$500 Benchmark & Comparison

Due to the unending generosity of people, I have recently hit the $500 benchmark for fundraising! Yes, that's 20%! THANK YOU EVERYONE!

Also, I have decided that training for long distances must be similar to being pregnant. Now, I've never been pregnant so I don't know for certain, but here are some silimarities I've noticed between both conditions.

1) Short term pain-long term gain. Alright, running a lot of miles and carrying a baby for 9 months can be a long time but you do it because you know the long term effects will be worth it.

2) Cravings. I've heard that pregnant women often have strange cravings. Cravings like ice cream or pickles or things like that. Runners' cravings are more for carbs, carbs, and more carbs.

3) You're hungry-a lot! When you're pregnant you're eating for two. When you're running long distances, the amount of calories you're burning is probably the recommended amount for two people. In other words, you're burning for two. Consequently, even though you ate a big supper, your stomach wakes you up at 3am informing you that it needs more food.

4) You're constantly running to the bathroom. Pregnant ladies do this b/c of bladder pressure? I don't know. But runners do it because they have to drink a zillion liters of water to replace the fluids they lost running laps in the park.

5) People ask you about your body. Pregnant women say that people will ask them about their body or touch their stomach. While no one has come up to me and touched my calf muscle, people still make comments. " I can tell you're a runner-look at your calves!" Things like that. Generally it's considered socially inappropriate to comment on others' bodies, except if you're pregnant or a runner.

6) You spend money on things you never thought you would. I'm guessing that most people never really thought that they would spend their disposable income on wet wipes, diapers, feeding pillows etc. I never thought I would spend a lot investing in energy drinks, water bottle belts, or spandex.

So, as you can see, running a long distance is like being pregnant. Too bad we don't get maternity leave.