My New Bike!!!!!

Hahaha...Just kidding, but Man I would love to have this bike.

Product Trial

Prior to IMKY, I received an email to join this pain management focus group. This was during IM week which turned out to be this group giving our feedback on several pain reliever products. Everything from if we would use it to the labeling. Since then, I have received another email asking if I wanted to actually try out these products. Of course, why not. I received the products in the mail yesterday. 5 items: roll on, topical cream, muscle spray, joint spray, and 2 heat pads. I have to basically try out one product everyday for the next week. I used the roll on last night after my run. I thought that would be the best for the "pain" I had. My hamstrings were achy and figured I could really rub this is with the roll on. I opened the cap and started rolling. It sucked, nothing was rolling on. Very little at first then nothing. So I kind of shook the bottle. The roll ball got stuck then finally it loosened up and it worked, but quit shortly after again. I rolled it on my quads, hamstrings and knees. Nothing. Is this working. I sat there for about 2 min and finally I could feel it working. Mostly it was just burning my skin. I waited about an hour and I couldn't feel it doing anything so I jumped in the shower to rinse it off. Holy $h!t. It was burning. I used soap trying to wash it off, but nothing. I got out, dried off and it was better, but for the next hour it was burning so bad. OK, bad start here. When the burning sensation stopped, it actually felt good. Probably going to try out the joint spray. Not really sure how a topical spray can work on joints, but its free to try.

Equalizer Run

Ok, I figured since I am already insane, why not do something else insane to wrap up the year? I signed up for the Equalizer run in Des Moines. I have not heard of this before, but a fellow triathlete directed me at it. It is a running race and you do ~2 mile laps for either 6 or 24 hours. At the end, they count up your laps and convert to miles. Next they take your actual miles and multiply it by an "equalizer" number to get the overall winner. This is to eliminate gender and age advantage/disadvantage. I think it is a load of crap, lol. Anyway. I am entered into the 6 hour category. The 24 hour race does NOT appeal to me even in the slightest. Also, how often can you decide to run a 30+ mile race 6 weeks out? Um...very little to never. I would never train just for this race and you have to be insane to do that. Ok, it is just like training for a marathon, but still. I really like the "format" of this race because it is exactly how I have been training, for time and not distance. I don't have to run fast, I just have to try to keep running as long as I can and minimize walking. Sound familiar? Exactly my Ironman marathon strategy. On the entry form, it asks how many miles do you expect to finish. I put down 30 figuring: 6 hours/a 12 min/mile pace = 30 miles. The only results I could find were from 2006. Not sure if they just aren't out there or if they have not done this race since 2006. The winner ran a little over 35 miles in '06 and 36 in '05. It should be exciting. I guess I have to go out and buy more gels. Yippee.