The Great Haircut Challenge ended last night at midnight.  Over the last month, it raised $1310 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training.  JoJo, a long-time photographer at 11Alive that spouts wisdom, advice, and humor with ease has said repeatedly through this fundraiser “a woman’s hair is a man’s glory”.  To which I reply: “If a man is depending on my hair for glory, he doesn’t have much going for him, now does he?”

My desktop now includes issues of “Short Hair” and “Short Hair Style Guide” magazines.  I have just a few days to pick out the new do and I AM ABSOLUTELY thrilled.  The change will be drastic.  There will be raised eyebrows and comments.  Not all of them will be good.  I know this because I’ve been a Pixie before.  But this time, I have ammunition I’ve never had before. 

When they ask, “What did you do with your hair?”

I can say, “I cut it all off and raised more than $1300 for cancer research and patient services.  It’s fundraising for the Chicago Marathon in October: my 10th marathon… what did you do with your hair?”  Maybe that definition of Pixie should read “… somewhat mischievous, sarcastic, and/or spunky.”  Yep, that fits. 

Thanks so much to everyone that donated to The Great Haircut Challenge.  We’re still working out details, but it looks like Chesley will do the first “chop” Tuesday or Wednesday around 5:15 AM live on 11Alive.  My long-time hairdresser, Jem, from 313 Salon; will work on cutting it through the show and have it ready for a ta-da! moment by the end of the show.  Details to come….

“The Great Hair Cut Challenge” made it onto TV today.  In case you weren’t watching 11Alive at 5:55 AM (and shame on you!), here’s the background: to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, people are deciding what I should do with my hair: chop it all off or keep it long.  This wasn’t my idea, but I like it.  We’ve already raised more than $700 for a cause close to my heart, so I say bring it on! 

One of our producers heard about The Great Hair Cut Challenge on Facebook and suggested we talk about it on the morning show.  So, in between my 5:30 and 6:00 live hits, Chesley, Jill, Karyn, and I sat on the anchor desk and talked about it on live TV. 

Chesley threw out an absurd suggestion: “How about you let me cut it?” And I said yes.  Everyone on set, perhaps especially Chesley, was shocked.  

He can chop off my ponytail, and then I’ll have my hairdresser clean it up.  That’s *IF* the donations swing that way.  Right now, the “Keep It” campaign has raised twice as much as the “Chop It”.  BUT, we have 21 days left.  As we gear up for election season, I’m reminded: anything can happen.  Donate and Vote Here.

So, I was a little surprised when an 11Alive live chat inspired me to take a Facebook and Twitter vote on whether I should cut all mine off, and the votes were (almost) unanimously “yes”.  I now know the “no” voters just kept quiet. 

I decided to launch the Great Hair Cut Challenge.  If I can raise $500 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training by the end of June (I’m training to run the Chicago marathon in October), I’ll cut all my hair off. 

But then (like every good story), a very good twist.  One of my TNT teammates said he would pledge $500 to NOT cut off my hair.  Well, that makes things interesting.  So, now, new rules.  You can donate to the “chop your hair” or “keep your hair” camp. (You can make a note when you donate on my secure fundraising website or just send me a note). 

Whichever has the most money by the end of June will decide what happens.  Either way, we’re raising money for a cause close to my heart, which is (obviously) the most important thing.  Otherwise, I would not be blogging about something as insignificant as my hair cut. 

Because I’m not a guy.  I’m really not that attached to my hair. (But I’m glad you are, because I plan on making some money off of you for a good cause!

I need to take a quick minute to bring the men up to speed.  Cutting off all of your hair is no small decision for a woman.  To go from that (see left) to my long locks today took a year and my hairdresser tells me it’s a miracle.  Seriously, she asks, “What are you doing to your hair?!” because it grew so fast.  So you heard it here first, my big secret: Super B Complex vitamins.  Friends with babies told me their hair grew like crazy while on pre-natal vitamins.  Those are expensive and have too much iron, so I went with the super B, and voila.  Magic Hair. 

I posted the picture on Facebook and Twitter and took a vote: Should I chop it off again?  I was a bit surprised by the (almost) unanimous calls to “Chop, chop!”.  And it made me think of Mallory Chandler. 

She’s one of my mentees on the Team in Training Chicago team.  We both ran for the TNT Nashville team.  The Country Music Marathon fell on the exact seven year anniversary of her last day of chemo.  She is a cancer survivor and an amazing woman that continues to inspire me.  Post-chemo she grew her long, wavy locks.  She cut them off last week and raised thousands of dollars.  Pretty amazing (see picture at right).

So, to all of you making the calls to “chop, chop”, here’s the deal: If I can raise $500 by the end of June in my Team in Training fundraising for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, I’ll cut it all off.  Super Short.  Pixie Short. 

Here’s the website to make donations: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/chicago10/jwolfe

I’m already $100 towards that goal, so I think it’s doable.  If not, I keep my hair.  Let the bids begin.

I thought, “I’ve run half-a-dozen marathons, who knows how many halves, 5Ks, 10Ks.  I know the lingo.  I wear the gear.  Who are you to say I’M not a REAL runner?”  Instead what came out of my mouth was, “Are you saying I have a big ass?”

What happened next was the smartest thing (and the only thing) a man can say in that moment: “No, dear, not at all,” in a voice with just a touch of fear.

Here’s the ugly truth about running: I doesn’t make you lose weight.  Let me alter that slightly: It doesn’t make ME lose weight.  It seems so unfair that even when I run 12, 16, 18 miles; I don’t lose a single pound.  My pants DO fit better.  My legs LOOK better, but that’s about it.  Everyone I convince to run usually does lose weight, which allows me to practice my evil-eye. 

So, what’s the deal? 

A recent Runner’s World magazine article titled “What’s Your Ideal Weight?” said:

“There’s no denying healthy runners will race about 2 seconds per mile faster for every pound they lose. . . the less weight you carry around, the more miles per gallon you get from oxygen.” This applies to runners with a healthy BMI, between 18.5 and 24.9.  If you drop below 18.5, you’re at risk for becoming weaker and slower. 

As with all things running these days, I turned to Team in Training coach Barb for some information.  She passed along an article from nutritionist, Nancy Clark (Board Certified Specialist in Sports Dietetics).  An excerpt:

“Why “quick weight loss” is a fantasy

While the promise of quick weight loss is enticing, runners who lose weight quickly on a severe diet inevitably regain the weight, if not more. That’s because the body overcompensates for extreme dieting with overeating. You will never win the war against hunger…

     Hunger is physiological. Just as your body needs to breathe, urinate and sleep, your body also needs to eat. Urges to overeat (that is, blow your diet) often have less to do with will power and more to do with the physiology of hunger. Just as you will gasp for air after having been trapped under-water without oxygen, you will devour food after having been denied calories during a crash diet (or after a long run, for that matter). Yes, you can white-knuckle yourself to stick to your crash diet, but your well-meaning plan to quickly shed some pounds has a high likelihood of exploding into a demoralizing pattern of binge eating followed by yet-another attempt to crash-diet. Don’t go there…. it’s depressing.”

Well, darn. Then…

The better plan is to chip away at slow but steady weight loss, targeting 0.5 to 2 pounds a week. Why, by just knocking off 100 calories at the end of the day (one cookie, one heaping spoonful of ice cream), you can theoretically lose 10 pounds a year. Knock off 200 calories at the end of the day (16 ounces of cola, 4 Oreos), and you’ve lost 20 pounds a year.

Well, I can do 100 calories less a day.  Until then, I guess I’ll just be that chubby runner. Recently, the Cooper Aerobics Center (fitness and BMI gurus) released a report that said aerobics fitness (not weight) is a predictor of longevity.  It’s better to be fat but fit rather than lean and out of shape. And anyone that runs 26.2 miles is definately, without question, in shape. 

Make no mistake; I am a “real runner”.  So are you.  In my book, that has nothing to do with your size, your weight, or your speed.  To be a runner, you just need to put one foot in front of the other and cross the finish line.  See you there.

Reading this definition started me pondering about commitment in our world today.  In my head, it started sounding a lot like my dad’s stories: “when I was your age, I had to walk to school.  Up Hill.  In the snow.” 

I’m too young to talk about the past that way, but here I am thinking it.  Are we ever really committed to anything?  I mean REALLY committed?

For me, commitment must come with consequence.  If you break your commitment, whatever role you were supposed to play, whatever job you were supposed to do: it won’t get done.  When you’re fundraising for cancer, those consequences are significant.  Families that need help won’t get it.  Research won’t happen.  Cures won’t be found.

We had recommitment night for the ING Georgia Marathon last night.  For Team in Training, this means two things: (1) You must have 25% of your fundraising done, and (2) you should be on target in your running schedule.

This is it. There’s no turning back.  I signed my name on the line.  From here on out, it’s full force ahead.  In a wishy-washy, gray-area world, the solid commitment feels good.  It stretches out before me like a long road just begging for a run.

Speaking of fundraising, I still have $1,000 to go. You can donate here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ga/Georgia10/jwolfe

-Our track at McEachern High School backed up to a pasture.  For some reason, instead of being afraid of the starting gun, the cows were attracted by the sound.  Every track meet, they would line the fence like a mooing cheering squad.

-One time, I took so long getting into my blocks, the other team’s track coach yelled at me.  It flustered me so much I had a false start.  He yelled at me more.  Since then, getting into starting blocks makes me break into a sweat.

-It was team picture day and my uniform was rumpled on the floor.  I ironed it.  It melted.  There was a big hole in my shorts.  Funny thing is, I can’t remember what happened.  Certainly, I didn’t stand in the back row with my hiney hanging out.  Or maybe I did and I’ve just blocked it out.

My Team in Training Coach tells me track workouts will play a huge role in getting me to my goal of a sub-four hour marathon. If you’re like me, most of you have not had a track workout in a long time (maybe ever).  Here’s what you missed:

-Short strides.  Instead of taking long, loping strides, long-distance runners should take shorter, faster strides.  From Coach Barb: “Basically the theory states that the slower you take steps, the longer time you spend in the air. The longer you’re in the air, the more you displace your body mass and the harder you hit the ground on landing. This can lead to injury and also demands more from your leg muscles.”  You should aim for 90 strides (that’s 2 steps, so count every time your right foot hits) in 60 seconds.  This works and has changed the way I run.

-Run on egg shells.  Sometimes, I hear myself running and I sound like an elephant.  This is bad.  Running lightly is (obviously) easier on your ankles, knees, and hips.  You do this my rolling with your foot.  Think heel, mid-sole, toe in a fluid rolling motion. 

-Pick-Ups.  We ran a series of 100 meter runs, starting slow, speeding up to 80%, then recovering.  In this exercise I made a discovery: I am not fast.  It’s possible I was never really fast, it’s just that golden hue of memories that make things look better than they were.  Still, it’s kind of strange.  I can run for a long time at a pretty solid speed, but running fast… well, that’s a whole other issue. 

At least my shorts didn’t have a hole burned into them.

I’m eight weeks from standing at the ING Georgia starting line, still more than $1,00o from my goal.  Click here to donate to fight cancer.  Thanks!

It could have been the champagne toast we had at mile two (which I was regretting by mile three).

It could have been the company.  Seven Team in Training runners showed up despite the storm. 

But, really, I think it’s because I did it.  I could have made an excuse (it’s too dark/cold/snowy/late), but I didn’t.  I’ve learned there’s always an excuse.  Some of these excuses are valid.  Too bad.  You have to refuse to excuse.  It’s the only way you’ll ever get your marathon training done. (This is a conversation I have inside my head at least once a week.)

And that brings me to New Year’s Resolutions.  This morning, 11Alive Meteorologist Ashley McDonald said, “I don’t make New Year’s Resolutions, so I don’t break them.”  The last few years, as I’ve wandered the streets for MOS (Man on The Street) interviews, more and more people are telling me they don’t make resolutions.   It makes sense: if you want to do something, why wait until January 1^st to make it happen?

I am not one of those people.  For some reason, I have a bit of an obsession with New Year’s resolutions.  So, here’s my list this year:

1)      Wear more hats in 2010.  They’re so snuggly.  This means I will likely have hat hair more often.  I’m OK with that.

2)      Run a 4 hour marathon.  I think this is do-able, but just barely.  Talk to me after my 20 mile run.

3)      Drop a pant size.  I have lots of pants hanging in my closet I’d like to wear again.

4)      Do something nice for someone else EVERY SINGLE DAY.

5)      Learn to speak Spanish.

Hats are easy.  Everything else… well, I’ll let you know.  Happy New Year’s Eve!   Just because you celebrate Thursday doesn’t mean you can skip your long run Saturday.  Don’t start 2010 with an excuse.  If you do, you’ll soon find a year full of them.

“Hey Julie, what would you say ab taking your TNT experience to the radio airwaves?” 

Radio is like TV except no one is going to e-mail me about how bad my hair looks (oh, the stories I could tell).  So, I’m in.

So, just a few days before Christmas Mary Liebman (TNT staffer), Barb Stinson (ING Coach), and me are sharing a roomy booth with Q100’s Matt Jones.  For 20 minutes we chat about Team in Training.  Mary talks about fundraising, Barb talks about coaching, and I talk about how great Mary and Barb are.

The twenty minute community segment plus some 60 second spots will run on Cumulus radio stations (like Q100) in January.  I think they jumped the gun though because I just got an e-mail: “I totally heard you on the radio yesterday morning!  I don’t know if it was live or a replay of an earlier broadcast, but it was pretty cool.”

It’s the first time I’ve been called cool since perhaps 5^th grade.  So, obviously, this is a big success. 

If you hear the spot and are inspired to join, visit: http://www.teamintraining.org/ga/.  If you want to e-mail me to tell me how bad my hair looks: jwolfe@11alive.com.  If you feel pity that I actually get those kinds of e-mails, you can make it up to me by donating to my TNT fundraising efforts by clicking here.