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!