Liebstered again

Leana Liebstered me! This happened to me several times, several whiles ago, but that's ok. New questions and all, plus Leana is such a sweetie it's hard to refuse her anything.

She asked:
What is one piece of gear you own (not shoe or technology related) that you wear all the time? 
Pants are a good start, and given who I am, a shirt and hat is a good idea too. Much of the time I'll wear a Road ID so that if I collapse in a ditch somewhere, Linda doesn't have to go looking for me. Sunscreen if it's sunny. Sunglasses. I do without socks occasionally. Lots of times I'll run without any gear at all, though I'll usually have my phone with me, even if I don't turn on the GPS thingie.

Do you wear different shoes for different workouts, or do you wear the same shoes all the time?
I am slowly evolving on this. I used to wear shoes until they were long past beat to death. Now I understand shoes can still look pretty good, and be beat to death internally. I'm a big guy, and even though I run fairly lightly, all that poundage adds up to a shoe pounding. I just bought new shoes with lots of cushion for longer runs and they feel great. The older shoes still have some miles in them, so I'll wear them for shorter tempo workouts.
 
What is your favourite post workout snack? 
Chocolate of course, in cookies, or with peanut butter.

Do you listen to music when you run?  Why or why not? 
Tried once just for an experiment through my ear glasses, and it made me crazy. I'm used to silence when I run, at least silence from outside. The voices in my head are something entirely different. I like doing trial scenes for my book while I run. I watch the characters try different things, then I write about it when I get home. Except for Ronnie, she's a bit bossy when it comes to giving advice, and occasionally tries to tell me what to do for a workout.

Do you prefer to run in a loop or run an out and back?
Over the last few years I've often done loops. That way if my legs get all cranky I can bail out and take a shortcut home. If I run 5 K to the reservoir and my legs poop out, it's a long walk back and no real alternatives.

Why do you blog?
Because I love writing. I love sharing my opinions. Occasionally I amuse people. Sometimes I'll experiment with writing. When I was being coached, my coach liked to read my blog. It's a way of keeping me honest about workouts. There's many times I've thought a workout was crappy, till I went to write about it and realized it wasn't so bad after all.
 
What is your number one goal for this year?
Surviving the half marathon, and getting properly trained for a fall marathon.
 
Tell me about your favourite race medal. 
Easy, IMC 2010. It's the one I worked the hardest for, by far.

What motivates you to get outside and train on cold/snowy/rainy days?
Mostly because I enjoy doing it. Intellectually, I know it's good for me, and I'll feel better afterward. Until this last winter I didn't have any problem with running when it's cold. It was on my schedule so I did it. I wasn't going to let a bit of weather get in the way. Plus it's always nice to post a frosty tusk photo. People love those.
 
What is your most memorable run?
I'm assuming memorable in a good way, and not the times I nearly got heatstroke, or pounded with hail. I'm guessing the first Calgary 70.3 would be it. I got off the bike on a smoking hot day, and actually felt like running. That only lasted 5 or 6 K, but then I realized I could walk a bit, then run more. I could manage the heat and keep going. Plus some memorable pace booty, but we won't get into that.

So part of this deal is that I'm supposed to tag other people to answer questions. But many of the big time pro-bloggers that I follow are beyond such shallow attempts to get them to write.

So how about this? Read the following 10 questions. If you like them, and are intrigued, feel free to consider yourself tagged and let me know you've answered. But really, the people I'm tagging here are the ones that have never been tagged in this game. Yes, you, the quiet one in the back row.

So here's my questions.

How did you come up with your blog title?
Is there a person that inspired you to become interested in fitness? Who and how? Have you told them this?
How do you feel about racing? No really, do you love it, or just do it because it supports a bigger goal?
What is one reasonably common fitness activity that you would never, ever do, and why?
Do you ever secretly compete with the person on the machine next to you?
Have you ever told your boss, or your spouse, or your children, "no I can't, I'm going for a run/swim/bike/whatever workout, and I'll deal with it when I get back."
The gender you're interested in, hot and sweaty just finishing a workout. Hawt or not?
Why was that workout the hardest one you've ever done?
What do you think about during a workout?
If your day job let you work whatever hours you wanted for a full time job, how would you arrange your work, workout, family, and social time?

In other new I water ran with Katie for about 20 minutes. Then into the pool for a very nice but short swim, 500 m in 9:15 or so. Long stretch afterward. Good session of stretching and core when I got home.