Running in NJ

It's racing season.  In Texas.  I'm in New Jersey lol.

There are so many cities nearby, I can't wait to run in all of them when it's racing season here.  In the meantime, I am running just for the love of it and of course it feels so good.  I was able to link up with a runner friend pretty quickly, and because the stars are aligned it turns out that she lives in my apartment complex.  Running buddy at my doorstep, literally (I normally forgo the paired/group run during the week for the sake of time).

She's probably one of the only things that can win over the warm bed in the morning every time :o).  And the warm bed is quite tempting when it's 20 degrees outside.  20 degrees!  With wind and humidity!  I am learning how to layer by trial and error, and I've been able to make pretty good educated guesses so far.  My favorite lesson so far?  Running in the snow might be just as good as running in the rain.

Happy running!

Crossfit

Today I worked out at Crossfit.  I just moved to central New Jersey and left a very good gym behind in Austin.  I have thought a lot about how I could get as good of a workout and knew Crossfit might be a good option.  I really enjoy workouts that are challenging but doable.  I knew Crossfit would be challenging :o).  I was pleasantly surprised today as I found it was also doable.  Crossfit has kind of gotten a bad rep for injuries but just like running and everything else physical I think a lot of that has to do with people and their (lack of) common sense.  So I was willing to give it a shot.

If you know any Crossfitters you've heard of the WOD, the workout of the day.  They have various classes throughout the day but the workout is the same for all of them.  Today we repeated a series of three exercises three times after some strength training.  All of the movements were new but familiar to me.  There is room to learn but it's not overwhelming which I find comforting.  I also appreciate 'git er done' type workouts; 3x3 sounds good to me and I was done in 9 minutes.  They said all the workouts will not be that short.  Boo hiss.  The total class was about an hour (warm up, strength work, and WOD), but it felt like a good length to me.  My plan is to go for a full week and then make a decision to commit or commit later (i.e. check out other gyms in the area and come back if I don't find something better).

The cost is a little steep as I knew it would be.  But if we will pay for cable (or dining out, or handbags, or vacations, etc.) we- meaning I- can pay for fitness.  I definitely believe in that.  So Crossfit it is for now.  To be continued :o).

It always seems impossible until it's done.

"It always seems impossible until it's done."
-Nelson Mandela

Words for life.  And mile 26.  Happy Wednesday!

shamelessly stolen from Chevron Houston Marathon's facebook page :o)... on Monday lol.  It stuck!

fav drink with a peachy tweak

It's only fitting to welcome September, the unofficial mark of summer's end, with one last peach juice.  With it being the season for peaches, this became my go to drink of the summer.  It's another simple variation of my favorite carrot juice:
3 carrots
2 peaches
ginger root

Goodbye summer!  Hello fall!

TRX Strength (back and biceps, 25 lb rows, 15 lb curls, 10 lb backflys)- all challenging on last 2 reps, positives

Sprints:
1/2 mile warm up
1/16 mile sprint (100 m)
3/16 mile walk
1/16 mile sprint
3/16 mile walk
repeat

Swimming like a fish

I meant to post this before today, the conclusion of swim lessons I've been taking, but alas time has slipped away from me.

This summer I took two months of swim lessons at a local swim school.  We only met once a week, but I have made notable improvements in my swimming.  It's actually not the first time I've taken swim lessons.  I've taken a beginner class at my university that meets 2x a week for 3 weeks.  Twice.  The classes were helpful and very good but I realized I needed a bit more accountability so I signed up for the swim school, which promised I'd be able to complete a 65 yard swim upon completion.  How far is 65 yards?  I guess that's somewhat accurate lol.  I did learn how to tread water (efficiently) and that in itself was worth the time and money I invested in the class.

A few thoughts about learning to swim:

1. Don't be embarrassed, you're not alone.  If most adults could swim there wouldn't be so many adult swim classes.
2. You can do more and progress faster than you think you can.  The first time I took lessons I couldn't believe the instructor asked me to start free styling.  And then I couldn't believe I could do it :o).
3. The best way to swim is to swim.  I saw notable gains by going to the pool once or twice a week outside of class.
4. You're not going to drown... if you breathe... when your nose is above water lol.  If you fill your lungs up with air (inhale) and tilt your head back, you are going to stay afloat.  Really.  Once you internalize this you will relax a lot and I really think relaxing is the key to good swimming.

I'd invest in a good swimsuit, a swim cap (for women), and a good pair of goggles.

Also, even though it's not for beginners, I love and recommend this book.  In case you're interested, here's their website.

See you in the pool!

Morning green glory

Yesterday I made the Morning Green Glory juice.  A lot of green juices have very similar ingredients so they all taste pretty similar to me.  This one has a nice hint of sweet and sour.  Pretty light, pretty good, packed with nutrients (thinking back I may have forgotten the spinach).  The recipe yields about two glasses.

Keeping it Peachy

I was going to make my fav carrot juice drink this morning but then I realized one of my peaches was rather soft.  So I improvised:

1 peach
1 pear
1 apple
3 carrots
1 inch of ginger
a handful of spinach

Pretty good.  Yielded two full glasses, but I can dig it.  Green juices to come, I promise.

Some statistics this Monday

Good morning!  Here are some of my bicycle stats from today courtesy of my computer.

AM:
Time: 24:48
Distance: 5.41 miles
Avg mph: 13.1
Max mph: 20.1

PM:
Time: 28:35
Distance: 5.41 miles
Avg mph: 11.3
Max mph 19.5

I rely on the computer for mileage accuracy and my hrm for calorie info.  I wore my hrm last week and total calories burned round trip is about 450, with 40% of those burned on the way to school (mostly downhill, cooler temps) and 60 % burned on the way home.

I'm absolutely in love with my bike.  I've rediscovered what I've already known.  My schedule is also quite packed right now so it's a good way to fit in some cardio.

And one more statistic: This is my 100th post!! Thanks for your readership and cheers to healthy living :o)

bike to work days

A few weeks ago I decided to start biking to work.  I live 12 miles from campus but most mornings I go to a gym that's only 6 miles from campus so I figured I could start biking from there.  I researched a route to get to the gym from my house by bike and it would require me to get up a little too early for my liking.  So I decided that I would get a bike rack, drive to the gym with my bike, and then bike to school.

My first task was to find a good bike rack.  I did some googling on this, as my car has a spoiler and that complicates things.  I visited my local bike shop and they suggested the Saris Bike Porter.  There were others that would work for my car but most of them were a million dollars, which I don't have yet :o).  They didn't have the Bike Porter in stock so I ordered it off of Amazon.  It came last week and I was excited!  I read on Amazon that it could be difficult to install, but I think I'll disagree.  It wasn't easy to install but it wasn't too hard.  I watched the installation video a few times before I attempted to put it on my car.  I put it on, a little too high at first, but after some sleep I realized how to fix this (the top section of the frame- not the bottom section- should be perpendicular to the ground in case you've come across this blog in your attempt to install this rack).  Today I loaded up the racks and drove to and from the gym (side streets only because I'm cautious) and it did just fine.  It comes with cables that tie down the bike and that gave me some peace of mind (as I peered in the rearview mirror every 4 s lol).  I do plan on buying cable ties to secure the wheels, which were spinning out of control on my commute.  I will also get a crossbar adapter.  I have a female bike with a slanted crossbar, so the bike does not sit level on the rack.  It's ok, but the adapter will make me feel better (I found one today but it was a bit expensive in my opinion; Amazon has spoiled us).

Saris Bike Porter 2

Bike rack installed with Saris bike adapter

I also invested in a good messenger bag.  Part of the reason for that is I live in Austin, Texas and I feel like true Austinites wear messenger bags when they ride :o).  Messenger bags also help prevent sweaty t-shirt syndrome.  I have to wear a bag because I often bring my laptop to school and backpacks equal sweaty backs.  I researched good bags and discovered Timbuk2.  I read great things about it and it seemed very functional.  I chose a smaller bag that would fit my Macbook since I tend to travel pretty light besides that.  It also arrived last week and so far I am very satisfied with it.  It is smaller than I expected; I had to rearrange my lunch this morning for everything to fit nicely, but given all that I was transporting (lunch, a change of clothes, some toiletries, two books, and my Macbook), I am satisfied.  It comes with a strap to secure the bag around you and keep it from swaying.  I could have used it today.  I will have to find that lol.

Timbuk2 messenger bag

Finally I mapped out my route on Google Maps and I was ready to go!

My ride was actually very nice.  I was a bit jittery as it's been a while since I've rode in traffic, but the route helped.  I really didn't have much traffic at all for it to be 8 am on a weekday.  I was thinking the ride must've been mostly flat/downhill as I didn't feel that I was working very hard as I peddled along.  Also the weather was just about perfect.  Now the way home was a little less ideal.  I waited for rush hour traffic to die down, but it was still the hottest part of the day and definitely a little less flat though not by much.  I see more bike to work days in my future :o).

Other purchases to consider making for commuting by bike:

1. helmet
2. water bottle
3. bike lock
4. flashing lights (in case it gets dark- white in the front, red in the back)
5. tire repair supplies (a tire repair class won't hurt either)
6. sunglasses
7. sunscreen
8. bicycle computer (my ride was actually only 5.45 miles it told me)
9. bike rack (the kind for carrying things on your bike rather than yourself)

Happy riding!

put your damn shoes on and run!

You don't have to want to run, you just have to run.

Last night I couldn't sleep so this morning when I woke up it took about 40 s for me to start debating skipping my run.  I told myself I could run tonight, but even my sleep deprived self knows that's not likely and def not worth the mental effort it takes for me to workout in the evening.  So I googled "when you don't want to run" and this site came up:
http://www.shutupandrun.net/2012/04/8-tips-for-running-when-you-dont-feel.html

My favorite part is "Listen you whiner, you get to run. There are many people who can’t even walk".  So true.  Probably won't work everyday, but it got me going today.  God rewarded me with a little bit of rain when I started off, though it stopped in the first mile which just equals a hot sweaty mess, but by then the hard part was over.

What also helped?  Posting that link to facebook.  You can't post that and then lounge around all morning :o).

4 miles in before 9 am.  Ready to face the day!

Redo: Spiced Peach Pear Juice

I gave the Spiced Peach Pear Juice another shot today now that peaches are in season.  And I remembered to add the spices (including the $5 clove powder lol).

Very very good.  Not as sweet as the nectarines and not as sweet as I would have thought.  It's refreshing.  Perfect for a pleasant Saturday :o).

Splash of Sun!!

Saw this simple recipe the other day.  Does it look familiar?  It should!  It's my favorite recipe minus two apples, plus two oranges.

I didn't like it as much as I thought I would :o(.  It's beautiful and packed with nutrients, but it just wasn't sweet enough to me, even though I added an extra orange.  Maybe clementines would have been better, but I still like the apple recipe the most.

I do have some tips for juicing oranges as I experimented a lot today.  I remember reading that you should juice citrus cold.  I remembered this after juicing an orange that was room temperature and thinking that it didn't yield very much liquid.  In my head it makes sense that a cold orange would juice better.  The juicer does not like mushy foods.  The second orange I juiced was refrigerated.  Refrigerated oranges are hard to peel.  Unless you cut them into quarters first :o).  This is also a good way to peel room temp oranges without making a complete mess.  Happy juicing!

some Tuesday motivation

Whether you think you can or think you can't... you're right.

Green Lemonade

Desiring juice today, so I thought I'd try the Green Lemonade.  I was a bit skeptical about it, as the ingredients were similar to the Mean Green juice, which I did not like (I will be making it again soon to confirm.  It's Joe's favorite so I'm sure I just need to give it another shot).  A friend of mine made lemonade this morning and that sounded good, so I was hoping the lemon part would save the day.

It did!  It's not sweet but I like it :o).  It has a nice clear consistency and the greens are prevalent but not overpowering; just enough to still taste the lemon.  I looked back at the Mean Green juice.  This recipe only adds spinach and subtracts ginger, half a cucumber, and an apple, so not quite sure how I'm enjoying it more.  I'll admit my apple was ginormous so maybe that's the difference.  Anyway this was "good."  Nice and clean.  Will have this one again.

Spiced Peach Pear Juice

I saw this recipe on facebook the other day and just thought it looked heavenly!  I picked up the ingredients on my grocery run yesterday.  Unfortunately I couldn't find peaches so I substituted nectarines.  And I opted to skip the clove powder as it was almost $5 a jar!  Good thing because as I started typing this I realized I forgot to add all the spices lol.  Anyway this one is pretty good.  It tastes a lot like my favorite carrot juice recipe, but sweeter.  I'm sure the spices add a nice touch so I'll have to remember to throw those in next time.

You are what you eat. I eat what I love. Thus I am what I love :o)

My friend and I successfully completed a full week of clean eating (the week ends at 2:00 pm Friday).  The most significant difference I noticed was my energy level.  Even with daylight savings time, I found myself waking up alert and ready to start the day.  This energy seemed to last the entire day.  Normally I'm beat by the end of the day and barely have the motivation to eat dinner.  I was still tired in the evenings, but not so tired that I couldn't talk myself into doing my night time tasks.  I could definitely feel a positive change.  I think it's important to note the positive changes you feel by healthy diet and exercise habits, not just what you see.  It's easy to focus on pounds lost and waist sizes, but if you focus on healthy choices and the instant benefits that come along, it's easier to stick to it while maintaining your sanity.  I think it creates a healthier outlook too.  Remember it's a journey, not a destination.  Thinking about it this way helps us create healthy, lasting lifestyle changes.

One way to make health changes permanent is to make sure the changes are sustainable.  Before starting a new routine we should ask ourselves, is this something I can do long term?  If the answer is no, we should probably think about finding another way to accomplish our goals.  It's great to have the motivation to work out twice a day, and of course we'll get the results we want more quickly.  But if we can't sustain that level of activity and revert back to old habits, we'll soon find ourselves back at our beginning body fat percentage, if not higher.  A better plan is to do things in moderation.  Aim to work out twice a day twice a week, or everyday for a week every two months.  This is much easier (mentally) to maintain :o).  This is the reason my clean eating goals do not include weekends lol. (In addition there is lots of research about spiking your metabolism with so-called "cheat meals."  Again the important thing is moderation.  We want to spike it, not send it off the page lol).

So several times last week my friend and I pondered over (fantasized about) what we would eat at the end of the week.  I love cheese so I knew my meal would be something cheesy lol.  The other weekend another friend of mine invited me to go to Mondola's.  It was my first time there, but I settled on ordering margherita pizza and IT. WAS. DE. LICIOUS!!  I decided that in breaking my "fast", I would have it again.  But then I had a better idea.  I decided to make it.  I once heard someone say that a good rule of thumb is to only eat junk food as often as your willing to make it :o).  Most of us would be fitness models if we stuck to that.

A perfectly peeled tomato.  Trickier than it looks!

I was a little nervous about trying to reproduce something so divine, but my recipe was simple enough (read: < $$$).  It called for crust, crushed tomatoes, olive oil, basil, and cheese.  I did not have the ambition to make the crust (as I child I baked a lot so I have enough experience to know that it can be difficult and that I'm out of practice lol), but I did want to "make" my own crushed tomatoes rather than buying canned.  This is more complicated than you might think.  You can't just mash up tomatoes, but instead you have to first peel them and then cook them til they are soft enough to be mashed.  I also seasoned them with garlic and herbs since this would essentially be the pizza sauce.

Fresh pizza sauce (Check out my running band on the counter! You might be a runner if... lol)

The most expensive part of the recipe was the cheese.  In addition to Mozzarella, it called for Parmigiano-Reggiano, and the cheapest wedge I could find was still over $6!  Total ingredients came to about $13.  This is about what I would have paid if I had just gone to Mondola's, but of course I have ingredients left over and things are always healthier when you (well, when I) make them at home.

Anyway the pizza turned out great!  I was completely satisfied, though I will get the mozzarella sliced a little thinner next time since it didn't spread as much as I thought it would.  It's been seven days since I ate in a restaurant.  Can I go seven more??

Two stomachs are better than one

What's harder than maintaining a workout routine?  Regularly eating healthy!  My eating has slowly fallen off (as is typical with marathon training), and I've recently found myself craving sweet treats, potato chips, and a gazillion other things that do not keep my body healthy.

You are what you eat and eating good makes me feel great.  Eating junk makes me feel terrible (physically).  This is usually enough to keep me eating a mostly balanced diet.  However, every now and then I eat junk, and then eat more, and then more, until I become so used to feeling crappy that I forget what "great" feels like.  I start craving the junk.  When this happens I make an effort to hit the restart button.  Eat clean until eating bad feels bad again.

I possess the self discipline to make a choice to eat well (though sometimes encouraged by upcoming beach vacations lol), but those first few days are always tough.  When I start craving my junk on day 1, it's easy to give into temptation with the decision to "start tomorrow."  And its easy to put "tomorrow" off for weeks.  But this week I've found a secret weapon: an eating buddy!

I decided I would start my clean eating this Monday (did you know you are more likely to stick to a routine if you start on a Monday?) after a very long week and a weekend that was too short.  I picked up some groceries on Sunday and set myself up for a good day.  Then I realized how beneficial it would be to have a friend eat clean with me.  I suggested this to one of my buddies, who surprisingly was enthusiastic and agreed to do it with me.  Three days in, and we have both been successful in sticking to it.  Significant, because the first three days are always hardest for me.  The reset button has been pushed.

Most people understand the benefits of a work out buddy, but I'm discovering the benefits of an eating buddy:

1. you have someone to hold you accountable; you have to start today because you and your buddy said you'd start today
2. you automatically have someone to exchange recipes with
3. you have a friend to keep you motivated; each partner can use the other's momentum
4. you can do it without being in the same place; with technology it's easy to share what you're trying and what's working for you
5. you have someone to share your successes (and temptations) with

Never say diet diet alone. :o)

Reestablishing habits

One negative of marathon training is that it takes me out of my normal routine.  I am a creature of habit.  I like discipline.  I enjoy starting my day the same way Monday-Friday: in the gym.  For me, marathon training is too taxing on the body to maintain this level of activity.  I have experimented a bit with the workouts I can include, but I usually reduce my weight training to 2-3 times a week.  The nice thing about my gym is that we workout in group classes, which facilitates keeping a schedule/routine.  There is no sleeping in 15 more minutes unless you want to be 15 minutes late.  Running gives me some undesirable flexibility.  Regarding diet, marathoning requires a significant increase in carb intake.  Not only do I need carbs to fuel all of the running, I develop what is at times an insatiable hunger and eat just about everything in sight.  Needless to say I am completely out of routine right now.

So today, I begin the journey back to my old habits.  A friend of mine had a really good week last week with his diet and exercise and this week I hope to join him in his success.  Last week I got an email with some guidelines for healthy eating.  It was good timing for a reminder of simple health "rules" to live by.  The two that are most important for me are staying hydrated and eliminating white sugar (and white salt and white flour).  To me the transition is the hardest part so I'm starting small working one these two things alone.

I actually have decided that my marathon season is not over :o) so I hope to incorporate a healthier diet into my training for the next couple of months.

Marathon week

I think this is the first time I have felt this excited about a full marathon.  This will be my fourth and I am really looking forward to it.  All of the marathons (fulls and halves) that I have run have been in other cities.  I have shied away from the Austin marathon because it is notoriously hilly and 26.2 miles is hard enough without obstacles.  This season I decided I would first train for the Dallas marathon so that my endurance would already be built up and the hills would be less painful.  This kind of worked lol.  I didn't train the best going into Dallas and during that race I "only" made it to mile 15 before I needed a walk break (the first time I did Dallas I was able to make it to mile 19).  Nonetheless, a 26.2 mile "training run" is under my belt.

What has really helped me mentally is the run my group did a few weeks back.  It was a 20 mile run but most of it was on the course route.  We ran from north Austin through downtown and back so the hills were on the back end of the run.  They were tough (and abundant) but actually not too bad.  The good thing is that during the actual race they are on the front end of the race so they should be even  "easier."  The last 6.2 miles of the race (bka the "second half") is downhill.  This is perfect :o).

What's also really cool is that since I live here, I truly get a perception of how far we're going.  When I ran Dallas my friend told me she couldn't believe I ran "all the way out there."  I'm familiar with the Dallas area, but I really understood what she meant after that training run.  I normally drive from North Austin to the lake here to do my long runs.  That day I ran there.  It was a phenomenal feeling.

I've been keeping an eye on the weather.  So far I'm seeing low of 55ish, high of 65ish.  This is a bit warm for a runner.  In Austin, the lows occur around 6 am so the lower the low, the better.  It's amazing what a difference a few degrees makes.  My marathon PR is 4:33 and I had on a hat, jacket, gloves, and hand warmers that day.  But I am grateful none of the predicted race day temps start with 7 :o).

Can't wait for Sunday!

We do it because it's hard :o)

We don't do it because it's easy, we do it because it's hard.  I thought this just came to me in a dream but apparently JFK just speaks to me in my delirium of long runs, lol:

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..." ~JFK

Today I ran with my run group for the first time in a long time.  Over the past few weeks, my travel schedule has been a bit hectic so I've been out of town on the weekends, I've been sick, and I've been out late Saturday nights (read: still drunk Sunday morning).  The Houston half rejuvenated me a bit, so I was determined to run with the group today.  I'm so glad I did.  I ran over 19.5 miles and as always it was so much easier because of them.

My run group bright and early!

For my first marathon I was so excited about accomplishing my marathon goal that the increasing mileage itself was enough to stay motivated.  How exciting to go longer than I'd ever gone before every weekend.  I had to take walk breaks sometimes, which was new for me, but I was able to complete 16 miles without stopping and that was enough to get through the race with a good time.  The second marathon, I realized I was lacking in the motivation department.  I needed some help.  I talked to my runner friend about how to find a running partner (she doesn't run the same pace that I do) and she directed me to two FREE running groups in Austin.  I started running with one of them last year (Hill Country Running Co).

I've found that run groups have some advantages and disadvantages.  When I first joined my group my biggest worry was the amount of stopping we did.  On my solo long runs, I carry a water pack of some sort because I have to in order to have water.  The run group sets up water along the course, so you don't run on the go, you stop at the water stations and refuel.  People tend to stop and chat and catch their breath for a minute, which I wasn't used to doing.  In the races I run through the water stations, drinking as I go, for as long as I can, so mentally it's nice to do the training runs without stopping too.  Not going to happen on a group run.  The good thing is you don't have to carry water :o).

Another disadvantage is pace.  On a solo run you run however fast or slow you feel like running.  If I want to slow down, I slow down.  If I want to push my pace, I do.  I walk when I want to walk, and I stop when I want to stop.  When you run with a group (or a partner), you have to think about other people.  I will usually break off and just finish at the end, but those tough middle miles, you have to wait for (or try not to slow down) other runners.  It's a courtesy thing.  There are days where you will feel like you can't go any faster and your partners will help you through.  So on the days you're feeling strong it just feels right to return the favor.  Fortunately the long runs are more about distance than pace, so often I'm more happy to get the miles in comfortably (relatively speaking) than I am worried about pace.  I'd rather slow down or speed up a little and run 20 miles with a group than trudge through them alone.

The distance covered can be an issue too.  I usually follow training plans I find online even though the group has it's own training plan.  This is largely because the group training is slightly aggressive in my opinion and I am generally not ready to run the distances they run initially.  They also build up their distance faster than I like to (I prefer smaller jumps in the long run mileage from week to week).  So sometimes the group is running 20 miles but I'm only ready to run 14.  I've been able to work around this by running with the half marathoners in the early runs when my mileage is closer to theirs.  In the later runs, I usually start with them and then add on a few miles to cover the additional distance I need to.  I may have to run by myself for 5-10 miles but it's better than running alone for the entire thing.

Start time is a good thing and a bad thing.  The group starts between 6:30 and 7:00 am.  I like to go out so in previous years I wouldn't drink on Saturday nights (or I'd stop drinking by 7:00 pm or so).  This was kind of a drag, especially when my partner was in town.  Last night I went to a friend's birthday party.  I had one drink and came home early.  So the group does impact your Saturday night if you tend to drink or stay out late.  The good thing is, because we start out so early, we finish early.  During the week, I sometimes put off running for so long that I don't finish my running (and start my day) til mid morning.  As the long run mileage increases it's really nice to be forced to get up and get it going.  We're usually done by noon.  In the warmer months this is especially nice since we mostly avoid the direct sun and the hottest part of the day.

Overall run groups are great.  They make 20 miles a little easier less hard :o).

You can do anything!!

You can do anything.  No, really you can.  It sounds so cliche but I assure you it's true.  You may have to work hard.  You may have to sacrifice.  But you can achieve anything you decide to achieve.

A lot of people, friends mostly, have asked me how I started running.  I'm a normal enough girl.  I'm just like them...  Except I run.  So why do I run?  I grew up in Colorado, one of the healthiest places in the country.  Everyone has an outdoor hobby (running, biking, hiking), and it is rare that you see someone who is overweight.  I grew up watching these people.  I knew that one day I wanted to be like them.  Something about them intrigued me.  My neighbor in elementary school used to run around the neighborhood.  I'd see her on the streets regularly.  When I did an internship at the University of Colorado my mentor was a cyclist.  She looked like it (fit).  These people were amazing to me.  We live in a culture where exercise is a chore.  We dread gym class from the time we are little and the mile run is the worst day of the quarter.  I was always intrigued by these people who seemed to see it differently.

In high school I signed up for track my senior year.  I was a sprinter in middle school.  I was actually pretty good I just lacked the interest and parental guidance to stay involved.  4 years later, I was no longer a sprinter.  I ran the 800, and I never broke 3 minutes.  But I enjoyed it.  To get in shape I initially would run 2 miles on my mom's treadmill each morning.  It was so hard.  But I felt so good afterwards.  After my first year of college, I came home for the summer and just decided to go for a run one day.  It had been such a long time and something about being home just made me want to.  I just ran and ran.  Then I clocked the mileage in the car.  I had run 3 miles!  It was by far the farthest I'd ever gone without stopping.  So I set a goal to keep it up all summer.  I can't remember exactly what it was.  It was something like run 3 miles 5 times a week.  And I did it.  Every week the momentum just built.  The more runs I completed the more I wanted to do.  And then it began.

That summer I met another student (now a good friend) who had completed a marathon.  I was in awe. 26.2 miles.  I just couldn't imagine.  So I put it on my to do list :o).  A year passed and I found myself back in Boulder Colorado for another internship.  There's something about that place.  I started running again.  This time I was not enrolled at CU so I didn't have a gym.  Instead of 30 laps on the track (can you believe I did that 50 times in a summer??), I ran outside.  I did this all summer, going to bed around 9:00, before all the other students, so I could wake up and start my day off pounding the pavement.  I would do an out and back that totaled 3 miles.  And then I started doing 5 miles.  I was gaining endurance.  I was becoming that runner I'd always wanted to be.

My college is in a country town in northern Louisiana.  People there do not live an active lifestyle, much less organize road races.  But it's about four hours from Dallas :o).  In my mind I decided the path to the marathon started with some small races (5Ks) in Dallas.  I envisioned myself racing on the weekends, going further and further distances until I was a marathoner too.  It didn't happen.  I was a very busy person as an undergraduate, but the main road block to my running success was me.  I made becoming a runner much harder than it actually is.  We make time to do what we truly want to do.  I didn't make it a priority.  I pushed my running goals to the side and focused on other things.

The many effects of a nonactive lifestyle is another blog entry entirely, but the most obvious one is weight gain.  The following summer I left for an internship (note that it was not in Colorado), and I came back to Louisiana the heaviest I'd ever been, up until that time and since.  I was very unhappy with my new weight so I decided to 1) start tracking my calories and 2) start a 10K training plan.  As I think back to that time now, even though I had no idea what I was doing, I did a lot of things right.  I implemented specific things.  I didn't just say I wanted to lose weight, I figured out a plan that would result in weight loss.  I also didn't look for a quick fix.  I don't think I ever considered weight loss fads, I knew I had to do it the right way, through diet and exercise.  I also didn't come up with a number of calories to limit myself to everyday.  I only used a website to track my calories, and that alone caused me to make healthier choices.  I remember I stopped eating refined grains and simple carbs.  Wheat pasta, wheat bread, nothing white.  Obviously I know a lot more about this now, but I had the right idea.  I didn't actually plan to run a 10K, but the plan I found seemed doable and I enjoy completing things like that.  It was like a checklist of runs to complete.  Over several weeks the weight came off (~20 lbs! oh, to be 21 again, lol), but more importantly I had experienced how easily I could build up to a 10K:

1. Print a training plan.
2. Do the training plan.
3. Run the race.

At the end of that school year (May 2008) I did just that.

Getting ready the morning of my first race

Running the Bolder Boulder 

A little over a year later, I ran another 10K (Oct 2009) and 6 months after that (April 2010) I followed the same simple instructions to run my first half marathon.  And then, in December 2010, I officially became a marathoner :o).  Now I've completed 5 halves and 3 fulls.  I have another full next month.

My second race, Run Austin Run 

You can do anything.  No really, you can.  It may not happen overnight.  The first time I ran more than 2 miles was the summer of 2005 so my journey to becoming a marathoner took more than 5 years.  But I completed it.  People will try to discourage you.  Sometimes it's not intentional and sometimes it definitely is.  A lot of people (who don't run marathons) have tried to tell me that our bodies weren't made to run marathons, and that it's bad for your knees, etc. (a blog for a grumpy day cause I actually really hate that lol).  But there are plenty of other people who will support you and give you the resources you need to succeed.  Starting is the hardest part.  We often put far more energy into thinking about things and procrastinating than it takes to actually get them done.  So just get started.   Make "one day" today.  You can do anything.  No really, you can.

juice casserole

So I decided to cook red beans and rice for dinner.  I made it last week but halved the recipe so I still had half an onion, half a bell pepper etc. so I wanted to use up the ingredients before they went to waste.  Well this prompted a desire to use up some other leftover veggies I had so I decided to go ahead and juice them.  Isn't the joke that casserole is just leftover everything mixed together?  Well I guess I made juice casserole.

I had some very wilted celery, soft blackberries, about 4 clementines, half a lemon, parsley, swiss chard, and some tomatoes.  You will recognize all of these things from the 3 day reboot list.  The 3 day reboot that I did over 2 weeks ago...  Yeah.  I decided the tomatoes would be a bit much but I put everything else through the juicer and hoped for the best.  Again, worst that could happen is it's terrible and I throw it away which is what would definitely happen if I left the veggies whole.

While it wasn't the prettiest thing to look at, it wasn't too bad lol.  Better than the potato juice lol.  I put it in a small glass just in case, but I have drank most of the pitcher it yielded (again I juiced the pulp- there was a LOT of soggy pulp).  It mostly tasted like celery (I did have a lot of wilted celery), but the oranges and blackberries maybe (?) gave it some sweetness that made it decent.  It was definitely a green juice like the one I had on day 1 of the reboot, but I probably enjoyed it more since 1) there was less of it, 2) I had other food on my palate, and 3) the veggies were old so the taste of the greens wasn't as strong.

Operation don't throw out any food: #success!!

Orange juice

This morning I made orange juice :o).  I had quite a few clementines left from the other weekend so I figured I'd use them before they went to waste (recall that this is how I envisioned myself using the juicer lol).  I peeled five oranges and pushed them through.  It made about 2 tablespoons (an exaggeration but still).  So I put 7 more through.  I had a decent amount of juice but the pulp seemed pretty heavy/wet, so though I said I wouldn't I had an idea about how to juice the pulp and get more juice out in a a clean way.  Juicing the pulp makes a mess because if you turn the juicer on and then dump in the pulp, the spinning basket shoots the pulp out of the juicer toward the ceiling.  Now the reason you are not supposed to put food in the juicer before turning it on is because the juicer can get "stuck" or jammed with the food.  So since the pulp is already soft I figured maybe this wouldn't be the case if I put it back through.  I poured the pulp into the chute, put the food pusher in place, and turned it on.  I got out a fair amount of additional juice (worth the extra effort) and no mess!

The juice was much sweeter than I expected, I guess because orange juice from the store probably isn't made with clementines.  But it was good; super fresh and no preservatives :o).  I don't think it has any pulp at all, but it's a little foamy at the top so I drank it using a straw.  I'm finding straws are a good thing for juicers (my neighbor uses a little mesh basket to filter out pulp and foam).

Aramco Houston Half Marathon

This morning I ran the Aramco Houston Half Marathon.  I only have great things to say about it!

I would definitely recommend this race!  It was my first time running it (my 5th half I think, I'm starting to lose count), and I honestly have no complaints.  I normally try to take mental notes of my gripes about races as I trudge through the miles but I don't remember having any negative thoughts on this one.  The race was all about the running which is all a runner can ask for.

This race was very well organized from start to finish.  There is a lottery system to enter.  You enter the lottery and insert your credit card number and if you win the lottery you get billed lol.  Kinda strange to be happy about seeing a $100 debit on your charge card.  Anyway, I'm not sure how many people enter the lottery, but on my first try I had luck and got picked :o).  #winning!!

I went to the race expo yesterday afternoon.  I really appreciated the long expo hours; it was open til 7 pm Friday and Saturday.  It was held at the convention center in downtown Houston.  I hate downtown areas because I hate paying for parking and searching for free parking.  It was good to get familiar with the start line area though.  I actually parked illegally so I know that I was in and out of the expo in 10 minutes, including the walk to and from the car.  Everything was laid out nicely and I was able to quickly get my race packet and my t-shirt.  I did have trouble finding my bib number.  They emailed them pretty early and I couldn't find it.  I was able to look it up from the website, but if I had one suggestion it might be to have a booth for looking it up.  Pretty small thing nonetheless.

This morning I got to the convention center a little after 6 (start time was 7:00).  I generally try to get to my races at least an hour early because the bathroom lines are inevitably long long long.  My friend was able to drive right up to the convention center so I didn't have to do a lot of walking around.  And then a miracle... SHORT BATHROOM LINES!!! I have never seen anything like it.  I think they had potta potties set up inside the center as well as outside and it was freezing so maybe a lot of people were just inside, but I was out of line before 6:30.  Unheard of.  I waited near the building until 6:40 to try to minimize the time I had to spend in the horrible elements.  While I was standing there I met a nice lady named Wendy who walked to the start with me.  There wasn't a lot of signage directing people exactly where to go, but there were plenty of volunteers out and I found my way to my corral pretty quickly.  Actually the half marathon and the marathon had separate start lines which I had never seen before.  Seems like a good idea; less congestion.  A reverend prayed (gotta love Texas), and then somebody sang the national anthem (she was phenomenal; they said she had performed at presidential inaugurations- unlike the singer at the Dallas Marathon :-/).  The race started on time (we were all freezing so that was definitely a major plus) and we were off.

The water stations were great.  There wasn't signage to warn you they were coming up (which I prefer) but I didn't have any issues getting to them.  Great volunteers.  One of them even pinched the cup for me which I thought was above and beyond (it's easier to drink out of the cup if you pinch the top to a point).  Houston people are nice and I know this, but while I was running a marathoner poked me to say she'd been pacing off me for 4 miles and I was running a great race.  So nice!  The half marathon U-turn was clearly marked with signage and volunteers.  And the finish was split into two lanes, one for the marathoners and one for the halvers.  I thought this was genius, especially since the first marathon finisher finished right when I did.  It's good he had room to win his race in peace.

The winner surrounded by his entourage.  He was Ethiopian as were all of the top finishers, male and female.

Best post race provisions ever!  Finishers shirt!!!  I love finishers shirts!!!  And it was Under Armour!  #winning!!  The Dallas Marathon also has finishers shirts and that is my very favorite thing about that race.  Most races only give you a participant shirt.  Another pleasant surprise was the post race meal.  Eggs, sausage, a biscuit and gravy!  Sponsored by HEB (I love HEB)!!  And super friendly volunteers!  They had cold drinks and hot drinks.  Not sure what the hot drinks were (coffee I'm sure), but I saw chocolate milk, soda, and water for cold.  Definitely the most options I've ever seen.

If you can't tell I was really impressed by the race organization.  Had to rave a bit.  Would definitely run this one again.

The actual race was great too.  I woke up and it was ~50 degrees which is pretty good.  Unless it's raining.  And windy smh.  The forecast said it was going to get colder as the day went on.  SIGH.  I left my hat and fleece at home in Austin (not smart), so I wore a light jacket and capris.  Gloves would've been nice to have too.  My hands were freezing (the hands are always the first to suffer), but they warmed up by mile 3.  At the start the rain started pouring down.  SIGH.  My feet were soaked in the first five minutes.  But the rain let up for the most part and it was still a great race.  I always run better in the rain and today was no exception.  If you want to race fast you have to train fast.  But training fast hurts.  So I don't lol.  I have slowed down quite a bit this year, averaging about 10 min miles.  I was very conscious of my time after the first couple of miles (gotta love the Garmin), and was able to maintain a 9:30 pace.  I finished in 2:05:03, less than 2 minutes off my PR.  I started to run out of gas around mile 10 but my friend had told me she'd be at mile 11 so that helped me push through.  I passed a sign that said 1.5 miles to go and I think I died a slow death.  It felt like forever away.  But I think that's how a good race is supposed to feel.  I started out the 13th mile a bit slow but made a mad dash to the finish in the last half mile.

I'm still trying to figure out the nutrition piece of racing.  I've gotten better about carbo loading.  I started paying attention to my carb intake on Thursday.  I accidently got drunk on Friday night (ha ha) so my goal yesterday was to rehydrate.  I had pasta for dinner, not a lot but a decent portion.  I also had two gatorades and plenty of water.  I woke up in the middle of the night having to pee.  Hydration, success. I did have some GI issues earlier yesterday.  I had some nachos at a sports bar earlier in the day and i spit out a small chunk of white cheese because it just didn't taste right.  I'm not sure if the GI issues were a result of that or something else (like the gazillion drinks I had Friday night followed by the gazillion waters I had yesterday).  This morning the issues seemed to be gone.  I had half a gatorade, a banana, and about four inches of a sub sandwich all before 6 o'clock.  I also took a 5 hr energy shot.  I think the energy shot is a mental thing lol.  I took 2 Gu's, at miles 4.5 and 9.  All of this seemed to work for me (like I said I started to run out of gas at mile 10, but was able to push through).  I used the bathroom before 6:30 and didn't have to go during the race.  When I finished I was able to go get my medal and t-shirt but then I wanted a bathroom lol.  If this had been a full marathon I would not have made it four hours lol.  Maybe this is just part of it, I don't know.

Anyway, great race!  3 down, 1 to go!

The 3rd of 4 finishers medals

Me post race

Juice Recipe Reviews III

The "sunset blend juice" was the scariest for me to try.  The ingredients just did not sound appealing to me.  At all.  (A sweet potato?? Beets???  Gross!)  But I had already bought all the ingredients, the potato was looking a little sad, the red bell pepper was looking a lot sad, so I figured better to make the juice, hate it and throw it out than just throw out the ingredients off top.

It actually is not all that bad.  Notice I didn't say it was good lol.  It's very pretty to me.  Has a nice rich color (nutrients).  It's sweet.  There is a funny taste that I don't really like.  At first I thought it was the beets.  Now I think it may be the bell pepper.  I was surprised at the amount of juice that came out of the potato.  I read that you should not put any potato through the juicer except a sweet potato.  Maybe they are just juicier.  Anyway, I'm satisfied.  The recipe yielded about 2 glasses of juice.  I think I can handle one tonight (I have a lot of better smelling/tasting things cooking in this kitchen right now), and I may just pour the other glass for tomorrow (it will probably get thrown out just being real).

Anyway, first juice in a week.  Might try this one again without the red bell pepper.  Probably not though lol.

UPDATE: I actually finished this juice today (three days later) lol.  It got better each day as the flavors mellowed out (which was prob just the nutrients escaping from the glass into the universe ha ha).  Anyway, not bad.  May make it again one day far far in the distance.