Moose hunting - Red Flannel Run

This time I'm writing without trying to divide my attention between this blog and videos for class so hopefully there are fewer grammatical issues...

I've always wanted to do the Red Flannel Run, and I finally found someone as crazy as me to run it! Despite being sick earlier this week (as in so sick that I had to miss two days of work) and being pretty cold, I had so much fun Saturday! Great people watching for sure!

Ever wondered if there really is such a thing as a "running culture"? Attend the Red Flannel Run, or any other fun race, and you'll definitely know that there is one. When else is it acceptable to run around the town in nothing but a kilt and moccasin boots with a mullet on a chilly February morning? Or run with a painted red body and a loin cloth? Or in a moose costume? Or in a full suit? Or just in your pajamas with a teddy bear? (And I'm thankful you had Teddy with you, Bess. I don't know how I would have found you afterward without his bright yellowness leading the way.)

I think my pace was about the same as the race in Dubuque. I haven't ran at all since that race, and I should probably start training sometime soon if I'm going to run a half in April...

Bess, running a race is totally mental. I have an idea:

On Thursday last week, I got the opportunity to listen to Scott Bellini speak about teaching social skills to children with autism (or really any child who has social skill deficits). Bellini has done a lot of work in the area of video self modeling. Basically, teachers/practitioners video tape the child engaging in social interactions, even with prompts, and then edit out all the prompts. The final result is a video of a child successfully and independently doing what they need to do. The kiddos watch these videos over and over and they are usually able to succeed in the real world as a result (of course with more supports than just the video). The theory behind this strategy is to provide the visual representation of success.

When I trained for my first marathon, the book I used highly recommended visualizing, on a regular basis, successful completion of the race. Strong finish. No hitting the wall. I actually did this, and guess what - no wall and a strong finish. It worked!

I'm totally not discounting the physical training. I learned that the hard way when I said the November half with Erica in California was "just a half". I didn't do too well and my knees hurt so bad for about a week! Finishing two marathons made me a little cocky, and that race was pretty humbling. But mental training is just as important as that physical training.

So Bess, let's make a video of you finishing a "marathon" with your strong finish. Thoughts?