Still Not Repaired: First Run Post-Race

I just got in from my gym after a 22 minute jog on the treadmill. I had to stop after two miles when my quads started sharply hurting. It seems that my need for sleep lately may be because I'm still recovering from the 13.1 last weekend! My plan this week is to get another massage, and try to relax as much as possible (despite the fact we're moving this weekend, OMG!

More tales of recovery as the week progresses...

Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon

I'm just two days back from the Las Vegas Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon. This was my first race of this distance, and was a belated birthday gift to myself. I'm still rather beat up from it, but I'm so glad to have done it. It was a great event.

I feel like I'm still short of time and energy to share all that went on with this event. It wasn't just a race, because I see this as an amazing step on a long journey. I've fought, kicking and screaming and at times, just quiet determination, to get to where I am today. The race was a rite of passage. Even though I've now run a distance greater than the distance between my home town (suburb) and the nearest urban area, I feel like I now should be striving to run farther. It may be a type of insanity - or liberation (or both?)

Last year, medical issues and profound loss seriously thrashed me. This year, I picked up the pieces, got back on track with weight loss (I have lost about 130 lbs in the past 3 years), and started training for distance. This race was my celebration of accomplishments in a tangible way. For the first time in my life, I've reached a point where I can do something I've never been able to do before.

My race time was 2:15:21, which was my conservative guess time. I wanted to do faster, but at 2000 ft above sea level (Las Vegas' elevation), I think I was having trouble getting the oxygen I needed to do so.

Other than the race, I really enjoyed the weekend in Vegas, and really enjoyed our stay at the Wynn. I indulged in a post-run spa experience, which I can only believe has made my body feel SO much better than it would have otherwise.

I'm taking the week off of exercise (maybe stretching/yoga), and plan to get back into a regular fitness routine. I, however, am done with racing til spring (I think!) I'll keep this blog posted (for my 2 readers!)

Changes in Plans

Wow - long time no post! I've been in New York since last Wednesday, when my husband and I were called out here due to his grandfather's health being rather precarious at the time. This meant that I had to cancel birthday plans as well as my plans to run the Seattle 1/2 Marathon, which was to also be my birthday celebration.

Luckily, fitness wise, my 1/2 marathon dreams are still in the running - I am scheduled to run the Las Vegas Rock 'n' Roll Marathon next weekend.

Of course, as I usually do the week of my birthday, I am coming down with a head cold, and am laying low, being whiney, and craving a burrito (where's a good burrito near Scarsdale?!)

I was ab it ambitious when I logged onto Blogger today - so I think that's it for the update. I guess a bit of recap - I've been able to do up to 9 mi (including yesterday) so I think I'm in good shape for the 1/2. I'm still debating on following through with the Bikilas, but I've come this far, so why not?

OK, more rest awaits!

The Last Month of Training

I'm already less than a month from the Seattle 1/2 Marathon, and training is getting more challenging in both mileage and otherwise.

The biggest issue is getting the exposure protection handled.Salomon Women's Fast III Jacket is a recent addition to my gear, providing some easy on/off for windy, cool mornings. It does some rain protection, but it's not to be counted on. I've also (shock!) switched to my Brooks Women's Adrenaline GTS 10 from my awesome, totally recommended Five Fingers Bikila. This is mostly due to warmth and friction, as that I've had some nasty little blisters form lately that have made the long runs a little hard to deal with.

Training in conventional shoes again have my knees aching a bit. Then add that I've started going on hills in the dark (mainly because the routes are better lit), I'm hurting a bit. My training schedule up to the race, as provided by the Runner's World SmartCoach app on my iPhone, is as follows:

11/01-11/07
Tues 5 mi @ 11:10 pace
Thurs 4 mi @ 11:10 pace
Sun 5 mi @ 11:10 pace

11/08-11/14
Tues 3 mi @ 11:03 pace
Thurs 6 mi w/ 1 mi warm up, 4 mi @ 9:33 pace, 1 mi cooldown
Fri 2 mi @ 11:03 pace
Sun 6 mi @ 11:03 pace

11/15-11/21
Tues 2 mi @ 11:03 pace
Thurs 7 mi w/ warm up, 3x1600m (1mi) @8:56 w/ 800m (1/2 mi) jogs, cool down
Fri 2 mi @ 11:03 pace
Sun 9 mi @ 11:03 pace

11/22-RACE DAY
Tues 3 mi @ 11:10 pace
Wed 3 mi @ 11:10 pace
Thurs 5 mi w/ w/ 1 mi warm up, 3 mi @ 9:33 pace, 1 mi cooldown
Sun 13.1 mi @ 9:42 pace

Phew! I've got a lot to work on. I'm starting to do some work on the treadmill just when the weather is particularly awful. I'll consider this race the end of the season for me, then it's back to doing cardio/weights/yoga until spring!

Tracking Progress

When I first started running, I purchased the Nike + SportBand, which is a slim-profile USB pedometer that syncs to your computer, can be used by 3rd party software to track your runs, and allows you to access the Nike+ community website and tools. It's a great, low-cost, beginner's tool, but it's also inaccurate for tracking mileage, and doesn't keep you from over-extending yourself, as that it has no heart-rate monitor.

After buying a separate heart rate monitor, that didn't sync to my computer, I eventually gave in and sprung for the Garmin Forerunner 405CX GPS Sport Watch with Heart Rate Monitor It's huge for my wrist, and the chest strap is a little awkward as that though I'm medium for a woman, I'm not one-size-fits-all. It is, however, fairly accurate at tracking my mileage, and I have no complaints on the heart rate monitor. It does, however, require regular charging, and recently, I've found that twice it was uncharged when I was ready to go on my run, and the last time I grabbed my seldom-used Nike+ Sportband, and found that also uncharged.

This led me to grab my trusty Casio Women's Baby G Watch BG169WH-2V. I've had my current watch for about two and a half years now. I purchased it before my Hawaii vacation with the family, loving the fact that it was good for 200 meters (a dive watch, though the display leaves a bit to be desired for that purpose.) It has the handy function of being able to switch time zones, use it as a stop-watch, and also as a timer. I'm sure there's other functions I don't even use it for. It has the time and date right up front. It's clunky and durable, and candy colored (mine's orange). It's also a great stand-in for a training watch, as that if you can plot your route and mileage (I use http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/), you can plan your splits, and your target pace. It's not as automatic, but it turns out my Baby G is a great standby. I've used this twice for a run - once in Hawaii recently, and once at home - and it gave me at least a good idea of my pacing. If only I had written it down when I got back. That's the big draw-back. No automatic syncing!

Running in the Dark

There is no attractive way to run in the cold, damp dark of Seattle. I'm just over a month away from the Seattle 1/2, and it's getting chilly and wet out there, and the light is definitely not there in the morning, and won't be there for long in the evenings after work. I have purchased my exposure protection, however, even though they all have reflective striping, they all come in fashionably dark colors, so unless the drivers are looking for Tron-like costumes, being seen is nearly impossible.

Not to mention that I'm pretty sure that NO ONE driving at 6:30am is looking for runners. They sure as heck aren't stopping at stop signs, and even after I saw a man stop, look both ways, and nudge into the intersection, looking both ways again (and towards me), he still ended up clipping me, requiring me to place my hand on the corner of his car to scoot myself out of the way. I looked at him, he was stunned, and I yelled something like, "Stop sign, Asshole!" and jogged about two meters past, tripping, and skidding myself on the left side forward on the asphalt. I called my husband for a pick up, limping a bit, bleeding from my knuckles, hand and knee, with a few abrasions in between. My hip was deeply bruised, and I was a bit shaken up.

It's dark and lonely, and a bit scary to run that early in the dark. I've noticed that my usual early morning companions have dissipated - perhaps they're all electing to go into work a bit later. I need to find a better solution as I prepare for this race, and it turns out the best solution might be a gym membership near work, that might allow me to road-run during lunch, shower, and be back to work at a decent time. Treadmills for over an hour are dull as dirt. I did that yesterday, since the forecast was for nasty weather, and I had procrastinated towards dusk.

It's tough. Even if I was wearing electric yellow from head to toe, I wonder if I would be seen. It's scary out there, solo, female, cold, damp and in the dark. I'm increasingly convinced that they don't make running gear for Northwestern runners in mind.

Issaquah Run at Salmon Days

Last Sunday I did the Issaquah Rotary Run at Salmon Days. I completed the 10K in 57:27, according to the official chip time. This meant I was a bit slower than average, and way slower than the first place runners, but it was an awesome race, and I really enjoyed it. My pace was faster than I ran for the Livestrong Challenge 5K back in June, and the Runner's World Smart Coach actually had me running slower for the race, so I beat what I guessed my time would be. The Smart Coach app on my iPhone is predicting a similar pace for the Seattle Half Marathon at the end of November. I laugh to think it is even remotely possible for me to sustain less than a 10 minute pace for 13.1 miles, but it doesn't mean I won't try!

Looking at the training schedule ahead, it's not too crazy. My biggest fear is the waining light in the morning, as well as the rainy weather. My feet were definitely cold in the Bikilas while I was warming up for the race last Sunday. I tend to like to run with very little exposure protection because I do heat up so fast. I don't ever understand the people who run in long pants and long sleeves on 50°F days. Granted, I'm cold when I leave the house, but all it takes is a block of running at a moderate pace and I'm plenty warm. The rain/mist is more of my concern, as well as the slick, oily roads I'll be crossing in the morning hours. And people drive like idiots, and I wonder what good visibility will do me when most people in Seattle ignore the laws of physics (ie. just because you have the traction to go 45 mph in slick, low vis conditions, doesn't mean you can stop easily when you absolutely have to.)

I've been toying with the idea of re-upping my gym membership for training on a treadmill. I know that I won't get the kind of training I get from road running, especially locally, because any run means hill training. I've also been hoping to hold out in case I get hired at my current internship, because then I might get a free gym membership close to work, making mid-day runs more feasible.

I would love to find some training buddies locally. I don't want to be ridiculously serious, but I really just want some people to share my hobby with. I've always been a bit of a loner, and it's my nature. It's something I'm thinking about, at least.

Now, to go shopping for weather related gear. It's supposed to be a cold, wet winter. I wonder how my running will survive!

Week in Review: Training for Races

I've been adding to this post throughout the week, so if it's choppy, forgive me, I've been busy!

Week before last, I was battling creeping anxiety and poor sleep. I hit just over nine miles on my long run on last Sunday, and it took me forever to drag myself out to run, and afterwords, I felt like poo. Similarly, Monday night as I was prepping my things for my morning run, I was dreading going out. This all seemed too familiar. I realized that like earlier this summer, I have reached exhaustion. I've been going too far, too fast and I need a break.

I decided to use the Runner's World Smart Coach to generate a hypothetical training program for my upcoming 10K and 1/2 marathon. The resulting training schedule was a lot lighter than my recent one, leading me to believe that yes, I've been overtraining, and perhaps for my best performance, I should back off and try something new.

My Tuesday run was sluggish, but good in retrospect. It was a lovely challenge to go just under 12 minutes a mile, and it was nice and quick before work.

My Thursday run was a five-miler, with 3 miles being at around 10:18 pace. It worked out fairly well, and I came back damp from the early morning mist/fog.

I skipped another 2 miler like my Tuesday run on Friday. I just didn't have it in me. Meanwhile, I spent those last few days of the week eating crap food. It's a bad habit, but training makes me really hungry. I'm getting comfortable with my size, and slacking on the restrictions. I should probably get back on track... right?

Saturday, I guess you should say I did some cross-training. I did two dry-suit dives, my last cold water dives before I hit Hawaii this coming weekend. I definitely got an upper-body work out!

Today, I did a 7 mile easy run. It was really nice and light, despite the crazy weather (torrential rains this morning, sun break, gusts of wind and sporadic sprinkles). I chomped my new favorite endurance enhancer, Clif Shot Bloks Cran-razz. They definitely keep me from feeling so crazy ravenous the rest of the day.

I'm using my current water system, Ultimate Direction Women's Strider Waist Pack, is cumbersome, but keeps me hydrated. I'm hesitant to change it up, especially given the cost. I also use Ultimate Direction Fastdraw on my shorter runs.

I know I'll dial this stuff in a little more as race time approaches. Another thing on my to-do list is find a good vest/jacket for the coming rainy season. I think it's time to wrap this post up. It's taken me a week to write it!

Upcoming Races, Gear and Training

Last week I dropped about $100 just on sign-up for two races.

The first race, which I'm most excited about, is the Seattle Half Marathon. I have never attempted 13.1 miles running. I've walked that distance before, and I'm running 8 mi plus, now, for my longest runs, however - I'm a little excited and skeptical at the same time. Not to mention the fact that I'll be running in late November, which means that the weather could be absolutely horrid for the adventure. Nevertheless, I'm excited, and this is going to be my birthday present to myself.

The second race I've signed up for is just less than a month away. This is the Issaquah Run at Salmon Days, a 10K, which is another race I've never done. I can easily run a 10K, and do for my interval run. I'm not the fastest, but right now, I'm focused on finishing.

This year, early on, I really wanted to run a 1/2 marathon, even before I was running 5K races. This year, I hope to have up to 1/2 marathon done, with a finisher medal or shirt or something commemorating.

The next step is to make sure I'm appropriately geared up, and trained up. I intend to keep my schedule mostly as is, and as far as gear, I'm having to run with a water bottle to make sure I'm hydrated. I'm considering also running with some easy-sugar, though I deign to see what that looks or tastes like. I've invested in some awesome earphones (Sennheiser Adidas PMX 680i) to go with my newly purchased Nike+ iPod Sport Kit. I am testing it out on my husband's old Nano, with the thought of maybe upgrading to the brand new iPod Nano. I got a Marware Sportsuit Sensor Case to attach my Nike+ sensor to my Vibram Five Fingers Bikila.

I'm wondering if I will end up switching to the neoprene KSO's for the 1/2 marathon. I'm also wondering about a proper belt solution, not to mention, a good solution for the iPod, as that clipping the new one on might work, but not so well in the rain.

I've got a lot of gear to consider. Visibility being something to be mindful of, as that light is waning in the mornings. I've got some reflective strips, but I wonder if that's enough. People are completely stupid driving in the mornings. Stop signs seem to mean NOTHING to them.

I hoped for a longer entry - but this is what I got for now. I picked up the latest Runner's World, and I'm glad to read it, though I'm also glad to not have a subscription. Also, Women's Running (I think that's the magazine I perused) is total, bird cage scraps crap. I choose my running gear based on performance, not on color (though it helps!) and the only reason I wear make up when I run is because I was at work earlier in the day and I didn't take it off before I went for a run. I'll save my beauty tips from Allure and Marie Claire. In a magazine for running, I want information on running. Period. While reading Runner's World, I couldn't help but get choked up (though this was after my long run, when endorphins were still high) - running is such a gift for me, I'm so glad I can do it. I'll do it as long as I can.

Birthday Plans

This year, the Seattle Marathon is on my birthday. What better way to celebrate than to run a half marathon?

I really am serious. By the end of this week, I may be signed up.

I have had a week of fantastic runs. This morning, in the cool rain, I did a fast run in the neighborhood - my fast run being 32 minutes at an average pace of 9:18 and average HR of 168. It's my best time as of yet, though I purposely ran less hills for this run.

I've decided that since I've taken to running up Phinney Ridge on at least one long run that I will use Phinney Ridge for my interval runs. That's a 350ft gain in something like 4-5 blocks.

My last long run was almost 8 miles, and it felt great. The only problem was that I had to take two bathroom breaks! I blame this on pre-hydrating a bit too much, and coffee. Other things I've learned is that I need a hand-holster for my water bottle.

I think the next few weeks I will be figuring out what my Fall exercise schedule is going to look like. I'll be working full time at least until January (when my internship is up) and I will be in class two nights a week. I'll also have to adjust for the changing light.

Lots more to come. I'm loving running right now. I especially love running in my Five Finger Bikilas. They're the best shoes I've ever worn! Looks like they're still in great demand, though. I feel lucky to have gotten mine. Thanks, See Jane Run!

Running in Chicago vs. Seattle

Yesterday I probably walked over 5 miles - it was wonderful, especially considering the amount of fried food I ate yesterday was more than the past month combined. Today I went for a light, long run - it's a break week, so I only did about 45 minutes for the run. My pace ended up just under 11 min for the entire run, and I ended up doing just over 4 miles. The biggest treat was going along the lake in the bright summer sun. It was a bit breezy and, of course, hot - but it was wonderful. Running in Chicago makes me feel like I could run forever. It's amazing what running up and down hills in Seattle will do for your perception of effort. My heart rate was pretty low for a run (around 120-140 a good part of the time) due to a lack of effort needed. It was a fun vacation run, to say the least.

Today was also my first run in myVibram Five Fingers Bikila . They are definitely an improvement over the Sprints - and I'm glad to once again be running a minimalist shoe. My knees ache so much less after a run. The only problem I seem to be having is that my big toe on my left foot gets a little unhappy - similar to the problem I had first with the Treks. At least I'm relatively certain these are the right size. Not too big, not too small. It will take a few more runs before I'm certain - but I think the Bikilas are likely the winner.

Now - back to my break!

Training Progress and Bikila's in Sight

First, I have to say how proud I am of myself for my run on Sunday. It started out as my long, slow run, with no real hills planned. It ended up with me doing a half mile with an elevation gain of over 350 feet! I ran through three different neighborhoods, and 6.26 miles at a pace of just under 11:30. I was a little sore on Monday and Tuesday, but I can't help but be pleased by the experience over all. My knees and hips really didn't like it - and this I partially blame on my conventional running shoes. You see, I'm still running in my conventional shoes as that the Vibram Five Finger Bikila's have been out of stock and backordered for the past month, and I sold my Sprints in expectation of getting the Bikilas. Oops.

This morning I'm a bit worn out after not sleeping well, and then doing a morning run. I've tried to switch to mornings during the week as that it allows me to get more done with my evenings. Also, I can run half-awake if I have to - which I definitely did this morning. It was a misty humid morning, and I did my short fast run at under 10min/mi for 27 minutes. I'm making sure to make hills a part of my routine - something I expect will be a sharp contrast next week when I take lazy runs along the Chicago lakefront.

Speaking of Chicago - I'm really excited that I was able to find Bikila's available at the second store I called. They have them on hold for me to be picked up next Tuesday! There is only ONE official retailer of Vibram FiveFingers in the Seattle area - and that's REI, and they aren't even available for backorder in my size on their website. Chicago, on the other hand, has tons of stores offering FiveFingers - and if I have the misfortune of someone selling the Bikilas before I get to them, I will have at least a half dozen places nearby to check out to see if they have them in stock.

I'm not sure how I'll adjust back to minimalist running after wearing the bone-jarring conventional running shoes. I'll be bringing them with me just in case the Bikila's don't pan out - or end up not working like the FiveFinger Treks.

I'm loving running right now - it's sort of like my co-drug of choice, with my other drug of choice being delicious food. I'm a foodie now, more than ever - I think because my interests have turned to quality over quantity. A running store I had hoped to get my Bikila's from (See Jane Run, whose customer service seems to be ignoring me) sells shirts that say "I run for chocolate." It's true. I run because it feels great to run. I also do it because I can eat more delicious food (with reason) as a reward.

And for a weight update - I'm now below 150 lbs, and my body fat percentage is down to around 29%. I still have 12 lbs to go before I get to where I want to be (20-22% bodyfat) I don't know if I'll get there before my next challenge, but I just thought I'd put this down here for now.

Back and Neck

A week ago, I did something not-so-great to my back while running. I think that it was a combo of issues, being my posture, my running in conventional shoes after a few months of running in minimalist shoes, and poor choice in cross-body day bags. Saturday, I did a 66 minute run, and on my hills coming back, I tried to keep my body to keep my head up and my posture vertical as I ran. That ended up with me waking up Sunday morning with a stiff neck, but my mid back feeling much better.

The good news was that my doctor told me last week that I didn't have to stop running. This was good. It's very much a part of my life, even when I don't want to do it, it's something I just feel better doing. I'm finally getting back into a groove where it's not as painful to do my runs (in the moment) and stretching myself feels good. I just need to work on my posture, and I need to work on strengthening my core muscles (and doing more yoga).

And, just to put in some numbers, I did my slow run for 66 minutes, and went 5.56 mi. That's a pace of 11:52. Not bad, for me!

In other news, I'm almost 4 lbs away from the upper end of the BMI for "normal." While I know that's not a judge of fitness, it means that in roughly 9 lbs,if I lose only fat, I will be down to about 20-24% body fat. This is awesome!

Getting Back Into the Groove

Oh my goodness - staying with my training schedule is really hard with a new internship and class! I don't know how people do it without falling over! Early mornings seem too early, evenings seem too warm (mostly) and require more energy than I feel I have! I just had to whine a bit. I've been rather successful with keeping to how many times I run per week (3), but my duration each time is not steady.

Here's the schedule I've been trying to follow, thanks to Emily's magic computer training schedule maker.

2010-07-20: 0:16 fast 0:32 interval 0:48 easy
2010-07-27: 0:22 fast 0:44 interval 1:06 easy
2010-08-03: 0:24 fast 0:48 interval 1:12 easy
2010-08-10: 0:27 fast 0:53 interval 1:20 easy
2010-08-17: 0:21 fast 0:43 interval 1:04 easy
2010-08-24: 0:29 fast 0:58 interval 1:28 easy
2010-08-31: 0:32 fast 1:04 interval 1:36 easy
2010-09-07: 0:35 fast 1:11 interval 1:46 easy
2010-09-14: 0:39 fast 1:18 interval 1:57 easy
2010-09-21: 0:31 fast 1:02 interval 1:33 easy

Since I haven't been referring to it right before each run, I've ended up either running short or long for what I was doing that day. Not a good idea! I thought maybe posting it might help me stay in line.

Then there's my running again in conventional shoes. I'm waiting for my order for Bikila's to show up in early August. I sold my Sprints due to them being a little too thin for me, and I returned the Treks due to them being a little too small. My Brooks Women's Adrenaline GTS 10 were shoes I was totally in love with when I bought them, but since then have made my everyday shoes minimalist shoes, and in comparison, they feel large and heavy on my feet.

Also, here's the list of aches I have when running in conventional shoes that I don't have running in FiveFingers: knees, lower back, shoulders, bunion/toe joints.

In comparison, here's what doesn't work for me and the FiveFingers - aching feet after long runs.

At least it's localized!

Anyway - I'll contain my frustration. It's important for me to stay running and stay active, despite my schedule and the demands upon it. Now it's time to finally go to a Weight Watcher's meeting (first for nearly a month!) to try to get some control over what I'm putting into my body. It's sort of a mental reset.

Evening Run with Conventional Shoes

I managed to injure my right heel during my trail run enough to convince me to wear my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10 for a "fast" run last night. This was my first real run after my race and hiking, back in my neighborhood.

I've decided to consider trading in my FiveFinger Sprints due to the fact that they don't keep stuff out, and they are really thin compared to other options. I think my feet need a little more protection than they've been getting. However, in my old (still close to new) traditional shoes, my feet definitely felt burdened. The plus side is the bruise on my heel didn't hurt, the downside was my feet felt hot and sweaty, heavy, and I felt two inches taller and out of touch with the ground.

The run itself felt pretty intense. It was 20 minutes long, and as intense as I could muster considering it was the end of a work day, on very little sleep. It was also warm - which really, in Seattle, is warm for an evening, but not unbearable. I can see why some people choose to run in the mornings at crazy early hours before work, vs. doing it in the evening when they get home.

My pace for the 21:45 run was 10:19, which is not my best, but also, I intentionally tackled some hills. I could have probably pushed my heart rate farther, however, I just wasn't in the mood, and even an hour after dinner, wasn't quite digested enough to do so.

I look forward to scoping out new FiveFingers and to my heel healing.

Trail Running Ridiculousness

What do I know about trail running?

1. Trails are involved.
2. Running is involved.

That's simple, right? Find a trail and run on it.

Thanks to my scuba diving training I've developed a keen sense of how any sport can be disastrous given particular circumstances. Running, at least, you're in the open air and should have a pretty good supply of air to breathe, however, there are other factors that can impact your health and well-being. Upon first telling my father-in-law my plans to just run in the suburban neighborhood in Westchester Co, NY, he let me know of a recent coyote problem in the area.

Coyotes.

Luckily, I haven't had any encounters with coyotes in the neighborhood. I didn't bother to think of the coyotes when I decided on driving out to Saxon Woods this morning to do a long run. In fact, I didn't bother to look beyond the Google Map or GPS on the car to see what kind of running conditions I would encounter. I was honestly expecting more of a shady city park, not wilderness and gravel/dirt trails.

This did not bode well for my choice of travel running shoes (Vibram FiveFingers Sprint) which have a very scant amount of protection on the bottom. At least my choice of heart rate monitor was well suited for the trek (Garmin Forerunner 405CX).

It turned out that the trails were not as well marked as I would have liked, and that the trails themselves were pretty rocky, both with imported gravel and the natural rocky terrain of the region. It was BEAUTIFUL on this sunny day, with many chipmunks scampering about and songbirds singing. There were only a few people on the trail, making it rather lonely - and as I got deeper into the trail, it occurred to me that maybe I was fresh meat for a coyote. Alarmist, sure - but I realized I don't know how to deal with wildlife, let alone, spot and avoid poison ivy. And did I smell a skunk? I'm pretty sure I smelled a skunk. This was enough to get me to turn around about 10-12 minutes into my run.

It all would have worked out well, too, if it wasn't for a fork in the road that I somehow missed on the way in. I ended up taking the wrong fork in the basically correct direction, leading to a bit of panic calmed by the fact that I really was surrounded by civilization (a nearby highway could be heard). This is where my Garmin 405CX comes in handy. You see, I can switch to the GPS mode and it will help me get back home. It's a wrist compass, and was basically accurate in getting me back to my starting point. To say the least, I only ran for about 15-20 out of my 45 minutes in the woods. What I basically know about survival is to not over exert myself, and to conserve resources to get out of the jam.

I was relieved to get to the car in short order - basically navigating through natural navigation, supplemented by my compass. It's good to recognize your surroundings on the way in to help you on the way out.

I think I may want to go to a trail running clinic. There is so much in Washington State to hike and run in, and it seems a waste to do all my running just in the neighborhood.

Who wants to be my buddy? (Another good safety measure, btw!)

Mt. Si and FiveFinger Treks

My friend and bad/good exercise influence Emily was in town for the weekend, which meant saucy* happenings abounded amidst barbecues and typical Northwest weather.

Emily was one of the first FiveFingers enthusiasts that I met, and this past weekend she showed me her newest acquisition,Vibram Fivefinger KSO Trek. Since we had planned on hiking during her trip, we ended up doing a pre-hike shopping trip wherein I bought my own pair of treks.

Interesting to note, the store we bought them at (REI) had most of their selection of FiveFingers obliterated - only the Treks were available due to high demand. Crazy! Luckily, they had them in my size, and we headed, late, to Mt. Si, where we did the 8 mile, round trip hike, burning more than 2000 calories each, and exiting the mountain ravenous, tired, and a little beaten up.

I loved the feeling of the ground and the rocks, and the rugged soles of the Treks served me well those first 4 miles up, and I couldn't help but run up the trail a bit. Looking out for sharp rocks and watching my footing was a bit distracting, but I may learn to compensate for my insecurity over time. :) My toes were definitely sore by the time we were three miles down the mountain, and the last mile was really rough. At one point I stumbled as my hips through ankles were starting to complain, and I don't know if it's my improved fitness, or if the Treks gave me cat-like reflexes, but I did not faceplant, but instead, deftly caught myself on both feet, not even dirtying my hands. Truly remarkable.

It's now Thursday - and the hike was on Monday - and my calves are STILL aching, while my hips and thighs are a little more tempered. It was a wonderfully brutal experience, and I look forward to taking the Treks out for another hike or trail run sometime in the near future.

*sauciness comes from letting me/me taking the liberty to update your Facebook ustatus updates. Offer not available in all cities.

Unintended Rest Days: Sick Days

For the past few days I thought I was fighting allergies. I am coming to terms with the fact that today, I'm not having an allergic reaction, I'm having a head cold. I've got the sluggish body load, full sinuses and ear pressure and a scratch throat. It's not the worst cold ever, but I'm feeling pretty icky. This article in Runner's World talks about whether or not you should run when you feel sick. The gist that I get, is that if it's a illness above the neck, you're probably generally fine to run your normal runs, but if it's below the neck, to take three days off. There is also mention that some illnesses, like sinus infections, can lead to worse illnesses, and what I gather, taking time off when you're sick might not be a bad thing.

It's just that I already have slacked off due to my two races, two weekends in a row!

I, however, prefer getting better to getting sicker, and I have a big weekend of fun (a friend coming in from out of town, possible hiking, definite BBQ'ing) and am starting classes (and maybe even an internship) soon.

It's hard not to feel the pressure to run, even though I feel dragged down. How do you cope with sick days and exercise?

Terra Plana Odette

A new friend, a few weeks ago, updated his Facebook status that he had been shopping for minimalist shoes, and landed on Terra Plana shoes with their Vivo Barefoot technology. He's been looking for minimalist shoes that masquerade as good work shoes - so I had to look myself. Not because I'm a crazy, minimalist shoe enthusiast, but because I've been looking for a simple, casual women's flat shoe that doesn't have crazy bumpers that make it look like I'm going off-roading. I totally love being in the Northwest, and the Northwest aesthetic - to a point - however, I don't want to wear shoes that make me look like a poster-child for REI. Sometimes I want to look as fashionable as New York, but as comfortable as Seattle. And I don't want to break the bank.

I was lucky that I found Terra Plana Odette Ballet Skimmer Endless/Amazon had a sale on one of the more casual styles, and I went for it. I ordered a size smaller than I found I should, however, the size I picked is still comfortable enough to wear EVEY DAY. I am still ridiculously in touch with the ground, but feel like I'm wearing slippers. They're super-cute, too. It's a shame they don't sell them in stores in the US (that I can tell) - because they have some great styles, even outside of their minimalist designs.

Many blogs say they fit a bit smaller than listed - and I would definitely recommend going by whatever your size is in European sizing, not what the website converts as the US sizing. I should have gotten a 39 (which is what I wear in most of my shoes these days), and not a 38 (which is what I wear in Vibram Five Fingers Sprint. The thing is, with the Sprints, they're supposed to be fitting like a glove. I really think the Terra Plana's are meant to have a bit more space at the toe. I'm not receiving any ill effects from having them snug, but I will be ordering future pairs at a EU 39.

I'm pretty excited. I like comfy shoes. I love walking. I love the idea of having a cute shoe, that's work appropriate, that won't break the bank and won't make you look like you're going on a hike. Why is this so hard to find? I've heard great things about Jimmy Choo flats, but I can't say my budget quite affords that $500 gamble. The Terra Planas, even without a sale, don't cost much more than your average pair of Earth, Keen, Privo, Ahnu, or Dansko shoes. They have less clunk, a little more style, and in the Odette, a lot of comfort.

Consider these shoes highly recommended.

Still Recovering: Long Slow Run

Today I did my first long slow run for recovery since my two weekends in a row of racing. Let's just say my body is still not quite up to where it was. I don't think I'm going to do two races in a row like that again!

I'm still running in my Five Fingers Sprint(36, Slate/Palm/Lichen), and loving every minute of it. I did have some funky minor blister/bruising after my race last weekend, but it cleared up in short order. I have to say that my dress shoes in the same amount of time are more hell on my feat than running in the Sprints!

My run today was a short 33 minutes and change. I cracked just under 12 minutes a mile, and kept my heart rate at around 140, give or take. I had to go pretty slow to start off to keep my heart rate from getting too high. I tried to do some more hills, but it turns out no matter which route I take in my neighborhood, I'm not equalling the elevation I saw around Seattle Center for the LIVESTRONG Challenge. I might need to find a hillier place to train.

I canceled my gym membership this week in order to seek out alternative cross-training opportunities. Should I do the climbing gym? Maybe get back into yoga classes (this is most likely)? There are definite possibilities out there. I may rejoin a gym once the cold/dark season comes back, but for now, I'll enjoy the freedom.

It's funny doing two races and realizing I'm a very small minority of runner with the minimalist shoes. I would have thought they were all the rage - I hear so many people talk about them, even just an aside at a bus stop when I'm not even wearing them! So many people I know are converts, and I'm definitely noticing benefits of my own - but I'm curious as to why this isn't catching on like wildfire. I mean, they're light, washable, packable and fun! What's not to love?

More on my minimalist shoe fetish in the next post.

Rest Week Continues...

I went for a short, fast run yesterday and found that my performance was greatly diminished from previous weeks, with more exertion giving less reward. This indicates to me that I may be risking over-training, especially considering I ran two races at full force a week apart from each other. Luckily, I love walking, and I plan to get some low-impact walking done in place of running for the next week.

Did I mention that the race on Sunday was brutal? It was. Very, very worth it, however.

Another interesting note about the past two weeks is that I seem to have lost a size. I haven't lost enough weight, in my opinion, to lose an entire size in a month, but sure enough, yesterday I tried on a size 10 petite at Banana Republic and they fit - a little snug, but they fit. I also invested in my first pair of Spanx. With more than 100 lbs lost, I've been left with some lose skin, and I'm anti-cosmetic surgery (well, I'm anti-elective surgery, to be clear.) Spanx seem to be the safest, cheapest way to lift the derriere and tone the thighs, so here's hoping they work as well as I hear they do!

I just checked my weight on my Weight Watchers Scale which also tallies my body fat% - I've found that I've lost about 1.5% body fat in the past month, which means that, to the best of my knowledge, I've actually managed to lose body fat when I've lost pounds this past month. I'm also beginning to believe that strenuous exercise turns my body into a calorie burning furnace. Not only am I more hungry the day or two after a race, I seem to be able to eat more than my alotted calories and still lose weight. It's pretty remarkable.

Anecdotal, obviously.

Anyhow - I look to resuming running sometime early next week. But for now, I rest.

LIVESTRONG Challenge - 29:42 minutes, 5K

According to my Garmin, this was the most hills I've run since I started training. I ran the 5K yesterday morning at a pace close to around 9:30 per mile, and by the time the finish line was in my sites, I was pushing myself to go further, meanwhile feeling an overwhelming urge to cry and hurl at the same time.

My time beat the challenge laid out before me, which was a 5K in under 30 minutes. This means that at the end of it, I raised $375 for LIVESTRONG - where none was required for runners.

The only thing I didn't like about the race was that the cycling portions were competitive, but the 5K was not. We didn't get chip-timing, which seemed to have been a possible option. I also didn't get a tech t-shirt for raising the $250 minimum - I got the standard, oversized, bright yellow LIVESTRONG Challenge t-shirt. The cyclists got tech t-shirts. I know that Mr. Armstrong is a cyclist - and this is a cycling event, however - if you're going to have triathlons and running events for LIVESTRONG, I'd think it to be just courtesy to have the same options for the runners or triathletes (yes, they cycle, I get that.)

It was overall a pretty great race. It's hard not to get choked up - everyone has someone they're running in honor or memory of. I had three people on my "in memory" and two on my "in honor" - and I forgot to add a few people on there. I put the first people who came to mind, one of them being a friend who died last year, who while he was undergoing cancer treatment and a secondary, life-threatening illness caused by the treatment, was still able to buoy me up during my crisis. I get choked up just thinking about it. I wasn't super-close to Alex K. the way other people were, but last year he was able to cut through the bullshit and make me feel a little less isolated. He also had a bravery in the face of cancer that just kept me, and I think everyone who knew him, in awe. He is missed.

I'm sad that I don't have another race planned for next month, but I'm sure I can change that easily. I'm resting this week, as that I'm feeling wrecked from yesterday. HILLS. MY GOD. HILLS. I had no idea there were so many hills around Seattle Center. 250ft elevation total! Last week's race was flat. This was brutal. The GI distress I had lasted for about 2 hours after the race, and I was ravenous the rest of the day.

Yesterday was huge. I made a goal that I set for myself. I am 7 lbs from reaching the upper level of the BMI (which is bullshit, and actually, more generous because my body fat percentage is still too high.)

Today is rest - then I will gently resume training later in the week.

Wow. Go me!

Rest Week and Nutrition

Today's plan is to go out for an easy, short jog in preparation of Sunday's race. Last night, I roped another friend into joining me for the LIVESTRONG Challenge, and I'm excited to be coming near to this event that I've been training for. I have a $125 challenge on the line, so if I break 30 min for 5K, LIVESTRONG gets another $125. Pretty fantastic!

I've been playing a lot with Calorie Count the past couple days. They just released their iPhone app, and I'm loving the app. Their UI for the app beats the site, but I'm willing to forgive a lot of my little issues with the site for what the overall functions are. Tracking online and via smartphone isn't new to me, as that I've been doing it for the past 2.5 years through Weight Watchers, but I'm getting to a point where my weightloss is slowing, and I'm feeling a need to get a true lay of the land. I've made huge leaps and bounds in changing my lifestyle, now I need to work on my nutrition.

What Calorie Count is allowing me to do is help me track my ratios of carbs, proteins and fats in my day and even week+, as well as key nutrients like iron, potassium, vit c, vit a, etc. What I've learned from tracking the past week is that I'm not getting enough protein, and am getting too much carbs and fats. I think that I often replace proteins with fats (due to the fact that I try to keep my meat and soy consumption low for ethical/medical reasons). I can't help but wonder how this is impacting my training. I'm also not getting much iron in my day to day, which is something I hope to remedy first through leafy greans, and second by a vitamin supplement.

All this being said, the outcome calorically is also pretty stunning. To lose weight, I should be averaging about 1200 calories per day, but what I'm actually doing is 1500 calories per day. It's a 200 calorie deficit per day from what I need to just maintain my weight, which is good, but means that might weight loss is at a snails pace.

This next week I'm going to strive for balance in my diet - something that Weight Watchers, unfortunately, doesn't help you really track. Which is OK, considering that their big plus is the ease of their system, and that they DO encourage eating lean meats, whole foods, etc - but they leave you a bit in the dark on how to get all your nutrients in, and if you're actually doing so.

I guess, with dieting, the one truth is the math. It doesn't matter what system you use - all grapefruit, all frozen, prepared dinners, 2/3 meals out of milkshakes, etc. The heart of all of it is that if you put in less energy than you use, you will lose weight (barring medical/pharmaceutical interference.) You might not lose weight where you want it (lose muscle, lose all from your breasts and not your hips/thighs, etc,) but you will lose it. And in my case, no matter how much I lose, my naked body will NEVER look like a supermodels.

This is what I'm working on in my rest week. Now to get moving towards that short run I was talking about.

(BTW - still achey from Sunday's run! Wow!)

Yesterday's Run and My Weightloss Journey

Yesterday's race was such a triumph for me. I never thought I would be a runner, let alone, run in a race, even a fun race. I took the challenge to try to run faster than 30 minutes for a 5K, not really believing I could do it. It looks completely possible after yesterday, even this morning with my achy calves.

For those wondering, I raced in the FiveFingers Sprints, which got me at least one question before the race. As far as I could tell, I was the only person there running in minimalist shoes. I definitely think they make me look rather odd, having seen my race-day picture, but I'm definitely loving them. I look forward to next weekend when I run the 5K.

One of the main reasons my running is so amazing to me is because I have lost 100+lbs, and I'm in the best shape I've been my entire life. I'm still not near goal, but when I take a step back and look at where I've come from, and where I'm headed, it's a bit amazing to me.

Disclaimer: I am not a nutritionist, I've just been trying to lose weight for more than 20 years (I'm in my 30s!). I've been on multiple diet plans, read books, seen nutritionists and read a lot of the current news/research on weight loss and obesity and have formulated my own ideas on the subject. Always consult a nutritionist, MD or ND before making radical changes to your life/lifestyle. Seriously. I may even disagree with some of their beliefs, but this is what has worked for me.

Just for the heck of it, I used the Tools at Calorie Count to get an idea of where I've come from, and where I'm going. To be honest, I don't use Calorie Count (I use Weight Watchers, which does the same basic thing, but offers meetings and a handy formula to simplify tracking) for my day-to-day tracking, but it is an excellent, free, weightloss resource. There are other similar resources available - Livestrong, Daily Plate, Spark People - just to name a few. The basic idea is to figure out what your normal calorie burn is for your usual day, this is your Base Metabolic Rate. Next is to figure out how many calories you should reduce (and/or how much exercise you should add) to lose up to 2 lbs per week.

Personal facts and Weight Loss Stuff:

• At my heaviest, my BMR was around 2750 calories per day.
• My current BMR (to maintain current weight) is 1700 calories.
• The BMR of the weight I'm shooting for is 1580 calories.

1 lb = 3500 calories, to lose 1 lb/wk, that's a reduction of 500 calories per day.

I usually exercise daily, in the form of walking or running, and for a burn of between 100 - 400 extra calories per day. On those days, I might eat more.

I eat roughly 1200-1400 calories per day, which means that I've gradually reduced my daily caloric intake almost by half over the past few years. It should be noted, though, I started by reducing my daily intake gradually (about 500 cals/day). The biggest change in the past 25 lbs is having to incorporate more whole foods in my diet to keep me from getting hungry. I could eat my daily calories in doughnuts (that's about 3 doughnuts in a day). Or I could eat an abundant variety of food all through the day for the same calories. Doughnuts give me a nasty simple-carb hangover. Whole wheat pasta and homemade spaghetti sauce does not. In a way, I actually eat MORE food - but it's the variety that I eat that makes the difference, and where I choose to say "No." Scone at a coffee shop for breakfast = "No." A cupcake at Cupcake Royale = an occasional after-dinner decadence worth waiting for.

And for the record, I don't deny myself occasional beer, mixed drinks, chocolate, ice cream, bacon, cheese, burgers, french fries, pizza, etc. I just don't eat them all in one day. I eat real food with real ingredients (hopefully, the fewer required to make the food tasty, the better).

It's been a long road. I still have a ways to go.

Run and Walk with Pride 4K 2010

I'm freshly showered from today's race, the Seattle Frontrunner's Run and Walk with Pride 2010! It was a lot of fun, and a really great turn out (500+ people!) This is my first time doing this event, and my first time around a running club (like the Frontrunners), and I was very much impressed. The diversity of people there was really awesome, LGBT and allies, kids and dogs and friends - and it was a gorgeous day. The money raised from the event goes to the Lifelong AIDS Alliance and Chicken Soup Brigade, both causes I can get behind.

This was my first chip-timed race, and my first 5K in a couple of months. OH WHAT A DIFFERENCE TRAINING MAKES! I ran the 4K, and came in at 22:51.1! I was second place in my age range (30-34), out of about 7 women in my age range. Women are pretty underrepresented at this event, but even still, I'm really proud of myself. Next weekend is the LIVESTRONG CHALLENGE! I can only hope I'll do as well with the 5K. That means that this week is an easy week while I prepare to run my best.

I love running with a group of people. The run was beautiful, the people pretty non-competitive, and there was a spirit of fun that pervaded the event. I didn't win any big prizes in the raffle, but I definitely came away feeling like I won something.

Maybe it's just pride for my accomplishment. I don't know. It just feels good.

Invincibility Through Endorphins

I just came in from my most amazing run yet. I'm coasting an endorphin high after doing a short, fast run (only 15 min, but building up!) in my Five Fingers Sprints in a Seattle downpour. I went out, got completely drenched, ran the fastest that I could, and came back feeling triumphant. I threw my Sprints in the washer as that they were caked in mud on the top.

I've had Ani DiFranco in my head lately, and the song "Anticipate" from Live in Clip have running through my head. I have songs that go through my head while I run. Usually it has something about running or speed in the lyrics. I'm not sure what gets Anticipate in my head. Maybe it's just the rhythm.

Here's the breakdown of this run today:

• Time: 00:15:02
• Distance: 1.606 mi
• Avg Pace: 09:19 min/mi
• Avg HR: 171 bpm

If I can manage to keep this up for a full 5K, I might actually meet the challenge that was set up for me for my upcoming race (better than 30 min for 5K).

Now, to shower and get to my last ceramics class. :)

New Blisters and Minimalist Running

Yesterday I went diving with my husband, a coworker of his, and that coworker's significant other. Despite various traumatic events while diving (bull kelp ate one of my Apollo Bio-Fins!) I returned from the trip with a renewed gusto to try running my long run in my Vibram Five Fingers Sprints. Thanks to my husband's coworker, I learned a new (to me) term: minimalist running. He actually was wearing another crazy model of minimalist shoes - though I can't remember which ones they were for the life of me! It seems that there are people who barefoot run - really barefoot, and those who just run in the FiveFingers - and then others that run in other minimalist footwear.

It's a whole, crazy world of running out there, let me tell you.

So that brings me to today's run. I was achey, with my lungs still tired from all the hard work I did struggling against the bull kelp (IT'S ALIVE!), and I put off my run until the afternoon when I believed there to be a chance of sun. I further enticed myself by saying I would go without my regular cushy, supportive shoes, and go for my FiveFingers for my LONGEST RUN EVER without cushioning. My 40 minute run got me a lot of sweat and it looks like at least a couple of blisters. My legs felt all wobbly at the end of my run, my knees felt warm, and my big toes felt the worst of all of it. My trusty Garmin Forerunner 405CX gives me the following stats (among others):

• Time: 40:15
• Distance: 3.50 mi
• Avg Pace: 11:30 min/mi
• Avg HR: 141 bpm

Not bad, if I do say so myself. I started feeling the friction on my big toe about 20 minutes in, so the fact that I did that well is impressive (to me.)

I also have to state, for the record, that I have yet to really train on a flat surface. I end up doing small, but notable hills on every run. I can only hope this will make me a stronger runner come the LIVESTRONG Challenge.

The Speed of FiveFingers

My ridiculous FiveFinger saga continued today as I broke my usual rule of running two days in a row, and broke out my Vibram Five Fingers Sprints for a short, fast run.

I couldn't help myself. I'm beginning to think there's secret crack in these shoes. What else could inspire such madness as to convince not just one reasonable person I know, but another to go out and run barefoot. I just couldn't stand not doing a little run in them today. So, sure enough, I went out and did a 12:20 min run around my neighborhood. What was STELLAR about this run, was that my average heart rate was 140 bpm, and my average pace was 9:11 min/mi. Now, I'm not positive I could keep this up for a full 30 min to get me the 5K that I'm striving for in 2 weeks, however, I have to say that I'm pretty thrilled at the numbers for this morning.

Are these ridiculous shoes making me go faster?

Tomorrow I may give the same route/distance a try in my Brooks Adrenaline GTS 10. These shoes are the antithesis of my FiveFingers, in that these are super-supportive for people who pronate.

This is madness, I tell you - madness.

Running in Houston

I was in Houston for the weekend, so I left my trusty Garmin Forerunner 405CX behind in favor of my favorite, low-cost pedometer, Nike + SportBand. The idea was to get a run in, if not do an official 5K, over the weekend. I knew this was a rather obscene challenge, what with the expectations of family gatherings and oppressive heat.

Thankfully (as expected) there was a fitness center in our hotel, meaning I wouldn't have to venture out into the heat to get my 20 minutes in. Even in air conditioning, I was dripping with sweat by the end of it. I'm grateful for the fitness center, but I have to wonder, how do people in the southern US survive to exercise during the oppressively hot months? I couldn't tolerate running on the treadmill more than 30 minutes, even with mind-numbing TV. And seriously, I get a little wonky once I step off a treadmill after half an hour. The world doesn't quite match with my expectations of movement.

One thing I added to my running day was a bit of light yoga - by this I mean, a few sun salutations coupled with a few transitions flowing in and out of Warrior I and II. This left me feeling good and stretched, and I still feel the muscle benefits two days later. I think I need to do more of this, as well as do some reading as the summer approaches to enhance my fitness ventures.

As always, my fitness buddy Emily is challenging me to join her in a 1/2 marathon in San Jose in August. I don't know if my training will get me there. I wonder what will. I'm thinking the next couple weeks will be a good challenge to cough up the $85, and see where I can get to, training-wise.

Today was my 30 minute long, slow run. I'm still longing to be faster, but this was a back-off week. Here's hoping I'll see some speed in time for the LIVESTRONG Challenge!

The Fad of Five Fingers

Today I went out for my first run in my FiveFingers Sprint. My fitness buddy, Emily has been running in FiveFingers for awhile, including during the LavaMan Triathlon. OMG!

This is my back-off week, and today was my 10 minute run, so since my regular running shoes (Brooks Women's Adrenaline GTS 10) were packed away for a weekend trip, I decided to give the FiveFingers a chance.

I've walked around in the FiveFingers before, but I haven't really done more than skip and jump in them. What is astounding is the way you really feel in touch with the ground, but the rocks don't quite hurt the way they would with bare feet. Immediately, when I started jogging, I felt the mechanics of my legs move differently. I pronate with both feet, moreso with my right foot, and the first thing I felt was my inner calves contracting as my foot would come down to push off in a way that it doesn't usually. I felt the rocking of my foot. I've read that the benefits of barefoot running are that it engages your natural body mechanics, and doesn't mess up the natural balance that you already have. At the end of my short run, I ended up feeling almost like my feet were cushioned more against the ground. No blisters, thankfully, though a little bit of weariness could be felt.

I think I might have gone a little faster overall, but it's hard to gauge at this point. I'm still not sold, but I will be trying this again.

Scuba and Running

Today my athleticism was a combination of dry suit diving with Girl Diver at Alki Cove 2 and doing a long run of 39 minutes in my neighborhood.

I'm desperately needing to get back in the water, if only to increase my endurance for kicking. Diving is great for developing all sorts of muscles, from your legs to your arms (for us Northwest divers at least, it's 50 lbs of gear!)

My long-slow run was slower than I hoped, but actually over all, pretty OK. I didn't stay as low in my heart rate range as I wanted, which was disappointing. I do have to contend with hills in my neighborhood, though, which makes it hard to keep my heart rate down without slowing quite a bit. I'm still going faster than 12 min/mi, but I am hoping to do under 10 min/mi, especially by late June. I'm finding that my interest in training is flagging quite a bit. I'm wanting a running buddy (not necessarily a group.) I don't want to feel pressured, I just want to have fun. I also don't want to drive too far to run. Driving to run? Really?

I've neglected hitting the gym and doing yoga. I've also been pretty busy doing a number of other things. I hope to be very busy this summer, so it will be interesting to see how that impacts training.

In the end, I'm caught up in my independence.

On a dietary front, I'm really trying to be mindful of carbs. They make me feel sluggish, hungry, and generally icky. Now, I'm speaking mainly of the refined-sugar type. They also make me cracked-out craving them. This is new for me. I'm about 15 or so pounds from reaching my BMI norm. Here's hoping!

Chewy Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

I am not a vegan, however, I have this fascination with vegan baking. Mostly, it's a fascination with substitution, and seeing what I can get away with to make something tasty, yet also nearly healthy. My primary goal is to make yummy treats that are lower in refined sugars, higher in fiber and lower in fat than their conventional cousins. Right now, I'm just playing with making my own recipes. Below is a recipe I recently made. The muffins turned out beautiful, though they are on the dense and chewy side. The nuts should help with the chewiness, by offering some texture difference. They also increase the protein, which I often need to balance out any carbs. Please let me know if you try this recipe, and how it works for you!

Chewy Vegan Banana Nut Muffins

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup wheat germ
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup almond milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 bananas, pureed
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans or walnuts (optional)

Preparation

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 350°F. Oil and flour three mini muffin pans or line with paper liners. Whisk flour and wheat germ, baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, and baking soda in medium bowl. Whisk almond milk and vanilla in small bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat sugar and banana puree in large bowl to blend. Beat well after each addition until mixture is evenly mixed, occasionally scraping down sides of bowl. Beat in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with almond milk mixture in 2 additions. Mix just until blended. Mix in nuts. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups by generous tablespoonfuls.

Bake muffins until tester inserted into center comes out clean, 23-25 minutes. Cool in pans 5 minutes. Remove muffins from pans and cool on rack.

Easy Running - Is this training?

Yesterday I did a long slow run, though because my Garmin Forerunner 405CX was uncharged (oops!), I ended up getting out my old Polar F11 and Nike + SportBand to do my run. This meant doing a lot of manual entry into the Garmin system. This also meant that I was missing some data, like elevation change and being able to see graphs of minute-by-minute pace vs. heart rate vs. elevation. Frankly, I'm not sure if I truly understand those graphs, but they're neat to have.

As far as my runs last week, I stayed pretty regularly at a 12 min/mi pace. My long, slow run yesterday ended up at 11:37 min/mi though, I have to admit my heart rate edged more towards 145 bpm. I'm a little disheartened that I'm not running as consistently fast as I was when I was overtraining, or when I was edging towards overtraining. Now I'm also even more skeptical about my ability to run a full marathon in August. I know that the point is to finish, but MY point is to RUN. I want to RUN all of a 5K (can do), I want to RUN a 10K (will do!) - until I get the 10K down, I'm skeptical about jumping all the way to a marathon without sincerely giving my all to a 1/2 marathon. And maybe that's not this year - maybe that's next year.

I'm running three days a week, and doing two days of strength training. I have yet to get back on the yoga bandwagon, but I'm hoping that if I enroll in a class, that would give me the energy to get back into it.

Finally, a shout-out to Emily, who competed in yet another triathlon!

Extreme Running - NY Times Article

Mark Bittman (author of our household's favorite cookbook, How to Cook Everything ) has a story in the NY Times about ultramarathoner Scott Jurek. Not only is Scott Jurek a man who runs crazy distances, he also is a vegan.

I have no intention of becoming vegan, though I do have the intention to clean up my diet more than it is today. I already eat a lot of fresh, local foods, and most of our meat and dairy products come from local, organic and humane sources. I'm trying to limit my overall consumption of meat and dairy, to make other foods more of a staple of my diet. I see vegan as being an unsustainable ideal when done as it is done by most vegans I know (relying on heavily processed, Big Ag foods and petrochemicals). One of the things that exercise makes me ravenous for is protein and fat, which I usually get from meat and protein. I don't know if I'm not eating the right plant substances when I get that need, but it seems that nothing else satisfies.

Anyway, I digress. Check out Mark Bittman's article Diet and Exercise to the Extremes. It's now time for my short and fast run!

Losing Steam, and Fast

Uh-oh. I've reached the 2 workout per week zone. That's not entirely true, but I only attempted jogging TWICE last week. I did, however, add weight training back into the routine AND did a 10.5 mile walk/hike between Ballard and Magnolia on Saturday (that took me up a cliff at Discovery Park). My calves are still a little tender from that one, though I made it through the entire hike rather remarkably.

I purchased some size 12 jeans at American Eagle Outfitters on Friday, and am waiting for them to be shipped (I had to have them shipped due to my short stature.) This makes these jeans the smallest size I've purchased as an adult. My weight is still hovering above the 160 mark, but I stand at over 100 pounds lost, and have decreased from a plus sized 24-26 to a misses 12. This still puts me at about a 14-16 when it comes to modern fashion sizing, but still, it's a pretty far leap.

I was just reading the latest Marie Claire magazine about a woman who did a relay with her husband across New Zealand (heck if I can actually find the web version). She started at a size 12 and ended up a size 4 - and I don't want to say that my hope in fitness is a smaller size, but there's a novelty in it considering I've been large my whole life.

I have yet to go to a Team in Training practice - and it's becoming something that I avoid because I keep avoiding it. I'm worried about overtraining, and wonder if crazy athletics is what I want to go towards.

One thing's for sure, though. Hiking up that cliff at Disco Park was one of the most fun things I've done in a long time.

Good Run Thursday

Yesterday I had a really great run. I walked for 4 minutes, jogged for 22, and then walked for the last 4 - and THEN did some strength training at my gym. Overall, it was a fantastic day, and though I'm achey this morning, yesterday's work out felt really, really good. Some the the achiness I attribute to the strength training. I need to find a good way to tone my abs, as that I hate most of them, and the ones I don't hate wrench my back (because I'm doing it wrong, I'm sure.)

My pace for my walk/run averaged at 11:10/mi. My heart rate still got a little high if I want to stay in the moderate training range, but wasn't too crazy, so I feel like I'm doing well. I look forward to see how my run Saturday will be, since it will be my first 30+ minutes running during a week of regular exercise for a few weeks.

I haven't managed to make it to a Team in Training practice yet - mostly because I'm still unsure as to my ability to do the event, both running and fundraising-wise.

Rethinking Training (with a little help from my friends)

As I'm looking into braving the chill (damn chill!) of the outdoors today to get a jog in, I thought I'd take up my pal Emily's offer to calculate a training schedule.

2010-04-27: 10 20 30
2010-05-04: 11 22 33
2010-05-11: 12 24 36
2010-05-18: 13 26 39
2010-05-25: 10 21 31
2010-06-01: 13 27 41
2010-06-08: 15 30 45
2010-06-15: 16 33 50
2010-06-22: 13 26 40

I can still go out for my 30 minutes total (longer on my slow run days, right Emily?), but I can walk when I'm not jogging - or at least, I think that's the way I plan it. Last week I did 1x30min and 1x20 min, and walked a fair amount during the week. Today, I might set up to do 10 minutes walk, 11 minutes run, and 9 minutes walk to get me through the end. It sounds about what I'm up for today, and will get me out there, which will be better than me continuing to just sit on the bench.

The sun is out - so perhaps it's time to go out for a jog, eh?

Slowing Down More

To say the least, I'm scaling back my intensity. On Friday, I went out for a 30 minute jog - then it started raining. It was already chilly, and I wasn't really feeling up to a run anyway, but I went out hoping I could shake off some of the sluggishness.

Even though I hadn't eaten in a few hours, I found that just a few minutes into my jog, I was getting some acid reflux. It was almost enough to make me want to just stop then and there. I moved on, and decided around 12 minutes into the run that I would just give up and head back, and make it a 20 minute jog. I paid attention to my heart rate, and kept it the lowest consistent bpm of recent - which is to say above 145, but below 160. My bunions were generally unhappy, and I was starting to wonder if I am developing arthritis(!).

A coworker of my husband's who is currently studying Brazilian Jiu-jitsu had told him that all of the guys he trains with view running as a disastrously dangerous sport for the body. I know it doesn't have to be, however, I'm trying to find a way to make it work for me.

In other sport news - I went to a softball practice for a friend's corporate softball team. I ended up with tendonitis in my forearm after one practice, and am going to have to bench it for awhile.

The hell? Can't I catch a break?

I know that really, I should perhaps be going towards gentler body/mind sports, but I like being able to run and be badass. It's hard to find balance.

Still frustrated, still working. Considering an evening jog on a treadmill to round out the day.

First Run After Rest

Yesterday I dragged myself out of the house to do my first run after one week of rest. I stuck to 30 minutes, and despite not figuring out how to set my Garmin to beep at me when my heart rate went over 148 bpm, I was pleased with how I did. I ended up doing 2.79 miles in those 30 minutes, and stayed rather consistently under 11 minutes per mile the entire time.

My joints, however, are not feeling so good today. Specifically, my big toe joint (bunion) was particularly unhappy. I've been using my Healthy Toes after runs and in the evening to stretch my toes out. I have no evidence this will do anything, but it's kind of fun, and I like the idea that it might help. I also picked up some Boiron Sportenine at my local co-op over the weekend, with the hopes that the homeopathic (or placebo) might work to ease some of my training pain.

I definitely woke up to full body aches this morning, though I feel like I slept better. Emotionally, I feel a bit more on-edge, and a little more anxious. I'm not entirely sure that strenuous exercise is good for me. I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going about this wrong.

I plan to try another run tomorrow, to get myself back in the routine. Again, I don't plan on doing more than 30 minutes.

I feel like I'm trying to walk a tight-rope between health and well-being. Every day I'm inundated with different ideas of what health can be. I just hope I'm choosing the best path.

Week of Rest Near End

Tomorrow rounds up my week of rest since I came to the conclusion that I was overtraining.

So far, I've managed to do pretty well, despite the fact that I've been wanting to eat more despite not burning as many calories. My joints are finally starting to not complain as much, though the rain has made my bunions particularly painful when I'm walking outside.

A few friends that I've talked to have convinced me that I don't need to run a full marathon. At this point (and after reading up on it) I'm questioning even a half marathon. I want to do it right - not just do it for the sake of doing it. I also don't want to cause myself a lot of damage. I've already got painful bunions, I really don't need a bum knee, wrenched back, or anything like that.

I hesitate, because part of me wanted to be awesome. I think that running is awesome (and fun), but I also have respect for competitive distance runners, who are perhaps more crazy than I, but have what it takes to get into the Boston Marathon. I've heard rumors that some old-school runners bemoan the fact that average times for marathons have decreased over the years, mostly due to people like me entering the sport at a lower level, and doing it for the sake of doing it, instead of elite athlete competition.

Let's face it - our country could use more of the idea that being active is fun. For all of us who sit behind a computer, tv, video game for most of the day - it's good to have a hobby that actually peels us up from our chairs. Competition and/or challenge and community are just some of what makes a hobby worth it. Not to mention the pride of completion, be it a sweater for your best girlfriend or a 5K. A friend of mine tried to convince me that swimming may be the best fitness, especially for its low-impact and high reward (if you really swim instead of just hopping in the pool.)

The past month or so I've been living off of endorphins. I've found out that I don't get a defined high from running, but I do get a respite from my troubles. As another friend (I've been listening to a lot of friends) said to me, it's a way to help you feel less pain so you can go the distance. Emotional pain seems to be another thing it softens, but I can tell you, the backlash these past few weeks have been horrible. Very topsy-turvy.

I look forward to my next run - which may be only 20 minutes long, and likely, on Thursday. I look forward to seeing how my body takes it, if my new Garmin was a good choice, and if I think that the Team in Training will be reasonable.

I'm still on the fence about the Team in Training, mainly because I need to take care of myself first. Mentally and physically.

Coming to Grips with Overtraining

I don't have an actual diagnosis of overtraining. What I do have is a cluster of symptoms, and an itchy feeling in the back of my brain that I need to take some time off (while having the compulsive urge to push on.)

Here's a bit of a time line.

Early March, I purchased a new pair of running shoes after more than a few months of not running, but primarily doing elliptical training at the gym. That was just over a month and a half ago. While I was doing regular work-outs at the gym, with cardio and strength training, I know I wasn't really pushing that hard, even if I was going for 45 minutes of cardio. With my new running shoes, I started back with my 30 minute walk/run, doing about 2.15 miles in 30 minutes, at best. This is almost average for me.

I can't remember exactly when I got bitten by the bug to train - maybe it was just the neighborhood 5K that I did a month ago. (Was it only a month ago?!) In a matter of weeks, I doubled my mileage and duration. I didn't slowly amp-up, no - I went straight for it. I have become faster, and just yesterday did a painful 20 minute jog under a 11 min/mi pace! I was even walking faster! However, I woke up this morning (actually, throughout the night) to my muscles being sore and tight again, and feeling a general sense of anxiety and dread. I loved the calorie burn pay-off I was getting from all that training I was doing. However, the flood of adrenaline to my body from training is not loving my psyche.

Running makes me feel like a superwoman when I'm in the moment, and the run is good. My body feels battered right now, my psyche feels battered, I'm wanting to quit running, while simultaneously wanting to have the strength and will to hit the pavement.

Overtraining has the symptom of decreased performance - and I don't know if I've got that yet (although yesterday's run that didn't last more than 20 minutes may count.) I certainly have some of the physiological and psychological effects. (TMI: My period was over 10 days late, which can be another symptom of overtraining.) I'm frustrated with my body right now, the same way I get frustrated when I'm sick. My body is just not wanting to cooperate with what my mind wants to do.

Maybe this is an opportunity to be still, and be mindful. Maybe, just maybe, I need to take a week off. A real week. Not just a couple days (as I did earlier this week.)

What will I write about here? Not training? I'm sure that my 3 readers will read anyway. For everyone else that might stumble upon this blog - stay tuned.

Recommended links:

Overtraining and Injury Prevention
PDF Overtraining and Amenorrhea
Preventing Overtraining

Calling the Run

I've been a diver since around February 2008 when I was certified by Girl Diver. One of the most important rules of diving (aside from diving with a buddy) is that anyone can call a dive, for any reason, at any time. This means that if you get geared up, and don't even step in the water, you can say, "I'm not feeling it." Or maybe (like happened to me once) you get stung by a jellyfish IN THE FACE, and you think, "Ow, I'm not going to continue this dive, I'm going up."

Of course, running is a solo thing for me. There's no turning to my buddy and saying, (signing) that I'm not sure I want to continue the run. There's no one saying back to me, "Hey, let's end this (run)." So there I was, after a pasta meal, 2 miles under my belt already and a good pace, and I was getting serious waves of nausea and stomach pain.

I've never had that kind of pain before - my husband complains of such things, though, when he exercises on a full stomach. It's never been a problem with me - but then again, I've not been running with this kind of intensity before, and also - my Garmin needed to be charged, and was possibly being inaccurate with my heart rate.

Oops.

I ended up walking for the last 9 or so minutes of my 30 minute run. I also ended up skipping the kick-off for the Team in Training. The first run with them is Saturday, and I don't plan on missing that. Here's hoping tomorrow's run will go a bit more smoothly.