Monday Miles

Posted on November 21, 2011 by admin

Monday
I woke up. I packed my bag for yoga. I went to work. I did a whole bunch of nothing. I looked up and it was too late to leave for yoga. Damn, I need to set alarms again. MUST go to yoga on Wednesday! On the bright side I got to talk with a colleague, I got some emails sent dealing with that whole future hopes stuff, and though I should have been home earlier I made it back with time to make risotto. If only I did dishes… Eh, you have to take the minor victories where you can

A Clear Sign of Fall- Risotto!

Tuesday
I tried getting out of the apartment early to run before work but not so much happening. Which means after a day of not doing much at work and staying later than I should for no good reason I was off to do my speedwork run. As always it was a rough start. At the beginning it feels hard and like I won’t make it through that first mile and then my body adjusts and I feel like I can do it. While finishing the warm up I decided to run it harder and faster instead of further like the training schedule said. I probably could have squeezed out that extra mile but I was just thrilled that for the first time since I started running back in March I ran under 10:00 avg for my workout!!! And because the Garmin still seems to be calibrated, I have splits that say I actually ran 2 of those 3 miles at 9:30!! I pushed it at the end to get as much under 29:59 as I could and am damn chuffed with myself at 29:30! In speedwork I trust They might be hard workouts, but I think I might like them best… I know lazy ass heresy.

Wednesday
Hello three wake morning. Silly me thinking if I went to bed before 11 I would wake up a bit easier and maybe earlier. I guess I should have been more precise, wake up and GET up. I woke up at 6:30 alarmless, and fell back asleep. I woke up at 7:15, and I fell back asleep. I woke up at 8:20, and FINALLY dragged my ass out of bed to start the day. I wish I wasn’t so sluggish in the morning but I am for now… And then after a possibly getting better day of the week, I faffed about skipped out on yoga. VERY BAD KAYLA!! Worse I stayed past my “bedtime” at the office doing busy work and creating my training calendar for the whole year in google docs. I entered all the info I could going back to March and put some times to the rest of my workouts for the year to see about getting faster over my next month of races…

Thursday
Yeah Kayla was a bad girl last night up past her bedtime… And hence princess didn’t get up until 8:30. That needs to get itself a push back! Anyways where I suck at yoga this week I am dominating at running. 6 tempo miles in the book! Lessons learned during the run: 1. Demi Moore is divorcing Aston Kutcher. 2. The guy who is the CEO for Paul Mitchell hair stuff, he is also the CEO for Patron. 3. Those first tempo miles always feel like you will never make it through the whole workout, and yet you do. So despite Gabby the Garmin not being exactly calibrated and reading 0.05mi less than I ran, I ran 6mi at 10:07 average And I didn’t die… Which means I can push myself more and run faster. Which I’ll admit makes me inordinately happy. And makes me think I can beat all my goal times for my upcoming races. Which helps me to take the edge off work crap and is almost enough to ignore the fact that somehow running makes my ass and crotch and only my ass and crotch sweat like crazy. And that sweat shows like a pretty Rorschach sweat stain on my grey lululemon crop pants. And that a senior work colleague was on the treadmill behind me. Swampcrotch attacks and flashes! Awesome… that is going to make meetings on Africa fun from here on in

Oh Noes... Sweaty = Success right??

Friday
Ahhhhhhhh the joys of rest days. And mornings that start with breakfast on my deck. Nothing to do but deal with applications, be annoyed with petty people creating situations I have to no make issue of, read blogs and buy two pairs of my favorite running shoes (Saucony Triumph on sale! Yup I buy running shoes in bulk when they are less than $70. And then after running into colleagues on the street and chatting with them I got hit on in the most random of ways that left the three of us rolling before I headed home. Weekend is on!

Deck... I LURVE You

Saturday
I woke still somewhat fuming about petty people. I also chose to ignore the cleaning I absolutely have to do this weekend. Instead I went to play at a NYC blogger playdate for a Kettlebell class before we went on to brunch. I was a bit anxious as I don’t always do well with first impressions in larger groups where I don’t know people. Hallo nervous chatter, but I need to reach out more and I had never tried kettlebells so I went. The class was challenging (now that I know some basics with my gymboss timer I could somewhat replicate as part of strength training I should do) the people were fun and the brunch afterwards was nice with really good discussion.

NYC Blogger Playdate Ladies

But yoga was kind of a no-go if I wanted to be able to get in tomorrow’s long run (the last before racing weeks). So I headed home on the broken (e.g. not running to my stop this weekend) subway to tackle some cleaning and quality time with my Hulu queue. Instead I ended up taking a nap (damn 5pm sunsets) and then uselessly stayed up till dawn watching Hulu. At least I got through half of the objectives right?

Sunday
Waking up at almost noon is a key way to ensure a productive day. I managed to do one round of dishes but spent most of the afternoon/evening drafting a proposal as my thighs and hip flexors made more calls to Jesus than a tele-evangelist with a direct 1-800 line. Kettlebells and DOMS are no joke. I be feeling it. Which would have been great if it didn’t mean that lifting my leg to moving (as one does when running) was verboten unless I wanted to utter such profanities that would make a sailor blush. So now next weeks workout schedule is up in the air (do I yoga or do I make up my 8miler) and I still ended up in bed past bedtime working on a proposal that put the ASS into procrASStinating on. If anyone has an extra bottle of that new pheromone called motivation- please send it my way. In either case we are 72 hours and counting until Thankgiving travels to Chuckles time! One of the best parts of my year is being with my family and favorite toddler. I can do this

NYC blogger playdate

Posted on November 20, 2011 by admin

I cant say enough thanks to Keelie from Sweat = Success for deciding that NYC needed to get on the ball and create an opportunity for the Internet community to gather for some fun. Enter the NYC Blogger Playdate.

This month’s NYC Blogger Playdate was a reduced price ($15) Kettlebell class. Let me tell you, kettlebells are no joke. I was sure my back and abs were going to be aching, but it turns out my thighs have been the ones dialing 1-800-HOLY-BUTTERY-SWEET-BABY-JESUS any time I try to make them move. Yup- Kettlebells class kicked my ass! Maybe I should have done my run yesterday before today’s pain set in… The Five Points Academy is a martial arts center, and a great set up (except for that whole right on Canal Street bit. I love me a good gym but I turn into a sidewalk terrorist ready to mow people down when I am that crammed). Been a while since I had been in a “Gym” gym. They have muy Thai and a ring set up- it’s serious! They also have a lovely instructor Steve who despite a 20 person class made sure we all got the attention we as newbies all needed. I can definitely see a possible kettlebell purchase in my future as well as some intervals with them at home.

Lovely Ladies of November 2011 NYC Blogger Playdate!

After a class with tons of squats, swings and deadlifts (any surprise about those inner thighs any more?) we cleaned up a bit and headed to brunch at Patois in Noho. Keelie has a good eye for great brunch deals and Patois lived up to it! For $17 (all included) I got a simple “English Breakfast” with mimosas. I love getting sunnyside up eggs and dipping my bread in the runny yellow yolk. Almost as much as I love bacon. Brunch is not complete without both of them!

The Power of the Runny Yolk

The discussion was so much fun. When you put like minded, strong and smart ladies at a table together it is going to be fun

Bring us the mimosas please...

Now go meet these lovely ladies

Jen at Mom’s Gotta Run

Jocelyn at Peace Love Nutrition

Liz at An Interesting Year

Laura at Joyful Shimmy

Anonymous Awesome-Pants at 100 First Dates

Zoom Zoom

Posted on November 16, 2011 by admin

Yup That Look About Says It All...

Running started this year as some thing I simply did. Schedule said 3mi and I just ran them however they felt ok for that day. I made my plan reasonably, and I did what it took to cross the finish line for my first half marathon. At which point I somehow got bit by the running bug and signed up for more races; so I started to try being a bit more strategic with my runs and began to see progress.

Now that I have managed to keep up with the running (and am already thinking about 2012 races!) I am trying to figure out how to get faster and what are reasonable goals. In the next month I have 3 races (Houston 10k Turkey Trot, DC 15k Hot Chocolate Run, Miami RnR Half) and I stand to finish my first year of running with 3 new shiny PRs. Which I am excited for. But part of why I like running is because I am pushing to find the edges of what I am comfortable with. And that is where I learn and grow, and am happy. But I can’t tell if I am doing the right things or pushing enough right now… I have a plan but it’s not like I know what I should be running towards I am just doing it by “feel” or what seems “smart.”

My Next 4 Weeks

Now that I know I can run 13.1 (that first time might have been a fluke, but the two time after that not so much!) I am trying to figure out what all the data my Garmin gives me means and what I should do with it. Like my resting heart rate is usually 65 and the highest heart rate recorded has been 190. I average 160 heart rate while running and that doesn’t feel walk in the park or puketastic. I have no idea if the way I am doing speedwork (0.5mi warm up and then finish out the distance with .25 speed/.25 recovery) or tempo runs (0.5mi warm up and then .01 recovery/.09 pace to finish out the distance) are pushing me- and what should pushing it feel like (besides dead).

All this means that for my goal times I am probably aiming low, which hopefully means I should at least hit the markers on the wall and that I have more room to grow in my running. So as long as things go well next year, I will be looking to target in on training with more focus and possibly some coaching. But if anyone wants to give any suggestions or pointers in the right directions or even on goals setting in the meantime… PIPE UP! I’d love to hear from you on how you got faster

Monday Miles

Posted on November 14, 2011 by admin

Monday
I woke up much earlier than I would have liked to to go into the office with my friend. But it did remind me I can get up at 7am. I can move towards the office at 8am. Which means if I buckle down when I get back there is no reason I can’t get into the office at a reasonable hour or that I can’t get at least one run a week in before going to work. Next up- reducing office faffing about and leaving at a reasonable time. Got to the offices and did the rounds of coffees with old work friends and then left my jacket accidentally at the office as I tromped to the airport. This time happily though, no stress with the travel. Only funny listening to those who are not frequent travelers complain. I am jaded it turns out- quelle surprise! We had probably one of the nicest air crew I have ever had (KLM 0634- you were wonderful). And my flights ran smoothly enough, though the kindle ran out of battery on the trip so for the short leg I slept and on the long one I watched movies (Harry Potter 7, Friends with Benefits and The Help). I made it home feeling ok and the bouncing is over for another 2 weeks until I go to my happy place for Thanksgiving to smooch and smother my niece, eat happy times and run a 10K turkey trot. If I don’t let myself get bogged down in the crap, exhaustion or lack of motivation… Surprisingly it turns out I have got some pretty good things going on for me too. Maybe it’s time to remember and to decide to smile

Tuesday
After passing out when my flight from Paris/Amsterdam landed an hour early I woke up at an hour I don’t think I have seen voluntarily for weeks. I managed to also steel my will and get myself out of bed and the apartment for a run. Speedwork no less! Somehow I had it in my head I was doing 3mi instead of 4mi… But run before work?? And run speed?? That made the day start in epic and in sweaty form. I followed it with a mediocre day of work followed by acupuncture, some groceries at Trader Joes and another early night in with the kindle finishing of my book on Theodora- I like historical fiction And I might be doing early turn in time for a few more nights.

Wednesday
I woke up at an obnoxiously early (5:30am… Not a time I care to see on the clock). After trying to fight it and breaking the rule (no Internet at home in the morning) I got up. I unpacked. I tidied. I put things away. I ate breakfast and I was on my way to the office. Wednesday is my Bikram night. I love the Flatiron 2nd floor studio, I ADORE class with Patrick. And today there is no doubt, I had my ass handed to me on a mofo platter… I wore my Garmin heart rate monitor to see what class was like. And I am a bit surprised as I was beat and yet my highest heart rate in class was barely what I averaged on 4 of my runs last month. Hell my average heart rate was 120! And while the heat was fine the humidity hit me hard and I didn’t fight and push through. True I didn’t flop and whine or blow a house down like the newbie next to me. But I didn’t push myself either. Whatever I got there, I took class, I ate relatively OK today, and that is enough for me. Today I am enough, and I am in bed about to collapse in my bed at 10pm like and old lady

Thursday
Have you ever gone to a work planning workshop where you don’t do any planning and instead just listen (more accurately scan Twitter/FB desperately for something interesting) to what you already know for rubber stamp purposes? Yeah that is what I did ALL DAY. After watching some of the worst powerpoints in existence and being told about one of my colleagues E-V-E-R-Y work trip this year. I left unsure if my teeth had been pulled without anesthesia or if I had just survived day one of the planning and training workshop (more “I tell you what I do” PowerPoints masquerading as training await tomorrow). So I decided for novelty sake with our “early” release I was going home. I can’t remember the last time I was in my flat before 6pm on a work day! And almost 2 hours later I convinced myself I really was going to do my run today and not tomorrow. I won’t lie the deadline for pile on the miles *might* have tipped the scale. 5 tempo miles under 53min. It was a bit of a push but in the end the 6.0mph pace didn’t feel AS hard and the 5.0mph pace felt incredibly slow… Maybe I will get faster for Miami and my next 3 races, that oh yeah are one week right after each other… Planning skillz I can has them round two!

Friday
Around we go for the second time. Which was just as painful as the first. Except as a nice benefit there were after work drinks for all of us who lost all of our teeth. I didn’t get home as early as I’d have liked but I was still in bed before 11. Sadly I crashed out before taking advantage of the RnR $20 discount. Thankfully I don’t feel too bad since three of the races I was interested in were actually only taking $5 off from the info provided. Way to false advertise RnR.

Saturday
My going to bed early experiment keeps having me up early. And scarily, I am starting to like it. Though today I broke my post Paris rule of not opening the computer in bed. I have an enormous weakness. Once my Mac is on and open and google reader accessed… I morph into a Kayla shaped blob molded to the mattress. OMMMMM my meditation is to become one with the bed. Until it was time to go to yoga, only to get to the subway and realise the subway was not working. *SHAKES FIST AT MTA* So instead I came home tidied up a bit and then went out to dinner my friend Gil to catch up and eat salad like a good girl. After which I headed home and went to bed because with the non functional subway going to a party in Harlem was not probably going to be my smartest idea.

Sunday
Woke up and again became one with my bed. BAD Kayla. Though for less time before I got up and tried to make myself (unsuccessfully) take care of my dishes. I don’t particularly hate doing the dishes (no dishwasher and A-OK with it) but I am just lame about getting to business with them. I am also UBER lame once I turn on Hulu which meant that yet again instead of doing my run earlier in the day… I didn’t get out for my run until evening. Knock on effect of that was that the extra mile I was going to run, since I didn’t go to yoga the day before, I didn’t really have time for. And not having eaten well enough during the day provoking light headedness for each of the breaks the damn treadmill enforced (30 minute limit!) convinced me it wasn’t worth racing it in at the end before closing. It was enough to get in my scheduled 7mi AND… Gabby the Garmin was freaking calibrated. BRING IT I have splits! Turns out I learned that I more or less do fast finish long runs too

For the first time... I can haz running splits!!

Random Friday Facts

Posted on November 11, 2011 by admin

Random Friday Facts about me edition- inspired by Katie (whose blog makes me laugh big belly laughs)

1. I tried vegemite on my trip to Australia earlier this year and I must be part Aussie as I am addicted to the stuff. As in breakfast without Ezekiel and vegemite no longer seems right.

2. I am mental. Not in the I should wear a white “jacket” way, but I will pay $7 to be fed a simple greens salad, and at the same time I will let that $3 bag of greens in my fridge wilt/rot. Even though I want to eat more salads… yup in need of psychological help!

3. After 9 years of living in Paris and NYC I am a sidewalk terrorist to all tourists. I will happily mow you down if you randomly stop in the middle of the sidewalk for no reason. Nope don’t care if you are looking up. Some of us live here and have to get to work. Also I have been known to hit and shout at cars that don’t observe crosswalk signs (and cars that get too close when traveling in developing countries). Turns out I have no fear however, I promise I don’t have extreme anger management issues. Extreme being the operative word I guess.

4. Winter is coming and despite it being the middle of November and having changed my wardrobe, I am ill prepared for the windtunnels of NYC reducing me to tears daily. Like they did this morning.

5. If you had told me in February I would be running half marathons I would have kindly suggested you slowly step away from and stop inhaling those pretty white lines. Yet by this time next month I will have run 4 since June when I turned 34 each one getting faster. I am now hunting early 2012 half marathons to run (must cut more time off my races!). And thinking about a Half Ironman. Turns out I didn’t kill my competitive genetics in my 20s.

6. Growing up my family joked that the size of my stomach was inversed with my bladder. I am a freaking camel, and I have no problem drinking 90% of my diet. I like green veg juices, I think mix1 protein shakes are the best thing to drink after a run or mid-morning, I drink tons of water, milk is a happy drink, and I have no problem with calories in a glass of wine or a G&T/tequila!

7. I have a logical but yet still irrational fear of silence. My family is from Spain and silence = no bueno. So I will do everything I can to fill it. Which means I nervous chatter a lot, especially when you first meet me. It tones down once I tone down, promise.

8. Despite being born in the US (with the family I knew being from Spain) after doing graduate studies abroad and working for an international organisation abroad… I write in primarily British English. This means I often use an S where Yanks used a Z (said zed). There is no good reason, and it is not to be pretentious, just a habit I formed. And working with Brits now doesn’t leave me inclined to change it.

9. Once upon a time I thought I had planning skills right now I realise… maybe not so much. Or maybe only at work and not in my personal life. The past 2 weeks have had traveling long weekends (SF for a half marathon and Paris to visit friends) and starting Thanksgiving I have 3 weeks of progressive (10K-15K-13.1mi!) racing schedule. Yeah for someone who has anxiety about stability and the future 1. I chose the wrong employer and 2. I didn’t think about it a lot when putting down my credit card in my recent past!

10. I bought a Garmin as my reward and tool to get better. I still don’t get heart rate training but I am finding it all interesting. That said I desperately want the footpod on my Garmin to calibrate itself. Like NOW bitch. I paid for data and I want data (as in I want my mofo splits). And if I can’t get the damn thing to calibrate after another 1-2 runs (there are 8-10 runs tracked that have been off usually by 0.10 per mile on average) I might be throwing it against a wall and talking to Garmin about returning it because I do not pay $100 for something that don’t work.

11. My world has grown so much more than I ever could have anticipated 10 years ago. 30+ countries, a degree, two jobs, and more moves than I want to count later (and oddly hoping that the next one is on the horizon)… It is nothing near like what I imagined. Sure there are still some mile stones I want and haven’t hit yet (Mr. Mahvelous can show up anytime now). Is it everything I thought it would be- Nope. But if I step back to the big picture and am honest- it is so much more. And I am so glad that my world grew into what it is instead of being what I thought I wanted for myself 10 years ago. Here is hoping that the next 10 grow more than I could ever expect or dream of.

Healdsburg Half Marathon Recap

Posted on November 9, 2011 by admin

Wait did I run another half marathon? Why yes I did.
Isn’t that the third one since the end of June? Why yes how perceptive of you.
Am I getting a little bit addicted? Hey now!!

Damn Hell Airport Bathroom Photo...

Two weeks ago I got up at god o’clock to get on a plane, fly across the US to run through wine country. I know how to pick my half marathons! Landed in SFO and waited for my best friend Beck to land. Time to get us a girls weekend rental car and head to Sonoma.

Hello Golden Gate Bridge

Once we got there we went to pick up the race bibs. This was my first “small race.” I ran my first half marathon with 28,000 other people; my second with 23,000 other people… this was going to be 2500 people (nope there isn’t a missing zero). So I knew from the get go it was going to be a different kind of race. That started with the e-bag swag bag- which is nice in theory, but crap in reality. The expo wasn’t much of anything- the only interesting thing was the Happy Morning smoothies I tasted (FRS stuff I tried kind of scared me).

Cherry Bourbon Happy Hour!

From there Beck and I went to get some food. Food is good! Truffle fries, crab cakes, and a drink with cherry bourbon in it for less than $12 per person. That is DIVINE ahhh to be back on the West Coast We checked in at the hotel where we got an upgrade. Score! And then went down stairs for the Toomey wine tasting before dinner. What? PRIORITIES! From there we went to dinner at Baci on the suggestion of the wine tasting lady- gimme mah slab of meat and some green salad stuff too with a glass of wine please. I know most people carb load- me I don’t really have a specific night before meal type tradition. I just eat whatever my body says it wants, and then I passed out. All the better to stay on east coast time and not curse the 7am starting time!

Yup It's Dark Out!

DING DING DING. Next thing I know it is wake up time. I am up and ready to go. I didn’t eat as early as I normally do on race mornings but there were no race time digestive problems either so whatever. Beck was supposed to run but hurt her knee so I was on my own. I got dropped off at the start of the race- Coppola Wineries. Not bad Francis, not bad. It was freaking COLD however. I knew well enough that it wouldn’t last- race day was gorgeous. But while it was dark out I started to loose feeling in my fingers, which I did not recover until around mile 3. I do not want to even THINK of the people in skimpy costumes (more to come on that).

Sunrise at the Starting Line

After a few delays… off we went just after the sun started to come up. NICE. I downloaded the Garmin iPhone app. But since my iPhone 4G was stolen, I had forgot that iPhone 3G (“new” phone until I decide on upgrading) does not let you multitask. Oops when I went and tried to get a photo of grandpa running past me in a neon green tutu, I kicked the Garmin app off. Guess that doesn’t matter as I restarted it and then it lost reception about 4-5 miles into the race and the Garmin footpod tracked me about 0.4mi behind the race distances. Eff it I am running with people in costumes and I am entertained! Especially when a guy in a full felt Gumby costume dropped me around mile 4. I bow down to your felt encased running coordination and skills. I BOW DOWN!

Run Gumby Run

The race has a few “hills” nothing all that steep on the up or down but it isn’t as flat as the elevation chart led me to think. Because the roads are not wide there really isn’t many ways for spectators to be on the sidelines (unless they take the bus). So not as much fan fare as I was used to but we first saw people from the organisers spectator bus at mile 5 (Beck didn’t warn me though so I had no clue she was there and taking photos of me… I had my headphones in and just kept on going ). After the first few miles where I felt like I was flying, I focused on the “novelty” of the race. The Heed drink that was the race sponsor was not to my taste. I drank it, because I always drink at every water station- but meh. Instead I focused on mile 7- THERE IS WINE AT MILE 7!! I ran 7 miles- gimme my ketchup cup sized tipple of white wine. Do I have to continually remind you… Priorities people! I paid through the nose for this race- I want my wine

Mile 7! Bring on the Wine!!

From there in I focused on getting to mile 10- my it’s only 5K left point. I gave up at looking at my Garmin- it lied constantly. At about mile 5 or 6 it gave me a panic attack- the iPhone Garmin app said 2.7 miles. UH NOES… And the watch Garmin said 5mi. And then I passed the marker for the 10K. Yeah I am no math major or cartographer but something there does not equate. Long and short I bought a Garmin, ran a race with the Garmin and the Garmin iPhone app, and I have no splits times to figure anything from. So I called Gabby a bitch and continued on (running at what she said was a 10:45 avg pace).

Admiring Wolverine

At mile 10 I got dropped by a guy running in a full on Wolverine costume which absolutely made me smile ear to ear; and then I watched the ass running for a while- no Hugh Jackman but nothing to cry about either. What like you never look around you?? Liars. At mile 11 I looked at the time and thought: HOLY SHIT!! I might be able to finish in under 2:15. It was a bit delusional, but I decided to kick it up anyways- because in case you didn’t guess this- there is wine at the finish line and I WANTED SOME. Screw RnR crap MGD beers I want a nice Pinot Blanc or a well mixed Syrah/Zin blend thank you!

Yup You Are About To Be Chicked

The race was 70% women but I managed over those last 2.1 miles to chick a good 8 men. I am petty it made me smile. I think I want to do it in a costume or at least a sparkle skirt next year. Some of those men however were not happy about it… At mile 12 I started seeing a lot more people running back from the Lake Sonoma Rec Park finish line towards us slow racers. Which I have to say is a bit cruel. You want to get more workout in- more power to you, just go the opposite direction. Or at least stop and cheer for people still running. Running past us in costumes the WRONG WAY is bad manners

With Springs and Air

Mile 13 you get narrowed into a funnel to the finish line at Lake Sonoma Recreational Park. I still had some energy left in my legs, but figured that 2:15 while a bit out of my range… Mr. Fitness Nut’s PR of 2:17 was completely within my reach! So I pushed to my favorite race finish song- Bruno Mars Run Away Baby… And Brightroom who have no other photo of me on the course (maybe because one of their photogs was chimping photos as people went by… just a guess. Also message to said photog- you aren’t shooting film just rapid fire take our freaking photos so you can over charge us!) caught me catching air as I crossed the finish line in Garmin time 2:15:52. The race time from the gun was what the organisers listed as my time (wait I am not elite… I did not cross the line at the start) for a chip time of 2:16:32. Either way faster than Philly and Mr. Fitness Nut’s PR. Kayla is VERY HAPPY with her race time thankyouverymuch. Now bring on the wine!!

Best Swag!

Beck found me at the finish and we went to wait in line to get our race swag wine glass and after I had my coconut water and a few other small snacks… WINE TASTING TIME! Yes I ran this whole race around one priority and it only has 4 letters: L-U-S-H We tried wines from 3-4 of the wineries at the finishers “party.”

I heart my finishers medal!

We watched the contest for the costume runners. Somehow there was a woman who placed in the top 10 total who ran in a bikini (like an actual you wear it to the beach bikini) that she had glued acrylic flowers on to (she was one of the 4 Seasons- Summer). I don’t know how she was still standing for the chafing those flowers had to have done, or how numb her ass cheeks had to have been at the start of the race. Curious George and the Man with the Yellow Hat took first place, though how neither had a heat stroke at that point I am unsure. Personally I liked Robin Hood and the band of Merry Men with the Occupy Wine Country Sign. Then we went to wait in a horrible line to get a shuttle back to the start line.

You Thought I Was Joking About the Bikini...

So here is where I make my overall evaluation. I have friends who live in the Bay Area, the race over all was fun and I am sure I will run it again. But for the price of the race (higher than most races including RnR races) the organisers could have at least figured out how to have enough shuttle buses to take us back to the parking lot. Waiting in the warm sun (we had gorgeous weather- it would have been brutal if the weather was crap) for 45 minutes after running 13.1 mi. to get to the real food… NOT COOL. Consider me underwhelmed Destination Races.

Eat Me Seymour!

We went back to the hotel where I took a quick shower and on to the afternoon BBQ event that Beck and I purchased at Clos du Bois. There were chicken breasts, asparagus, pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting and… what am I missing. Oh yeah wait… WINE! We ended up by the servers and listened to a lot of people bitching pretty loudly. Me I was on endorphin happy positive high. And given that I usually function on a stabby quotient scale… I kept shaking my head. No way in hell I was going to throw a hissy fit at that point. I was happy. Seems that is how you get an extra wine ticket and the guy pours you two extra glasses for that one wine ticket. Take lessons and DRINK WINE!

Wine = Priorities!

After the BBQ we headed back to the hotel again (I saw more of the 101 strip between Windsor and Healdsburg in 1 weekend than I think I ever need to again) and I sat in an epsom salts bath. I have to say I am now a HUGE proponent of Mix1 Protein shakes post race and epsom salts bath same day as part of my recovery. And given how well my recovery went I am thinking I might need to up the post race wine (note not whine) factor. We had dinner at Spoonbar which was OK (though surprisingly their local wines listings not so much) and then headed home to crash out. Happy days are ahead…

Brunch Time Wine Tastings Please

Girls who have lived in France together do not go to wine country together without hitting up wineries! So Sunday was our day to sleep in, have fresh made waffles at the hotel, wake up with surprisingly little pain and then go to wineries. First up we tried the Coppola Winery. The guy serving us was nice and we tasted all the wines there for half the price, because we are friendly. We also spent the largest part of our money here. I got individual champagne cans to go… What can I say I am a sucker for pink and bubbly

Vineyards

Next up we drove to a small winery that my friend Amy had suggested A. Raffanelli. The winery was small but gorgeous. And it was on the race path- which Einstein here had not noticed because she was too focused on passing the people in princess costumes. The wine was OK and it was a quick tasting. I bought a bottle of Red Zin (CA wines completely surprised me on this trip!) and texted my favorite pyromaniac friend who a. happens to have been an ultra runner and also… b. a major oenophile. He recommended Gary Farrell.

Best Place To End the Tastings

Ahhh yes thank you Jeff. A bit pricier than I would have liked but I have a nice bottle to take with me to Thanksgiving for dinner and the guy gave me recommendations for a restaurant with duck fat fries. After making the last of our purchases, soaking in the view and the sun- Beck and I headed to Santa Rosa to get something to eat before I was dropped off at an Oakland BART stop to go have dinner in the city (Beck had family in the area to visit). Bring on the pulled pork sandwich and drinks with my friend from college Katie (slightly wined out at this point I imbibed heavily on water and a lemonade lest you think I have anything more than my irish alcoholic genetics in hand).

Brunch in Berkeley: Time for Carbs

I spent the night with my friend Betsy in Berkeley and had brunch together before heading into the City to have lunch with my friend Cate (yes I like eating with people it seems ). I had the day to myself in the city and money on a BART card to burn. I stopped at the original Banana Republic store, I headed to the Apple store to find out why my iPhone 3G was acting like a retarded brick (NEVER EVER EVER upgrade to iOS4 or 5 if you have 3G phone!) and bought a scarf at Anthropologie.

Oh. So. Worth. It!

Next up I wandered to my favorite place in the Mission for morning buns. Oh how I love the Morning Buns!!I will drag my ass out of the way for nothing more than a wander into Tartine. I might have also taken home a Huckleberry Frangipane tart too… What I burned calories running 13.1miles.

Who Doesn't Love This View?

Before meeting up with my friend Amy, her husband and old colleague of ours I went to the Ferry Building. I love this place with all my heart. I wish I had caught it on market day as I would have brought myself home one of my favorite June Taylor fruit butters (Apricot Almond). But instead I had to settle for a wander through the stores, a stop at Cowgirl Creamery and dinner at the Slanted Door.

I Heart the Ferry Building

And before I knew it all I was in the car with Beck heading back to the airport for a redeye back to NYC. And my happy race weekend was over… until the next one

This is what you look like... Post 13.1, god knows how many bottles of wine and 3.5 hours sleep... Ready for the office??

Monday Miles

Posted on November 7, 2011 by admin

I love bridges...

Monday
Post half-marathon morning with my legs still showing no signs of death! I am pretty astounded Had coffee with my friend Betsy followed by a salad lunch with my friend Cate. I need to find a way to convince myself to eat salads I make… I have no problem with eating them at a restaurant, so if I could stop being a mental case I should be able to eat them when I make the salad myself! I walked around San Francisco, hit up a few stores, shopped the Ferry Building.

Holy YUMMINESS

Seriously someone remind me why I don’t live on the West Coast anymore?? Just wish I had caught it on market day so I could have gotten my favorite June Taylor Apricot Almond fruit butter. From there I was on to an incredible dinner at Slanted Door with Amy and Nono. Oh how I love Slanted Door’s shaking beef. I can’t wait to try to make it! After all of the wine and food and “over doing it” because damn it I ran 13.1mi!! I had to say bye to my best friend and roll my self onto the red eye.

Tuesday

Do NOT get between me and my chai!!

Somehow despite only 3.5hours sleep, I managed to get off the plane, go straight to the YMCA and run 3 mi. This is the first time I have ever run less than a week after a half. And given that my legs don’t feel too bad, I am uber impressed with myself for getting in those easy/slow 3 miles! It was however a long day at work. I don’t usually do well on redeye flights (despite doing well on just about every other type of long haul flights I end up taking) and hit a major sleepy patch in the afternoon. Though I got some potentially positive news and managed to make it through the rest of the day without falling over to get home, unpack and crash!

Wednesday
Wow… I did not like waking up today. I also do not like the number on the scale and with my weekend in Paris, it is not likely to get better. Next week I REALLY need to buckle down!! I was supposed to go to yoga and I set everything up so I could go, but in the end I realized I needed to pack and sleep and it made more sense to go home after work. Still…

Thursday
I didn’t get up early enough- have we met? I am not a morning person. But for the second time this week I was at the YMCA before work for a run. And I think I want to keep trying to get my runs in before work when I can. I know no one is more surprised that me… Who am I? It was supposed to be 4mi, but since I was running late (har har) I only ran 3mi. Funny I now say only. When I started back in March 3mi was a reasonable distance, now it is the shortest distance! The nice part is that those 3mi felt great! Colour me surprised but I ran them at a 11:15 min miles, and they felt easy, it was like I could have gone a bit faster and run another mile… If I hadn’t needed to get to the office and then catch my flight later in the day. Which about that flight, damn near about gave myself a fecking heart attack and used up all my travel karma with the gods… But I got on and made it to my destination

Friday
After learning to breathe again, once I could convince my nervous system I was on the flight, I passed out. As in I don’t remember the plane taking off. I have one talent and it seems to be my capacity to sleep damn near anywhere. I managed to get about 5 hours of sleep in and then killed the kindle battery. Score one for forgetting to recharge the technology. Landed in Rome and continued on to Paris.. I like flying inter-European flights. They are still nice to you on them and Air France gave me a lovely sandwich for our 1.5 hour flight! After 4+ years of living there I know CDG and the RER like the back of my hand. I found my bathroom, changed into presentable clothes, took the carry on to Melissa’s gorgeous apartment and out we went out for an evening with friends, kirs, french fries and parties… I must admit, it was pretty damn nice to be back.

Saturday
Waking up after a long haul flight and a late night is always fun. I headed out to my FAVORITE boulanger: Kayser. I got myself two of my treats (canele and financier please).

Financier... GET in Mah Belleh!!

From there I proceeded on to some shopping. I am always amazed how I come back for a long weekend and my life feels like when I lived here, just on speed. I walked the hell out of the city. Saw a guy making bubbles with kids at Hotel de Ville which made me want to pull out the big camera. I don’t do that near often enough any more. Finally managed to catch up with Mariana and her daughter. Ran to dinner at my favorite restaurant: Chez Omar with Jeremie. Then continued out to a party for a friend of a Missy’s friend. We got home at 3am and I can honestly say in addition to needing to drop a few pounds after these past two weeks… My liver might be waving a white flag and in need of a serious detox! But I am smiling and happy and I will take it.

Sunday
Blessed be the glorious glorious sleeping in And hot damn is my bedhead something serious.

Oh Yee of Great Bedhead

After a delicious and warm shower I packed up and we headed out and me to change up friends I was staying with for my last night. I had a bit of a trek with the carry on but met up with my friend Doris and then took a nice walk to meet up with Andrzej and his about to pop pregnant wife Lila whom I love and baby whom I thank for waiting until AFTER I got to see mummy and daddy to come out went with Doris’ husband to dinner at my beloved Higuma (best Japanese in Paris as far as I am concerned).

All hail the YAKINIKUDON

After dinner we went back to the house and had a good girls chat before I stole her iPad (I might be getting closer to wanting to get one… iPad3 may be in my future) and read blogs and email in bed way too late since I had to get up with her to go into the office and see old office colleagues before my flight. Sleep, it is for the weak

Inducting a Newbie

Posted on October 26, 2011 by admin

In a scant 7 months I have managed to become the “runner” my friends turn to. Which means I decided to put what works for me and how I have gone about my training in one place. I always tell people to take my advice with a big grain of salt on that margarita, because this is only what has worked for me… But know this- if you put in the time and effort you can do it! Just take it one bit at a time

Setting a Goal
You need a mile post to work towards. I like to plan backwards, so once I know race day I can figure out long runs/travel, options for a training race, how long I have to train and when to “taper.” Without my training calendar I am half-assed and you might be too. So make a complete training schedule (cross-training, strength, stretching, run etc.). I promise it’s easier to do your workouts once you have them scheduled. You might not keep to it 100%, but even slacker me with a calendar got 80% of business done! Here are some sources to get started: Hal Higdon; Jeff Galloway; Runners World and my first half marathon training schedule.

Get the Gear
People say you can just put shoes on and go out your front door. Sure you could, but if you are racing anything more than a 10K I suggest you get thine arse to a running specialty store and have your feets assessed for shoes. This is the numero uno most important thing to do. Get them now. Train in them for your race. And make your body happy. I am particularly fond of my Saucony’s (the Triumph) which I will retire some time after my third half marathon at the end of this week!!

Be Stylin
If you don’t have any, you are going to need workout gear. For the ladies, trust me when I say even when packing only fried eggs up top- you will want a support bra/tank. I have more or less drank the Kool-Aid and am all in with the Lululemon but find what works for you. There are shorts, skirts, crops, tights and what not for down below. You probably want some wicking socks for your feet. For race day or long runs… a Spibelt comes in handy! And make sure you have headphones/music (I like Snuggbuds). Music REALLY helps with runs and not having ears that hurt is a good thing!

Eyes on the Prize
If this is your first half seriously… do NOT focus on time for the race or your workouts. Put in the miles and you too will drag your ass across the finish line. Better to be slow, enjoy and have a medal than to be fast and injured on the sidelines. You don’t have to run straight for either. The Run/Walk combo is for winners (I aim to train at a 90/10 rule, but build yourself up gradually). Also… do not hate the treadmill, the treadmill has its place in your workouts. If nothing else it is important to do “pace” runs on a treadmill to acclimate your body used to pace in a steady controlled format. It helps on race day, I promise!

Be Kind to Your Body
You only got one and the nicer you are to it, the nicer it will be to you. Sure, you can train with ONLY running if you want but it probably isn’t smart. I never claim smart resides within or around me, but I am pretty sure that stupid doesn’t either. Simple fact-running tightens you up. So if you don’t want to snap like a rubber band you really need to include some kind of yoga or stretching class once or twice per week (I love Bikram Yoga for this). Also to be a more balanced person, try to include at least one strength training/weights session or class- focusing on your legs as injury prevention for your knees and ankles. And don’t forget that your core is UBER important to support your body. It only takes a few minutes daily to make sure to do core/abs work consistently through out the week (planks, crunches, etc.). And if you are an over achiever, there is cross training to fill up what time you used to use for shots.

FEED ME SEYMOUR
Yes running an endurance race means you can eat more. But if you don’t want to gain weight you need to eat smart. Try to eat as clean (real foods) as you can. This doesn’t mean no fun or no drinks. But a diet of Skittles is not the rainbow of colours you are going for. And if you think you can eat the whole smorgasbrod because you are running a half-marathon, you are *likely* over estimating. Everything in moderation (even the beloved mac n cheese post long run) and you will be fine. Also it is time to take hydration serious… take your body weight cut it in half and do whatever it takes for you to get as many of that number in ounces into your body in water.

Eating on the Run
First there is pre-run fueling which you kind of want to be consistent with, especially on race day. I do a slice of ezekiel toast with vegemite, greek yogurt with chia seeds, and usually some juice to drink. I am certain this will surprise many, but while running you are going to sweat, which means you need to hydrate. So get some Gatorade (Cytomax, Gu Brew, Nuun, HEED whatever) to drink as you go on your long runs. Some people can run only on liquid “energy” I am not one of them. Luckily I can run and chew at the same time For calories I love GU chomps (watermelon), and once you start running over 1:00-1:15hrs you need to get calories in you while you run. If not the infamous WALL OF BONK will be coming for you. As with all running fuel it will be what works for you so try out options on your training long runs to make sure they don’t upset your stomach. There are Gu Gels, Gu Chomps, Shotbloks, Energy Beans etc. Some people even use candy like cinnamon bears or swedish fish. Find what you like and eat- you can then decide if you like fueling at certain mile intervals or if you go more by time (which is what I do).

Recovery Time
After your training runs, and especially the long ones, you need to make sure you do all that you can to help your body to recover. Foam roll/stretch, even through the tears, after ALL your runs (if you do not have a foam roller or the stick- get one). Post run for muscle recovery it is important to get certain nutrients into you (potassium, salt and protein). For all runs over 30 min I usually have water and maybe a small snack afterwards. For any run over 7mi I try to get a coconut water in me immediately and then some kind of protein shake within the hour (I really really like the Mix1 Mixed Berry drinks). This keeps me from gnawing off my own limbs and I swear I feel better the next day. And for all 8+mi runs I am fueling during the run with Gu Chomps. Post-run to shut my knees the eff up I always ice. For 9+milers I spend quality time in a tub with hot water and epsom salts, followed by a nice leg rub using arnica gel. I believe in the power of Vitamin I (ibuprofen) and combine it with tylenol for my runners “cocktail.” On race day- 2 tylenol extra strength the night before the run, 2 tylenol and 6 ibuprofen after all 9 mile+ runs and on race day another dose of that cocktail as I go to bed. As you don’t do it everyday and unless your stomach is UBER sensitive you aren’t going to mess up your stomach lining.

Go Go Gadgets
I suggest you create an account and download Runkeeper or Dailymile for your phone to track your training and times (whether you share on Facebook for support and accountability is up to you). Data is always interesting and helpful! If you think you will keep running and training for more races in the future you can consider a Garmin (I just got Gabby my FR60 and while we are still calibrating, I am very happy about it ), but you can just as easily wait before purchasing that (I bought one after 6 months of running).

Race Day
I love expos (free things!) but I heart the start line more. Seriously I don’t know who I am when I say this, but lining up with a bunch of people to run. It’s fun! Wake up, get to the race line, get your timing chip, smile and get going! If you want to avoid death by chafe don’t forget body glide, if you sunburn don’t forget sunscreen, and if you have peeps that can ring cowbells, BRING THEM TO THE ROAD SIDE This is it, and it is worth it!

Post Race PARTAY
After the race is done, all calories for that day are officially free. Yup time to treat yourself I am a firm believer in electrolyte replenishment with Mimosas and BACON, but whatever works for you That said stuffing yourself 30 seconds after crossing the line should only be done if you are willing to risk puking that bagel right back up. Take the time to get out of people’s way and stretch for 5-10 minutes. Maybe go back out and cheer for people. When you get to the hotel or home if you are a sadist… you can go for an ice bath. Me I take a hot shower just not one of those hours long ones. And a wee suggestion to keep the DOMS at bay. Keep yourself moving for most of the rest of the day. A nap will sound good but naps will also make the lactic acid create a pool of muscular OUCH in your legs and ass. I have been able to walk (in HEELS) the day after my half marathons. And I attribute it to the fact that I keep moving for the rest of the day.

And now you are ready to sign up for your next half-marathon, come on… you know you want to!!

Monday Miles

Posted on October 24, 2011 by admin

I am going to try a weekly update on my workouts since posting daily is not a likely event

Monday
GOOD GIRL! It has been way too long since I drug my arse back to a yoga class. Bikram yoga I was tighter than I expected but after I left class I felt lighter and happier. Class with Patrick is very good for me, and I need to remind myself of this more often with the challenges, stresses and twitching I have going on in my life for the next 2 months. Bikram I missed you; Patrick I am coming back I promise

Tuesday
OOPS… Initially I had speed work on the calendar, but since I am currently not inclined to getting out of bed in the morning let alone working out before I get to the office AND I have acupuncture after work. I inadvertently double booked. That said not a bad thing I read this post by Tina and the last sentences JUMPED off the screen at me. I needed to do other things, like my dishes and wipe down the counters. So I did that. And I have to say when I went to bed I felt better about how I spent my time (taking care of the damn dishes! ) that evening actively instead of mindlessly consuming information.

Wednesday
Speed-work day. Somehow I start and my legs hate me. I run a half mile warm up and I am almost ready to quit. And then I jack the speed up. It isn’t speedy for most, but it is for me. Or maybe I think it is, since I am not dead yet I can probably push more. Then I get going on .25mi intervals. I decide WHOA my legs feel heavy I’ll do the same speeds as last time even though I wanted to bump it up by 0.1 mph per interval this time. I am increasing the duration by one mile and I am already starting to think, I should scale back and just do 3 not 4 miles. I am not ready to push it. Or so my mind is telling me as I am huffing and watching my face get red in the mirrors. I take a second to look at Gabby… STILL not calibrated. I love having a Garmin but I sure wish she and the treadmill would finally agree on distance. I keep going, at each point trying to just figure out how much more I have. I keep pushing, though there are moments that my mind (not necessarily my body) shouts NO MAS… But as I get closer to 3 miles I am like WAIT I can finish this. I have got this. And on the last interval I jack it up a bit because DEAR LORDY… I want to be done. I hop off the treadmill finishing what I believe are my fastest 4 miles in training. Score. And no more speed work until I get back from Paris after the Healdsburg Half Marathon. YAY!

Thursday
Rest day. Ahhhh blessed rest day… with an awkward meeting with my boss, a job to apply for, and a visitor in town. OK I am going to focus. Get shiz done. Then I am going out to the John Dory for oysters, friend time and oh shit… there went the idea of my dignity and sleep. I really am an old lady now. Unless I am prepared before hand late night antics are really a bit much. And I am part Spanish- we don’t exactly always know when to say when… I went out and had oysters and a toast of chanterelles and periwinkles (they are cute and not a flower in case you might be wondering) with a gin and tonic using Tom’rs tonic (highly suggested) and then I had two more. And by the time I got home it was almost 3am… So much for rest!

Friday
I am not a morning person. With my iPhone stolen and thus no alarm clock, even less. And given my 3am bedtime after 3 G&Ts… I have never disliked sunny 8:30am wake up calls less. But somehow I drag myself into the office. Despite some awkward bits and tiresome moments of the week… Kind words have made me feel better about my situation. I got enough done, and sometimes enough is… ENOUGH. And today I am enough. I left the week behind and went to get my 5mi Tempo run in. I am still figuring out pacing and what tempos really are a push and how to do them. But for now I ran 5 miles with 3 of those faster than 10:30 (90/10 run/walk interval) and I am praying that I have manged to get Gabby the Damn Garmin calibrated (.05 per mi over distance on treadmill is NOT what I call a margin error!). Earlier this week I got a kindle deal on the Hunger Games and within 3 days (a good chunk of it last night) the Hunger Games was devoured. Turns out I have a thing for good dystopia books (Handmaids Tale being one of my all time favorites). So at 2am, despite getting home by 9:30, despite the fact that reading usually puts me to sleep, despite maybe 5 hours of sleep which is about 3 too few for my liking, I was up finishing the Hunger Games. Upon which I promptly purchased the next two books to complete the trilogy.

Saturday
All that is holy I haven’t sufficient words for the joys of sleeping in. I woke up at 11am which is a rarity beyond belief. I managed to do some cooking and food prep for the weekend and then headed to Bikram. I don’t know what it is that has continued to make me feel positive but it is there and today is no different. I got myself to yoga and I am feeling better for getting back to my practice. Then I went and got a quick haircut that took off most of that length that was making me feel like a dead head. AHHHHHH. I hit up the Sephora and got a bit more makeup than I needed, but I looked pretty so who am I to say anything. Then I went next door to the Barnes and Noble to get a copy of Oxygen Magazine. I think this is fast becoming one of my fitness magazine favorites! And I decided to download a copy of Eat Clean Stripped to the Kindle. I am not sure how close to eat clean I can get but I am thinking I want to maybe try. I also decided I wanted to try making butternut squash macaroni and cheese. Who am I? Then I went to the danger stores. I can drop cash like no ones business at Lululemon and Wholefoods. At Lululemon I went in with one idea and came out with something all together different. I was supposed to get a pair of Wunder Under Pants and a Long Sleeve Top for the Healdsburg Half. I only allow myself Lulu purchases for a race… Fast forward to impulsive shopping ™ and me buying sale crops (two of the same pair actually, since hi I like how you make my butt look ) and a cute matching tank top. Thankfully it looks like I have good weather for Healdsburg! So race outfit will be my beloved Wunder Under crops and the Asics top I bought in Philly. Instead my impulse Lulu purchase is now for my impulse race that I signed up for on Friday (The Houston Turkey Trot).

Sunday
Somehow I only rarely convince myself to get my long runs out of the way in the morning. I know I feel better when I get started on them by or before noon, yet I constantly push it until the last minute. I also knew that if I needed to wake up early and take the laundry to the drop and dry (yes I am the lazy NYC girl who will pay an extra $5-10 to not have to do my own laundry. I never thought I’d be that girl but turns out I like my time better than I do that money!). Instead I stayed in bed reading blogs. I ate brunchish at home. And cue to me slightly panicked about my run. I have old iPods and their music isn’t integrated with my iTunes, and until I figure out how to get all my music in one place I don’t want to loose the music. So I have been using them as back up as the music that I have for running is on my iPhone. The one that was stolen 2 weeks ago. And the music on my shuffle is NOT enough or pumped for 9mi. It was a stretch for my 5mi on Friday. I pulled out my arcane beast of a computer from the PC days (4 years ago!) to see if I could computer share to get the music off the old shuffle and then reload the shuffle with running bouncy happy music. How I can find an iPaq personal PC from 10 years ago and not the freaking powercord for the monster PC I’ll never know. So in a certain amount of desperation… I tried loading music onto my kindle. Thank the gods that I started downloading music from Amazon a while back. And after all that… I watched Men in Black II and part of Transformers. I know I shouldn’t keep procrastinating Sunday’s away when I have long runs and I forgot the heart rate monitor but hey I still cut 5 minutes off my 9miler from the Philly RnR Half Training cycle so I’ll take it. I am effectively on taper mode. Halle-lujah! That said evening plans for oatmeal pumpkin bread and risotto, out the window. Drinking my Mix1 protein shake. Stretching. Icing. Making Omlettes. Watching Greys and Private Practice and CRASH. This is all that is on order. That and a side of what the hell was I thinking pain. And maybe a bit of I DID THAT sentiment for my week I stuck to my whole plan and I got in more miles than I have in a long time. And that feels good!

Forward Is a Pace

Posted on October 19, 2011 by admin

Oh inconsistent training, oh inconsistent blogging… Life just seems to get in the way sometimes, my phone gets stolen (sorry for the lack of photos), and when things on the road get a bit bumpier I kind of close up shop. But I know I need to do it different this time. Different involves writing, about whatever but writing it out, and not numbing while making sure that I pay attention to how I am spending my time. And I need to start now, because if I am conscious with my time and I write (on whatever I can think of) I will find my voice again and with my voice will come some narrative; and with that narrative will come me again. All of which will make me happier.

This past weekend the weather in the Northeast was pretty incredible. Hard to remember with the pouring rain today but it was. Me I like my Indian Summers so I’ll take a mid-day lounge in the sun out on my deck happily. I spent most of the weekend in my apartment. I have been running and vegetating. Sounds diametrically opposed huh? Yup that is me.

A while back I decided with 4 half marathons in 6 months planned (two already in the books) and over 7 months of training I was going to use the American Express gift card I got for being part of a research group with the Economist to get a Garmin. After searching around a bit, taking a look at one in the Philly RnR expo and thinking on things I decided on the FR60. It was a more dainty “watch” like trainer, it had a foot pod which from what I can tell will work better with my primarily treadmill training, it is waterproof (sold as the toy for Triathletes… and if things keep up I might be doing a Half Ironman with Mr. Fitness Nut in the future) and the kit was a little over $100 the amount of the Gift Card. Gabby the Garmin you be mine now

Gabby Everyone... Everyone Gabby...

I spent the whole weekend playing around with Gabby (yup that is what I named her ) Overall I think we are going to be friends. Gabby takes a bit of time to get to know and some digging online (first time I have ever bought something that didn’t ship WITH the manual) and stubborn PUSHING of buttons (they are not so responsive…) but I got her into a semblance of working order. And since then I put in 4 runs with my new toy!

The first was a long run of 7mi or 7.27 according to Gabby, so while I wondered about the distance, it was interesting to see the rest of the data. Next up was my speed work out and it too was off in its distance Gabby seemed to think I ran 3.17 not 3mi… More interestingly the heart rate monitor info (which I relatively trust) tells me that 1. my heart rate must be higher than most of the calculations. If you can hit 185 on your heart rate monitor and feel tired but not like you are about to fall straight through the floor to Hades… that means 185, the standard guess for my max heart rate, is not probably my max heart rate. At this point I knew that Gabby needed to be calibrated. I dug around online, found a calculation, clicked some buttons and tried again. During my tempo run of the week; holy tempo run batman it kicked my arse. And seems I also over compensated for Gabby and instead of registering my 4mi she told me I ran 3.88. LIAR!! I have re-calibrated this time by guesstimation and due to some treadmill hi-jinx I am choosing to believe it was close to spot on for yesterday’s 7miler, that was faster than expected and felt surprisingly good.

The other side of my weekend the vegetation… Earlier this week on my kindle 100 under $5 book email from Amazon a book showed up and two minutes later I started reading Runners World Run Less Run Faster. Then on Sunday my November Runners World magazine. And all week long there have been a SLEW of websites on heart monitor training, in addition to the FIRST website, McMillan Calculators and more. Because I like having structure in my training. I like knowing what I am supposed to do and committing myself to it. And I only seem to do that when I have a calendar. I also like seeing my runs build upon each other, get faster, feel easier (or harder, some days your legs are just lead), and get closer to my goal. Races and training calendars remind me clearly that if I put in the time and make the effort I am capable of more than I think.

Training for my first half marathon I just put in the distance and got myself across the line. And while I try not to compare myself with others times… I make no bones about it I want to get faster. I am competitive and when all the people I read are speedier I want to be speedier too. Will I be running sub 7:30 miles? I don’t know… that said at some point soon I want to crack 10:00 for my easy runs. So when I did the half-assed training for my second half I started working in “speed workouts.” Mostly these consisted of intervals (usually 400m/.25mi) and doing this weeks speed intervals, at 5.7 for recovery and 6.3 for speed, I realised that yes these are hard but maybe I can do more and I need to figure out what I should be pushing myself for.

I am digging in deep and have been hooked it seems. Mostly because I want to challenge myself with something positive. Things with work are going to be bumpy for the next few months and I need something that reminds me I am enough, doing this for myself is changing my course and in the end everyone else is saying it is all going to work out- so if I do the work and take the steps I can deal with the bumps in my life just like I can cross a half marathon finish line.

Learning To Say Yes

Gaining a new life… One yes at a time!

Monday Miles

NYC blogger playdate

Zoom Zoom

Monday Miles

Random Friday Facts

Healdsburg Half Marathon Recap

Monday Miles

Inducting a Newbie

Monday Miles

Forward Is a Pace