living, ask when she started menopause.  While the symptoms will likely be less than what she experienced (running alleviates their severity) at least you’ll have a timeline for comparison.

You might want to think back on your weight history as well.  Have you been this weight or lower before?  If so, did your period stop then?  In my own experience, my lowest weight ever was 106 for a short while in my 20s and Lady Time kept comin’.  Seeing as how I’ll never be that small again, when mine starts acting funny, I’ll know it’s hormones.

That’s all I got, girl!  Hope you figure it out, it seems to be a mysteriously ephemeral time no matter how you slice it.

Bethp262 asks, “Do you think you’ll ever run a full marathon again? Ever considered doing an ultra?”
I’ve mentioned it a few times in passing comments, but yeah, I’m thinking of doing the Philly Marathon this fall.  After running all this mileage it seems sensible to give it another go, though I still have some trepidation so I haven’t fully committed.  As for Ultras, it doesn’t appeal to me – my body hurts badly enough racing 26.2mi that I can’t fathom being out there even longer.

Michael asks, “Do you ever run “watch free”? No time…no distance…just run?
I’ve had a few runs where I made a point not to look at my watch but I’d never leave it at home on purpose.  A major part of my enjoyment in running is the metrics and logging aspect. Plus, I’m not a wanderer, I like going out with purpose and a destination.

Run2theHills asks, “Will you ever do Yassos?”
I’ve met him a couple times and he’s an attractive gent but married, so no, I will never do Yasso.  Oh wait…his workout. With all due respect, no fuckin’ way.

Adrienne asks, “What is your favorite race experience and what made it so?” and “Would you ever race in Texas?”
Thank you for making me focus on positive scenarios, Ms. Sports Psychologist!  I needed that, though I always have a problem choosing “one best” of anything.  Social meetups aside (because that’s created tons of fantastic race memories) I’d say my first OA placing in a race was pretty cool.  It was the first time I’d ever raced against another person rather than the clock (which ties into Rebecca’s question below).  I went faster than I thought possible and until then, never dreamed I could get an overall placing.  Also, the woman I raced hit the chute seconds ahead of me so until the awards were given, I thought I was 3rd (which would have been fine and dandy) but because we were chip-timed, I ended up 2nd and she was 3rd.  ‘Twas a morning of cool surprises.

As for question #2, I hadn’t considered Texas races before but with you there, it certainly makes for an enticing idea. Come to think of it, I know quite a few Texan runners, might have to start plotting and planning.

Ewen asks, “Although you haven’t hit this year’s racing season, can you take a guess at what value the mileage that you’re now running might be? In other words, ‘at 50 miles a week my HM time was X and at 90 miles a week it’s X.’ Also, what do you think your ideal amount of average mileage per week in a build-up might be?”
Ewen, I cannot!  I haven’t a damn clue but that’s what makes it so crazy fun.  There are a few components to consider: the accumulation of mileage and whether that’s a delayed-reaction sort of thing, race experience (which I’m sorely in need of), consistency (which was derailed by my injury) and quality of training.  With all those variables, it could be a slow, steady chug forward or Bam, breakthrough!  There’s no question in my mind that good things are on the way though.  Stay tuned to find out. 

As for the 2nd question, I don’t think I get what you’re asking but my answer is “The most you can do while feeling good”.

Rebecca asks, “Is there a certain runner that you consider your competitor (on a regular basis)? Do you see ALL the women as competition? Do you always run against your own times?”
A couple years ago, I made a list of local competitors just for the fun of crossing out names as I got faster.  I got rid of the list a while ago – there are probably only a couple left (not counting the local elite who recently ran a 2:50 marathon at age 50…she’s always going to smoke my ass.  Damn her).

When I’m not racing the clock (my initial intent at the start of every race), all women become my target, though it’s an easy “out” for me because if I’m fading I can always say “eh, she’s a baby, I’ll let her go”.  But one of my goals this year is to be less of a clock-racer and more mano-a-mano out there.  I think it’d take a great deal of pressure off since it makes PRs, weather or course difficulty unimportant.  Plus, racing people makes you run faster.

Greenlee asks, “I know you sing, act, design stuff and run. Any other hidden talents? Or hidden hobbies?” and “Why do you blog?”
Question #1: I’m a very good swimmer (though find it insanely monotonous) and I can put together a mean desktop computer from scratch.  Those are the only G-rated things I can think of.

Questions #2:  I spend an inordinate amount of time in my head – it’s cathartic to share the crap I ruminate over.  On a deeper level, I think us humans are alike in so many ways, that when I expose delicate or personal stuff, I want to believe somebody’s out there thinking “me, too!” and that by seeing me admit my weird shit, they realize they’re not alone in what they feel.  From the comments people leave, I know I do strike chords from time to time, and in turn, I get the same sense of solidarity back.  So short answer: To make a connection.  Supplementary bonus answer: Because I’m an attention whore.

Pauski asks, “What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?”
Roughly 11 meters per second, or 24 miles an hour.  The complete calculations can be found here.  Smart ass.

Melanie asks, “You recorded some pretty fast times in your first year of racing. What kind of mileage were you doing then?”
Great question because, looking back, it brings some sense as to how I arrived at my current volume.  So here are all my years with the general working mileage (as opposed to “average mileage” which is lower due to cutbacks, tapers, etc).

Year 1, 2007: After the run/walk stuff was over in March, my first couple months averaged about 18mi per week.  In May I bumped it up to the 20s, June-July was mid 30s and by August I was running 40mpw.  In October I had my first couple 50mi weeks but finished the year in the 40s.  I was also consistently training for races from the get-go, that first year using (lame of the lame) Smart Coach from RW.  It spits out a crappy plan but it got this newbie pushing early on which had a lot to do with my progress.

Year 2, 2008: Mostly 40-50mpw

Year 3, 2009: This was the  year my times dropped dramatically.  It’s also the year my mileage jumped up substantially.  Many 70mi weeks and my first 3 weeks in the 80s.

Year 4, 2010: Took a different approach: less mileage, more quality.  Mostly 60mpw.  Didn’t work out so great.

Year 5, 2011:  A break and a rebuild.  By May, reaching 90mpw, staying there till September.  Injury affected me from Sept-Nov, but I was back near 80mpw by the end of December.

An Unquestionably Fine Week In Review
I had a really swell running week, my body is feeling healthy as hell, the legs are strong and my resting heart rate has dipped to new lows.  Because of this, I had some fun with Friday’s 14-miler and made it a Low Heart Rate run, keeping it around 140bpm (61%HRR, a recoveryish heart rate, if anyone cares) to see what kind of average pace it produced and was super pleased with the result.

Today I did a repeat of the not-so-great tempo last week, this time sans headwind.  Not only was there not an ounce of psyching out (in fact, it was one of my most positive-thinking training runs I can remember) but I was right on the money pace-wise, the tempo miles averaging 7:04.  Things are starting to settle into place.

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