December 2019 Monthly Running Challenge

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Replies

  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    So check this out - - -

    https://www.4029tv.com/article/man-attempted-to-abduct-woman-on-bella-vista-trail/30245809


    On Saturday, I got to the tunnel that leads to the trail mentioned in the article, but there was no lighting in the tunnel and it was really long and I had a bad feeling, so I turned around and ran back the other way.

    I need to get some form of protection other than the gps tracker and alarm. Things like this make me so nervous. :(

    the good news is that these situations are rare. but i am a strong believer in being prepared for whatever(girl scout).
    self defense classes are good. otherwise, most of the weapons, could be turned against the victim.
    being aware is important. criminals want an easy target. someone who is aware of their surroundings is not. someone who runs with others is not. someone who runs with dogs is not. someone who runs with confidence or attitude is not.
    are there exceptions? yes.
    when i am looking for a dog, i look for a dog who looks intimidating.
    thus old girl and speed demon. speed demon is a big black intimidating dog. old girl likes to bark. where you can see her big teeth.
    i'm rarely approached
    v1r1l76mvy9i.png
    xeoegwrkna2q.png

    Yes! My fiance said, "Well, so much for running outside!"

    He's not a runner....

    I said, "Ummmm noooooo............I'm still going to run. I'm just also going to run smart."

    It still sucks that this happened in the middle of the day here. It's saddening and of course I will be hyper aware now.
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    edited December 2019
    @Camaramandy648 Good advice from...
    @mbaker566 Be aware of your surroundings and confident. I am barely 100 pounds and I run with no weapons. I used to consistently run a heavily wooded trail. One twilight, this girl stopped me and told me that I shouldn't go any further because some guy tried to stop her and he seemed drunk. But why is he even there (what purpose) and why is he trying to stop anyone? I thanked her and turned around. I don't go at night anymore or when it's dark. I don't live in fear and I'm not even nervous. There are so many options for running these days. We have a plethora of trails and sidewalks here. I do my research if I'm planning a new route and I refuse to let anyone ruin my run, to occupy my headspace when I'm running since that is my hit the refresh button time. Good luck! Pepper spray might be a good option?! And yes, self defense classes are confidence builders to bust someone's...
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,024 Member
    I read that I need to make sure my weekly miles are equal-ish to my long run.

    Do any of you intentionally track this? Thoughts? advice?

    OH and MY AMAZING SISTER was interrogating me last week about safety for my running at night, if running in such cold weather is even a smart idea, am I getting enough water, what am I eating, is this even safe, what about my knees as I age, what if I fall and I'm alone, etc. etc. etc. etc.

    I don't specifically track it, but have noticed that the training plans I follow do seem to follow that rule.

    If you had trouble answering any of your sister's questions, feel free to ask them here. I think a lot of us get questions like that :) I'd say the basic answer is that yes, running is healthy!
    Get the book 80/20 Running: a2px7iqhu7bm.png

    It will teach you about creating running plans and answer questions that you did not think to ask yet :)

    Okay awesome, thank you! I have Scribd, so maybe it's on there. By the way, it's a FANTASTIC subscription if you are very readerly. I just got "The Case for Christ," and "The Case for Christ, for Kids," last night. Very excited to start these with my kids tonight.

    BTW those are great books for people with questions, or who want to be better at answering others' questions :)

    But as for the running book, it's on my list.

    Can we add a "monthly question"? What running books do you recommend?
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    So check this out - - -

    https://www.4029tv.com/article/man-attempted-to-abduct-woman-on-bella-vista-trail/30245809


    On Saturday, I got to the tunnel that leads to the trail mentioned in the article, but there was no lighting in the tunnel and it was really long and I had a bad feeling, so I turned around and ran back the other way.

    I need to get some form of protection other than the gps tracker and alarm. Things like this make me so nervous. :(

    the good news is that these situations are rare. but i am a strong believer in being prepared for whatever(girl scout).
    self defense classes are good. otherwise, most of the weapons, could be turned against the victim.
    being aware is important. criminals want an easy target. someone who is aware of their surroundings is not. someone who runs with others is not. someone who runs with dogs is not. someone who runs with confidence or attitude is not.
    are there exceptions? yes.
    when i am looking for a dog, i look for a dog who looks intimidating.
    thus old girl and speed demon. speed demon is a big black intimidating dog. old girl likes to bark. where you can see her big teeth.
    i'm rarely approached
    v1r1l76mvy9i.png
    xeoegwrkna2q.png

    Yes! My fiance said, "Well, so much for running outside!"

    He's not a runner....

    I said, "Ummmm noooooo............I'm still going to run. I'm just also going to run smart."

    It still sucks that this happened in the middle of the day here. It's saddening and of course I will be hyper aware now.

    I absolutely think everyone needs to be aware of their surroundings while running (primarily to avoid being hit by cars, which is a real danger in most of the places where we live), but these kind of abduction situations are incredibly rare in most places, and almost always involve someone the victim already knows. Violence just makes a much more exciting story then things like heart disease, so we are tricked into thinking that it's something we need to be worried about while avoiding things (like running outside!) that actually have a positive impact on our health.

    Soapbox aside, it's scary when this kind of thing happens, but don't let it scare you off of running!
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    edited December 2019
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @Camaramandy648 Good advice from...
    @mbaker566 Be aware of your surroundings and confident. I am barely 100 pounds and I run with no weapons. I used to consistently run a heavily wooded trail. One twilight, this girl stopped me and told me that I shouldn't go any further because some guy tried to stop her and he seemed drunk. But why is he even there (what purpose) and why is he trying to stop anyone? I thanked her and turned around. I don't go at night anymore or when it's dark. I don't live in fear and I'm not even nervous. There are so many options for running these days. We have a plethora of trails and sidewalks here. I do my research if I'm planning a new route and I refuse to let anyone ruin my run, to occupy my headspace when I'm running since that is my hit the refresh button time. Good luck! Pepper spray might be a good option?! And yes, self defense classes are confidence builders to bust someone's...

    i do not want to give anyone anything they can use against me. spray included
    being in the city that i live in. there is in fact stranger danger. but no one really bothers me. i've helped drunks out of the road. dissuaded someone from robbing me (i had no money anyways). i acknowledge the homeless folk. i make eye contact with everyone i pass. i make myself visible. not necessarily by color but by presence. "oh yeah, i know her. she always says good morning"

    That is so wonderful of you!!! I do too...I make eye contact with everyone and I say hello to everyone. I give money to homeless that stand on corners as I'm waiting in my car to turn at a light. However, when it comes to running and I am by myself or especially when I have my baby with me, I will avoid knowingly dangerous situations because I refuse to openly allow someone to victimize me. If someone is drunk and harassing women, I'll turn in the opposite direction and haul *kitten* like an Olympic runner. I would not be opposed to using a weapon, not at all. But I am not going to purchase one for running. I have worked in restaurants where I had cash on hand and getting robbed, raped, or murdered being by myself walking to my car in the dark behind a vacant restaurant would be a great example of when a pocket knife or pepper spray would be great! I run in a heavily trafficked area with a sidewalk. I'll make an incredible scene if someone tries anything. It's a personal choice to not use pepper spray, or whatever, if you are concerned that someone would use your own protection against you. I'm not scared, though, to use it and I'm not concerned someone would use it against me.

    Anyway, this isn't about how fantastic of a person we all are. This is about personal safety while running.

    @Camaramandy648 Do what you need to do to feel safe.
  • Teresa502
    Teresa502 Posts: 1,861 Member

    Can we add a "monthly question"? What running books do you recommend?

    I started reading Eat and Run by Scott Jurek. His insight on running while eating vegan was interesting. He experimented with a raw food diet for a little while. I don't know how he found the time to work full-time, cook all this healthy food and run 20-30 miles a day. Not every day but several a week. He gave some recipes but most of them required a lot of prep time and ingredients. I didn't get finished before the book had to be returned to the library but it was interesting reading.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    edited December 2019
    shanaber wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @Camaramandy648 Good advice from...
    @mbaker566 Be aware of your surroundings and confident. I am barely 100 pounds and I run with no weapons. I used to consistently run a heavily wooded trail. One twilight, this girl stopped me and told me that I shouldn't go any further because some guy tried to stop her and he seemed drunk. But why is he even there (what purpose) and why is he trying to stop anyone? I thanked her and turned around. I don't go at night anymore or when it's dark. I don't live in fear and I'm not even nervous. There are so many options for running these days. We have a plethora of trails and sidewalks here. I do my research if I'm planning a new route and I refuse to let anyone ruin my run, to occupy my headspace when I'm running since that is my hit the refresh button time. Good luck! Pepper spray might be a good option?! And yes, self defense classes are confidence builders to bust someone's...

    i do not want to give anyone anything they can use against me. spray included
    being in the city that i live in. there is in fact stranger danger. but no one really bothers me. i've helped drunks out of the road. dissuaded someone from robbing me (i had no money anyways). i acknowledge the homeless folk. i make eye contact with everyone i pass. i make myself visible. not necessarily by color but by presence. "oh yeah, i know her. she always says good morning"

    This ^^^
    I do the same and I almost always have Hobbes the Vizsla with me. He is very social but has a build that some think is like a pit bull (big chest) and while he likes most everyone he will let me know when there is someone who makes him uncomfortable.
    I have also stopped some women who walk or run with their heads down looking at their feet and not looking around themselves at all and pointed out how vulnerable it makes them. If nothing else they should be aware of the cyclists and runners on the trail that they could impede.

    Or walkers on their phone 🤦‍♀️
    I like to yell boo as i run past.

    Speed demon is a bit of a tank when she's running at you

    Anyone want to tell the 8lb foster he has to move so i can go run🤣😋
  • marisap2010
    marisap2010 Posts: 909 Member
    Awesome job on both of your races, @Teresa502
  • marisap2010
    marisap2010 Posts: 909 Member
    Great job getting all of those miles, @PastorVincent!
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    Running Books, great question @polskagirl01! I have a few...

    One of my favorites is 'Shut Up and Run' by Robyn Arzon. It is incredibly motivating, has sections that are like a journal, running plans and all kinds of tips and I really like her attitude and the way she writes. When I am feeling unmotivated or like I am not improving enough it is my go to re-read.

    I have also read Several of Matt Fitzgerald's books '80/20 Running', 'Racing Weight', etc. and there is definitely good info in them as well but I found them a bit boring.

    Recently I read Jeff Galloway's 'Running until You're 100' which was also good, has tons of tips but I didn't like his frequent references to his other books rather than just giving the information on whatever it was.

    Right now I am reading 'The Cool Impossible' by Eric Orton and trying to incorporate some of the exercises he recommends. It is written rather strangely - he tries to make it like you are there with him running and being coached, but again good information.
  • shanaber
    shanaber Posts: 6,423 Member
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    shanaber wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @Camaramandy648 Good advice from...
    @mbaker566 Be aware of your surroundings and confident. I am barely 100 pounds and I run with no weapons. I used to consistently run a heavily wooded trail. One twilight, this girl stopped me and told me that I shouldn't go any further because some guy tried to stop her and he seemed drunk. But why is he even there (what purpose) and why is he trying to stop anyone? I thanked her and turned around. I don't go at night anymore or when it's dark. I don't live in fear and I'm not even nervous. There are so many options for running these days. We have a plethora of trails and sidewalks here. I do my research if I'm planning a new route and I refuse to let anyone ruin my run, to occupy my headspace when I'm running since that is my hit the refresh button time. Good luck! Pepper spray might be a good option?! And yes, self defense classes are confidence builders to bust someone's...

    i do not want to give anyone anything they can use against me. spray included
    being in the city that i live in. there is in fact stranger danger. but no one really bothers me. i've helped drunks out of the road. dissuaded someone from robbing me (i had no money anyways). i acknowledge the homeless folk. i make eye contact with everyone i pass. i make myself visible. not necessarily by color but by presence. "oh yeah, i know her. she always says good morning"

    This ^^^
    I do the same and I almost always have Hobbes the Vizsla with me. He is very social but has a build that some think is like a pit bull (big chest) and while he likes most everyone he will let me know when there is someone who makes him uncomfortable.
    I have also stopped some women who walk or run with their heads down looking at their feet and not looking around themselves at all and pointed out how vulnerable it makes them. If nothing else they should be aware of the cyclists and runners on the trail that they could impede.

    Or walkers on their phone 🤦‍♀️
    I like to yell boo as i run past.

    Speed demon is a bit of a tank when she's running at you

    Anyone want to tell the 8lb foster he has to move so i can go run🤣😋

    @mbaker566 - I should try that sometime 'BOO' - hahahaha!
    That 8lb foster has a darned cute face and would be difficult to tell him he has to move! Maybe better to stick him in a backpack and take him with you (wrapped in a blanket of course) 😁
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    shanaber wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    shanaber wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @Camaramandy648 Good advice from...
    @mbaker566 Be aware of your surroundings and confident. I am barely 100 pounds and I run with no weapons. I used to consistently run a heavily wooded trail. One twilight, this girl stopped me and told me that I shouldn't go any further because some guy tried to stop her and he seemed drunk. But why is he even there (what purpose) and why is he trying to stop anyone? I thanked her and turned around. I don't go at night anymore or when it's dark. I don't live in fear and I'm not even nervous. There are so many options for running these days. We have a plethora of trails and sidewalks here. I do my research if I'm planning a new route and I refuse to let anyone ruin my run, to occupy my headspace when I'm running since that is my hit the refresh button time. Good luck! Pepper spray might be a good option?! And yes, self defense classes are confidence builders to bust someone's...

    i do not want to give anyone anything they can use against me. spray included
    being in the city that i live in. there is in fact stranger danger. but no one really bothers me. i've helped drunks out of the road. dissuaded someone from robbing me (i had no money anyways). i acknowledge the homeless folk. i make eye contact with everyone i pass. i make myself visible. not necessarily by color but by presence. "oh yeah, i know her. she always says good morning"

    This ^^^
    I do the same and I almost always have Hobbes the Vizsla with me. He is very social but has a build that some think is like a pit bull (big chest) and while he likes most everyone he will let me know when there is someone who makes him uncomfortable.
    I have also stopped some women who walk or run with their heads down looking at their feet and not looking around themselves at all and pointed out how vulnerable it makes them. If nothing else they should be aware of the cyclists and runners on the trail that they could impede.

    Or walkers on their phone 🤦‍♀️
    I like to yell boo as i run past.

    Speed demon is a bit of a tank when she's running at you

    Anyone want to tell the 8lb foster he has to move so i can go run🤣😋

    @mbaker566 - I should try that sometime 'BOO' - hahahaha!
    That 8lb foster has a darned cute face and would be difficult to tell him he has to move! Maybe better to stick him in a backpack and take him with you (wrapped in a blanket of course) 😁

    I've been tempted...
  • LoveyChar
    LoveyChar Posts: 4,336 Member
    12/1 - 12.4 m
    12/2 - 3.5 m
    12/3 - 3.2 m
    12/4 - 3.2 m
    12/5 - 3.2 m
    12/6 - 3.2 m
    12/7 - 0
    12/8 - 5.2 m
    12/9 - 3.7 m
    12/10- 0
    12/11 - 4.2 m
    12/12 - 0
    12/13- 3.2 m
    12/14 - 3.2 m
    12/15- 6.9 m
    12/16- 3.2 m ...

    For a grand total of 55.1 miles for December so far!
  • Elise4270
    Elise4270 Posts: 8,375 Member
    Finally went to see dr. Good news is that I do not have a stress fracture! So I guess the answer is a sprain? Seems like a lot, but maybe I am just a baby. I keep RICE for now.

    I have to wonder how long you’ve been in pain and IF a stress fracture could be seen yet. My understanding is it not visible on X-ray until it begins to knit. (Assuming X-ray.). I think it’d be wise to treat it like a stress response and possibly sprained if you did something to sprain it. Sorry I’m not up on the deets 😉 I gotta go back and read up. Another guess would be tendonosis as it is incredibly painful and I think “fracture” every time I have it in my feet. Or, subluxed cuboid? That can really hurt and radiate like bone pain. There’s a maneuver that you can do free it.
  • noblsheep
    noblsheep Posts: 593 Member
    edited December 2019
    What running books do you recommend?
    Just finished Building Your Running Body. It's more of a how to guide, but the science parts were pretty illuminating.

    Currently reading Running is My Therapy. I feel like most of it is about stuff I/we already know, but some of the anecdotes were hilarious.

    My favorite running book is probably Murakami's "What I Talk About When I Talk About Running". I go back to it once every year or two and always find new stuff to like about it.

    mbaker566 wrote: »
    shanaber wrote: »
    mbaker566 wrote: »
    LoveyChar wrote: »
    @Camaramandy648 Good advice from...
    @mbaker566 Be aware of your surroundings and confident. I am barely 100 pounds and I run with no weapons. I used to consistently run a heavily wooded trail. One twilight, this girl stopped me and told me that I shouldn't go any further because some guy tried to stop her and he seemed drunk. But why is he even there (what purpose) and why is he trying to stop anyone? I thanked her and turned around. I don't go at night anymore or when it's dark. I don't live in fear and I'm not even nervous. There are so many options for running these days. We have a plethora of trails and sidewalks here. I do my research if I'm planning a new route and I refuse to let anyone ruin my run, to occupy my headspace when I'm running since that is my hit the refresh button time. Good luck! Pepper spray might be a good option?! And yes, self defense classes are confidence builders to bust someone's...

    i do not want to give anyone anything they can use against me. spray included
    being in the city that i live in. there is in fact stranger danger. but no one really bothers me. i've helped drunks out of the road. dissuaded someone from robbing me (i had no money anyways). i acknowledge the homeless folk. i make eye contact with everyone i pass. i make myself visible. not necessarily by color but by presence. "oh yeah, i know her. she always says good morning"

    This ^^^
    I do the same and I almost always have Hobbes the Vizsla with me. He is very social but has a build that some think is like a pit bull (big chest) and while he likes most everyone he will let me know when there is someone who makes him uncomfortable.
    I have also stopped some women who walk or run with their heads down looking at their feet and not looking around themselves at all and pointed out how vulnerable it makes them. If nothing else they should be aware of the cyclists and runners on the trail that they could impede.

    Or walkers on their phone 🤦‍♀️
    I like to yell boo as i run past.

    Speed demon is a bit of a tank when she's running at you

    Anyone want to tell the 8lb foster he has to move so i can go run🤣😋
    I'll need to try that sometime!
  • T1DCarnivoreRunner
    T1DCarnivoreRunner Posts: 11,502 Member
    Elise4270 wrote: »
    Finally went to see dr. Good news is that I do not have a stress fracture! So I guess the answer is a sprain? Seems like a lot, but maybe I am just a baby. I keep RICE for now.

    I have to wonder how long you’ve been in pain and IF a stress fracture could be seen yet. My understanding is it not visible on X-ray until it begins to knit. (Assuming X-ray.). I think it’d be wise to treat it like a stress response and possibly sprained if you did something to sprain it. Sorry I’m not up on the deets 😉 I gotta go back and read up. Another guess would be tendonosis as it is incredibly painful and I think “fracture” every time I have it in my feet. Or, subluxed cuboid? That can really hurt and radiate like bone pain. There’s a maneuver that you can do free it.

    Achilles tendonitis started after 11/10 and snkle swelling /pain started around 11/30.
  • dreamer12151
    dreamer12151 Posts: 1,031 Member
    Saw this on the local-ish news yesterday morning. Towards the end, I had tears in my eyes...

    https://fox6now.com/2019/02/13/long-may-they-run-ed-and-sandy-are-fixtures-at-races-fun-runs-across-se-wisconsin/
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    Long run day. But wait, did I post yesterday? I had designed this killer hill workout where there's this long hill, but it has about 10 streets coming off of it all the way down. If you start at the bottom, they aren't too steep, but as you work your way up the hill, these side-street hills get worse and worse. Yesterday I did 5 of the harder ones, and it was really tough! I plan to gradually add a street at a time until someday I'll do all 10. Someday. Maybe.
    The goal route. I only did 5 of those yesterday.
    gn2v2u9ak5a3.jpg
    Pictures from the bottom of the last hill
    lso7uhpeldur.jpg
    y20wp0mun2lv.jpg
    Today was my long run, so nice and slow, walking up big hills instead of trying to hit 5k pace on them, and I had some snacks and drink to keep me company too. The weather is beautiful, especially for December, and I noticed lots of chickens out looking for bugs :) I mostly enjoyed it.

    December goal 100 miles

    exercise.png

    Upcoming races:
    Dec 24/25 virtual Botanical 5k
    Jan. 11 - CityTrail 5k (#4 of 6)

    I love this! I want to run somewhere like that! Those hills, though! I really enjoy creating little challenges for myself, too. :) It looks like you had fun!
  • Camaramandy648
    Camaramandy648 Posts: 711 Member
    Saw this on the local-ish news yesterday morning. Towards the end, I had tears in my eyes...

    https://fox6now.com/2019/02/13/long-may-they-run-ed-and-sandy-are-fixtures-at-races-fun-runs-across-se-wisconsin/

    Awwwwwwwwwwwww I LOVE THIS! I WANT TO BE SANDY!!!!
  • quilteryoyo
    quilteryoyo Posts: 6,472 Member
    @polskagirl01 Killer hills. I'm sure you will be ecstatic when you can do all 10 of those hills on a run.
  • polskagirl01
    polskagirl01 Posts: 2,024 Member
    @polskagirl01 Killer hills. I'm sure you will be ecstatic when you can do all 10 of those hills on a run.
    It's a long-term goal for sure!
  • Tramboman
    Tramboman Posts: 2,482 Member
    12-1 7k easy
    12-2 7k slow + resistance bands
    12-3 rest
    12-4 7k slow + resistance bands
    12-5 rest + yoga
    12-6 7k slow + resistance bands
    12-7 7k easy + yoga
    12-8 rest
    12-9 4k easy + resistance bands
    12-10 rest + yoga
    12-11 7k easy + resistance bands
    12-12 7k easy + yoga
    12-13 rest + resistance bands
    12-14 7k easy + yoga
    12-15 8k slow
    12-16 7k slow + resistance bands
    12-17 rest + yoga

    December Total: 75k
    December Goal: 135k

    January Total: 131k
    February Total: 159.5k
    March Total: 183k
    April Total: 126k
    May Total: 128k
    June Total: 161.5k
    July Total: 151k
    August Total: 133k
    September Total: 135k
    October Total: 115k
    November Total: 155k

    2019 Total through November: 1,578k / 978.36m

    Monthly average: 143.45k

    Next year when you pop in here claiming your December 2019 mileage, what accomplishments will you have made?
    Run at least 4 5k races - Completed 8-31.
    Get under 30:00 and a PR for 5k - Nope...
    Average at least 135k per month, which would put me over 1,000 miles for the year - Completed 12-7.

    Run the Year Team: Five for Nineteen - Completed 9-28

    Scheduled rest day today. Just as well; got a little snow overnight so footing is probably not good. Yoga is helping my flexibility.

    2020 goals:
    Continue a 5k regimen.
    Train better.


    4-13 Shine the Light 5K - 31:12 chip time; First Place male 65 and older
    6-30 Strides for Starfish 5K - 31:34 chip time; 31/77 overall; second male 65 and older (no official category)
    7-27 Solon Home Days 5K - 31:11 chip time; 95/141 overall; 4/6 age group (male)
    8-31 Race for Freedom 5k - 31:39 chip time; 32:00 Garmin time; Third Place male 60 and older
    10-13 Haunted Hustle 5k - 31:22 chip time; 47/74 overall; First Place male 60 and older
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    Saw this on the local-ish news yesterday morning. Towards the end, I had tears in my eyes...

    https://fox6now.com/2019/02/13/long-may-they-run-ed-and-sandy-are-fixtures-at-races-fun-runs-across-se-wisconsin/

    I see these two at races. i love Perry's People. warm and fuzzies