<p>Oh, Mapesy, I hate to disappoint, but sadly I am NOT a runner like MofWC. I am but a racewalker who competes in much shorter distances. With a different set of knees, perhaps I could dream, but I am relegated to the stares, the whispers, the snickers, the all out belly laughs of people as I pass by. I am happy when I finish a training walk and no one has leaned out of a window and made fun of me. </p>
<p>I am faithful. And competitive. But there will never be any glory for us.</p>
<p>Race walking is HARD!!!</p>
<p>MOfWC, I’m with you - it is HARD and very technical! Imagine walking for 20 km only to get DQ’d because you had both feet off the ground during one step? Yikes!!!</p>
<p>Thanks, MofWC. </p>
<p>And worknprogress, you don’t fool me! I’ve read that racewalking burns more calories than running, and I’m not surprised. When my arches hurt too badly to run, I walk as fast as I can without running. I think it’s harder in many ways than running, and it’s still not racewalking!</p>
<p>You can come here for glory. We appreciate what you do.</p>
<p>Update on my CW-X tights. One word: WOW. I think they propel my legs forward 
It was breezy and colder with a slight drizzle, but it certainly did not feel that way. I have to see if CW-X (Wacoal) makes anything for the upper body with their wonderful wind-stopping fabric. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that we will have snow in the mountains this winter, and I’m shopping for the XC skiing pans, riverrunner!</p>
<p>Thank you all for the suggestions and wonderful tips!</p>
<p>MOfWC, good luck with the monkey hills. You are my hero - hills kill me :eek: Please watch out for tree roots when you are running through wooded areas. I used to run cross country in HS, and our course went through a very scenic wooded area. Many times I reached the finish line with a bloodied knee (those beautiful fall colors are such a distraction!).</p>
<p>The Monkey is on asphalt, fortunately, since I am not known for my sure-footedness. I don’t run trails. I don’t pick my feet up high enough to avoid roots and rocks. Did 20 miles in Monkeyville this morning and it was really tough. Stopped on a few of the later hills, hands on kneees, gasping for air.<br>
I am sitting here wearing my Zensah calf sleeves.<br>
Back on clothes- I just got this awesome Saucony long sleeved top in bright orange with some reflective material AND a small light attached to the sleeve that blinks when you turn it on. It’s called Saucony Optech.</p>
<p>MofWC - if you ever decide to abandon your current career you could launch a second writing about high tech stuff and running. I</p>
<p>By the way - Monkey Marathon sounds wild! There are times when we understand how WC got that way - look at his mom!!!</p>
<p>Bunsen - great to hear about the tights. I might have to invest in a pair for winter. I am okay now with the loose tights I wear, but as I have said before, I like to have enough clothing and choices that I have no excuses.</p>
<p>Riverrunner - we watched the NYC marathon online last week and I couldn’t believe how many of the elite runners had the arm warmers. So - tell me - when you are racing would you still wear a short sleeve top when it was pretty cold (30-35) with these? I hate to be hot. Last year I raced in NYC and wore a long sleeve top and I was so hot til I finished. I often start with a hat and throw that off at some point. These might be a solution for me. I have a race coming up the end of November and I was thinking about getting a pair.</p>
<p>A lot of my friends wear arm warmers with singlets (sleeveless). I own arm warmers (got them for doubling at a 5K/10K last February- a stupid idea) but have never worn them. I think I would freeze with bare shoulders in weather where I felt my arms needed covering! I just haven’t figured out the weather for them, but I am VERY cold-blooded and tend to err on the side of wearing too much. I hate to be cold-even at the start. I think the arm warmers look cool, though. I LOVE my calf sleeves (Zensah) and even wear them to work (under trousers). I might have already said that since I never shut up about them. They are bright yellow (I have red ones, too).</p>
<p>Worknprogress- There was never much doubt abut how WildChild got the way he is… My husband is much more “normal” and doesn’t tend to “challenge authority”…</p>
<p>What a surprise!</p>
<p>Cool! MOFWC, thanks for the tip - the orange top sound exactly like what I need for our night time running. I’m very cold-blooded as well. H, on the other hand, overheats and sweats easily. For our runs, he usually wears shorts and a light tee, but I dress like an Eskimo. I still run faster than he does :)</p>
<p>Snow in the passes!!! Woo-hoo, XC skiing, here we come! Time to order the pants suggested by riverrunner.</p>
<p>Update: last night, H and I went for a run under pouring rain (our area is being hit with some sort of a storm or something like that). I love these CWX tights! They were dry the minute I stepped inside the house, but my supposedly rainproof biking jacket was soaking wet.</p>