Eat Drink Run Woman

Given I was running the Mercer Island half I flip-flopped weeks in the training program to make this week a recovery one. However, because I also was recuperating from my cold, I started the week out with a long run.

Here’s a recap:

Sunday: I wanted to be prepared for MI’s famed hills so my darling and I once again ran what I’ve dubbed the “Freakin’ Hard Ass Hill Run.” It starts at our home at the bottom of Phinney Ridge, heads up over the ridge and down to Golden Gardens Park. We run along Shilshole to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, then over to Discovery Park for the 2.8 mile loop trail (which is also hilly). Then it’s back over the ridge to home.

My darling got to choose our route heading back from the Locks. The first part didn’t have as many hills, but we then hit a street that appeared to have a 45-degree hill. In unison we said, “I’m walking this!” At the top we had a choice: head 1/2 mile north to home, or head south for a bit to make up the full 15 miles. My darling chose the former, I chose the latter (my final mileage was 15.25).

Monday: didn’t feel like hitting the gym, so I just slept in. But I did do my afternoon 8-mile general aerobic + speed work. Normally I’d hit the track for the speed work but it’s been really crowded with high school track. So I just did some fartlek work along Greenlake (9:18 average pace)

Tuesday: this was the day for “The Yoga Class at which I Cried.” I was still feeling the lingering effects of the cold (and had developed a cough), plus I was feeling beat up from the Sunday and Monday runs. I just couldn’t get into any of the poses. I was tempted to leave early as I didn’t think the others appreciated my hacking and groaning. At one point the instructor asked me how I was doing and that’s when I had to fight back the tears (as I was standing in mountain pose I felt a few drops falling down my cheeks!) I was still feeling pretty crappy that afternoon, so I bagged my 5-mile recovery run.

Wednesday: A new day, a new attitude. Started with an hour+ conditioning workout (I only did one set of arm weights since I wanted to work on my PT work and stretching in preparation for the race). It was a glorious afternoon that was sunny enough for me to don a running skirt for my 8-mile GA run (although I’m glad I wore a long-sleeved shirt). Once again I chose a route with hills (9:40 overall pace).

Thursday: another hour+ conditioning workout with a 4-mile afternoon recovery run. Normally my goal is to run those at a 9:35-9:50 pace, but I was just dragging. My overall pace was more like a long run: 10:34. I was concerned since I didn’t think that bode well for my upcoming race, so I decided to take it easy for the next two days (a mini taper, if you will).

Friday: VERY short (45 minutes) arm weight routine.

Saturday: Planned to do a few laps at the pool but the parking lot was packed. I tried to find street parking but that too was packed (not surprising for a weekend day at Greenlake). I wasn’t dressed for a long walk, so I circled around a bit hoping to find something close. Nuttin’. I resigned myself to another recovery day and headed back home. I did, however, make sure I ate sensibly and drank plenty of fluids (although I did have a glass of wine with dinner).

What a difference a year (and hardcore training) make! I ran this race for the first time last year, dubbing it the “Strongest. Half Marathon. Ever.” Ah, what a naive young thing I was!

Reading the 2007 race report brought a smile to my face on several fronts. Here are some choice excerpts:

I compete against myself and yesterday my bad self whipped my wimpy self all over the course. HAH! Comparing 2007’s “bad self” to 2008’s would be like comparing Marie Osmond to Courtney Love.

…my finish of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 35 seconds… Ummm… Hello? Conveniently forgetting that 2 minute, 20 second potty break now aren’t we?

Yes, I was sore and in need of some serious couch time immediately after the race, but I feel fine today and even mustered up the strength for a 4-mile walk. Whatever. I’ll be RUNNING five miles tomorrow, you wuss.

I attribute my success to Jeff Galloway’s run/walk program. Sure, if you want to stay middle-of-the-pack, that program is fine. But if you want to run with the big girls, Pfitzinger’s program kicks ass.

And here’s the best:

I’ve decided I don’t need to prove anything by trying to run a sub 2-hour half marathon; I’m just looking to have a good time and keep my body healthy and injury-free for the next race. Screw that! (Okay, not the “having a good time” and “keeping my body healthy and injury-free” part).

Of course, some things never change:

With Helen serenading me, I picked up speed, passed several runners, blew my darling a kiss and sprinted powerfully over the timing mat. Oh wait, I suppose that needs to be re-written for this year:

With Helen serenading me, I TRIED to pick up speed, but GOT passed BY several runners, blew my darling a kiss and sprinted powerfully lurched dizzily over the timing mat.

I’ve been looking forward to this race for months. As I mentioned in last year’s post, it’s particularly significant since it’s a fund-raiser for colon cancer awareness (colon cancer runs in our family). And how cool is it to run a race on a course that looks like a foot (minus the toes)! But this is the first long race I’ve run twice, so it was great to compare my progress. Last year I followed a 12-week training schedule, logging in a little over 150 miles. While I was diligent with my weekend long runs, I often bagged on the mid-week ones. In the three weeks before the race I only logged 14 1/2 miles (although I think I was sick one of those weeks). My weight on race day was 166.4.

This year was considerably different. In the 12 weeks leading up to the race I logged in 311.5 miles. I did a mini-taper this past week, but still put in almost 36 miles. And by watching what I ate and eliminating alcohol for the past couple of weeks, I weighed in at 161.6 this morning (although by the time I ate my pre-race steel-cut oats and drank my coffee and water, I’m sure I gained a couple of pounds).

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… I spit in your face!

The results aren’t official, but Garmin says I crossed the finish line in 1:58:03. I’ll be posting a full race report later today!

Update — official chiptime result:1:58:02; 47th in my age group, 300th in the female division (out of 798) and 842nd overall (out of 1601).  I’ll live with that!

A friend of mine used to work for a public relations firm that gave its employees a couple of “duvet days” per year.  Those were the days where you woke up and decided you just wanted to stay in bed all day with the duvet over your head.  They weren’t sick days, more like “mental health” days.  Well, today was my version of a “duvet day.”

Since I’m self-employed I don’t get the luxury of paid days off, so I couldn’t ditch my client.  But fortunately my cook day was a speedy one.  And I actually was able to drag my butt out of bed for my morning arm weight routine, but it was a half-hearted effort.  Normally I put in at least an hour to an hour and a half; today I called it quits after 45 minutes.

My workday was done by 1:30 p.m., and after taking my darling to lunch I plopped myself on the couch with a bowl of truffle popcorn.  I haven’t moved for the past four hours.

Why such slothfulness?  I’ve been anxious about this weekend’s half marathon since it will be the first time I’m truly racing.  Sure, I try to run my best at every race, but it’s not a priority.  With this race, I not only hope to PR (and ideally break the 2-hour mark), I’m also using it as a gauge for my marathon training.  Based on my finish time I will readjust my training paces accordingly.

Mercer Island is known for its hills; while there aren’t any steep grades (other than one small downhill), the race comprises rolling hills throughout.  This year’s course has been changed to include two particularly long, albeit gradual, hills within the last 2-3 miles.  Therefore, I’ve been incorporating several hills into my workouts.  Thing is, given how I feel, I’m wondering if I’ve done TOO much.  (Hence the duvet day).

I must remind myself that my training is for the marathon in June; not Sunday’s race.  If I were just training for that, I would have tapered longer and eased up on this week’s runs.  I did bag on a 5-miler this week, but my taper is only a couple of days long.  However, it’s sorely (pun intended) needed!  If I’m up for it, I may hit the pool tomorrow morning before heading to the expo.  But if my body begs me for another day of rest, so be it!

Stay tuned for the race report.

What a bizarre coincidence. For some reason I JUST decided to haul out my high school yearbook when I then saw Topher‘s dare to post one’s picture (the feathered bangs must make him psychic). I actually like mine; having been a total buck-toothed geek throughout elementary school and a braces-wearing nerd in junior high and high school, I finally got my braces off and my hair styled in a current fashion (gotta love those feathered bangs!) just before senior pics were taken:

(and don’t you love the quote I included? Always the party girl!)

This week’s theme is flexibility, though not in my body. Due to a social obligation earlier in the week and the onset of a cold in the latter part, I wasn’t able to follow the plan to a T (how I survived, I’ll never know). In fact, I put off this week’s long run until today, which is technically the beginning of Week 5 (shhhh… please don’t tell anyone).

This week was also the magical time of a woman’s life marked by bouts of irrational crying interspersed with intense cravings for anything sweet. I really don’t know what came over me — I normally don’t have much of a sweet tooth, even when I’m on my cycle — but this week you could have plopped me in Oompa Loompa land and I would have felt like I’d died and gone to heaven.

It started Monday evening over dinner with a few chef friends. We began at The Tasting Room for what was advertised as “three half glasses of wine and a BOWL of hot & creamy mac & cheese” (made with Beecher‘s incredibly yummy cheese). The $12 cost should have tipped us off that we’d merely be getting a small portion of the mac & cheese. It was certainly tasty, but our appetites were by no means sated. We then headed off to Etta’s for yet more food, and when the dessert menu came along we couldn’t refuse a slice of Tom Douglas’ famous coconut cream pie (we shared it five ways, but we each had several forkfuls).

The next day I showed up at my client’s house to see a container of cake in the fridge. Turns out it’s for me to take home; my client also was suffering from a sweet tooth and had to have the signature cake from a local bakery. It was a white cake with a whipped cream frosting and white chocolate sprinkles, layered with strawberry mousse. I cried “uncle” after two pieces and forced my darling to eat the rest (I had to twist his arm — NOT!)

By Wednesday my sweet tooth still hadn’t disappeared, so as I was shopping for my client I found myself wandering through the bakery. A few months ago another client had some frosted organic whole wheat shortbread cookies that were divine; I decided I MUST. HAVE. THOSE. COOKIES. I spied the container on the shelf, and while it was larger than I had anticipated (there were 27 cookies), there was no turning back. I didn’t bother to look at the price, so I was shocked to see $17.99 ring up at the cash register. ¡Ay Caramba! But that box satisfied my cravings for the rest of the week (and yes, I did get help in consuming them).

The amazing thing about all this? I actually LOST weight (I got down to a low of 162). Mind you, I’m also off alcohol until at least this coming Sunday (after the Mercer Island half). But I can’t say my diet has changed too terribly much. While I won’t make my goal of 155 pounds for the race, I ain’t complaining!

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This week’s theme: “I think I can, I think I can, oh maybe not, oh yes I can! but then again perhaps not, but on the other hand…”

Given the tough workout last week, I wanted to scale things back a bit this week. Mind you, I didn’t skimp on my mileage; I just chose routes that were easy and flat (okay, so MOST of them were easy and flat). I also made sure my core work wouldn’t leave me spent for my speed work.

The biggest boost this week? The weather! Pretty much the entire week was glorious: blue skies; few clouds crisp, cool air. Studies have shown that us Pacific Northwesterners are vitamin D deficient due to the lack of sun, but this week we all came out in droves to soak it in.

Sunday: rest day (I toyed with hitting the pool for a few laps, but instead got engrossed in creating my Medoc shadowbox).

Monday: Arms, abs, stretching (and lunges!). 8-mile lactate threshold run w/4 miles @ 15K-half marathon pace. For this run I ran 2 miles at a very relaxed pace, then picked it up for 4 miles. My goal was to run at a 8:52 pace (my estimated 15K pace). Just as I got to Greenlake I saw my darling, who was in the midst of his own LT run. Since he had run fairly hard he decided to join me for the remainder of his run.

Although I intended to run slower, I was a bit dismayed to see I was averaging about a 9:45 – 10 min. pace; I felt I was running much faster! I didn’t think this would bode well for my speed work, so I decided I’d be happy if I could average an 8:52 – 9:04 pace (the latter being my half marathon pace). When I got to 2 miles I hit the lap button on my Garmin and picked up the pace. I was determined to just run what felt comfortable, albeit fast; I wouldn’t keep checking my progress on Garmin.

A half mile into my speed work my darling had to make a potty stop, so we bid each other adieu. At that point I noticed a runner approximately 100 meters in front of me, running about the same pace. I was determined to pass him at some point, but I also didn’t want to speed up too quickly for fear I’d bonk at the end. As we wound our way around the lake I’d get close, but then he’d speed up and increase the gap. I’m sure I vexed him as much as he vexed me. I finally hit mile 4 and exited the outer loop for a nice leisurely jog along the inner loop (I’m sure my tormentor was more than happy to see me go).

Given it was not only a holiday, but a sunny day to boot, I knew the inner loop would be packed. It didn’t bother me for the first mile since I wanted to cool down from my speed work, but the crowds soon became unbearable. I headed back out to the outer loop to finish out my run. When I downloaded my run upon returning home I was shocked to see what my average pace was for my speed work: 8:46! Goes to show what you’re capable of if you take things slow in the beginning.

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I don’t consider myself a particularly artistic person; sure, I have spurts of creativity but I get easily bored. For a while I made a bunch of whimsical refrigerator magnets out of femo clay (my mom has begged me for one for years, but I moved on to my next project). I then got into making my own greeting cards using wooden stamps (I even made our wedding invitations). But again, that phase soon passed.

I started keeping a portfolio of my race numbers years ago (I even have the bib number from my very first 5K). They’re all contained within a basic black portfolio with plastic sleeves. If I received a medal or had a picture taken I’d add those to the page, but I wouldn’t do anything more elaborate.

Then I ran the Goofy Challenge.

Anyone who’s run Disney knows it’s all about the bling, and with Goofy I not only received medals for the half and for the full, I also received the coveted Goofy medal. We’re talking serious bling, people! Disney does not skimp on the medals. When I got home I couldn’t see just putting them in the portfolio; they needed to be shown off somehow. Sure, I could have purchased a pre-made shadowbox from one of the Disney vendors, but I had already spent a ton of money.

I then read a post in a Runner’s World discussion about a home-made race shadowbox. The poster had designed his own for a fraction of the cost of what most vendors charged. A lightbulb went on over my head: I can do that! And while I was at it, I decided I’d make up one for Medoc as well (after all, it was my first marathon).

As I was deciding on what color mat board to use, I remembered the piece of zebra cloth I picked up while putting my costume together. The creative juices really started flowing. I first checked out an artist’s supply store, but none of their frames — not even the custom ones — would be thick enough for what I wanted to include. But I then scored at Michael’s craft shop. Not only did they carry the perfect sized black shadowbox (16″ x 20″), it was 40% off! I also picked up two large sheets of mat board (one for Medoc, one for Disney).

Total cost of materials? Less than $40 (that includes the entire sheet of mat board; I only used about a quarter of it). Mind you, we already had spray mount and hot glue, and we also have a mat cutter. But I think it looks a heck of a lot better than what I could have gotten done “professionally”!

Stay tuned for the Disney version. It may take a while since my darling will most likely be making the frame.

(Oh, and my apologies to Angie. I totally stole her headline style!)

Week 2 — your new Delta Tau Chi name is “Quads, They Burn.”

I’m DEFINITELY feeling the effects of increased mileage during the week. In looking through my past training schedule, I realized the last time I ran more than six miles during the week was my 9-mile birthday run in November. Although I racked up 150 miles in December, my longest runs were on the weekends when I hadn’t been standing all day cooking.

To make matters worse, I’ve decided to do two other exercises I hate (in addition to planks): lunges and squats. Actually, I should say I’ve decided to follow my physical therapist’s advice and do the exercises as they help build my core. For the lunges, I hold a 4 lb. medicine ball out in front of me, lunge forward on one leg, turn to each side, then come up to standing. I then repeat on the other leg. For the squats, I cross my arms at chest height and then squat.

On Monday I did 10 lunges on each leg and two sets of 15 squats. That afternoon I ran a little over 8 miles, which included speed work, so by Tuesday morning my quads were pretty sore. Of course my yoga teacher decided we were ready for new poses — the triangle and pigeon — plus she had us do more warrior poses. My quads didn’t appreciate the extra work and I grumbled and groaned throughout.

Although I refrained from doing the lunges and squats on Wednesday, my quads were still sore during the afternoon run. I must be a masochist, as I chose a rather hilly route for the 10 miles. We live at the bottom of Phinney Ridge, and the run took us over the ridge (I swear the hills are at a 45-degree angle!) Thursday was either a cross-training or rest day, and considering it was Valentine’s Day I chose the latter (I wanted to get an early start so I’d get home in time to prepare a nice dinner for my darling).

On Friday I was ready to do some more lunges and squats (in addition to my typical arm weight routine), but since my cook date went so long I ended up bagging on my 5-mile afternoon recovery run. Sure, I felt guilty, but I didn’t get home until well after 6 p.m., and by then it was dark and rainy. I vowed to make up for some of it during the next day’s long run, and boy did I. The beginning of the run followed the same route as Wednesday’s, but it also included the loop trail through Discovery Park, which is also quite hilly. Although I was scheduled for a 13-miler on Saturday, it ended up being just under 15. With the extra mileage I ran earlier in the week, I’m only behind a mile and a half.
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Hey there! How’s it going? You’re looking mighty stylish. Getting ready to go out with friends? What’s that? Oh, I see; you’re just goofin’ around, rummaging through the costume trunk. I forgot how much we enjoyed doing that.

Who am I? Well, this may be tough to fathom, but I’m you 28 years from now. Scary, huh? I’m almost as old as mom is in your world!

What the hell do I want? Boy, that’s no way to talk to your elders now, is it? Don’t you roll your eyes at me, young lady.

Anyhoo, I wanted to talk to you about something, but I also thought you’d be interested in how you turned out. I know you’re still at that awkward stage — all gangly, with braces, no boyfriend. But believe me, it gets better! Your braces will come off before your high school yearbook picture, and there are boys in your future. Some will be nice, others will be total jerks, but it all works out as you’ll eventually be married to the sweetest, most wonderful man. He’s so cute and darling! And SEXY! I wish you could see him. (Actually I take that back. He’s a lot younger — he’s only nine in your world — so that would be pretty creepy).

As for the gangliness, well, obviously you’ll always be tall. But you’ll soon realize it’s an asset; I promise! Sure, you’ll always have trouble finding a pair of jeans that fit well, but you’ll really grow to appreciate those long, lean legs. They’ll take you places you never dreamed. (No — I don’t mean it THAT way).

In fact, you’ll end up doing a lot of things you never thought you would. You know how you’re embarrassed to dance? Well, in another year you’ll be cutting up the rug. Sure, you’ll need a couple of drinks in you before you do it, but eventually you’ll love it so much you’ll be the first one out on the dance floor. And you know how you’ve been too scared to try a full-on dive? You’ll finally work up the courage in your early 20s (and yes, you’ll once again need a couple of drinks).

But what will come as a total shock is you’ll become somewhat of a fitness junkie. You’ll first dabble with running and mountain biking in your late 20s/early 30s, but the real spurt comes in your 40s. What’s that? You’re surprised about the running? Oh honey, you don’t know the half of it! You’re gonna become a marathoner! You don’t know what that means, do you? Well, it means you’ll run 26.2 miles. Serious! And not just once, either. You’ll become so addicted you’ll want to run several a year. Pretty freakin’ crazy, huh? You’ll have to check out our blog to read about all of our adventures! (Oh yeah, that’s right. You don’t know what a blog is ‘cuz the Internet doesn’t exist in your world).

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