Use the Countdown: 2 Weeks to the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Half Marathon

So, I am two weeks from the Rock 'n' Roll San Antonio Half Marathon. Yeah. I've gotten to 8 miles on my long run. I'm doing 9 on Tuesday. My training plan said 10, but it didn't account for my migraines and I feel as if Hal Higdon had led me down the wrong path anyway. No running today, but I did go to a Body Combat class where I discovered, yes, I am still the most uncoordinated person ever.

Random Thoughts:

1. I hope Run Disney is going to be at the Expo. The Wine and Dine is also that weekend, but you would think they could spare someone from the office to drop by. I want to visit my Princess medal!

2. Kara Goucher is going to be at the Expo! I am so excited about this! If you don't know, Kara Goucher was one of the representatives of the USA on the Women's Marathon team in London this summer. She also apparently likes nachos as a post race treat so I'm going to invite her for nachos and then, you know, become her new best friend. At least that's how it goes in my head. I hope she likes the brisket kind with the white cheese. Also, there will be John Bingham and Frank Shorter. I read about Shorter in Runner's World in an account of the Munich Olympic marathon and frankly, so should you.

3. That thing where you're supposed to swing your arms? It actually works. Who knew?

4. I thought I had a race day shirt from Brooks, but I've decided it's too bland. I need something sufficiently badass for my first half.

5. I am so sick of my stupid single bottle Camelbak hydration belt. The water goes everywhere, it moves all around, I constantly have to tighten it... Grr... I'm buying a Fuel Belt on Tuesday.

6. I've watched Spirit of the Marathon enough times to notice that Lori switches hydration packs.

7. I've never understood totally when the Doctor told Martha "Use the countdown." Then she came up with that whole plan with the Archangel Network without coordinating with him at all? And the story about the fake gun? Was anyone else bothered by that?

Running from Daleks

So, I just changed the blog name. Nobody's reading this, but let me outline why anyway.

First, I know some of you non-nerds will be wondering: what is a Dalek?

The Daleks are the Doctor's mortal enemy. He keeps thinking he killed them all, but some of them always manage to show up. In fact, for Handy's sin of killing all the Daleks, he had to go with Rose Tyler. Yeah, the Doctor doesn't play. As for you Rose-Ten shippers, if a guy sends you to a parallel universe with the clone that grew out of his hand that sat in a jar for two years, he's just not that into you. A Dalek is a cyborg, it has a metal shell with a one-eyed squid on the inside. It says things like "EXTERMINATE!" and "ELEVATE!" and generally words with an "ate" suffix.

The important thing is that the Daleks don't take crap from anyone. They have no concept of crap. Anyway, I'm taking the name from one of my favorite cross days workouts that I invented. You will need a Nike Plus Machine and an iPod with Doctor Who on it. I have both. Doctor Who is all about the running and sometimes you run from Daleks or pig man or Rose Tyler, whatever the monster of the week is. Anyway, you watch the episode while you're on the elliptical or whatever and you speed up first during the theme song which is really a long time. It's a long song.

So, now your heart rate is up and you can slow down while the Doctor and his companion arrive at whatever new story there is in that episode:

That was Donna. She's awesome. Anyway, they're going to walk around a while and then discover something strange happening at wherever they've arrived. When this happens, this will happen:

At this point, the Doctor will rescue whatever companion got trapped wherever and you can take a sip of your Nuun or Gatorade or whatever. You have to try Nuun. The lemon-lime tastes like Sprite. When the Doctor and his companion have to go stop whatever it is that's going to end all life as we know it, it will look like this:

You will have to run through all of that and if you're extra ambitious you can run through the world-saving part. And sometimes you will have to run from Daleks.

If you are watching one with Rose, she will do something stupid about now. Then you do your cool down while something sad happens:

You probably had to see that one from the start. Anyway, there's the name change and probably the only workout I will ever give. Let me know what you think or if you're reading!