Most boring blog ever...

I make the worst blogger. I never update and I am bor-ing... : ( Perhaps I'll work on that post-MCAT!

For now - a quick recap....

Two weeks ago, I tackled a 7 mile run that went very well. I felt relaxed, and despite a little stiffness in my joints towards the end, it was all in all a great run!

This past weekend, I went ahead and made the jump to 8. I am trying to get into double digits before the depths of winter hit! Also, I'd love to get my mileage at a steady state before I go into the hibernation that is MCAT prep.

(Plus, being able to knock out 10 miles over Thanksgiving weekend would sure help to burn off some of the goodies!)

All for now....

I would run 10,000 (meters...)

10K success! Yesterday I woke up for the Go! St. Louis 10k Halloween Race! I was a little nervous about covering the 6.2mi with a smile on my face given my epic fail of a long run from last weekend. However, I took it mile by mile, and actually ended up with all sub-11 min miles. Total race time was 1:05 even - not too shabby for a gal who could barely tackle her 13.1 6 months ago and was sans both big toenails.

I'm pretty happy that I felt so good after the race! I snagged a Vitamin Water Zero and a banana from one of the lovely volunteers, and stretched out after the cool down. My hubby (who is super fast) ran the 10k in 44 mins. Phew! I always feel like a slow poke compared to him - but then I realized the best thing about having a significant other who is speedy. It means they'll always be able to double back and cheer you on for the final stretch of the race!

Not sore today, and well on my way to being back to 1/2 marathon ready by the new year. Who knows? If I can get this mileage under control and dedicate myself to speed-work, I just might be looking at tackling the 26.2 in the next year....

For now? Yoga, lunch, and enjoying my post-race day number 1!

A recipe reminder for myself

Lately I don't really do anything unless I write it on a list and post it somewhere so I can be reminded to eventually check it off. So, that's what I'm going to do with my recipes as well. So - mental note - POST THESE RECIPES!

whole wheat banana muffins and their coconut-pineapple variation
mexican chicken bake
butternut squash and roasted veg enchilada
pumpkin soup (vegan)
roasted veg lunch rotation
oatmeal a thousand ways

That's a start....

I get it, I get it...

I should have learned my lesson. Have I not read my previous blog posts regarding fatty food, not enough sleep, and the impact on your run the following morning?

I should have learned my lesson.

But I didn't...

Saturday I spend 5.5 hrs in an organic chemistry lab. Whenever I am finished, I feel a little bit like a shell of a human. It takes a few hours of sunlight, grocery shopping, and NPR to get me back into my normal self. Also, since I have to be there at 7:30am, every other Fri night is shot for me. With long runs on Sun mornings, that means all Sat nights end with little to no vino, and an early bedtime.

Wow. I am so exciting.

So, in an attempt to shun this lack of a social schedule, I invited a friend over for dinner Sat night, and he brought a few friends of his. The hubby and I enjoy entertaining, so we thought it would be fun! Also, I knew it would force me out of my post-chem-lab funk a lot earlier.

However, it also meant I had to run around like a crazy lady for groceries, flowers, etc...clean the house top to bottom, and make myself presentable. Oh, and assemble dinner fit for guests!

I'm pretty sure I used up all of my muscle glycogen standing Sat am, cleaning for 4 hrs, and cooking for another 2hrs. Then, I sat back and enjoyed the evening. We had roasted butternut squash and black bean enchiladas, an endive salad with avocado, and angel food cake with fresh strawberries and gelato for dessert. (YUMMMMM!!!!)

Where's the problem? Oh, it was probably in the cheese plate before dinner, the 3 glasses of vino, and the 12:30am bed time that all left me feeling less-than-100-percent come Sunday am. I groggily scarfed down the toast/pb/naner combo that the running fairy (read: my hubby) made for me, and contemplated I had 7 mi to run.

Fail.

The run was pretty uneventful. It was warmer than I wanted (since I couldn't wake up earlier than 7am), and I definitely felt sluggish, but overall it was fine. I did listen to my body, and tackled 6mi instead of 7. I was tired at 6, and knew that I should just call it off and not injure myself, etc.

So, lesson learned. In the words of SNL's spoof on the great GW:

"There's an old saying in Tennessee — I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee — that says, fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can't get fooled again."


???? : )

Speedwork breakthrough!!!!!!

Hello blog world, I have an announcement to make. To me, it's a milestone.

Tuesday, I ran a sub-30min 5k. That's right. All miles were under a 10 min/mi pace. Now, for you speedsters out there, this post is wimpy and in no means celebrates my success as a runner. To you I say, you are clearly reading the wrong blog!

For me, it was a milestone. I ran cross country, oh, ELEVEN years ago, and used to pump out 21-24 min 5ks like it was my job. Wait, it was. I digress...

But Tuesday afternoon, gnats be damned, I did a fabulous mile repeat session and actually blasted my speed work. Needless to say, I was a little tired, but just fine overall.

Today I need to tackle 3.5 miles and some strength training. I am still wrestling with how to best pair my running with weight sessions. I think as I become a stronger runner, the idea of running 4 mi of hills or speed work, then doing weights, won't seem so daunting. I am trying to diligently keep to my cross training and resistance workouts, since that might be the thing that makes me a better runner in the end. Until then, I'll muscle through. (No pun intended. Okay, maybe a small one perhaps.)

New wheels...

On an unrelated note - I finally bought a bike! I haven't owned a bike in a very long time - so it is nice to know I have some outdoor cross training options now. Hooray! I think tomorrow I'll do just that - bike and enjoy the fall weather. Lovely!

Biking words-o-wisdom so far:
-It's hard to look sexy in a helmet, unless your name rhymes with Schmance Sharmstrong
-Your tush will inevitably hurt after a day of riding until you get used to it.
-You might contemplate padded bike shorts due to the previously mentioned tush pain.
-It is true that you never really forget how to ride a bike!

Go figure!

Who wears short shorts???

This past weekend's long run was 6 mi. When I woke up at 6am Sun morning, it was 39 degrees. What to wear for a 39 degree long run? Must. Resist. Instincts. When it's anything under 50 I am tempted to put on long pants, a vest, a layer underneath...and then sweat profusely cursing my mileage as it creeps by. Running outfit fail. Big time.

So, I wisely set aside my instincts (scarf! hat! ear warmer!!!)... and simply put on a pair of running leggings, a lightweight drifit long-sleeve, and my rain/wind breaker. Of course my favorite drifit hat (the regular one, not the sub-zero temp one) was added to the mix.

...and I was off! 6 miles was really a lovely distance this past weekend. It was crisp, fall was definitely in the air, and my pace was remarkably quicker for the slow runner that I am. (I ran mostly 10:30 miles, when I normally run 11:15 on long days, go figure) Then I saw him. Short-shorts man.

Yes, short shorts, nothing else. It's 41 degrees outside. He was in shorts shorter than I saw some teeny-boppers wearing this past summer, and nothing else. Sprinting along. I felt ri-di-cu-lous. I just had to laugh out loud. Short shorts man probably woke up, thought, 39? Oh, that's balmy! Shorts it is! I drink coffee, ponder fleece, and then back away slowly. Hehe. Perhaps this is all part of becoming a runner. When you run fast, you get warm, and you don't need layers to keep you warm. Ahhh...the logic finally sets in.

So, 6 miles was dominated, and I am looking forward to my 7 miler next weekend! Until then - I have 2 speed work sessions to get in. I think I would rather run in short shorts than do speed work, but I do recognize how it can help my training. So - send speedy thoughts my way!

I have to figure out a good way to post photos. I have TONS of food pics and recipes, but no easy way to upload them since I blog from various computers here and there. Hmmm... still thinking.

Since I am hardly the most popular blog on the interwebs, I think it will suffice to say pics can wait another few days.

Back in it baby!

I have finally found the swing of my training schedule! After a rather hellish weekend (which included 6.5 hrs of organic chemistry lab and lab-prep, ugh), I was a shell of a human being, completely drained.

Sat night I dined, I rested, and Sun am came bright and early! The usual 7am alarm to eat my banana and toast, and I obliged. I also added a 1/2T of nut butter and a swirl of honey - nom nom nom!

Sunday was the first chilly fall run of my training season. The thermometer read 55 degrees - hmmm...what to wear for a 55 degree run? It's not quite break-out-the-hat-and-gloves weather, but it also isn't shorts and a tank weather either. It was also cloudy and threatening light showers, so I went with running capris (thank you lululumon!), sportsbra, long-sleeved drifit shirt, and an awesome wind/rain breaker my mom gifted me this past summer.

I had 5.5 miles on the schedule - so I had to shed my top layer about mile 3, but all in all, it was a good run. I stayed at my projected slow long-run pace of 11:15/mile - and got it done in under an hour. Afterwards, I warmed up with some coffee I put in the car (Thank you Thermos for keeping it warm!), and a vegan coconut muffin (recipe to come). I felt human, lovely, and part of the running community again. Toenails be damned!

Little sore today, but Mondays are yoga for me, and I plan on stretching out all the sore spots that tensed up after yesterday's run.

Next week - 6-7 miles scheduled for the long run, and our 10k race is in 3 weeks! Hooray!

Running fuel!!!!

Just a quick note - with fall around the corner. I always eat oats for breakfast on my planned running days. Today, I doctored mine up with a half cup of pumpkin - not only was it delish in a very fall way, but I managed to sneak in another 3g of fiber and a whole heck of a lot of beta carotene. Add some pumpkin to your next batch of oats, or pizza dough, or chilli - it will add bulk and taste without added sugars or preservatives!

Still on the wagon! Or...er...running along side the wagon?

After several failed attempts at 3-4 milers last week (I blame it on improper fueling, too much coffee, not enough water, and general laziness), I awoke Sunday to a massive thunderstorm.

After training for my first 13.1 and running three quarters of the training on a treadmill, I vowed to do most of my running outdoors, rain or shine. I really feel that for newbies, running outside makes you the most prepared for race day.

So, I asked for a running rain jacket for my birthday - check! No more excuses for the rain! I have a vest and gloves for cold days, a hat with a cool ponytail hole for even colder days, and plenty of other running acoutrements.

Sadly, I do not have a block-lightning-from-striking-me-dead-hat. (Do they make those?)

After several reports of golfers and those outdoors during thunderstorms being hit my Thomas Eddison's nemesis, I decided to call off my outdoor run and head for the treadmill.

My husband was planning a 7 miler, and I had 4 planned. Given how slow I run, I knew we would finish right around the same time! (Embarrassing, I know...) I actually had a lovely run. I really focused on breathing and my stride, and managed to keep my heart rate down in the reasonable zone (160's) until I hit mile 3, then it jumped up.

A redeeming run is really one of the best things out there. It makes up for so many crummy runs when your legs feel like lead. This treadmill run, while not outside, was still a good thing, and exactly what I needed.

The good news? A St. Louis Rock 'N Roll Marathon is now on the books for 10/23/11. Who has two thumbs and is contemplating signing herself up? ---> This girl <------

Yes, I know, I run like a girl...

I just cannot get a good blogging schedule down these days. Work has been a little crazy as we transition to a new boss, consolidate jobs, create new to-do lists, etc....so somehow this lil' ol' blog just falls by the wayside. *tear*

Enter September. Enter fall, all things pumpkin/harvest squash flavored/spiced. Enter an actual training plan that involves running....and.....what else? My toenails are ACTUALLY GROWING BACK! I joked with my husband the other day that we should have a "Welcome Back" party for my toenails. All my friends had to put up with the craziness after the first 13.1 race, so I figured we should all celebrate. Gross.....toenail party. Ugh! : )


Well, the most exciting thing I have done thus far is get involved with an awesome nonprofit called Girls On the Run (GOTR). You can find out more at this link http://www.girlsontherun.org. It's a pretty amazing organization, and I am proud to be able to help inspire girls to engage in a healthy and fit lifestyle that involves gobs of positive energy!

I sit at a desk and in meetings 90% of my day, so when I get the chance to get out and run with girls, it is simply amazing. I've worked with many other organizations focusing on our female youth, but none that has quite the energy and effervescent quality that GOTR has. I am so looking forward to helping these ladies reach their 5k goal as I strive towards my second 13.1 in December.

So, I am back on the running bandwagon. Ran 2 mi yesterday, plus 45 min of cross training. Today is a 3 mile tempo run, and a 4 miler faces me on Sunday. It is a little rainy and cool today, reminding me that fall is just around the corner. I think I'll take to running in the cooler temps quite well. I hated running in the hotter weather of this past spring.

Enjoy your weekend! I'll be revisiting my posts from the spring that showed my fear of the dreaded 3, 4, 5mi distances.... What happened in the end? Oh, that's right. I ran thirteen miles...and a tenth. So, I'll try not to be such a scardeycat as I face this second round of training.

On the road again...

Hi there! The last few days have been productive and I have been able to ease back into my running schedule. Friday I logged a 5k on the treadmill at a nice, slow pace. Saturday am the hubby and I headed out for an outdoor run. I am so blessed to have such beautiful parks to use for my longer runs! Granted, Sat's run was not long (just short of 3.1mi), but it was still lovely to be out in the breeze, seeing other runners just like me! Check out my view from the end of my run. How gorgeous????

So, uh, one time, I did this thing called blogging...remember blogging?

I'd love to write some amazingly romantic post about how following my first half marathon I continued to ramp up my mileage, and ran the Chicago half on my first wedding anniversary. That was the plan. Well, the plan was a major fail.

The less glamorous, but more accurate story is that one week after the April 1/2, my toenails were killing me. I mean, couldn't put on shoes killing me. So, I went to my local podiatrist, and he informed me that (if you are grossed out stop reading and skip to the next paragraph) that both big toenails would have to come off. They were bruised, and dead, and would fall off and probably get infected if I didn't take care of it right then and there.

I went into the office thinking I might have my toenails drained and be dandy right after. Pressure relieved = Happy runner!

No, that is not what happened. I ended up having to get a ride home because my feet were numb and I couldn't drive home. I was in horrible pain for days following, and had bloody bloody stumps of big toes. Which, ironically, are necessary for just about all aspects of walking. Ugh!

It took 3 weeks for my toes to feel okay in running shoes. It took 4 weeks for me to be able to gingerly step food on the pavement and start a measly 2 mile run. So, the August 1/2 came and went, and I was nowhere to be found in the crowd. *sniff*

Now, enter fall. After a week at the beach and a few short runs, I am eagerly looking forward to the longer run. I love the feeling of accomplishment when I have run a long training run. I love the fact that I started barely running 2 miles and ran 13.1. So, with my toenails only half grown back (which makes for a wonky looking pedicure), I am stepping foot back into the water of the running world.

The new goal is the St. Jude Hospital Half Marathon in December. Memphis in December is supposed to be chilly, but not horrible. I am looking forward to having the fall to train. Cooler days are always kinder for long runs.

So, that's the latest and greatest. I have a 10k planned for Halloween, but no inventive costume just yet. I can plan said costume during my long Sunday runs this fall. : )

13.1? Check!

So, it turns out, you CAN actually run a half marathon if you weren't a runner 3 months prior. How do I know this?

Because yesterday, I ran a half marathon.

I started out with the 2:30 finish time pace group, and stuck with them through mile 7. I knew miles 7-10 would be my demise, and I was right! I had to stop a few times to fix my knee brace, as well as walk through the water stations. So my pace did suffer as a result, but I am still nonetheless thrilled that I completed the task at hand!

It was hard, it was exhilarating. It was like nothing I have ever done before.

And I want to do it again. : )

My 2:41 finish time needs big improvement - that, will be my next goal to tackle! 2:20 anyone?

One less person to compete with on the running trails..

....the epitome of ridiculousness....

She had so much surgery she doesn't want to run anymore? Wow.

Guess that is one less person I have to worry about lapping me in the park!

Bad Blogger...

It has been a full 2 weeks since I really felt the need to post to this blog. Perhaps it's the fact that I no longer needed it to make me feel accountable. It was the looming 13.1 on the calendar that made me feel incentivized to run! Alas, I will share the trials and tribulations of my last 2 weeks worth of runs.

3/26 - I ran nine (count them, nine) miles. It. Was. Amazing. I really could not believe I ran 9 miles, and felt like a million bucks. I met up with my hubby after the run, and he had done 11, and was hurting head to toe. We both went home, nursed our sore joints, and ate a much needed dinner!

After running 9, I really felt like the half marathon was doable. Sure, 9 miles was hard, but if I had to run another 4 to finish off the half, I could have done it! Enter: knee pain.

I have now been nursing knee pain on the inside of my knee (probably a 2 out of 10 on the pain scale), that has persisted ever since my 9 miler two weeks ago. I went to a meeting on Saturday after my run, wore kitten heels all day, and I think made my knee pretty ticked off that it was not only forced to run 9 miles, but then tackle 9 hours in heels, plus stairs. Fail.

I took last week easy (doing only 2 short runs and a cross training day), and I paid for it come long-run on Friday. I had to run 10 miles, and though I had diligently iced my knee, and stretched, it was by far the hardest thing I have ever done. Oh - to add insult to injury, there was a 20mph sustained wind, and it was 80 degrees. We don't get 80 degree weather in late March here in the upper midwest - it's craziness. So, I was hot, pushed the other way due to wind, and exhausted from my constricting knee brace. My husband met me with the car at mile 8.5 and coaxed me into the vehicle. It was probably the best thing I could have done, as the sky opened up about 30 minutes later. I learned to listen to my body. I learned that sometimes it is better to just stop than to push it and get really injured.

I also learned the valuable lesson that cross training will save you from running hell if you have an injury. I didn't really cross train all that much, or anything close to the intensity that I run at during a training run. I needed to bike harder, or swim, or SOMETHING other than 30 mins at a HR of 100bpm. Ugh. My cardiovascular system hated me during that run - I had weakened it and it was angry!

So - this week, I am tapering my miles. I did a little under 4mi yesterday, and will do 3, 2, and 2 respectively through Thursday. Then, I get to rest Friday and Saturday - and RUN on Sunday!

Yup - 13.1 miles - here I come! Who knows? Maybe I'll actually finish the 13.1 in under 3 hrs, and then start looking to the marathon as another goal! : )

8 miles!

I used to read stories of people who took two cars to their running locals so as to not end up on the other end of the park, miles away from their car. (Do you see where this is going?)

The good news is, I ran 8 miles on Friday. Eight. Miles. Wowza.

I had to stop for a few walk breaks -but ended up with a 11:20min mile pace even with my walk breaks - not too shabby. For me, the first 4-5 miles are always a bit of a struggle, but once I get past 5, everything is gravy! It did feel nice to run 8 miles and then feel like if I had to run another 5, I could!

The bad news was, that I didn't plan accordingly, and ended up 2.5 miles from my car after running 8 miles. And I was out of water. And none of the water fountains were turned on in the park. Go figure.

After walking a mile, I could see my car in the distance, across the golf course. I had two choices - either walk on the running path (which would take another 1.5 miles to get there), or sprint across the golf course and hope I didn't get pummeled with golf balls.

The result? Oh, I ran like a mad woman across the golf course, scaring several golfers in the process. I was tired, sweaty, and probably had the most flailing gait since I was exhausted. Just. Wanted. To. Be. Inside. Car.

Haha. I did get quite a laugh out of it when it was all said and done.

The great thing about running 8 miles? You pretty much run off whatever you have eaten so far that day. Yum for dinner!

Trying out the am run.

I am a morning person. I will gladly wake up at 6:30ish and revel in the fact that I have a good 2 hours before I must leave the house for my office. I'll do laundry, tackle dishes, etc. I enjoy the my morning java with talk radio. I am, in essence, a retired woman trapped inside a 26 year old's body.

Enter morning running. Cue the "I'm a morning person" persona racing out of the room to hide in the closet. See, I am all about morning household to-do lists. Morning runs? Not so much.

This goes against everything I will have to do in 4 weeks at the half marathon. Since the start time is when? Oh yes, 7am.

So this morning, I decided to give a weekday am run a go. I had 5 miles to tackle, and I figured backing into that frightening 7am start time would be a good way to manage. If I ran at 8 or 9am, then shifted it a half-hour earlier each weekend, I would end up thinking 7am and 13.1 miles go together like, well, peanut butter and jam.

Running at 8am requires the requisite eating of a snack at 6am, which means I have to set and alarm and a banana at my bedside, eat said banana in a groggy haze, and go back to bed for another 30 mins/hour ish.

It also means I get to run my slow butt around rush hour traffic while everyone says "Gee - that girl is sweating far too much given how slow she's running..." But I managed my 5 miles today. It wasn't the most exciting or interesting run, but I completed it, and came close to my race time from this past weekend. Hooray!

The other fun part? A grandfather was taking his two grandkids to breakfast this morning at a cafe near my house. I ran by them as they were walking in, and then ran by them at the end of my run, as they were leaving the cafe and getting in their car. The 10 year old promptly asked "Have you been running this whole time?"...to which I responded (short of breath) - "YUP!" : )

Big. Grin.

Oh - and for the record, I did no household errands this morning. Left my gym clothes on the bathroom floor like the bachelor I met 9 years ago. Sorry honey - I'll tidy up when I get home this pm. : )

All I talk about is running...

Not just on this blog, because, well, quite frankly, I have no followers, and I did this blog as a way to keep myself accountable to my mileage while training for the half marathon in April.

But lately, life has become hectic, and it seems all I do is eat, sleep, work, study, and run. As the runs get longer, my preparation gets longer, and my recovery is a bit longer as well. This eats into my overall time set aside to have a life. Hence, I do not have one at this moment.

I have a few great recipes I need to post. However, all this week, I have been eating a Chicken Tamale Casserole from Cooking Light (that I made on Sunday). I have organic, free-range chicken sitting in the fridge, waiting for me to cook it. Tonight perhaps, we shall see....

On a side note - as women, we all need our iron. I made a giant pot of kale that I sauteed in olive oil with a bunch of garlic and red pepper flake. De-lish. I put a piece of bacon in there for flavor - but it was nitrate free, and at 20 calories a slice, well worth the flavor boost. : )

Update to the train gain post...

For anyone who needs a handy tool on figuring out just how many cinnabons you have run off -

It's a great point. Yes, we burn calories running. But we also burn calories sitting on the couch doing absolutely nothing, just breathing. So we have to subtract those couch potato calories from the running calories to get a true net of our calorie deficit for the day. Ugh. Math! : )