New Zealand Woman Breaks World Record, Runs For 311 Miles In 81 Hours Without Sleeping

For someone who does not especially enjoy running, Kim Allan is pretty good at it.

Allan, a 47-year-old mother of four from New Zealand, recently broke the record for running without sleep, covering 311 miles in 86 nonstop hours.

For Allan, it's not the running that she enjoys, per se, it's the mental stimulus.

"There's ultra runners who go out and train huge miles - that’s not me," she told a local reporter. "It’s the beating my own mind that I like. Thinking you can’t do something then you go out and do it.”

                             

After breaking her leg a decade ago Allan, a former jockey, determined that when her leg healed she would never "take for granted the ability to get out of bed and walk." She tried to break the world record of 302 miles in 80 hours last year, but she had to stop after experiencing hallucinations and losing all her toe nails.

Allan fought through stomach pain, as well as severe blisters on her feet, this year to finish the unbelievable challenge. She's said that for her, going on a two-hour run is "just a drag." But somehow she was able to will herself through the equivalent of 12 marathons.

According to the New Zealand Herald, Allan used her performance to collect money for the New Zealand Spinal Trust, and thus far she has raised several thousand dollars.

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10 things never say to a man

To you, it's just a few words. To him, it's a short sentence that he'll never, ever forget. Here, the seemingly innocent observations that can really rock a relationship.

"I really don't respect you." 

"My wife and I probably use the word 'respect' about as much as we use the word 'love.' Both words were in our wedding vows," says Dave, 36, about why the R-word is just as important to him as the L-word. "And when I hear that she doesn't respect me, it's almost like her saying she doesn't love me. Luckily, she's never said it-precisely because we had a whole conversation about how we'll never throw around that word like that." 

Your tummy is so cute! 

"Please, call it what it is-a beer gut!" jokes Chad, 38. All kidding aside, the men we spoke with said that they have the same body image issues as women, which means that making fun of him when he's gained a few will make him feel insecure too. 

"I love when you get all mad." 

Is he fuming because he's behind a car that's oh-so-annoyingly crawling along in the left lane? Sure, it's fine to make a joke, but Jeff, 40, suggests making it at the other driver's expense. "I know I can get worked up about minor stuff, but when I hear this, I feel like it's harder to be honest about my feelings when it comes to things that really matter to me, because I'm worried she's going to shoot me down." 

"He acts like such a baby when his team loses." 

"This is something I've overheard my wife say on the phone to her friends," says Charles, 38. "I know she's talking about me, but she uses the same voice she uses when she's talking about our 3-year-old having a temper tantrum." While no one likes to be talked about behind their back, guys are especially sensitive to lack of loyalty. Yes, the way he freaks out when his team blows a playoff game is funny-but if he's not laughing, it's best to keep it on the DL, at least while your husband is in earshot. There's another reason: "When I hear her talking about me to her friends when she thinks I'm not listening, I can't help but wonder what else she may talk about." 

"Do whatever you want." 

Unless you're saying this with a smile because it's his birthday or he just bought a winning lottery ticket, when guys hear this, their stomachs sink. "I feel like I'm on a game show. Just tell me the right answer!" begs Bryan, 29. Men everywhere agree: If you have something in mind, spill it instead of making him play a guessing game. 

"Do you think I actually believe you?" 

This ties back to respect, says David, who asks, "If she doesn't believe me, then why are we even trying to have a conversation?" If you're questioning his honesty and integrity-and not whatever lie you think he may be covering up-that's what you two need to have a serious discussion about. 

"You're just like your dad." 

"I love my dad, but when my girlfriend is scowling at me and saying that, I don't want to be like him," says James. And even if he and his father get along great, it's not always ideal to compare them. Instead, speak directly to whatever he's doing that's bothering you. 

"What do you think that was about?" 

When said in the bedroom, this phrase hits below-the-belt-literally. Performance issues happen, and the more you ask about them, the more likely they are to come (er) up again. "Sometimes things don't work the way they should, either because I've had too much beer, or am stressed out, or just because. And trust me, I'm obsessing over it...and I'd like to at least pretend you aren't too," says George, 40. If it only happens once in a while, just let it go. 

"Should I call the emergency room and let them prepare?" 

"I admit that my D.I.Y. projects may have landed me in the emergency room once or twice in the past, but reminding me only makes me feel like an idiot, and more likely to mess up," explains Avery, 28. If you're nervous about your guy cleaning the gutters, powering up the lawn mower, cutting down branches, or wielding a glue gun, the best way to get around it may be to discreetly hire a pro while his mind is on something else. 

"Are you sure we can afford that?" 

"The worst is when she says this in front of a salesman," says Chad. "I feel like I'm a failure." If you're heading out to buy a big-ticket item and don't want to blow the budget, research prices beforehand and use phrases like, "This seems over our target," so it sounds strategic, not like you and your guy are scraping the bottom of your savings account.

By Anna Davies, 

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What's the etiquette of 'Selfies' at funeral?

On its face, the now-viral photo of Denmark's Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt taking a "selfie" with President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister David Cameron—at amemorial service for anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela, no less—looks wildly inappropriate. And no question, President Obama has taken a lot of media heat for participating. (It didn't help that the expression on Michelle Obama's face appeared to be disapproving.)

In the realm of funeral etiquette, those two factors—the memorial service, the glowering wife-- taken together, scream "social faux pas." But there was more to the story behind the image. Roberto Schmidt, the photographer who captured the photo told the "Today" show that he shot the picture during a jovial, celebratory portion of the service. He said people were dancing, singing and laughing as they celebrated the life of Nelson Mandela. Michelle Obama, he said, had been laughing along with the trio seconds before he snapped the image.

Understood. But a few questions remain. Is it proper to take a selfie at a funeral? And was President Obama out of line for doing so -- because he is the president, you know.

Under the circumstances Schmidt described, I'd say the selfie was not necessarily in poor taste for the President. But was it poor form? As President of the United States, a man watched and scrutinized at every angle, he is no doubt very careful about how his behavior is perceived. He surely knew that picture would wind up pinging around the Internet and on the evening news and cleverly headlined front pages. Perhaps he wanted to send a message to the people, anyway, to say, "Hey, I'm just like you."

Now if he wanted to avoid the scrutiny altogether and send a more somber message to the public, he might have held off and joined in on the picture in a more private setting. The moment, however, did not seem to call for such discretion. What's my bottom line? President Obama's behavior was appropriate for that particular occasion, for that particular culture at that precise moment.

And what is the protocol for behavior at funerals for the rest of us: selfies and beyond?

Well, if you, too, happen to attend a funeral or memorial service at a stadium where the people are up dancing and singing and laughing in the aisles, then it's perfectly fine to take a selfie with your seat mates.

The key here is that there is a proper time and place for everything, and that's where decorum comes in. That I would need to explain this will seem surprising to some, but this is, after all, a time when websites such as Selfies at a Funeral exist. So bear with me: Firing off a selfie during a solemn moment such as the prayer or scripture reading is highly inappropriate and terribly disrespectful.

The same shot during the gathering or meal service afterward is all right. Taking photos within the confines of the church or synagogue or funeral home can be perceived as highly inappropriate. It is important to be aware of this and remain respectful of the family, the culture and the environment you are in.

Funerals and memorials take on a different meaning from culture to culture; some are very somber, others quite celebratory. It is our duty to be sensitive to the entire moment and in some cases it might be difficult to tell what that requires. Here's a handy rule of thumb: To avoid offending, err on the side of caution and just hold off on that selfie until the funeral has ended.

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