Running Out of Time [by Mary Catherine Owen]

I've had a wonderful time guest blogging for Abby here on ROA, but my tenure is coming to an end. I've gained a greater appreciation for running and people who do it, and I hope I introduced you to at least one interesting tidbit of information this week.

If you're interested in reading my usual blog, you can find me at Dissecting the Smiling Goat, talking about one of NBC's dearly departed dramedies, Ed. And if you're not nerdy enough to venture over there, thanks for reading my posts this week!

Running as Fast as Wii Can [by Mary Catherine Owen]

It's a strange world we live in when people are running in front of their televisions while also watching animated versions of themselves run.

That being said, I totally want a Wii Fit now.

Running Over Western Avenue: My First Visit to the Fitness Center [by Mary Catherine Owen]

Photo courtesy of The College of Saint Rose

I did it. I bit the bullet and went to Saint Rose's fitness center.

This is something that I have long intended to do, but never have done for one specific reason: I am intimidated by people who actually know how to exercise. I need some sort of gym full of clueless people, with lots of helpful, non-judgmental, non-buff trainers to teach you how to use the machines without killing yourself. But as I don't know where to find one of those, off to the third floor of the Events and Athletics Center I went.

And then came back down to the first floor when I discovered there was no drinking fountain to fill up my water bottle.

Eventually I made it back upstairs and in the door. I had to admit to the people at the desk that I had never been to the fitness center before, because they now make you authorize your ID card to gain access. I did, and then asked the work study student if I was "good to go," trying to appear eager to start burning calories. Unfortunately, the answer was yes, so I headed over to the bank of treadmills and what I believe were elliptical machines.

Photo courtesy of Precor

I chose a treadmill (a PrecorUSA 954i model, in case you're interested), set down my stuff on the little shelves next to the control panel, and stared at the buttons for about a minute. The article I read about how to use a treadmill told me to familiarize myself with the controls before beginning; I located "Quick Start" and "Stop," and figured that was good enough. I pressed start, and away it went.

I forgot my MP3 player and wasn't sure there'd be a place to rest my book while I walked, so I was resigned to walk in silence like a loser. At first, I was inwardly freaking out about not being able to walk on the belt without holding onto the handlebar-things in front of me. I gradually got the hang of it and let go, and began ramping up my speed in little increments. Then I got a little bolder and changed the incline as well.

Photo courtesy of The College of Saint Rose

The machines in the fitness center automatically turn off after 30 minutes. About eight minutes into my walking, a girl got on the treadmill next to me and began running. Not wanting to look too lame, I bumped up my speed even more. It wasn't that effective; she was running at an 8.0 speed (miles per hour, I assume), whereas I peaked at 4.3 and then started panicking that I couldn't walk fast enough to keep up with the machine.

Around the five minutes remaining mark, I began to slow my speed back down. I was a little disappointed that I hadn't felt able to attempt running, since that would have made more sense for this blog. However, just staying on the treadmill and not eliciting confused stares (that I was aware of, anyway) was a big accomplishment for me.

When my 30 minutes were up, I stopped the treadmill, tried not to fall over while walking on the very stationary ground, and managed to take one picture of the fitness center sign before my camera's batteries died.

I don't know about you, but I'd call that a pretty successful first visit.

Can You Tell Me How to Run, How to Run on Sesame Street? [by Mary Catherine Owen]

Photo courtesy of MyAirShoes.com

If you've been on Google's homepage in the past week, or if you're just a fan like me, then you might be aware that today is Sesame Street's 40th anniversary, the show having debuted on November 10, 1969.

Sesame Street is usually known for teaching letters and numbers, but they have always covered other important topics as well, such as health and fitness.

The Sesame Street website has an awesome archive of videos from all 40 years of the show, including ones about running. There are also plenty to be found on YouTube, as you can see from some of my favorites below.

Grover's Monster Workout Video


This is so '80s-looking, but according to Muppet Wiki, it actually first aired in 2003. Either way, I want Grover to be my personal trainer.

Monsterpiece Theater: Chariots of Fur

I love the closeups of the puppet feet -- and the super-slow-motion sequence at the end!

Gordon's Morning Run

I guess Chariots of Fire is an easy target to parody.

Happy birthday to Sesame Street, the longest-running children's television show! (See what I did there?)

Learning to Run: Advice for the Running-Challenged [by Mary Catherine Owen]

Photo courtesy of MotivatedPhotos.com

I would be the first to tell you that I am not a good runner. People assume that because I have long legs (I'm 5'11"), I must be fast, but I prefer to use my powers of tallness for power walking or reaching things on the top shelf.

In that spirit, here are some examples of resources I could use to improve my running (or, you know, learn how to do it in the first place). Fellow running misfits, take note.

This video about proper running form shows how your body should move while running long distances.

I took a quiz about the 11 most common running mistakes and was told that I was an expert runner. If you say so, Women's Health! I think I just made some good educated guesses.

I like this author's approach to running as something that should be enjoyed, regardless of one's ability level.

The Complete Running Blog Network (whose tagline -- "bloggers with a running addiction/runners with a blogging addiction" -- would describe Abby well, I think) has a special archive of bloggers' posts about learning how to run.

I have a phobia of going to the gym because I don't know how to use a treadmill. I hope these guidelines help me when I take my inaugural trip to the campus fitness center this week.

Running Blind [by Mary Catherine Owen]

Hi, everyone! My name is Mary Catherine Owen; before you get too confused, let me explain that Abby has graciously offered me a chance to guest blog for ROA for the next week.

Abby and I are classmates and both of us are writers, but in terms of running, we couldn't be more different. She likes to run and does it often. I run as a means to get out of the pouring rain, or when late to class.

That's why I'm excited for the opportunity to broaden my horizons and explore the world of running. Hopefully I can do the topic justice!