Friday Funny 414: If Junk Food Had HONEST Names

But I LIKE the banana!


I agree!

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GIVEAWAY: 15 Pairs of Injinji Toe Socks!

Yesterday, I posted a review of Injinji Toe Socks. (Click that link to see more on that.) Bottom line: I was skeptical, but they worked REALLY WELL over a long run and a shorter, harder run.

Before my first 13-miler with Henry (as noted in my review yesterday)


Injinjis

Well, I have FIFTEEN PAIRS of Injinji socks to give away! There will be 3 winners who each get 5 pairs of socks. The winners will get an assortment of lightweight Injinjis, their "normal" weight socks, and some mid-weight socks, and all in a variety of colors or patterns. (What I'm saying is the winners will get a "grab bag" of Injinjis in their size.) I'm opening up this giveaway from now through next Friday (November 2nd). Below are the details... you can enter any number of ways, so do as few or as many of these as you'd like:


TO ENTER TO WIN SOME SWEET INJINJI SOCKS:


• To be entered to win the FIRST set of 5 Injinji socks: Just leave a comment on this post. Your comment could say "Tiddlywinks," and you'd be in the running. Bam. Easy like your mom Sunday morning.


• To be entered to win the SECOND set of 5 Injinji socks (for "tweeters"): follow me and Injinji on twitter, and send out this tweet:

Check out the big @Injinji "toe sock" giveaway on @SteveinaSpeedo's blog! - http://iwannagetphysical.blogspot.com/

Just follow us and copy / paste that tweet to be in the running for a set of socks!


• To be entered to win the THIRD set of 5 Injinji socks (for Facebookers): "like" Injinji on Facebook and "like" Steve in a Speedo on Facebook. That's it. I'll pick a random fan of mine to win 5 pairs of Injinjis!


Legal junk:
- Open to residents of US and Canada.
- Just like in all of my giveaways, I've only been given some socks to try; they have not asked or told me to say anything else in my review yesterday. All of these thoughts are my own.
- When you leave a comment, please "sign" your name if you don't have a blogger account, otherwise it will be hard to figure out who you are if you're one of the winners. For example, say something like "It's Steve S. from St. Paul. Me want socks!!"
- I'll assign all entries a number (for the blog comments, tweets, and facebook fans) and then use random.org (or other random number generating scheme) to pick a winner at random.
- If I can't get a hold of the winner(s) in 3 days, I'll re-draw for a new winner(s). So make sure to CHECK BACK in about 10 days!

Injinji's people can ship to the US and Canada, so if you are from one of those places, comment now! Right here! And send out that tweet to have another chance to win! And hit up Facebook for ANOTHER chance to win! Do it before Friday the 2nd. Thanks everyone!

Comment now to enter!

p.s. I just contacted Denise N who won the "Hansons Marathon Method" book in my last giveaway. Congrats Denise! Good luck in THIS giveaway!

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Injinji Sock Review (and Upcoming Giveaway)

DO NOT FRET! There are NO "gross foot photos" in this post!
(I just wanted to put that out there so I don't scare any of my regular readers away.)

As many of you know, I have been known to have foot / toe / blister issues when I go for longer / harder runs. Here's a quick listing of 4 recent posts that contain my nasty feet:

- My feet after my first 25K last month.

- A sweet photo from after my most recent triathlon back in July.

- After my last 10 mile race about a year ago.

- A few photos from last summer when I ran with a cat toy in my shoe. Yep.

My readers have been suggesting I try Injinji toe socks for a while. (Although I doubt they'd help with cat-toy-in-my-shoes issues.) And as luck would have it, one of the PR firms that sometimes sends me things to try is now working with Injinji. So I was sent 4 pairs a few months ago. There IS a God.

I first tried on a "normal" pair around the house. They felt good - no big deal. Then I tried a short, easy run in them about a month ago. Again, they worked fine. But I'm picky about socks that I workout in - would they work for longer or harder workouts? They seemed thin and "not technical," so would they work?

I decided to REALLY try them out on my 13 miler with Henry 10 days ago. It was the end of my biggest week of running in YEARS. Here's what they looked like at the start of my run:

I figured 13 miles was no joke - that's a solid distance for me right now. (In the past 5 months, I've only had 4 other runs of 13 miles or more.) AND I was going to do a few "race pace" miles in the middle of the run, so it wasn't going to just be easy running.

I ended up doing 13.01 miles with Henry and the stroller in 1:34:09, and I did the middle HILLY 6.5 miles at an average of 6:44 / mile (43:49 for 6.5 miles, with mile splits of 6:51.5, 7:14.7 [HILLY], 7:01.7 [HILLY], 6:58.2, 6:22.7, 6:13.6, and 3:10.9 for the final 0.5). My feet felt FINE. I was actually kind of surprised. Here's how they looked post-run:

I also wore them for some hard/fast running recently at the "Kitten Mile" that I just posted about. I broke out the rainbow Injinji's for that race:

Here's the only downside I've been able to come up with: I can't get into them quickly. When I posted about my biggest running week in years, I had 5 runs that week. The final run was with Henry when I tried out the socks; that was a planned "you're going to need a nap, so let's run" run. Three out of the other 4 runs were with Henry too, but those were last minute "OH MY GOD you need to settle down a bit so let's go on a run" runs. (He was having a lot of teething pains that week.) Oh, and the remaining run was a 4:30 am track workout by myself.

If I had to put on Injinji's for those 3 "quick let's go and calm you down" runs, I'd be held back as I was cramming my toes into their specific toe-holes. (THAT was a weird sentence.) Because when I try to slip on the socks quickly, it looks like this:

A bunch of stuck toes.

So yes, the only downside is that they take about 3 times longer to put on than "regular" socks.

I have 2 more pairs I still haven't tried out. One is thicker, and one is a bit thinner:

So if I can do a 13 mile long run with some faster miles in the middle AND a shorter / faster race and have no toe / foot issues, then SOMETHING is working right! I may have found new running socks!

I let the Injinji people know that I liked their socks, and they said they had 15 pairs for me to giveaway. So stop back tomorrow for that! Thanks everyone! And thanks Injinji for the sweet socks!

Oh, and check out my "Kitten Mile" race report 1 post down.

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Kitten Mile 2012

A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...

Or maybe in St. Paul on Saturday night...

Or maybe in Texas 3 weeks ago...

(You'll never fully know. I'm not at liberty to reveal the details in order to protect the identities of those involved.)

...there was a race known as a "kitten mile."

Here's what I said last year about this event:

What I'm talking about is a "Kitten Mile."

Here's how it works:
- Someone shouts "GO."
- You chug some cat nip.
- Then run 1/4 mile.
- Chug more cat nip.
- Run another 1/4 mile.
- Chug more cat nip.
- Run another 1/4 mile.
- Chug more cat nip.
- Run a final 1/4 mile.

That's a total of 48 ounces of nip and a mile of running. All of the cat nip chugging has to take place in a "transition zone" - you can't start running until after you're done chugging. If you throw up your cat nip before you finish, you have to do an extra penalty lap. If you have too much cat nip left from your 4 containers (usually something like 1 oz can be left when all of your extra is added up), you have to do a penalty lap.

I was planning on wearing the "Tutti Frutti" shorts, but I thought I'd "class it up" a little more by adding some rainbow Injinji socks to the overall look:

First was the male wave. Pharmie, Henry, and I got there just in time to hear someone shout GO!! It NEARLY came down to a "photo finish" (seriously - those 2 were within a half second!), but one of the top 2 guys had left too much catnip behind, so he had to do a penalty lap. Dang.

Second was the female wave. There were a bunch of ladies ready to race:

A few of the ladies, a lot of kittens, and the "kitten mile trophy" in the middle!
Love the expressions! Ha! (And yes, that's a "pace bike" in the background.)

One of my "racing buddies" was wearing this shirt:

As I was warming up on the course during the ladies race, I saw some sweet projectile vomiting near a tree. After the race, she told me she was WAITING to barf and it felt so good. Gross.

Finally, it was the "elite" wave, which I had signed up for. I knew there'd be a possible race between D (a local race director) and myself, so I got a photo of us pre-race.

Me and D.

Henry and I posed for a photo pre-race.

"On your marks, get set.... GO!"

I chugged as fast as I could, and I went out in about 5th place. I was caught by a speedster in the first lap to move back into 6th. The speedster and I exchanged belches on the first lap. (Especially the first part of the first lap.) We were laughing, talking, and belching at the same time.

I was trying to keep D in sight because I figured I could catch him by the end. In my previous 2 kitten miles, I was able to gain on people who started just in front of me. Here we are pulling into our first transition, and that's D in the foreground, me just over his shoulder, and the pixelated "speedster" right next to me:

Nothing changed on the 2nd lap. I was just behind the speedster who was just behind D.

Chugging nip while stopping to burp. Flattering... yes?

On the 3rd lap, I gained a LITTLE on D. I thought I COULD catch him on the final stretch.

But D started the final lap well in front of me and I had no chance - he finished 8 seconds in front of me tying my kitten mile PR from 2 years ago. After finishing 3rd the last 2 years in a row, I was bumped back to 5th this year. (In my defense, it was the deepest field this kitten mile has ever seen. I was SUPER HAPPY to have beat 2 guys who I could NEVER beat in any sort of "regular" race.)

Here I am about to hit the finish:

I wore my Garmin (shut up) and took my splits, and this is what it told me:

3 full loops and a small out-and-back to equal a mile.


A crazy looking pace graph.

Garmin splits:

Nip: 0:18.4: 4 feet
Running: 1:29.5: 0.28 miles (5:22 pace)
Nip: 0:29.4: 28 feet
Running: 1:34.9: 0.27 miles (5:47 pace)
Nip: 0:31.7: 36 feet
Running: 1:30.2: 0.27 miles (5:36 pace)
Nip: 0:30.1: 42 feet
Running: 0:29.4: 504 feet (5:08 pace)

Total: 6:53.87 (unofficial - Garmin), 6:54 officially

2012: 5:04.0 running time, 1:49.6 "nipping" time
2011: 4:59.9 running time, 1:47.4 "nipping" time

That total was 7 seconds slower than last year, and 8 seconds slower than 2 years ago. I gave up the most time (comparing the last 2 years) in my 2nd run. My "nipping" times were quite similar to last year.

Henry and I shortly after finishing (apparently about 9 minutes and 10 seconds into the elite race)


Pharmie and Henry post-race. Henry's eating M&Ms!

Pharmie took Henry home to put him to bed (THANKS MOMMA!) as I cooled-down a bit and then hung out for a while. She left me with a bus pass so I had a way to get home. Here I am with 2 ladies who were entertaining me for quite a while:

There's a story behind this photo, but I can't share it.

After about another hour, I left and walked to the bus stop. The worst of the cat nip effects were over, and I was fine. I started walking down the street towards home along the bus line, and I kept looking back to try to find a bus coming. Then I figured I'd just start jogging.

After nearly a mile, I needed to pee (go figure), so I stopped at a nice grocery store:

Just after peeing. (Reminder: don't touch my camera.)

Oh, and I felt bad just using their bathroom, so I bought this to eat while waiting for the bus:

I finished my treat, and there was STILL no bus in sight, so I just started running again. I never saw a bus by the time I made it home (nearly 4 miles later). I got in the house and had sweaty boobs from the "cool down" jog:

I never turned my Garmin on for the jog home because I kept thinking I'd see a bus any moment, so I have no idea how fast I run under the influence of nip. I was talking to someone post-race who ran in those same conditions a few years ago, and she said she thought she was FLYING, but her watch was telling her otherwise. Oh well... it didn't really matter.

CLICK HERE for last year's "kitten mile" race report if you're still a little confused. Or intrigued. :)

Back in the next few days with a 15 pair Injinji sock giveaway! Stay tuned for that!

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4 Quick Updates

ONE: Pharmie worked this weekend, and Henry and I hung out a lot. We headed to the pool for the first time in MONTHS, and he had a good time:

TWO: I posted about my biggest running week last week, and I somehow followed it up with another decent week of running. I did 40.16 miles 2 weeks ago, and 30.10 miles last week. So 70.26 miles of running HAS to be my biggest 2-week-stretch since high school. Time to EASE OFF this week before something starts to ache.


THREE: I'm still updating my new Root Beer Blog, so check it out if you like Root Beer or other delicious sodas. (Click and then scroll down to see when I tried "Sweet Corn Soda." Yeah. That exists.)


FOUR: Stop back this week because there will be good things coming. I'll be posting about a fun race this past weekend, and I'll have an Injinji sock review with 15 pairs to giveaway! Seriously. That's sweet. Keep an eye out for that.


Oh, and I'll be picking a winner later today in my "Hansons Marathon Method" giveaway. All you need to do is be a fan of Steve in a Speedo on Facebook, so hit LIKE if you haven't yet!

Back with more soon. Have a good week!

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Instagram of the Day: Seeing the Last of the Fall Colors While Running with Henry

Henry and I went on an unexpected 10 miler almost 2 weeks ago when he was crabby (teething pains) and needed a nap. We got to see some of the final fall colors down below the Franklin Ave Bridge on the St. Paul side of the river:

"Henry and I enjoying some fall colors on a 10 miler yesterday along the Mississippi."

More recently, we took the same route for an 8.5 miler after class, and I snapped a photo at the same spot:

"Autumn run along the Mississippi."

I hoping for a winter like last year with little snow and warmer temps so Henry and I can keep running!

Remember, just about 48 hours left to become a "Steve in a Speedo" fan on Facebook to be in the running for "Hansons Marathon Method." Happy weekend!

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Friday Funny 413: Tom Daley's New Sponsor

Remember everyone's favorite adorable British bronze medalist diver from the 2012 Olympics?

Well Tom Daley is back in the news after taking on a new sponsor. The sponsor is "British Gas" but that's not the big deal. The big deal is the placement of the new sponsor on his Speedo:

Apparently, his "sponsor placement" was finalized by 5th grade boys.

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Friday Funny 412: Illegal Drugs

This is extra funny to me because I can imaging my Dad or my Father-in-Law acting JUST like this if they were in this situation....

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Friday Funny 411: This Makes No Sense

This is just a little bit ironic....

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Friday Funny 410: Two Lance Funnies

One store has changed Lance's book to "Fiction." Ouch.

Related: couldn't the NY Times come up with a better headline? *snicker snicker*

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