My Friend, Food – Silvia July 18, 2008

Did you ever have one of those days? Well I had one of those weeks. It’s not been a picnic and my answer to stress and anxiety is to call on Food.

Food has always been there for me. Friends come and go, but not Food. He’s always ready, waiting and willing to fulfill my heart’s desire. I celebrate with Food, cry with Food, get angry with Food, complain with Food. Food is always there to calm me down and make me feel happy. The problem with Food is that he has a trusty sidekick Blubber. The Lone Ranger had Tonto, Batman had Robin, and Gumby had Pokey. Whenever Food aids me through a crisis, adds to the joy of celebration or relieves me of my boredom, Blubber has to be there. He’s so annoying, Blubber. Food is long gone. But Blubber keeps hanging around. I mean Food is great; he comes; he goes. It was fun while he was around. Blubber never goes away. He’s like a guest that overstays his welcome; he’s so hard to get rid of – a free loader.

So, I have to come to terms with my relationship with Food. I can keep him as my best friend or just use him for survival. You know, eat when I’m hungry not when I’m needy. There’s a novel thought, eh? And just eat good Food. Not be influenced by bad Food. Why is it that women always go after the bad boys?

My run today was hard. The 3 miles went on and on. I watched the mileage numbers tick by, 2.34, 2.35, 2.36…It was like watching the clock on the last day of school before summer vacation. Pure torture. The Ipod didn’t help. Knowing that I am carrying 4 ten pound bowling balls didn’t help. Having the urge to go at mile 2.44 didn’t help. I realized that this will be a slow and difficult process. There will be good days and bad days. It is such a mental sport, this running business. I want it to be over already, but it’s just the beginning.

July 10, 2008 Kirsten and Silvia July 10, 2008

July 10, 2008

Do you love food? Would you run a marathon just to eat a cheeseburger? Well, we would. And we are. That’s why we run. To eat. To drink. It makes us merry. This blog will document the trials and tribulations of two teachers training for their first marathon.

We taught summer school together and discovered a mutual passion for food and distaste for running. We put our love-hate relationship to good use and decided to run in our first marathon, the PF Chang’s rock and Roll Marathon in Phoenix, AZ, January 2009. Let the countdown begin.

Welcome to hell. Hell is the commitment we made to running in order to prepare ourselves for a marathon. We concocted this idea of running a marathon in a freak moment of insanity.  One afternoon, while snacking after a day of teaching summer school, we lamented over the fact that we can’t eat what we want without seeing it on our thighs. We both run. Sort of. (If you call an occasional 3 miles at about a 10-11 minute pace, running – and we bring our dogs with us because they have to stop to poop and that means we get a  break). We run, not because we love running but because we love eating. Running is a necessary evil.

So we came up with a brilliant idea…let’s train for a marathon so we can eat what we want! Brilliant. We read that you get to eat 2000 calories plus 100 for every mile you run. Per DAY! So that’s what we will do. Eat and run. Run and eat. This blog will document the journey of two ordinary teachers in pursuit of the ultimate goal of eating a cheeseburger and fries at the finish line.

Silvia is 41 and teaches middle school in Cleveland, OH. She is 5′6″ and weighs 160 pounds. She is married to Richard and they have a border collie named Barclay. Silvia has an eighteen year old son, Alex, who will be a Sun Devil in the fall and will be cheering her on on Phoenix. Kirsten, 24, teaches Kindergarten in Lexington, KY. She is 5′8″ and weighs 147 pounds. Her significant other is Nick. She has two dogs, Bauer and Daisy.