All that Glitters is Golden

Push Ups (Weighted Medicine Ball) and Box Jumps

2012-02-10T12:22:00.002-06:00

Here are examples of 2 of the 'exercises' K had me doing in our session earlier this week.

In this first one, the weighted ball/pushups that he had me doing are the first ones in the video (where you roll the ball back and forth; weight of ball = 20lbs). After that you can stop the video if you want.

Note: This shit is NOT easy

Box jumps. My worst nightmare. I am using an 18"-20" box and jumping from a full squat position.

Its very intimidating. I go from panic to fear to badass-ery within seconds of each other.

You worry you are going to miss the box with either one or both legs and plant your face into the pavement or shear off your shins in the process.

Note: the deeper the squat the harder it is to make up on top.

This chick is using a park bench, and going WAY faster than I can right now, but it gives you an idea.

Here is an example on how to do a box jump using a low level box (or in this case, steps)

And then variations and obviously with higher " boxes

K pushed me through some 'crossfit' like moves yesterday in anticipation of my 2 weeks with CF starting next Monday!

Needless to say, I'm a bit more sore than I normally am.

Power to the People!

2012-02-09T22:13:00.001-06:00

I wrote this obviously a couple of months ago, and it was saved in drafts. As I was going through deleting some posts I had started and never finished, or started and decided not to actually post for one reason or another, I saw this one and thought, oh that was a good story.

So here ya go!

How about a non-running/race post for a change?! :O)

Here is a fact about me: I am frugal.

And I am a saver. And when I cannot be it drives me insane. I use to spend a lot of money mindlessly, back when I made a lot of it, but I still saved a lot. Then times changed and I had to spend a lot less money, and to continue to save in the same fashion I was (or close to it as I could), I had to begin becoming more and more frugal. Especially when it comes to things that I can control.

Like electricity.

I am very frugal when it comes to utilities. Always have been. It was worse when I bought my house, as I monitored not only the KW's for the electricity, but I also noted the water and gas usage as well. Drove John crazy. But he never complained about the low utility bills when it came time to pay them.

So to make this long story not so long, let me get to the point.

A few months back I moved into a new place. A much nicer place. A place that was insulated well, that I was smack dab in the middle of an upstairs and a downstairs unit, making it that much easier to heat/cool etc. therefore meaning saving more money on electricity would be that much easier or at least offset the fact that I had washer/dryer/dishwasher and an extra room to boot.

I am, and have been since it was offered, set up for email notifications on a weekly basis where my daily KW usage is noted, compared to $/kw's from the previous week and what my bill should roughly come in at when the meter is read and the bill is sent out.

So since being in this new place I started noticing that my usage and monthly bills started being 'off'. As in way too much. Then about 3 weeks ago, I noticed a huge spike in my email from them and I started investigating. Questioning. Talking to a lot of different people. Then finally I thought I had an answer and last week my bill arrived and I went through the ceiling.

I immediately contacted my provider and went through everything all over again and that I felt like either someone was stealing from my meter, or had an additional unit on my bill by accident or that the meter was wacky.

Thankfully the person I ended up with on the phone that day was my money saving angel and by the time we got off the call, she had scheduled for someone to come out, but that it would be a few days. (I realize my attempt at making this short is not working...)

And I must say that in the past 3 weeks I was conserving even MORE and still my usage wasn't budging so I knew something was not right and would not give up and take 'no' or 'thats just the way it is ma'am' for an answer.

I had already had management come in and check every single thing in the place to make sure nothing was pulling more electricity than it should be and it checked out clean.

Then yesterday I was home for a day off and my phone rang mid-morning and it was the CP dude. Yay! I went and met him outside, informed him of allllllll the information and what I thought etc., and honestly he thought it was going to come down to the rate I was paying (I had found out through all of this I was a flex plan (not good) to which I negotiated a much lower fixed rate...) and that things would 'even out' later.

So after my insistence on what I normally use daily (10-12kw) and what my bill was telling me, we walked over to where all the meters are. Here is the conversation:

CP dude: Hmmm. What number did you say you were?
Me: XXXX
CP dude: Thats odd. This says this is your meter, but this reading is yours on this other one (my upstairs neighbor).
Me: JUST WHAT I SUSPECTED!!
CP dude: Not so fast. Here is what we'll do. I'm going to shut this off and then lets go up and see if your electricity is on; it should be since according to this I just cut your neighbors electricity off.

So we go up and sure enough guess who's electricity is off?

This girls!!!!

I knew it! I knew it! I knew it!

The lines were switched/meters something or other when the new SMART meters were done and apparently the people that lived there before me never questioned their usage/bill so whatever. All I know is that my bill tripled and the average usage per day for my neighbors was 40kw while mine was 10-12!!! Last Monday they used 72kw! Freaking hell! Apparently they must have been out of town this past weekend as it looks like their usage dropped to about 15kw. Thats good for me. Anyway as of yesterday morning everything is as it should be and I am one happy camper! That extra money was eating into what I use for other things and my budget is not allowing for such high electric bills!

So all this time I've been conserving even more than I normally do, all it was doing was making THEIR bill go down and not mine! I should have been using comfortably since I was paying for it anyway!!!

So the guy switched them back and even replaced my meter with a brand new one.

Last night I left my lights on, ran the heater over 68 and even dried the clothes in the dryer instead of hanging them up to dry. :O)

Moral of the story is: Never take no for an answer until you are completely satisfied or proven that you have no cause.

Now I get a big fat refund ($168 was what it turned out to be) and my electricity bills can go back to normal (since this time my bill has not gone over $55).

I know it wasnt my neighbors fault, but I hope they get a rude awakening when their bill triples next month.
Thankfully its only been a week since the meter was read so I should end up with a nice low bill at the end of December.

Two Weeks of Hell - Coming Right Up

2012-02-08T15:52:00.003-06:00

I am a little bit apprehensive about my schedule for the next 2 weeks.

Several months ago, a Groupon for CrossFit (On Ramp classes) passed through and I, along with a few others purchased it. $25 for 2 weeks of CF was too good to pass up.

Before I bought it, I looked to see what 'On Ramp' was all about, and even though its M-Thur, 8pm - 9:30pm for 2 weeks, I thought, at the time, eh, no big deal.

And then in January when I called the place to schedule my On Ramp sessions, when he told me Feb 13th was the soonest we could get in, I still, at the time, eh, no big deal.

Now February 13th is right around the corner and I am no longer saying eh, no big deal.

It is a big deal!

I just started back at KW. I still have sessions with Kyle. I have a M-F job. And I have a PT job too (with my days already scheduled).

How am I going to fit it all in? What can I scratch from my routine?

Well as of right now I am not willing to scratch anything from my routine, so I did what I normally do when faced with too much on my plate.

I start a list. A detailed list of times at one place, time to get to next place, time at that place, right down to what time I get home and can fall into bed.

Because lets face it: for 2 weeks I am going to be the equivelent of the Walking Dead.

Now I only wrote out the days/places/times for the first 7 days, knowing full well that from what I have read CF is going to kick my ass, which would put me in another predicament which I will cross that bridge if and when I come upon it.

However since this is the On Ramp classes, plus with what I have been doing for a couple of months now, maybe it won't hit me (be as rough as they say) like the other folks. At least that's what I am choosing to believe for now.

I am anxious to try Cross Fit, but I have to admit I am more excited about seeing if and how I manage all of this. In the event CF kicks my ass to where it interferes with my running, I don't know, CF might get tossed. My running and strength training w/ K is long term. CF is not (way too expensive).

Stay tuned for next week, because its gonna be a lot of information and a lot of work outs being posted!

Hell on Hills

2012-02-07T09:24:00.000-06:00

Some runners (me) avoid hills at all costs, because well they can cause injury, and because, wellllll, they're hard.

But I also know that hill training is speed training in disguise. Was it Frank Shorter that coined this? Can't remember now.

And honestly the past 6 months, without hill training at all, I actually have become better at them despite my lack thereof, due completely to the fact that I have been strength training.

Even though Houston Marathon is considered flat by the majority, there are still some man made hills in there: first 2 miles over the Elysian, then a few under and up passes around mile 6, then again at mile 15ish, and the then under and up passes of Allen Parkway in mile 24.

NONE of which got me this year. And then there is the fact that what we call hills, aren't really hills to a lot of runners who run on real hills. Hills that I would call mountains.

So its been, gosh, I cannot even remember when I last did hills with KW now that I think about it. Was it Spring 2010? Summer 2010?

Doesn't matter now because I'm back at it for the Spring. And actually quite excited about it!
While there are a number of different types of hill training, here are three of the most common types of hill workouts:

Speed and Power Hills - short, fast runs up steep hills with ample recovery between reps to promote explosive speed
Downhill Sprinting or Strides - short, very fast runs down a gently sloping hill to promote quick leg turnover
Stamina Hills - longer, "crisp" paced runs over moderately steep hills to promote endurance and strength

Climbing hills requires a slightly modified running technique. This involves shortening your normal stride, dropping your shoulders to ensure a lower arm carriage, and leaning slightly forward into the hill.

You should aim for a strong, steady and consistent pace throughout the hill rep.

Running downhill also requires some modifications. Again, shortening the stride and leaning slightly forward is helpful. For steep down hills, thinking about leaping from one foot to the other can be an effective way to quickly negotiate the hill.

All in all, while I loathe the training, I love the benefits. I am just hoping that my body doesn't retaliate with my PF flaring back up or my (sh)IT band for another things!

So Monday evening was the first hill workout of the Spring season and on the docket was 'stamina hills' (interpreted above). Great. If there is one kind of hill I hate the most, its 'stamina hills'. :O)

I have a crude representation of what the 'cloverleaf' looks like where last nights workout commenced.

Before we started the work out, I ran 2.5 miles for a warm up just around base, before running over with one of the guys that I've become friends with from the Saturday mornings before the run (because he is faster than I am).

Anyway, we ran over, and SW had to do his first night schpiel for the newbies, and I was just ready to get on with it. We did about 5 minutes of drills before he gave instructions on the 'route' (again I knew what it was, so lets go already!)

Replica (with my squiggly line drawing)

Obviously this is just a replica, and obviously you can't see the 'hill' parts, but each clover leaf has a number 1-4. We start at the S and the first part up to the road there is all a gradual uphill (run fast) until it flattens out up top (run slow/recover). Then once over to 2, you walk down the steep downhill there and then run fast again up to the top, walk the steep downhill, run slow/recover underneath then blast up the gradual uphill of #3, recover over the bridge, walk the steep downhill of #4 then run fast again to the stop, walk downhill and then recover under the pass, then repeat with 1-4 all over again.

One full rotation of all 4 cloverleafs is = 1 mile. You either do 3-4 based on speed, OR if you are one of the newbies, and have little to no base running, you end up doing 2.

Or if you are a cheater (I saw plenty of those last night), you end up doing less than 3 because you skip out on #2 a lot by just going right under the pass when you really should be running up #2. Cheaters!! But then you know, you are only cheating yourself!! I always love the first couple of weeks of a new session; the new folks have this look of WTF? on their faces and/or go at it gung ho for all of about 2 minutes before figuring out the workout is 30-40 min long and you need to pace yourself...or you end up walking. Saw a lot of those last night too...

I ended up doing my full 3 loops and felt great the whole time. Well not great as in I wanted to more, but great as in that I am obviously in better shape than I give myself credit for. Sure I was needing those recovery parts when I was about halfway done, but I was still able to process a quick turnover once I hit the grass and was able to maintain some sort of speed to where I felt like I was definitely benefiting from the workout over all.

I felt my heart racing and it made me smile because I knew each blast of energy I was using to get up and around those hills, were blasting fat calories and making my heart and my legs stronger.

I am not going to lie, I've missed these workouts and so happy to be back in full swing!

Next up is first round of speed work on Wednesday! Tonight is some recovery miles followed by a session with K. He texted me last night wanting to know if I wanted a session tonight, so yay for spontaniety!

We Interupt this Running Blog For a Very Important Message:

2012-02-05T21:14:00.000-06:00

GIANTS WIN! GIANTS WIN! GIANTS WIN!

And Cowboy fans all over the world are crying like poor wittle wambs...

Rainy Days and Saturdays

2012-02-05T17:06:00.001-06:00

Kenyan Way was going to have an extra long run Saturday yesterday so I was excited to test the leg out on a solid long-ish run all on pavement.

I knew that there was rain forecasted but was hopeful that the storms would hold out for just a couple of hours. When I went to bed it was pouring rain, but again, still hopeful.

I woke up slightly before the alarm went off and I could hear that it was indeed either raining, or had just stopped because I could hear water going through the gutters outside one of my bedroom windows. I got out of bed, looked outside and it was just sprinkling, so I turned on the TV, but the cable was out. Damn. I went ahead and got dressed, shoes on, iPod in a ziploc before booting up the computer. When I went to the local news site, I could see that indeed a 'cell' had just passed through but it looked to be on its way in the opposite direction of our route. I was looking at the Metro H radar and could see something off in the corner so I broadened the radar search and oh Lordy. Then as I refreshed the screen, I could see another little cell heading towards our area.

It was then I could hear the rain coming down just a bit harder and I knew that since I was going to do at least 8 miles that there was no way my slow ass was going to be able to beat this rain since it was still 45 min away from the start time of 6am. I walked out on the porch, saw lightning off in the distance...

It was then I made the call to just bag the Saturday run altogether and thank goodness I did! Within an hour we were getting pounded by rain, thunder and lightning. I took off the running clothes, put my PJs back on and slipped back into bed with the sound of pouring rain to sing me back to sleep. When I woke back up at 7:30 it was still storming, even more so, and I thought man, I would be out there probably drowning in that crap!

When I got to work a couple of the girls had indeed ran and are much much faster than I am and they said it was horrible. They got hit on the way back from Rice and even had someone stop and ask if they needed help it was that bad. KS said at one point, due to the way the roads are on that route she was running through water halfway up her calves. Plus it was hot yesterday morning, so that made it even worse. So glad I stayed in.

I knew that I would have to make the miles up today and even though we were scheduled for more rain I was hopeful to get in a long run before or in between. I didn't get out to run until close to 9am. It was about 45deg (thank you cold front!), windy and overcast but the radar gave me the all clear.

I had a route in mind that would put me at 8 miles, had a few water fountains along the way but 98% all pavement. Which is what I wanted to really test out the IT band. I was just hoping that I wouldn't get a rain shower, as it was indeed a bit cold with that wind. I had put on a long sleeve, shorts and wore my earband due to the wind and so glad I did. Was glad I had the long sleeve too. Normally a short sleeve would be better, but not today, again due to the wind. Thankfully the route I had mapped out in my head would only put me straight into a headwind for the last mile home.

Once I got back to my turning point to head home, I was feeling so good, that I decided to just go straight, and take the long way home to add on another mile for good measure.

I am pleased to say that the run was just what I needed for my confidence in the injury department. All the running on the treadmill, stretching and core work seem to have paid off in spades.

Once I got home I was on such a high! I did manage to stretch a bit though just to be on the safe side. So glad I decided to add on that mile too! A solid 9 miles and I'm a happy girl indeed! And no pain in the IT band! Woo-to-the-hoo! 3 weeks to the day since Houston Marathon, and all is well! At least it SEEMS to be!

Then I tackled last nights El Tiempo leftovers with a vengance! I was starving!

Tomorrow I start back with KW on the Spring training, so Mondays mean hills. I am going to have to be certain to stretch before and after as hills can aggravate my IT band and I know this. But I am anxious to get back to speed training for the races I have in March, and plus it does wonders for some serious fat calorie burning!

Now its time to get ready for some football!

Should You Run When You are Sick?

2012-02-03T17:12:00.007-06:00

Earlier this week (Sun-Wed) I was extremely sick (with a cold, not the flu thankfully!), but it reminded me of the question so many runners ask and that is "should I run when I am sick?".

There are many opinions out there about whether or not its above or below the neck etc., however I handle it on a case by case basis.

I am lucky that I don't get sick very often at all (maybe once every year, if that, more like once every 2 years), but there are times where I have a slight cold or something and as I said I take it case by case on how I feel.

I think thats the most important thing. For example, on Sunday when I woke up, I didn't feel great at all, but I got dressed, went to the gym, ran on the treadmill and worked out. I knew that something wasn't right and I felt groggy and was sneezing a lot and had a runny nose. By the time Monday morning rolled around I was full on sick with everything except vomiting or fever. I went home from work at 9am and obviously there was no running even though my symptoms were basically all 'above the neck'. I felt like crap and just kept pumping meds into me to make me sleep, sleep and sleep.

On Tuesday morning when I woke up, I felt somewhat better and went to work, but it was short lived. A fever showed up and back home I went. I had actually packed my gym bag as I was going to run the treadmill and I had a session with K scheduled. I cancelled both.

By Wednesday morning, I was so much better, so running and working out is a-ok in my book. Thankfully too since going two days without running while was OK and did wonders for my body overall, I was glad to be on the mend and to be able to run/work out again.

Some might think to take an additional day just for the recovery from the cold/illness, but I felt like it was OK for me to go through with some sort of workout. Again basing solely on a personal how I feel method. I think this is what every person should do.

Runners seem to live by a creed that's stricter than the postman's: "Neither rain, nor snow, nor sniffle, nor fever shall keep me from my training schedule."

Indeed, the coming of winter presents many issues for runners who'd prefer to keep at it even when sick. Oftentimes, symptoms aren't severe enough to make you stay in bed, home from work, or off the roads. And while exercise can give you a mental and physical boost when you're feeling run-down, there are other occasions when going for a run may do more harm than good.

But, doctors say, you still walk, or run, a fine line. Take extra caution when training with anything worse than a minor cold because it can escalate into more serious conditions affecting the lower respiratory tract and lungs.

Sinus infection, or sinusitis, is an inflammation of the sinus cavity that affects 37 million Americans each year. I mention this because I do believe that this is probably more of what I had as opposed to a cold. Symptoms include runny nose, cough, headache, and facial pressure. With a full-blown sinus infection, you rarely feel like running.

But if you do, consider the 72-hour rule of Jeffrey Hall Dobken, M.D.: "No running for three days," advises the allergist/immunologist and ultramarathoner in Little Silver, New Jersey. Even without the presence of a fever, says Dr. Dobken, some sinus infections, when stressed by exercise, can lead to pneumonia or, in extreme cases, respiratory failure.If you're still in doubt about whether it's safe to run or not, take your temperature. If it's above 99 degrees, skip your run. "Some people think that they can 'sweat out' a fever by running," say doctors. "That's wrong. Running won't help your immune system fight the fever."

Nieman saw this firsthand when his running partner once ran a marathon with a 101-degree fever. Soon after, the runner developed severe and persistent symptoms similar to those of chronic fatigue syndrome. "Every day he'd wake up feeling creaky and arthritic," says Nieman. "When he tried to run, he'd stumble and fall." Eventually doctors concluded he had a "postviral syndrome," a latent condition that was exacerbated by the race.

Although this syndrome is rare, it's an example of the risk you take by running while ill. "Running with a fever makes the fever and flu-like symptoms worse," says Nieman, "and it can lead to other complications." During exercise, your heart pumps a large amount of blood from your muscles to your skin, dissipating the heat your body generates.

If you have a fever, your temperature will rise even higher, and your heart will be put under greater strain to keep your temperature from soaring. In some cases, this can produce an irregular heartbeat. Also, a virus can cause your muscles to feel sore and achy; exercising when your muscles are already compromised could lead to injury.

Nieman recommends that runners with a fever or the flu hold off until the day after the symptoms disappear--and then go for a short, easy run. Runners should wait one to two weeks before resuming their pre-illness intensity and mileage. Otherwise, you risk a relapse, he says.

Above all, obey your body and the thermometer--not your training program.

First, the biggest issue that most runners have here is that they are worried about losing performance by taking a few days off to get over a cold or flu. Let’s just put that to rest at the outset.

You won’t lose fitness by taking a short break for the flu or a cold (or even a minor injury). It takes an extended period of time for you to see a drop in your fitness, usually two to three weeks. So put that out of your head.

A couple of days off, in fact, may do a lot of people some good, because most runners are on the verge of over-training most of the time. Hello, take it from someone who knows! I am not at all surprised that I ended up sick after 7 months of beating my body into the pavement training for 3 marathons and then just stopping. Well not stopping, but drastically reduced my running once Houston was over. Even though I didn't actually end up running the full in DWR, I still trained back up for it, ran the half in the pouring rain and then had to turn right back around and run 18 miles the very next weekend and then trained back up to 21 miles for the 3rd time.

My body was ripe for wearing down to some degree. First it was the (sh)IT band and then this. It has forced me to cut back and actually now to not run for 2 days and I must say that my (sh)IT band, my back, my foot? Everything feels fan-freaking-tastic.

Hmm.

A few days down in bed, even when sick, can be a well deserved mental and physical break. Holla. I slept a lot. I ate a lot of spice drops (only thing that actually had 'taste'. I watched a lot of television. And I snuggled a lot.

Like I suggested, in general, you should always listen to your body. If you’re sick, then you more than likely should take the time off to get better.

Kenyan Way - Marathon and Half Marathon Training - Houston, Texas

2012-02-02T21:35:00.018-06:00

I have received quite a number of emails inquiring about the training group that I consistently mention in my training blog posts. So I thought now was as good a time as any to address those questions here!

As a member of Kenyan Way since the Spring of 2007, I obviously have a 'relationship' with the program and have a love/hate thing with the Coach! ha!

You can google Sean Wade and find many articles and references to him, his history and his training philosophy.

As now a top ranked Masters runner, recently inducted into the Hall of Fame etc., he brings an approach to training that is unrivaled in the City of Houston, and quite possibly in most larger urban areas.

There is a myth though that the KW program caters to fast runners and while there are PLENTY of fast people on the KW training roster every Spring, Summer and Fall/Winter, some of them weren't always that way. They got there through training with KW!

However, KW also has pace groups upwards of 4 and 5 hours for the full marathon (pace groups run in 15 min increments from sub 3 hours to 5 hours), and obviously 1:30 - 2:30+ half marathoners as well. I will say that it is not a group for those who exclusively walk, but I do know of one lady in particular that I see session after session and she is a walker, and she starts the routes early so she can be done. So there is that.

When I started Kenyan Way back in the Spring of 2007, I too was a bit intimidated but quickly learned that there was no cause for that. Even though I was, at the time, still a run/walker at any distance over a 5K, when you are training on hills or doing speedwork, how fast or slow you are makes no difference whatsoever!

I have grown exponentially in my running and my abilities since joining Kenyan Way, and every session I find myself signing back up. I've made a lot of friends there, I absolutely adore Coach and Katrina, and for the $ you can't beat the training and the amenities that go along with it.

I had toyed with the idea of not signing up for this Spring, but since my goals did change, my decision to sign up again did as well. I had thought I was just going to drop in on Saturdays (Which you can do for any session for $5 to try it out with no obligation), but instead I am indeed going back to the hill and speed training too on Monday and Wednesday evenings.

I have a couple of hilly half marathons this year, and hill training is speed training in of itself, and with my time goals for 21K and less this year (especially this Spring), I need the structure of the sessions with Coach instead of on my own.

I really really really want that sub 2 half marathon this year! And as of right now, I have 5 chances to do it between now and mid-January 2013. :O)

If you are currently training on your own, or thinking of reaching past your current approach and tapping into your potential, I would strongly suggest giving Kenyan Way a try!

The new Spring race/half marathon/marathon/Boston marathon training starts this Monday, February 6th! You can join at any time though throughout the 10 weeks!

If you have questions, you can always email me directly or post them in a comment! And since a lot of my readers do not reside in the city of Houston, its suburbs or even Texas, search your area for a training group that fits your needs! Training with a group, especially for long runs is fun and rewarding!

Happy Running!!!!

Healthy Living Blogs? Good or Evil?

2012-02-01T11:01:00.006-06:00

Before I go into this particular blog post, I just want to mention that I have decided to post less frequently. At least for a while. Some of it has to do with the fact that too much is too much in general, then there is the reason that I am trying new and exciting things as it pertains to fitness and food, that I will focus on that instead of just everyday hum-drum types of posts. So expect more of that.

Then there is the reason that because I just want to be more private and limit what I write and what I don't write.

There are my readers out there that read for inspiration and information and those are the ones I want to focus on. The people that are just downright nosy? Guess old habits die hard for some.
And actually some people, could benefit from some information on how to be healthy and drop a few lbs. Or 50.

So I hope you stay around, and read when I write, because I do love it, and think that I have something to offer for those who look for direction. If there is anything in particular you are interested in, please drop me an email or a comment, and I will fashion a blog post around that! Products? Training? Food? You name it!

Now on to today's post!

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Are blogs about healthy living just a disguised form of thinspo?

I am going to go out on a (personal) limb and say 'yes'. As someone with a somewhat disordered past as it pertains to body image and food, I was exactly the kind of person these writers were looking to cash in on (they receive $$$ by companies for every click to their site, and they are good at embedding links upon links to get you to click to past posts for more $$$). I would go to their sites MANY times a day hoping for an update post from any of them...more money in their pocket and thats exactly why they post several times a day.

I cannot remember when I first found 'healthy living' blogs...but if I had to guess it I would say a year, maybe just bit more, ago. And I read all that are listed in the article (now old) that Marie Claire published some time back. In addition to those, there were others, all of which I no longer read unless its to snark on them over at GOMI. (oops, their site is being revamped right now, so most of the forum topics are gone for right now).

I quit reading them because honestly, they made me question every thing I ate, how far I ran, if I didn't run, if I didn't only shop at Whole Foods, if I ate my food on a regular size plate and not take pictures of a lot of food, and only eat maybe 1/12th of it. Or how to photograph a plate of food which is actually on a salad plate but the angle makes it look like a whole lot of food or regular sized food. Look closely next time. When I began to notice this, this is when I started figuring things out. And then also things like: Why can't I run the day after a marathon? SR does it and she's fine; why can't I? What's wrong with me? Am I not skinny enough? Am I not trying hard enough? What? Why? Where? How come?

The majority of them don't know their ass from a hole in the ground, make up reasons every other month or so as to why they can't eat dairy, or why they can't eat gluten, etc., but then if you read long enough, they are eating dairy, or gluten, and they let it slip ... they are restricting. And using excuses for something being wrong on the inside because of something they are eating. Bottom line. And as someone with past issues, I know about restricting.

In an article for Marie Claire, a writer profiled a group of bloggers she calls the Big Six — women who blog about their eating and exercise routines and their effort to lead lives they consider healthy. But she says their blogs display "an arguably unhealthy obsession with exercise, food, and weight." She writes,

A typical morning post documents breakfast with a photo and description-say, a smoothie of raw spinach and rice milk-followed by an afternoon report on the day's herculean exercise and an evening update on perfectly portioned snacks and dinner. [Blogger Heather] Pare once chased a 10-mile run with a flourless, low-fat, black-bean "brownie." Boyle ran 22 miles and, after a day of light eating, signed off with, "I am so hungry!"

Drummond also mentions that "the sites feature weight-control tips and even cover 'food sabotage'" and implies that some of the Big Six undereat, overexercise, and may encourage readers to do the same. She also includes a rather nasty quote by Caitlin Boyle of Healthy Tipping Point: "The vast majority of Americans aren't anorexic or bulimic. They're overweight and have no idea how to eat healthy. If they read blogs like mine, maybe they'd learn something."

However, the Big Six themselves dispute pretty much every aspect of Drummond's story. Boyle says "Every single quote attributed to me was taken seriously out of context to fit into the story's slant. I consider it to be libel." Heather Pare of Hangry Pants says "as stated in the article I ran 10 miles and made Black Bean Brownies in the same day. While these statements are atomically correct, I ate 3 full meals as well." She also notes that her post on "food sabotage" in fact comes out against the practice.

Meghann of Meals and Miles says the bloggers have never even heard the term "Big Six" before.

Katie of Sweet Taters makes the good point that a mainstream women's magazine full of "pictures of photoshopped models" is hardly the best place for a critique like Drummond's.

The Health &Fitness section of Marie Claire's website includes, somewhat incongruously, both Drummond's article and a piece titled "7 Best Websites for Weight Loss." And in at least some cases, Drummond seems to have misrepresented her subjects.

However, Rachel at Hollaback Health argues that her criticisms also expose key problems with healthy living blogs, She writes, "We've started the discussion on eating disorders and 'everything in moderation' on Hollaback, but I'll be honest - we danced around it because we knew that we'd be crucified for making some of the same points that MC did." Drummond's points, she says, could only be made by an "outsider:"

When you take away what we know about these women, and just look at them as a set of behaviors or "symptoms," it's a lot easier to see the problems. If you were presented with a list of behaviors and asked, "Does this sound like disordered eating to you?" you'd probably say yes. Pouring salt on food, eating really low calories, only indulging in treats when one has "earned" them through some very serious exercise, and experiencing amenorrhea…these are standard warning signs. But maybe we're just too in it to see it when we read it, or if we do it ourselves.

The bloggers Drummond interviewed argue that they're not promoting the behaviors Wilkerson lists, and many mention instead how much they eat ("I ate nearly a loaf of French bread on the hood of my car after the run! And then I had an entire box of pasta…. and that was just for lunch!"). But Wilkerson's comments reveal a difficulty with which healthy living bloggers seem to struggle — how to discuss food and exercise without veering into disordered territory. Another post at Sweet Tater (not one of the "Big Six" blogs) illustrates this difficulty:

A 1/4 cup serving of peanut flour is just 110 calories, which means a 1 Tbsp serving like what I made (it was pretty substantial) is about 50 calories. Whaaaat? It's not like I'm calorie counting or anything… or like I'd skimp on peanut butter if I were. But this, my friends, is some damn news.

Katie may not be calorie-counting, but this really isn't "news" unless someone is.

In millennial America, it's become almost impossible to write about health without some dieting or weight-loss tips creeping in — and while women once got the message that they should be skinny by any means necessary, we're now getting the even more contradictory command to be thin but not use any deprivation or unhealthy methods to get there (which is why actresses, models, and now bloggers are forced to brag about eating loaves of bread). Which honestly I don't believe to be true.

Bloggers aren't going to single-handedly free us from this bind, but they can help with one pretty simple change — just stop blogging about weight. Stop posting before and after pictures. Stop equating weight loss with health. Don't post weight loss tips or calorie counts. Just take weight out of the equation. I don't consider myself a HLB, and I sure don't do any of these items either.

I eat as healthy as I can on any given day. I run. I go to the gym. I don't think that I would ever fall into any idea by a reader that I was even remotely someone to look at as 'thinspo'. And that is awesome.

Many entries on healthy living blogs already accomplish this, but not all do — and while Drummond may have twisted her subjects' words, she also shed a light on something we need to be talking more about.

The specter of skinny is still lurking around the edges of most conversations about women, food, exercise, and health. In a way it's more dangerous now that it's hidden, because women are expected to both be skinny and not care about being skinny.

And we need to get rid of that specter — not disguise it under a bunch of euphemisms — if we want to reach true well-being. Which honestly is what I am seeking.

I've removed the links of blogs that use to line the right side of my blog. I don't read them anymore because of one reason or another (see above), and I am not going to promote what I feel is unnecessary, is false information, boring and/or could either be triggering to some or even cause unnecessary traffic to this blog. I know of my own issues and I am successfully dealing with those as it pertains to food and body dysmorphia. I still do read a lot of what is considered 'healthy' blogs but I stay away from those that I feel are false advertisement and just an avenue to promote triggering posts to a lot of people. I tend to stay on blogs that feature running, races, training, and enjoying food but not as a primary focus on any of those things since it becomes a bit excessive and sends signals to me that a lot of them have issues, whether its ED or exercise type of addiction.

Not only have I read but I have seen restricting first hand, and the control that some people take to the extremes sends me into a land of 'if I could I would shake you into reality'. But to each his own. We all have our demons I suppose.

Just like the person(s) who can't seem to put down the fork, there are those that will do (or say) anything to not pick it up.

2012-01-30T08:12:00.000-06:00

Blogging will start back up after I get over this insane bout of whatever it is I have; its been 3 days of varying degrees of sickness, but today is by far the worst (so far).

Let the Music Speak the Words

2012-01-29T18:27:00.000-06:00

Weekend Motivation!

2012-01-27T14:18:00.000-06:00

As one of my BFF's says: Don't call me skinny! I am not skinny! If you must call me something, then call me 'beastly strong'!

I love her and that sentiment!

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In other news, I actually was able to run yesterday! It hurt (was still very sore from my 'date' w K), but it was managable and I was just happy to be able to do it! I loosened up on the elliptical for about 15 minutes before attempting the treadmill.

Tomorrow is my go at running outside again! Here is to hoping the (sh)IT band behaves itself!!

Part 2 of Running Injury Stuff - How to Avoid Running Injuries

2012-01-26T18:05:00.000-06:00

A couple of days ago these 2 things happened:

So before we include the How To Avoid Running Injuries portion of this post let's update you on 2 things (see a trend here?):

Once I gave K the all clear for him to work me out for legs and glutes, we made the session happen (which was Tuesday). I posted the video yesterday and honestly I cannot tell you how accurate that thing portrays how I was getting around, which was barely at all. It was so bad that I just said eff it to a walk on the treadmill (which I hoped would help) and a chest/shoulders workout at the gym and decided that I would walk a 5k there along one of our bayous. We had had a lot of rain and I knew the sound of rushing water, not to mention the overcast skies, and the cooler temps would be nice for a change. So off I went and good grief Charlie Brown that was brutal. First off everything just hurt, and 2nd of all, do you know how long it takes to walk a 5K!??!?! A long damn time. I don't know how walkers do it! Kudos! Then after getting back home, I tried to stretch, but getting onto the floor was too painful and at the end of it all, the walk really did absolutely no good to ease the pain. At least I did get a walk in. Not a run, but thats OK. So this morning I wake up and guess what? Still painful to get out of bed and at least initially to walk. Once I am walking a bit, its not so bad, but having to sit or kneel down is still excruciating. So guess what? There will be no running again today. Now normally this sort of thing would freak me out, but I seriously first of all, knew this was going to happen once we initially starting training my legs with weights and that it would be OK if I was unable to run for a couple of days due to the soreness. I forget that its been less than 2 weeks since the marathon, its not like I suddenly won't be able to run 8 miles on Saturday. And furthermore, if for some reason I can't, that's OK too. Sure I worry a bit about losing fitness but at the end of the day, I'm not training for anything yet! And along with the (sh)IT band injury this is just actually helping because its forcing me not to run. And each day I don't run, is another day of healing. So looks like a day of walking on the treadmill (possibly TRYING to run) and doing a heavy duty shoulders and chest workout!
So basically my real injury of the (sh)IT band is being attended to by me not being able to run because of a self-inflicted 'injury' of using muscles I haven't used in years! :O) But seriously I am still trying to stretch the IT band, but its painful to do so right now, and I am still icing.

OK, on to the conclusion of injury stuff (for now anyway)...

How to Avoid Running Injuries

I Pull 400 Watts had some good suggestions and observations that I completely agree with as to some of the main causes that can contribute specifically to ITBS. Additionally he has just recently written his own thoughts on over-training etc.; give it a read why don't ya? :) And thank you for the sample stretch! I did it the first night, but was unable to last night due to muscle soreness and getting in that position was not going to happen! I tried though! Additionally obviously I am working on my glutes and my core strength to assist with any further damage to the existing IT injury or hopefully ward off in the future.

I think all of the items in the chart there are on the money, however...overtraining is left off! And I think overtraining can quite possibly be the #1 contributor to running injuries. They also left off core strength which is also important in my opinion. So I will post a note about those 2 first:

Overtraining

Have you been increasing your training too quickly? The rule of thumb is a 10% increase in mileage per week. Are you running on a different surface to usual? Concrete pavements and roads offer very little shock absorption. Are you doing a more hilly route than usual? Running up and down hills alters your biomechanics. Its a good idea to keep a training diary so you can look back and see what may have changed in your training.

Core strength

If the central part of the body is not strong then you will be more susceptible to injuries especially when you become tired at the end of a run. Make sure you do some abdominal exercises and glute strengthening. Try and get your club to organize a circuit session, include all the basic exercises like squats, lunges and calf raises. You can find examples of core training exercises, from beginners to advanced just about anywhere on the internet. I hate doing core, and most times I just blow it off, but the past 2 months I have been more dedicated to it and I can certainly tell a difference in strength when running.

Stretching before and after? Eh. Not when your muscles are cold thats for certain. Usually a slow jog or even a walk can be considered 'stretching'. Now in my case now, I know I need to stretch the IT band too before (possibly) and after (definitely). Some people swear by a warm-up, others don't bother. However, while the jury is still out on the effectiveness of stretching in preventing injuries.

Level surfaces? Absolutely! I have no doubt whatsoever that all the damn roads we run on in Houston are so sloped that injuries abound. I try really really really hard to run in the middle of the road(s) when I can where its really bad, but sometimes thats just impossible. And I also have no doubt that because of the Houston Marathon route, its unevenness not only in slope but in surface (very uneven in some parts) that that contributed to my demise on race day as well. It was an injury just waiting to happen.

Wear properly fitted shoes? Duh. I wrote about this already, so I won't beat a dead horse. Get fitted and get fitted often. Things do change.

Drink plenty of water? Sure. But I think diet (as a noun not a verb) is more important. Done together, a person is unstoppable (for the most part) or at the very least has a strong lead. People make fun of my food all the time at work, but guess what? You can kiss my ass...I'm eating it, not you.

The old adage that you are what you eat is still true. You wouldn't’t put diesel in a petrol car! Eat a balanced diet with lots of fresh fruit and vegetables and plenty of carbs following training and protein to repair muscle. And again its important to stay hydrated before and after training.

And last but not least: RICE. All great advice. I don't do compression, but the rest? Absolutely!

So what did I leave off? Learn anything?

MeMe - For When You Need a Post (but don't want to be clever) :O)

2012-01-26T09:27:00.002-06:00

I haven't done a 'meme' in quite some time, and when Xaarlin tagged me, I thought I will save that for when I don't want to overload on blog with fitness/running stuff; or when I don't have a lot of time (which is me right now) :O) Although coming up with random facts about myself is getting harder to do! I hope I am not repeating any of these..of course we all change over time right?

So here you go!

The rules of this post:
1. Post these rules.
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself.
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post.
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
5. Tag those people.

Eleven random things about me:

I do not believe in one person for one person forever. We really aren't wired that way in my opinion.
I don't have a lot of patience. Most people think I do, but its totally fake and forced.
While I do not have a sweet tooth persay, and chocolate is not my thing, if there are baked goods anywhere around, my knees go weak and my willpower does too. I am 50/50 on win/lose ratio.
There are 2 things I eat every single day, at some point in my day: 1) eggs 2) spinach (in various forms)
I am a news junkie. I can have news on all the time and I'm good with that. I don't even care if I hear the same thing on 3 different channels, its always a different reporter, so they tell the story differently and therefore its not repetitive to me.
My fastest 5K was 25:50 in November 2009 (Turkey Trot). Only it turned out to not be a 5K as a lot of people complained (damn local elites and OCD people!), and they ended up calling it a 3 mile race officially. But to be honest it was short. It wouldnt have been if the road guards/volunteers hadn't had us turn one street too early! Ugh. So really I probably would have ended up with about a 26:30. Ohz wellz. I hope to smash my PR at the 5K this Spring (God willing and the (sh)IT band gets better so I can speed train. I cannot even remember the last time I ran a 5K to be completely honest. Marathoning has consumed me apparently.
When I indulge in a food 'treat', I take a reeeeeeeally long time to eat it, sometimes upwards of an hour. Only taking a bite here and there, and as it gets to be less and less of it, I will slow waaaaaaay down. I want it to last as loooooooong as possible. A perfect example would be that just this morning I had my weekly breakfast taco and it took me almost 45 min to eat it.
I have only ever really been in true true all consuming love once in my life. His name: John I still regret to this day ever thinking that my life would be better without him in it. My sister thinks that its the reason I haven't been able to have a relationship or fall in love with anyone since him because I've never gotten over the loss and my mistake. Its been 10 years. I don't know that I will ever find anyone that (and this is cliche) completed me like he did. This kind of negates #1 I guess... :O) Its going to take someone very special indeed to fill those shoes...and so far I haven't met one man that could.
Its been almost 2 weeks since the Houston Marathon and my declaration of no more marathons. So far I still have no (ZERO) desire whatsoever to ever run more than 13.1 miles at any given time.
I once had the State police show up to my house looking for my (ex) fiance. He was a wanted man. Who knew? Well I knew afterwards (like after I told him to get the fuck out!) what he was doing, but I had no idea he was actually wanted. I gave them the information of his whereabouts.
I am still having trouble walking, sitting, bending...everything today. This is why I never wanted to work out my legs/glutes during marathon training. Clearly my legs might be good for running, but thats about it. I doubt very seriously that I will be able to actually run until tomorrow. And thats questionable. And yes, that's how bad off I am after the workout with Kyle on Tuesday.

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1. Favorite Color: Purple
2. What's your favorite season? I love them all, but I guess Spring? or maybe Fall?...here in Texas we don't really have 'seasons'. While I do like Summer, just not so much when running in it :O)
3. Do you have any pre-race superstitions? Superstitions? No. Rituals, yes.
4. Favorite food: Food is my favorite food. :O) There is no way I could pick a favorite food.
5. If you could run a race anywhere, what would it be? What or where? Where would be Costa Rica. What I don't understand..it would be a race, preferably not a full marathon. In Costa Rica. :O)
6. Would you be doing a different career now, if you knew back then what you know now? Absolutely. I know I missed my true calling.
7. How many states have you traveled to? 30 would be a good guess. Possibly more. I would have to look at the list of States. I use to travel for work, so I was very lucky in that respect. I have seen some amazing places.
8. What's one thing that scares you? Deep water.
9. Where is your favorite place to workout? Outside.
10. Would you want to live forever? Yes, if I was healthy, able to financially support myself and physically independent as well.
11. What's the best piece of advice you have received? Another difficult one indeed. I have several pearls of 'wisdom' that I would say are the best. All from my Daddy.

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OK, so here are my questions, and I tag everyone who reads this who hasn't done it yet! (I'm looking at you Jamoosh, MKeller, ChristyG, Racing it Off for certain):

Favorite time of the day?
What is your favorite meal to make?
Glass 1/2 full or glass 1/2 empty?
Last picture taken on your phone?
If money was no issue how many races would you try to do in a year? 8 or 9. I'm greedy.
Car, Truck, Van, or SUV?
Do you take part in any water sports ?
If you're walking down the street and find a $100.00 bill what do you do with it?
Favorite non sports related thing to do?
Have Pets? What kind?

Last movie you went to a theater to see?

Day After Marathon? Nope.

2012-01-25T13:30:00.001-06:00

You would think that this would have applied to me after marathon.

However I haven't actually been this sore day after marathon for quite some time. Like maybe only after my first. Once you learn that ice baths, lots of water, and rest are your best friends within a few hours of finishing, you are much better off.

However yesterday...I had my first legs strength training with K at HG. I refused for him to train me on legs until after these marathons were over, and when I'm right, I'm right.

I could barely get out of bed this morning, walking is painful, and forget about having to sit back down after being or having to sit down to go to the bathroom. And having to walk down stairs at home and in the parking garage is a joke.

Its excruciating I tell you. Excruciating. You would think that someone that can run miles and miles, hours upon hours that a short session with her trainer wouldn't do much damage. Ha! Whole different ball of wax, and I love it. I will love it more when I don't hurt so bad though. :O) Thankful I ran my miles before our session and we'll just continue in that fashion fo sho. Tonight there will be NO running, just upper body weights (chest and shoulders) so that part of my top half matches my bottom half. :O)

When I see K tonight, he'll be pleased that I am in agony I'm sure :O)

Common Running Injuries, An Update on my (Current) Injury and Later...How to Avoid Running Injuries

2012-01-24T15:12:00.000-06:00

A quick update on my injury.

I have full blown ITBS on the left leg. The pain is, at least for now, in one area, and that is to the outside of the knee, just below it actually, but barely. There is some tenderness just up over the knee on the side as well, but minimal. The pain below though is another story altogether.

The pain is bad. Especially when walking down stairs. It doesn't hurt to walk, but the most pain is when you even touch that area. It is inflamed, a bit swollen and just hurts like a muthafucker.

I have been advised to not run on concrete if possible, definitely no hills and no speed work. And to incorporate some walk breaks into my runs as well. Thankfully KW is still 2 weeks away, so thats great news. With proper recovery, I should be more or less good to go by then. Until then I will just be running on the treadmill the majority of the time except for Saturdays longer runs.

I need to stretch (specifically for the ITB), ice at least once a day (preferably after running), take Aleve, get plenty of sleep and eat right. I am also not supposed to cross my legs at work, and I do a few stretches at my desk when I think about it.

Thankfully I took a full 3 days off after the marathon, as that began the healing process.

I ran last night on the treadmill, stretched before and after, did core (also great for helping prevent injuries and recovering from them), foam rolled, and then iced. I was pleased this morning when I left the house and going down the stairs wasn't as painful as it has been for the past week.

Something is working. Probably mostly the fact that I am not running more than 4-6 miles at a time and on soft surfaces, but all the rest of it is helping it too.

One of the things I pride myself on is my ability to step back, admit something is wrong and do whatever it takes to correct it. I have always been able to come back from an injury quickly due to my willingness to just do what is needed. Some folks I know refuse to do what is needed and therefore sometimes miss out on what might have been ... or just get further injured and sometimes never make it back to the sport of running.

It truly sucks that this didn't even present itself until the Thursday before Houston, but it was minimal at best and I had no idea what was going on. And it sucks even more that it decided to take a nose dive late in the race, but shit happens. I made it through, without personal embarrassment, but yes still decidedly a bit disappointed as I had goal A in the bag.
Que sera sera...

So are you a hard ass when it comes to dealing with injury, not letting her ego and pride get bruised, and just train through the pain? Or are you a stickler like me, and do everything by the book so that I can run again as soon as possible...or have you just ever gotten injured, said fuck it, and completely went into full on couch potato mode and taken way too much time to come back to the sport of running?

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Running injuries are almost always due to overuse/overtraining. This is developed over time until continuing to run is no longer an option (sometimes).

Running injuries are very specific due to the repetitive nature of the sport. Injuries are caused either by the bodies own intrinsic factors or by extrinsic factors.

The body works on a closed chain system when running i.e. when the foot is in contact with the ground, the forces and mechanics are transmitted along the leg to the spine. This is repeated every step and means if anywhere along this chain is out of line then potential injuries can happen.

They are factors from inside the body rather than outside injury risk factors. Everybody has their own individual mechanics, some better than others. Some break down more than others, and some never do. Everyone has their own unique threshold of injury. Thankfully I have only had a handful of injuries and really only one of them had me not running for 2+ months (early 2009).

The most common problem is feet that collapse and overpronate causing the leg to turn in and pressure on the achilles, shin, knee, hip and spine (thus opening the door for any and all kinds of injuries). And if you aren't in the right shoe (also one of the main causes of injury)...well... It has been my experience, over the course of running since late 2005, that because I got faster, stronger, etc., that at periods along the way, my gait and step changed. I went from a neutral runner (when first starting out and run/walking, or running very slowly), to someone when I got a bit faster, I pronated badly and needed stability, to now being stronger and still yet a bit faster than before, I was in 'too much shoe' for the distance and the level of training that I was doing in 2011. And because of these factors, each and every time I usually ended up with some sort of injury (late 2007, early 2009 and now with ITBS).

Behold the Common Running Injury Chart!

Common Running Injuries

Out of the 7 listed above, I lay claim to: Stress Fracture, Plantar, Knee, and now ITBS. I also had chronic shin splint issues for years, but it never hurt until the pedicure lady wanted to massage my calves and that made me want to just cut her...running though? Didn't bother them, except maybe once in a blue moon.

My Plantar is also chronic and goes in different levels of 'pain', but for the past 3 or 4 months, I have had maybe one or 2 days of something that was a bit ouchy; nothing to write home about. I suspect this might rear its head again once I start hill training again in a couple of weeks (if I am cleared to do so due to ITBS)

My first injury was my knee. My patella to be exact. It kept me from running the 2008 (full) Houston Marathon as I lost too much valuable training time, therefore I had to drop to the half. With a lot of elliptical , patella band (which I still wear often) and running on treadmill and softer surfaces I was fine in plenty of time for the race.

Then I ran NYC in late 2008, Houston in early 2009 and then I was also working at the store 8+ hours on my feet 5 days a week (during my out of work period)...and I kept right on training after Houston, which resulted in a stress fracture, left side, tibia. I remember in April, I ran a 5K race in the morning (grabbing 2nd in my AG) in complete and utter pain, and then at 3pm that afternoon I ran another race which was a 4 person relay with each person doing a 2 mile loop. I finished in 18 min and then basically collapsed. I didnt run again for a couple of months. I was done and done.

I recovered by aqua jogging, biking and swimming and in that Summer was my first sprint triathlon so something good did come out of it. And by the time KW started up in the Fall, I was ready to train for Houston 2010. Alls well that ends well.

I rocked and rolled all during 2011, focusing on training and running Chicago, Dallas and then Houston. It was probably inevitable that I was going to sustain some sort of injury, but damn I almost made it! Who would have thought that 3 short days before the last marathon, the injury would manifest, even if ever so slightly?

So. What's been your worst injury? When? And how well did you recover?

Coming Soon: How to Avoid Common Running Injuries

Evil Lurks...When You Least Expect It

2012-01-23T18:32:00.000-06:00

Every morning I do several things within 10 minutes of getting out of bed: bathroom, water, brush teeth and then I either get dressed to head out to run or not get dressed to run. And if I am not going running, I go outside on my porch and sit down for about 5 min taking in the quiet and stillness of the morning. I think about anything that might have bothered me in the night, but mostly I just enjoy that its morning and that I get to live another day.

And 98% of the time I do this, its anywhere from 5:15am to 6:00am, but generally its right at 5:30am. If I am running before work, I am up at 5 and out the door at 5:30am.

This morning I knew I wasn't running (only running on treadmill for now except on Saturdays due to ITBS), but as I laid there contemplating getting out of bed, I kept hearing this squeaky vehicle that had passed by a couple of times. This is odd because either you are leaving or you are parking. I live basically at the dead end into the parking garage. I really didn't think too much about it to be honest, just that it was odd to me. There is one resident there that I know that has a squeaky vehicle like that so I figured it was them possibly.

As I walked onto my porch, said vehicle was coming from the back part of the property and had again turned into 'my drive' towards the garage. I heard him in the garage, turning around and I thought WTF? Is this guy stalking someone, looking for their car?

As I was sitting there and he emerged from the parking garage he clearly looked up towards me and knew I was on the porch, and another car had just turned towards the garage...the truck then pulled straight into a parking spot ahead and proceeded to get out of the truck and left his door open. As he began walking towards the garage, I got a bit spooked for some reason and got up to go inside, and he looked up at me as he was passing by.

I went inside, locked the door immediately and went into my room, shut the window and pulled the blinds. I had no idea where he had gone and even though I live on the 2nd floor of 3, I did what I did. I went back to the living room to look through the blinds on the door and I could see his truck still there, driver side door open, and lights on, but I still had no idea where he had gone.

I then just decided to get in the shower and when I emerged about 10 min later, if that, I went to the door again, and there was the guy next to his truck and a man dressed in an HPD uniform! And it appeared the guy was in handcuffs.

Periodically in between all the things I do to get ready for work in the morning, I would check outside and it wasnt until close to 7am that an actual police cruiser showed up. That is what was weird to me! Where had this other cop come from in the span of 10 min while I was in the shower?! There was no cop car that I could see anywhere. Had one of the resident cops come outside to go to work and noticed creepy guy? I had no idea.

So I leave for work, dude is in back of patrol car and his vehicle is being searched. Are you freaking kidding me? WTF?

After I get to work, the first thing I am thinking about is that this guy saw me, knows where I live and probably thinks I am the one that called the cops! So I email my landlord about something else but also mention the incident this morning. When she writes back and tells me that 'A' is an onsite HPD officer (lives there) actually apprehended the dude, I just replied back with how uneasy I was, so she called me.

Here is what happened: So remember when dude exited his vehicle, left the door open and headed towards the garage? Well the one car that had went by that I mentioned...well dude was going in there to rob that person! Only dude didnt know when he was almost to the car, the guy exiting the BMW?

HPD. Full uniform. Boom.

So a lot of this and that and basically ended up with po-po taking down the creepy guy and then of course thats when I come out of the shower to see none of that (it was actually in the garage anyway), only to see the aftermath. At one time when I first saw the guy I figured he was probably scoping out the bikes that are chained up on that first floor, but apparently when he saw the BMW guy going into the garage he figured he would rob him?

Now here is where I get creeped out. What if I had stayed on the porch? What if the guy hadn't been a cop? And what if this guy robbed/shot whoever and then ran from the garage and I was still there?

And what if I had walked outside to freaking go run?!?!? I get creeped out 99.9% of the time I run that early anyway, but run in the middle of the road, opposite side of traffic etc., but still. Part of me figures had I seen this guy before or as I was going downstairs I wouldnt have continued on. My senses are extremely heightened that early and I am hyper-sensitive to anything out of the ordinary. And if I am running, and a car even so much as slows down, I am going to bolt. I've done it a couple of times, and one time in particular on an early Saturday run where the guy actually got out of his truck. Ugh. That still spooks me when I think about it.

Now this guy has some ballz too, because honestly 5:30am is not such a smart time to be casing an apartment property. People ARE beginning to wake up and ARE out walking their dogs and what-not. And apparently his phone rang while HPD cop#1 was waiting for back up and it was his friend down the road. HPD cop#1 acted like he was the criminal and the person on the phone said 'dude, whats taking so long? Its getting to be the time people will be getting up'. And also apparently the guy has a record and is on parole, so he's going to jail fo sho.

But even so, I must say I am still spooked by it, and thankful that at least for a while, I won't be having to run before work. I don't know that I could given what happened this morning. I will stick to the treadmill, and only after work running on the roads, except for Saturday morning group runs.

Even though I live in a nice neighborhood, in a gated community and surrounded by nice neighborhoods, there is always room for the bad people. They could be just a few streets over (zoning is dumb in this part of town), or they could just be driving by and think 'oh that looks like a good place to case'..

So my message to people is to be hyper-sensitive to your neighborhood and anything that doesn't look like it belongs or is just 'different'. And call the authorities! You just never know! Your instinct is typically right on target, and if it isn't, no harm done at all!

Looking back on it now, instead of getting in the shower I should have called the cops. If that had been just a resident and not a cop, they could have been hurt and I was the only one that had seen the guy, his truck and his license plate number.

Product Review - PureFit Nutrition Bars

2012-01-23T10:53:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago I was contacted via email by a representative of PureFit Nutrition Bars to try their product. Of course, I said! I received a package with 5 bars, all different flavors.

A little about PureFit bars from their site:

PureFit was established in July 2000 with the express purpose of educating individuals about how to achieve optimum health and fitness through nutrition and exercise. Concerned with current trends in nutritional supplements that contain highly processed or even harmful ingredients, founder Robb Dorf insists on all-natural ingredients. PureFit bars are high-protein; they do not melt; they contain no wheat or gluten; they are non-dairy; they are Kosher-certified; they contain no sugar alcohols or artificial sweeteners; they have no hydrogenated oils and no trans-fatty acids.

PureFit bars were developed as 40-30-30 bars, consistent with weight-loss regimens like The Zone. Because PureFit bars do not contain wheat or gluten, they can be enjoyed by sufferers of celiac sprue disease. PureFit has proudly supported dozens of regional celiac support groups. PureFit has been named "Nutrition Bar of the Year" by Bike Magazine.

I will say that prior to being contacted, I had never heard of these, and never noticed them in the store(s), but then again I never notice anything that remotely resembles a PowerBar. I loathe PowerBars and/or most bars for that matter. I have tried a few but typically stay away from them because they are usually very dense, small and packed with calories. If I am going to eat 300-450 calories it will be in the form of actual food.

When I got these in the post, I looked first at the packaging and immediately thought, ugh...PowerBars. I looked at the back, noticed the nutrition and the calorie count etc., and thought OK, I will give them a go. It was probably a week before I actually tried one.

Boy oh boy! I love these things! No where near what those yukky PowerBars are (at least to me!). The taste is great, the texture is awesome and not like what I remember PBs to be which almost seemed to be waxy and difficult to chew.

I havent actually eaten a whole one at one time, but snacked on one throughout the day when I felt the desire to eat 'something'. I usually break off half, eat that, then piece off the other half through the remainder of the day. Most times I am not really hungry, just the act of eating is what I want, so just taking a small bite satisfies me and I'm good to go for another hour or so :O)

The chocolate brownie one actually TASTES like a brownie, or as close as one can get I suppose, so I really like that about that particular one. I only have one left, the Berry Almond Crunch because I bet that is the one I am going to like the most, so I have been saving it! Oh wait, thats not true! I have one in my purse for emergency hunger!!! We all know that happens!!

Quite possibly the most complete and health conscious nutrition bar available on the market today. Although not as sweet, tasty and delicious as a candy bar...it certainly was not meant to be - and still pulls off being a very enjoyable bar to support a serious fitness/nutrition program.

I too have just usually resorted to a Lara Bar every now and then for a pick me up or before a long run, as until now I didn't know of any other bars out there that were quite as natural; still might not be as natural as Lara Bars, but I dont have one to compare side by side.

All I know is that I loved these, and if I see them in the stores, I would definitely pick up a few, to keep at home, in my desk and also always one in my purse.

Thanks PureFit Nutrition for giving me the opportunity to try these!

**this opinion for PureFit Nutrition Bars was my own and I was not compensated for the review. I always give a honest opinion and these vendors know that when I try something, I might not like it!

No One Wants to Be an (Sh) IT Girl

2012-01-22T18:18:00.001-06:00

So officially my 'injury' is my IT band (left side).

Definitely an over-training injury, and thankfully its not too bad. If I am not careful though, it could get much worse obviously. After consulting with a few of the know it alls at the store, an over-whelming majority of them were shocked at what shoe I had been training in this whole time.

I've been running in the Ravenna's for some time now, but apparently due to increase in strength, turn over, and the number of miles I have put out since May..etc., etc., etc., its just 'too much shoe'.

I tried several shoes of different brands, Brooks, Asics and Saucony and settled in on the DS Trainer by Asics as it felt the best as I was working at the store yesterday. I loved the Saucony Cortana (or is it Cordana?), either way, but it just felt like not enough shoe, i.e. to go from the Ravenna to that, just didnt seem smart to me.

Not for long distances anyway. And since I had just bought my last pair of Ravenna back on 1-2, I just exchanged them and ended up with a credit since the DS Trainer was marked down to $49, as the newer colors etc., are due out soon.

I ran on Friday, just 4 miles and I could still feel the IT band, and can feel it now actually. Its more like a knot at the upper calf now (rolling seems to be helping as well). When I got up yesterday morning and got dressed to go run 6, I walked to the gate. It was hot/humid and sprinkling rain and then I realized I didn't have to run if I darn well didn't feel like it. I could wait until this morning, which is exactly what I did. I had brought the DST's home and laced them up this morning and it did indeed make a huge difference.

An easy 6 miles in the hot/humid weather at a 10:12 pace was just what I needed.

While the pain isn't as bad as it was during the marathon, or in the few days afterwards, I am still very aware that I have what I guess is an injury, but its not a debilitating one.

I worked a full 8 hours yesterday on my feet and another 5 hours today, so that certainly doesn't help it much, but I am pleased with how my 6 miles went this morning. I rolled it several times at the store today, and am now icing off and on hoping that helps too.

I know plenty of folks, IRL and in blogland that have had severe IT band issues, but I am wondering if any of you have and if so, how bad was it, how did you treat it and how long until it was 'better'?

Periodic Freak Outs are No Big Thang

2012-01-20T12:14:00.000-06:00

This is me not on marathons

I keep reminding myself that I said no more full marathons.

No more full marathons.

I have a slew of Spring races from 5K to 10 Milers to do.

I have 3 half marathons to train for in 2012 that I want to attempt my sub 2 hour..

So why do I start going nuts when I think about 'when does marathon training start' only to realize that ... it doesn't.

And then I think...oh just one more...I don't have to tell anyone...

And then I realize that that is beyond ridiculous...who does a marathon and not scream from the rafters that a) you're training and running a bazillion miles and b) you finished the marathon and are still alive

Isn't that why Facebook, Twitter and blogs were invented in the first place? Or is that just me?

:O)

And then I go and read Last Mile Lounge this morning and there is Jamoosh already talking about doing more marathons when I thought he was gonna quit too :)

And he taunts me with his Go Big or Go Home mentality!

I don't know who I am without training for a marathon.

And I get a bit freaked out that when KW starts back up that I have to at least start out the run with the 2:00 half marathon group, hold on as long as I can, and hopefully hold on a bit longer as the weeks go by...

And I am freaked out that tomorrow is Saturday and I don't have to be anywhere before the crack of dawn.

So much so that I am finding people to run (not many mind you) and they want to, but not at 6am.

Huh? Why not?

Me no comprende.

I have a lot of really fast friends and they're running ... but I can't keep up with those show offs! :O)

I know that I am in no danger of signing up for any Fall marathons (that I know I will never do again), but what worries me (already) is that I won't be able to resist the draw of training for Houston again.

I already know I have a spot if I want it, which makes it even harder...

When the time comes will I be able to stand my ground...?

I am going to do everything in my (will)power to ward off the evil lure and seduction of the full marathon from me and my mind!

They say 'resistance is futile', but I am hoping to prove that wrong...

Olympic Marathon Trials - Lead Pack (Women) - First pass

2012-01-20T05:51:00.000-06:00

Also early in the race, the women as they come up to the 5K mark

The women started 15 min behind the men's start

Obviously I had moved back to the side of the street where the fluids tables were set up and just before they make a right hand turn to head out on the 1st of three 8 mile loops

Marathon Recovery Mode - Continued

2012-01-19T10:38:00.001-06:00

On Tuesday I wrote about how recovery was going and things seem to be progressing nicely.

I came back to work yesterday, which actually was welcomed. The calf was still letting me know it was unhappy, and then at some point in the day, my big toe (left foot) became increasingly painful. Not the toe itself, but the toenail.

It had not (and still hasn't) changed color at all and today its a bit better, not as sensitive to the touch, so I am hoping that after all these years of running, that now I am about to lose a toenail!? I am hoping that is not the case, but will keep you posted ;o)

After work, I headed to the gym and since the calf was still ouchy, I had planned on just walking the 3 miles, but I just couldn't.

I ended up doing the 3 miles, but I allowed myself to run a song, walk a song...there was still just a tinge of tightness/soreness in the quads, but nothing I couldnt handle, and by the end they actually felt pretty darn good.

I hit the weights up afterwards for a hard hitting session on chest and shoulders and damn am I feeling it today!

They say 2 of the most important things for marathon recovery is 1) eat good for you food and 2) sleep/rest as much as possible ... no problem. For whatever reason, yesterday when I made it home from the gym it was all I could do to keep my eyes open. I ended up falling asleep on the couch sometime after 9pm, woke up about an hour later, crawled in to bed and this morning still felt like I could sleep even more.

For some folks, the energy zap (and the run-ger) from all the excitement and the marathon itself will not manifest itself until days later. I didn't sleep well at all Sunday night and even on Monday and Tuesday I had a hard time going to bed at 10:30 which normally would never happen! After 2 days of being back in the gym, I guess it is all finally catching up to me and my body is letting me know about it.

Today is a full on rest day, and while I would love to go and do another short run, I will abide by the 'rules' and rest. Maybe a walk around my 'hood. :O)

As far as my eating, its been pretty exemplary (sp?).

I did eat an entire medium pizza on Sunday (and half a pint of strawberry Blue Bell ice cream), (not all at once though!), but other than that my diet has consisted of: tons of veggies (I ate 2 lbs of roasted brussel sprouts on Monday!!!), eggs, bananas, whole grain bread and chicken. And coffee. Lots of coffee. I do not know where this coffee craze came from all of a sudden! (started a few months back)

I still plan to eat Whataburger (fries!!), I just can't seem to bring myself to do it. I keep thinking I want to save it for some other day/evening, but I wonder if I do that, will I just keep making 'excuses'?

Really the only craving I have had consistently is for ice cream, although today I can't seem to stop thinking about a big bag of potato chips! (figure its my body wanting the salt).

So for now, I will just rest as my body tells me too and continue to fuel it with what it needs and not what it wants. :O)

What is the most outrageous post marathon meal you have eaten? Do you tend to just go hog-wild for days or even weeks afterwards? When do you usually do your first post-marathon run?

*****************************

Edited to include link to a post I wrote just a while back...until those individuals at Rowan Companies can keep their nosy eyes away, I will continue to post this link; and actually post an email that I sent to SSeiden... and SRodr... as well. I can assure you they wouldn't want that.

Olympic Marathon Trials - Video 1 - Lead Pack (Men) - First pass

2012-01-19T05:53:00.000-06:00

Early in the race...only at 5K of 26.2 miles

Isn't the narrator grrrrrrrrrreat? :O)

And yes I know I say Meb's name wrong, but I can never seem to correct myself!

I had scooted across the street from where the tables were set up and where they made the turn so as to get a better shot of them without being in the way so much.

2012 Olympic Marathon Trials - Houston, Texas

2012-01-18T17:52:00.000-06:00

Last year during marathon weekend, we were the host city for the half marathon championships and instead of being held on Sunday as they normally are, they were held on the Saturday prior, on what was the first shot at what the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials course would be (it ended up changing).

As early as one year out, volunteers were selected for the Elite fluid stops along the course, and during that half marathon championship, we tested how we would operate on the actual Trials day. It was great fun and since the likes of Ryan Hall etc. were actually running in the half marathon championships we actually had real elite fluid containers to 'practice' with. If you want to read more about all of that, I have it under the Label: USATF and possibly the label: Half marathon championships (sometimes I forget to set a Label to a post).

Anyway with the change in the route, where I was last year was not where I would be this year. And my 'job' had changed which I was perfectly ok with!

Instead of actually standing behind a fluid table, I worked hospitality for that particular site of tables/volunteers.

What this meant is that my alarm went off at 4am as I had to be at a certain locationby 5am to load my vehicle up with enough breakfast tacos, coffee, orange juice and bananas to satisfy 100 volunteers.

With Memorial Drive due to shut down at 5:30am this shouldn't have been an issue, but since SBux wasn't ready with the LARGE carafes of coffee, we had to wait and thats where I was ever so thankful for this little baby:

"Let her through! She's got a red tag!!"

Yes indeed I had that All Access pass and thank the baby Jesus too! Because getting all of that food/drink to the site downtown (our set up was at the 3/11/19 mile mark of the route) would have been mucho difficult.

As it was, only one police officer in DT pawned me off to the officer at the next block, not really caring that I had All Access or not :O)

Let me tell you one thing: they had downtown locked down and locked down early.

It was nice just to roll up and unload all the goodies and the volunteers were so thankful it being cold (low 30's) and windy.

What was also nice about our station is that it was mostly BCRR folks, and we were lucky to have not one but TWO heaters for warmth. That is if you werent working an actual table. Once I was done unloading and parking, I pretty much stood around, talked to cute fireman, stayed warm and watched the Trials unfold right in front of my eyes.

Hospitality Tent (my work station for the day)

The porta cans were just a bit down under Memorial along Bagby, and as MK and I were going there, there were times were just lone runners would be running down the middle of the street...

The elite fluid stop was also right along Bagby as well (there was a turn here so the Red Station was split along 2 diff roads), and the Occupy Houston area is here, so I took a picture on our way back to our station

Lovely...just lovely :O) I had on 2 pairs of socks, tights under my jeans and 2 long sleeve shirts under my super thick 2008 NYC marathon finishers hoodie. I was so snug as a bug! Even though we had heaters, I rarely used them. I was more interested in the race even though there wasnt always runners in front of me to cheer for!

Elite fluids have arrived!!!

Each box is for a table that is numbered and each compartment is for a specific athlete. They usually decorate or mark their bottles so that they are easy to spot, but each athlete knows what table and what spot on that table is assigned to him. Additionally athletes will also sometime put the color pipe cleaners on their bottles to use as a 'grasping' mechanism. Easier to grab instead of trying to wrap a hand around the body of the bottle. Since both the men and women ran the same course and 15 min apart start time, each table had boxes for M and for F and once the elite males went by, then and after the back of the pack guys would go by, they would get ready for the females. If you werent considered an Elite there were tables at the very end for water and Powerade

Looking down McKinney towards the 3/1//19 mile marker. This is the direction they would come from each loop, then you could jump over one street to wait for them to pass by again (but it would be a while since they were just beginning the loop of Memorial/AP). We always knew when they would be coming soon as we were at the corner and could see when they were at Bagby and Allen Parkway

Pre-Race - MK - Poor thing she froze the entire time and even spent too much time in front of the heaters which resulted in very red/chapped thighs.

Discarded fluid bottles. I snapped several pics of these after the first pass, and finally determined that the blue one was Mebs. He is my dreamboat and I just love love love him...and there are no words for how I felt knowing that he 'beat' Ryan Hall...not just beat him, but spanked his booty. :) I know it wasn't about 'winning' on this one, but ... yeah ... you know each one of all of them wanted to beat the other one...

And speaking of my man!!! This was taken on the 2nd pass I think...

Meb! Meb! Meb!

Some shots I am posting are just random and of no one in particular. I took so many pictures I just kind of randomly selected.

Lead pack women...first pass. Deena! Deena! Desi! Desi!!!
Oh how I wish Desi could have pulled out beating Shalane. Those 2 are great tho, and probably our best chance in London thats for sure!

Random women pack

After the men had passed by for the 3rd time, I took the opportunity to head down to the PoP and snapped this random photo. The guy was painted up in front but he turned right as I was snapping the photo.

Watching them change the sign from 11 to 19 while I was waiting in PoP line

One of our heaters and John was using the top of it as a warming mechanism for breakfast tacos later in the morning :)

Yours truly...long before the race had started...

I also have video, some that video'd great and then a couple of them are 'rotated' and I haven't had the time or energy to spend on fixing them (not like with pictures where you obviously have the little rotate button! grrr!) ... Anyway, I will post video soon as well! I know the first pass of the Elite men and then the Elite women came out right, so those will get posted first.

Overall basic thoughts:

Glad about Flanagan and Davila. Both strong runners and capable of something in London. Surprised that KG made 3rd to be honest; thought she'd choke harder than she did, but kudos to her. Hope she can get it together for London but I'm not holding my breath. She and her husband are whiny butts and I personally think she should have stayed at the 10000m
Davila is my favorite, and I know that it wasnt about 1, 2, 3, but I still wish she would have beat Shalane. Like Shalane, I just like Desi a whole lot more!
So so so happy Meb crushed Hall. Another over-rated long distance runner in my opinion, and in my mind Meb can do no wrong.
Devastated that Ritz was 4th and I think had he had 800m more he could have caught Abdi. That whole having issues taking off that long sleeve shirt was a nightmare for him and I couldnt believe my eyes as I was watching it. Who the hell wears a long sleeve shirt to a marathon where the temps were as warm as they were???? ugh!!!
We should not be sending Abdi to London. I think Ritz is the better runner and we have a better shot, but guess nothing we can do about it now

What are your thoughts?

In The Meantime...Race Photos of Yours Truly

2012-01-18T10:26:00.002-06:00

While I am working on the Olympic Marathon Trials post, I give you a few photos from my own marathon. I can always tell when I am doing what I should be doing by my photos in races as it pertains to diet and other forms of training (other than running).

Everything that is wrong will surely show up in a race photo, and typically ALL the photos will be bad. And since I really only hated a couple of them, I blame angle and camera shot timing :)

Its always nice too when people give compliments. I am very pleased with my progress since mid-November!!

I hope to have part one of the Houston 2012 Olympic Trials post up at some point today...

Finishing. With both feet off the ground.

The only time your feet are gonna be off the ground is if you are going 'fast' enough. I guarantee you that if you are, the pictures will show it.

One thing that I HATE about not wearing Lululemon shorts? Means that I have a bulky SpiBelt the 1st half of the race. Lululemon Speed Shorts have the awesome 2 hidden pockets that I use for gels.

Have no idea where this was taken, although I'm guessing somewhere in the first half of the race

Allen Parkway. Where sometimes dreams are broken. Not this year m'er f'er. :)
I ran those underpass hills and you did not break me. Lots of underpass hills to conquer this Spring. :O)

Recovery Mode

2012-01-17T16:38:00.000-06:00

They say that recovery for a marathon should equal one day for every mile ran.

Personally I always assumed that this meant you did not run for 26 days. And personally I have never followed this rule.

I typically will run my first run anywhere from 2-3 days later, nothing crazy, 3 miles or so and oh so very slowly.

However when we were at the expo on Friday listening to Joan Benoit Samuelson, someone asked about Bill and Joan's recovery style. Joan brought up the one day per mile thing, but also said that that does not mean you don't run or do anything at all.

That those 26 days should be done slowly, and as your body feels its necessary for recovery. I thought 'oh good..thats what I have always done'.

Yesterday was pretty darn rough. The roughest day after marathon that I have had since that fateful day after in 2007. THAT was horrible.

My calf/achilles was still very sore and it hurt pretty badly. Obviously my quads and hamstrings were sore but a bit more sore than in marathons past. I attribute this to the fact that for once I did not jump in the tub full of ice. I don't know why I didn't this time, but it was a mistake for sure. Other than getting out to return some things that we used for the Olympic Trials, all I did was some laundry and lay around on the couch watching DVD's.

This morning I woke up with still sore quads/hamstrings/calf, but better than yesterday. After going to breakfast with friends then taking a nap :O) (must have been some sleeping pills in the food!), I headed to the gym.

I hopped on the treadmill and walked for 3 miles then hit the weights for an hour, even hopping on 2 leg machines (one for quads and one for hamstrings on low weight).

I don't know how folks walk for more than a mile. Its mentally hard for me and I give kudos to those that walk half marathons/full marathons because damn it, that shit is hard! :)

My plans for now are to attempt to run 3 miles tomorrow (on the treadmill), but if the calf/achilles are one bit ouchy, I will trash that and just walk the 3 miles again. I don't want to run too soon. And I have no plans of running on pavement until Saturday or Sunday (not certain which day I will get out and its nice to not have to worry about mileage/time etc. for a couple of weeks until Kenyan Way starts up again)

I find myself starting to replay Sunday in my mind, and the fact that I had all the endurance/stamina in the world and was still running those 7's at a good clip...if it hadn't been for the damn leg! My back is not even bothering me!!! And no foot numbness so I am thrilled that I didn't further damage that (at least that's apparent as of now).

I am looking forward to starting up with hills and speed again with Kenyan Way, and thats not for 2 more weeks, or is it 3? AND anxious for races that I have scheduled for March.

Anyway, until then it will just be running on my own or with friends and training with Kyle. He is anxious to get to work on training/strengthening my legs and while thats all great...I know that after that first leg workout, I will probably be in more pain than after the marathon!

What's your MO for marathon (or half marathon) recovery?

Chevron Houston Marathon (Aramco Half Marathon) Expo

2012-01-17T08:34:00.001-06:00

I had made plans to meet up with a few peeps at the Expo on Friday, most importantly CG as we both wanted to a) hang out which we never get to do and b) see and hear Joan Benoit Samuelson speak.

We both secretly were hoping to get to actually meet her.

To our surprise Bill Rodgers showed up with her and was also on stage talking and taking questions from the crowd. Thankfully we got there just early enough to snag 2 seats as there weren't a lot anyway.

Prior to CG getting there, I picked up race packets for myself and a friend, met up with S and R and we walked around a bit, running into a million people I knew...

I have to say that I love the expo that CHM has every year. This year I noticed a few new vendors, one being 26.2 Apparel who I have heard good things about and I ended up getting 2 cute shirts (using Christmas gift cards!). I have been wearing one of them today and it is SO soft! Definitely these 2 shirts will become some of my favorites! Can definitely wear as casual or at the gym. I wouldn't run in it (although a short run probably wouldnt gag me too much), but will save it from the excessive sweat!

I also got a cute charm necklace that has 26.2 on one side and Running On Faith engraved on the other side (thank goodness for gift cards again!) I haven't taken it off since I bought it and even ran the marathon in it...a few times I reached up to make sure it was still there during the marathon and the Running On Faith message made me think of my Momma...

The one 'blech' that I have is that UA is the CHM sponsor of their gear and I don't like UA. I still ended up buying one long sleeve shirt (never have before) mostly because the Finisher shirts are short sleeve and I am not a big fan of them and a 40th anniversary coffee mug (I have the 35th one from my first marathon and I wanted the 40th signifying the start and finish of my marathoning days :)... its a MUCH bigger mug! I also got one other thing, but that will have to wait until it makes its appearance here on the blog :) Best thing is I still have $$ left on gift cards!

There were a lot of vendors that actually gave product and not just samples so I loved that as well. I didn't spend as much time there last year, but this year I was there for FOUR hours! And it went by so quickly!!

Of all the marathon expo's I have ever been to, Houston is #1 (year after year) and Chicago is #2...

A few photos...

Finish line ahead! I loved all the flags as the Olympic Trials were the next day, so there were a lot more flags than I remember from years past, if at all.

Taken from inside the GRB as I was going up the escalator

I really liked this hanging Nike swoosh!

Brought tears to my eyes! Low! Low! Low!

Loved these guys! Had a chocolate fountain, and were giving out samples of Ghiradelli squares as well as little pretzel sticks with a huge marshmallow dipped in chocolate!

New sticker...

Bill and Joan on stage answering questions from the crowd and handing out advice. Bill is NOT sleeping. :) I actually took a few photos, but they came out as looking awkward.

Hate this picture of me but Joan and CG are in it, so I love it :) wtf hair???

My marathon bib signed by Joan Benoit Samuelson!!!!

Marathon Morning with Nugget

2012-01-16T17:22:00.000-06:00

My friend Melissa just sent this photo and I thought it was cuteness!

Nugget apparently really wasn't into having his picture taken at 4am. :)

Chevron Houston Marathon - The Recap

2012-01-16T09:14:00.002-06:00

...and it shall be minimal. Maybe. :O)

Not a course PR, not a distance PR.

As I close out my marathoning days, my 26.2 PR shall remain at 4:42. I have had 4:20-4:30 in me twice. Before Chicago 2010 and this one...but with one weather got me and the other...well my leg/foot got me (along with the weather; it got hot yesterday with full sun). Thankfully today the foot is better, but the calf, not so much...its moved also to the Achilles...ugh. Anyway...

From the start of yesterdays marathon, I was so ready. I felt SO good. Yes 2 days prior, my left calf (the outer part of it) had begun to feel 'ouchy' when I ran the last two short runs on Thurs and Fri but I kept taking ibuprofen to deaden it and that helped, so I didn't give it too much thought. However when it started kicking in during the race and kept getting worse, I knew that eventually it was going to just cave, I just didn't know when.

I was running 10:20's like I should, most times running closer to 10, but then when I would see my lap pace under 10:20, I would slow down until it settled in where it should. A few times I was at 10:30 or so and was fine with that too.

And I was walking every single water stop whether or not I took water or not. I never once took Gatorade, and probably should have since once it started getting warm I could feel the salt residue on me. It was indeed much lower humidity than I ever remember at any marathon I've ever done except for Chicago 2010 when by the time I finished my shorts were literally stiff from the amount of salt that had built up in them.

The crowds were SPECTACULAR this year, and I wonder how much all the television coverage all week of the Olympic Trials and the marathon were being showcased. I am certain it had something to do with it. Once you pass the half marathon turn, its usually scarce in some places, but yesterday I don't remember a place where it was scarce at all. Other than that tiny bit of road after the Westpark Bridge and before you get to Richmond.

I knew by the clocks near the timing mats along the course that between my watch and that clock was about 5-6 minutes, but then when I stopped at 17.5 for about 5 minutes (not sure on that) when I saw the timing clocks again, I had switched to intervals and now had no idea of the differential. If I remember correctly at around mile 24 or so, I saw the timing clock at 4:38, or maybe it was just before 24, can't remember now, but I knew I would be cutting it close to still come in under 5 hours.

I mean I had stopped for a potty break at 16, then with my family at 17.5, then maybe around 19 or so to stretch my calf/Achilles, then along Memorial at a med tent to ask to have my calf taped up, and then the DNF discussion at 22...I mean thats a LOT of time that I had stopped...and how much time had I really taken?

I was clueless, but when I did see that 4:38 part of me thought 'shit, I shouldnt have spent so much time talking...but then I would think how much it meant to me to spend that time with them...

When I got to that last part of the course, just before you get into downtown, where you see the overhead sign that says "1.5 miles to go", I knew everything was going to be OK and that I was indeed going to finish this thing, gimpy leg or not. And whether or not I had to pay for it for a few days afterwards no longer mattered.

I also picked it up a bit, ignoring the beep that told me it was time for that 1 minute walk. Before I even reached the last left hand turn where I knew the finish line hoopla would be awaiting me, I started fist pumping and 'Ryan Hall-ing' it (if you've never seen Ryan Hall hype up the crowd at the finish of a great race, you wont know what I am talking about), but for me, just like Ryan Hall, it made the crowds closer to the fence go nuts and I loved every minute of it. I ran that last bit like my life depended on it and I wanted to go out with a bang...

Now I am super glad I ignored the beeps and ran my heart out at the end, otherwise it would have been over 5 and while I still would have been OK with that, I am glad that I haven't seen a '5' in my marathon finish times since that first one back in January 2007. :O)

Much much more to come....So many pictures and so many blog posts with such a phenomenal weekend, that I just have to parcel it out!

Melissa and I...ready to rock and roll. Thanks to Lukes Locker for the outfit (trying to get me to be a Nike girl again and not Lululemon :) Ladybug was my sisters nickname for my Momma, so that is why I honored BOTH of them on my bib for Houston. :O) They were and ARE truly wonderful women and I feel blessed beyond blessed that I come from such good stock. :) ALSO, I had met Joan Benoit Samuelson on Friday and she signed my bib!!!

It's Finally Over :O)

2012-01-15T14:15:00.000-06:00

I'm in pretty bad shape.

I wanted to DNF at 22, but mi familia wouldn't let me.

Was on 4:30 pace through 15 or so, then the left leg just gave out.

Stopped at 17.5 for about 5 min to visit with family. And again at mile 22 where I had the 'discussion' of dnf'ing.

Started 7/1's at around mile 19 I guess it was.

Still finished sub 5, and I'm ok going out like that. I had no idea what my time was since I switched the watch over to intervals...so I am actually shocked (and pleased) that I did that. I saw the clock at the end and I knew it was gonna be close....

5 years ago I ran Houston Marathon. It was my first marathon and I'm closing it out with 8.

My marathon days are over.

From here on out its half marathons...and distances shorter than that :)

My next goal is to get that sub 2 hour half marathon. I KNOW that had I been doing the half today I would have come oh so close to that. I felt great, and the weather was perfect early on (not so much later...)

I give thanks to my family for supporting me out there today, otherwise I know I would have just tossed in the towel probably earlier than mile 22. My leg is done-zo and like I said, I'm in pretty bad shape, but I know in a few days, I'll be fine...

Here is a picture one of my friends snapped of me in University, and where I was still rockin' and rollin'...

Hang It Up

2012-01-15T14:00:00.003-06:00

Chevron Houston Marathon 2012 is in the books

And now I shall dip my marathon shoes in gold...and hang them up for a while... :)

Not to fear, running and racing shall still be taking place, probably actually more races than ever before since its easier to train to go faster for shorter distances and allows me to actually race more...and I miss doing all the races locally in the Spring and Fall!!!

Anyway, you get the picture...and I couldn't be more excited about it!!!

Full race recap of the marathon will be posted...first I rest...and eat...and drink...

Winner!!!

2012-01-13T16:32:00.002-06:00

Weekend Motivation!!!!

2012-01-13T10:33:00.005-06:00

Well interwebz peoples that read this blog, the weekend has arrived and I am beyond excited!!!!

I am probably more excited about the Olympic Marathon Trials that are here, and that will be taking place right in front of my face tomorrow morning!!!

Its just going to be an amazing weekend no matter what happens out there (to me) on Sunday!!!

(I am actually typing this out on Wednesday for a scheduled posting since I am going to be busy busy busy on Friday morning working on Trials volunteer stuff and then hitting up the Expo (probably there now!), but I have to say that my spirits are high, my body feels grrrrrrrrrreat and I have an overwhelming sense of optimism for this 'last marathon for a while'...I plan on going out kicking and screaming!!!)

Just thought this one was funny...cute...

I Can Be A Bad Girl

2012-01-12T13:38:00.014-06:00

...when it comes to food!!! I can! I can! I can!

I don't recall ever blogging about this before...but if I did, oh well...its on my mind right now because twice this week I was judged (in a way that felt funny) about food choices.

Grocery store a couple of nights ago: The person behind me in line said "wow. That's a lot of brussel sprouts!" Now I know that without being there, you cannot hear the tone and of course you can't see the squinched face they made, and honestly it was a lot of sprouts among a host of other good for you food...and then the eyeing of the rest of my items...anyway, it isn't the first time but mainly I hear "I wish my cart looked like yours" and what-not. I don't know, it felt 'off' and after seeing what was in their cart, I figured they just felt guilty as hell for all the processed crap they had (I didn't see any vegetables, live or frozen!). I should have said "wow. That's a lot of crap!", but obviously I didn't.
At work this week, and this isn't rare, it happens a lot actually, but just the 2nd time in one week where I felt like people were taking the guilt of their own purchases and somehow saying something about my food made them feel better? I don't know, but I do get tired of it. If someone sees me eating chocolate or a donut they always make some snide remark...

Here's the thing: Right now in my house, in my pantry, in my freezer, there are bad processed fake foods. There are frozen pizzas and there are packages of Ramen. There is a box of white rice right next to the brown rice. There is a bowl of Reeses (on the top shelf of a cabinet) for emergencies. You get the idea.

Sometimes I want frozen pizza (obviously I add a lot of other things to them i.e. fresh veggies, chicken etc.) and one day in the Summer after a long run I was craving Ramen (probably for salt) and I didn't have any so the next time I went grocery shopping I bought a few packages because if the craving ever hit again, I wanted to have it handy. Same thing with so many things...

Once a week I have a big ass breakfast taco with cheese, potatos, and bacon. So what?

I wasn't always the person who cared about what she put in her body...not by a long shot!! Hell-o have you read my sidebar? ------>

And while I think it is very important that I feed my body for its purpose of living and not satisfying my emotions, sometimes I still want what I want and by God, I'm going to give it what it wants and if that is a bag of Tostitos and a jar of processed queso, then so be it.

I think saying you will never ever eat something...well I guess for some people that might work, but it would never work for me. I also don't just save treats for something fabulous and out of this world.

Sometimes to me...at any given time those Tostitos/processed queso are the most fabulous and out of this world thing I can think of.

Just last night I tweeted that the items I am craving are: cinnamon rolls, fried chicken, macaroni and cheese (from the box!) and biscuits and gravy. And I also told one of my coworkers that if I had a good race, my ass was going to Popeyes!

So I sometimes get judged by the processed food lovin' folks and I guess sometimes I get judged by the same processed food lovin' folks when I make bad choices too! Although I am willing to be that I get judged by the food nazi's too...if given the opportunity.

Lets see...which is worse: drinking, smoking and drugs OR not doing any of those things, add running to the mix, working out and maybe 20% of the time eating something that isn't necessarily so good for ya?

Of course if a person isn't at a place where maybe they shouldn't be eating badly, that might be a different story...get your health in check and then reap the benefits!!! Just my opinion. :O)

Moderation. All about moderation.

Even when it comes to the naughty things in life....

Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle, Wiggle!!!

2012-01-11T18:52:00.001-06:00

Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

The foyer of the Hilton (host hotel)

First Time Marathoner OR Long Time Marathoner - General Advice from a Great Coach: Sean Wade

2012-01-10T21:08:00.012-06:00

As a person who has been training with Kenyan Way since the Spring of 2007 and have done many marathons while under the watchful eye of Sean Wade, I am use to weekly emails, sometimes more than once a week, and it being marathon week, well you get all kinds of wise information.

I thought I would share what appeared in my inbox (just copy, pasted and maybe fixed it up a bit for cosmetic reasons only) for future reference and for anyone googling for advice for the week leading into their own marathon, wherever that may be...you may notice where some of my advice comes from...I basically live and breathe Kenyan Way, and his way is bred into me now....

If Kenyan Way had a color, I'd bleed it.... :O)

From Sean Wade/Kenyan Way Trainer/Coach/Masters Runner/Elite Runner Extradonaire!

FIRST TIME MARATHONERS
If this is your first marathon, you should be conservative in your goal finish time.
Until you experience miles 20-26 in an actual race you will not know how your body is going to react.

You should negative split the race by starting out easy and only increasing your effort in the last 6 miles.

You can be feeling great at mile 15 but by mile 21, everything can change if you have not conserved your energy during the first half of the race.

No matter how good you feel do not pick up the pace until the last 4-6 miles.

HYDRATION
It is easy to forget to stay hydrated in cooler weather.

I guarantee most of you are dehydrated right now.

Be sure to drink fluids throughpout the days leading up to race day - if you pee twice in an hour then that is probably a good sign that you are hydrated.

STAY RELAXED
The secret to marathon preparation at this point is the ability to stay relaxed.

You need to treat the marathon as another 20 mile training run and a 6.2 mile race.

The last 6 miles will determine whether you have a great race or not.

You need to stay relaxed in the days leading up to the race, especially the 24 hours preceding the race.

Try to treat it as just another training run with a hard last 6 miles.

Fast Start
Do not try to put time in the bank early by running the first part of the race quicker than your goal pace. This is one certain way to risk having a very bad race. The pace of the first few miles will likely be determined by the runners around you. If you find that you are 30-40 seconds behind your needed pace don't try to make that time up immediately. Use the next 8-10 miles to run 5 seconds faster per mile to make it up. Running as close as possible to your goal mile pace every mile is the key.

PATIENCE
No matter how good you might feel, do not pick up the pace until you hit the 22 mile mark.

Remember, you are running 26 miles so you should feel great at miles 13-15.

The race does not start until mile 20.

CARBO-LOADING
With the reduction in mileage this week, you do not need to increase the size of your meals in order to carbo load.
I usually just have pasta for lunch and dinner on Friday and Saturday along with a high carbohydrate drink on Friday and Saturday.

Expect to put on a few pounds in the week before the race.   (NOT ME COACH!!! NOT ME!!!)

Have a low fat carbohydrate snack when you go to bed the night before the race. Eat your usual pre-long run meal along with a carbohydrate drink before the race.

REALISTIC GOAL TIME
I know many of you are fitter than you have ever been before.

Every year I see improved fitness levels wasted because runners set a goal time that is way faster than their previous fastest time.

You must be realistic when setting your goal time.

Don't go for the home run and strike out instead!

I would rather see a 10 minute improvement in your time than you going for a 30 minute improvement and then ending up not setting a personal best.

KNOW YOUR PACE
You need to know the pace per mile required to reach your goal time.

You need to run as many of the those miles at as close to that pace as possible.
Do not try to make up for lost time during the race.

If you run a mile slower than goal marathon pace don't try to make it up in the next mile - just hit goal marathon pace on the next mile and you can try making up for lost time in the last 4 miles of the race.

ADJUST GOALS IN BAD WEATHER
Check the forecast as you get closer to marathon day and adjust your times goals accordingly.

Absolutely do not try for your goal time is the weather is not co-operating.

If the weather is terrible then just run the marathon as a training run and jog it , especially if you have serious time goals you want to reach.

You will need to run another marathon and should not waste your energy on an all out effort which is doomed to fail because of bad weather conditions
.
STAY WARM
It could be cool on race day so you need to be warm at the start and stay warm.

You should dress in layers so that you can disgard items along the way.

If it does warm up during the run and you have gloves on, keep those gloves with you in case it gets cold later in the race.

If you did not get a tyvek jacket that we were selling you should get one.

We are actually running low on sizes for these jackets so if you don't get one from us, you should be able to pick one up at the Expo (although I am sure they will be a lot more expensive)

TRUST YOUR TRAINING
There is an old farm saying that goes, “The hay is in the barn.” What this refers to is that there is a time when a farmer cuts his hay, bales it up, drives it to the barnyard, and stacks it in the barn. When this is done, he sighs a huge sigh of relief because he knows that the animals have feed for the winter.

The same applies to your race - your “hay” is in the barn. You have done all the training up to this point and have earned the right to celebrate your skills on this important day. Don’t try to sneak in any more training or try something different at the last minute.

Trust that your body and mind are ready to compete and enjoy the race.

DO NOT LET YOURSELF BECOME DISTRACTED
While others may be distracted by weather or the conditions of a track or course, you should stay focused and just do what you came to do. Distractions use energy - conserve that energy for the race. Stay on task by visualizing yourself running strong and fast.

USE YOUR RECALL BUTTON
Great athletes do not predict their next move or action based on their last failure. They stop, do a little positive self talk, replay a great race in their head, and perform in the way they know they are capable. Hanging on to a less than stellar event will affect your performance. Recalling a successful race will help you perform at your peak.

BE PREPARED FOR "GLITCHES"
We are good at visualizing great race strategies and seeing ourselves move up through the pack but what we also need to do is prepare ourselves for those times when our bodies throw us a “glitch”.

This might include a potty break, muscle spasm, a side ache, a fall or a slow start. Visualize this and then see yourself recover from it immediately. Having this image will help put you back on the path to success without losing ground or wasting energy.

Garmin Settings

Be sure to have your Garmin on your wrist when you leave the house. Duh!
Be sure your Garmin is fully charged. Duh!Be sure your Garmin is set for the light to stay on - not go off after 15 seconds. It will be dark when you start so you don't want to go out 1 minute per mile too fast and ruin your race right there. (NOTE: JunieB does not do this because it drains the battery more...and if I lose my battery during a marathon I am gonna be pissed!!)

I race with two lines on the watch so it is easy to read. top line - lap pace - this shows you your current mile pace
bottom line - previous lap pace - this shows you the mile you just ran.

(NOTE: JunieB does NOT do this either..)
These are the two most accurate setting to have on your watch.
You could also have another screen with average pace.
This would give you your average mile pace for the entire run.
Don't rely on this 100% as sometimes the Garmin will read 2 seconds faster per mile than you are actually running.

Minnesota State University - Marathon Tapering Study

2012-01-10T18:21:00.000-06:00

Minnesota State University is conducting a study about the psychological experiences of marathoners during the taper and were looking to interview about 20 marathoners who are running the Chevron Houston Marathon.

Guess who was contacted?

Moi.

The study includes participating in a phone interview 4-10 days before the marathon and then the week after the marathon. You get a free running look like Run!: 26.2 Stories of Blisters and Bliss by Dean Karnazes, Running within by Jerry Lynch or a similar running book. And you will learn about yourself and help others at the same time.

I was pretty jazzed about the opportunity and after answering some questions by paper about certain emotions in regards to the impending marathon (examples below):

Angry
Nervous
Excited
Tense
Exhilarated
Apprehensive

I didn't answer Extremely to any of the emotions but my Quite A Bit's were: Excited, Enthusiastic, Energetic, and Apprehensive. Most of mine were split between Not At All (Who's angry before a marathon?) and Moderately (Uneasy, Anxious, Nervous)

I had the pre-marathon phone interview this evening with one of the actual researchers which was quite interesting to say the least. We went over the items I spoke of up above, my training for the last 3 weeks, day by day... : / (I've been keeping very good notes for this very reason).

We were supposed to actually have this phone interview last Friday, but mis-communication prevented that and actually I am glad. I had pre-filled out some questionaires that you answered based on THAT day and up to THAT point. Well its 4 days later and its amazing how things have changed in those few short days.

He seemed particularly interested in emotions, both negative and positive, especially during the taper. We discussed 'taper tantrums', 'run-ger' (my new word for the hunger associated with marathon training), and 'phantom pains'.

The interview actually gave me a lot of insight into my own feelings both during the training for this marathon, how it differed to past marathon trainings (we talked a lot about how my first marathon training went when I did it on my own). Its amazing to go back into your memories and talk about things that a lot of people would normally forget, but for me (at least), my trainings and marathons are all very vivid memories etched into my mind.

We've scheduled a post - marathon interview as well for next Tuesday.

All in all it was a cool experience and I look forward to seeing the final results once they've all been talleyed up and published.

Here is a bit more about the research and what they are hoping to accomplish:

Current Research

Psychological Experiences of Marathoners During the Taper

Inspired by this Runner’s World article called Taper Time we are conducting one of the only studies examining the psychological experiences of marathoners during the taper period. We know very little scientifically about runners’ experiences.

The taper is when marathoners reduce their intensity and volume of training which usually occurs between 3-4 weeks before the marathon.

There are physiological benefits of the taper such as increased VO₂ max, increased muscular strength, increased peak lactate tolerance, and increased muscle glycogen levels (Stevenson, 2011), but how to marathoner perceive the taper and what are their experience like? For example, one online running blog (fellrnr.blogspot.com), uses the term “taper psychosis” to describe the doubt and uncertainty produced by reducing the volume and intensity of training before running a marathon. According to Stevenson (2010), one of the main reason marathoners are reluctant to taper is a belief they will lose their hard earned training despite evidence based benefits.

Therefore, we are interviewing marathoners who are competing in the Houston and Sugarland Marathons in the month of January, 2012.

Qualitative data will be gathered through the use of semi-structured phone interviews at one week pre-race and one week post-race to explore the psychological aspects of the taper as the runner is going through the process.

Stay tuned for some exciting results that will guide future interventions with runners during the taper period.

Marathon Week - Time to Fuel

2012-01-09T18:17:00.000-06:00

Damn. This post is reeeeeeeeeeeeally long...I should have split it into 2 parts, but I didn't so ... hopefully you can make it through the whole thing without falling asleep!!! Let me know in the comments if you agree, disagree, and/or what your marathon week routines look like food wise!

I would love to know!!! Now without further adieu....

Everyone that either knows me personally or through this blog, knows that I already have issues that surround food and/or body image. I have never disputed that, nor do I really try to talk about it much, but given the content in this post, its probably best if I state that upfront for any new readers who aren't quite aware of that.

It's tough enough to not gain weight during marathon training, something I failed at my first time around (even though I still started that 1st marathon 'lighter', not as light as I could have been if I hadn't been eating like a horse).

Since then my ED (for lack of a better term), has been off and on; taking on the forms of restriction mostly. There were times in the past couple of years, where it would subside (usually during those times with this person...), which usually then ended up with me being depressed, and extremely critical of my body (since I would tend to 'gain' when we were together). He ate poorly and I would follow suit ... now though it makes me laugh to know he's gained 25lbs. Another thing I think important to point out: when you are with someone thats in bad shape, whether its their eating habits or their lack of activity, you tend to take that on...and since...well.. anyway...

Anyway, that's getting a bit off track..still important to the story though.

My best marathon shape was definitely before Chicago 2010 and leading into early 2011. However, that thing I mentioned above messed me sometime around there and then I just kinda spiraled back out of control and by the time I went to Chicago for the 2011 marathon, I wasn't happy with what I had done.

Now though I am back on track and I am really pleased with the way things are going and I think I am looking pretty darn good... :O)

Soooooo...that brings me to how eating or not eating the last week or two before marathon can really affect your weight, your performance and derail your efforts up to that point.

I should start off by saying that I am not a nutritionist, a doctor, a coach or anything like that...and that what I am writing here is based off my opinions and my opinions only, and what I have found works for me.

This comes from 5 years of marathoning, and learning what works for me and doesn't.

And carb loading is what everyone hears, and most tend to believe as gospel and so they go about some strange things...

My belief, in a nutshell is this: You are running less, and probably eating the same (if not more due to extreme hunger), therefore without even realizing it, you are already carb-loading without even that whole week before thing where people think they have to shove carbs down their pie-hole like it was their damn job or something!

Additionally I am of a firm belief that the number one reason runners gain weight during marathon training is because they feel like they have to carb load before every long run. NOT THE CASE.

I don't change anything; I don't add carbs...Well I guess that might not be the entire truth...I actually am more strict about what I DON'T eat, than what I DO eat...

My typical list of foods 2 weeks out: eggs, oats, spinach salads with grilled chicken or shrimp/oil and vinegar and pico de gallo...grilled chicken made into chicken salad, avocados, whole grain bread, lots of water, LOTS of vegetables, nothing carby/starchy and nothing that will bloat me (broc). You get the idea.

I stay away from cheese at ALL costs, unless its parmesean. This kills me :O) I love cheese and my trainer will even tell you I have a problem with cheese :O) I am getting better though! I don't buy it like I use to. Out of sight, out of mind.

No fast food. Not even a cheat. I rarely eat it anyway unless its Whataburger, so this is not hard.

All of that should give you some idea; if you want more specifics, email me to ask. Again this is pretty much how I have been eating for the past month anyway to drop some weight, so its not a stretch. Although I do have sweet potatoes, and a few other things in very small doses in my regular everyday/non-marathon diet.

OK, so on to the rest of it....

The theory behind carbohydrate loading is that by taking in a high dosage of carbohydrates (sugar) the day before your sporting event you'll provide your muscle with a long lasting supply of glucose (sugar) which will maximize energy. This philosophy also reinforces taking liquid glucose supplements (Gu or some other type of gel) and/or high sugar electrolyte recovery drinks (Gatorade etc.) during a sporting event.

Myth: Carbohydrate loading always improves performance

Fact: Carbohydrate loading offers proven endurance benefits for vigorous events or training sessions that go approximately 90 minutes or longer. But if your exercise session isn't that long, and it's not very intense, carbohydrate loading probably isn't going to offer a performance benefit. The reason is that shorter, less-intense exercise doesn't fully deplete muscle glycogen fuel levels. Carbohydrate loading is only going to be helpful in situations where typical glycogen reserves would otherwise be depleted. Again, if you are running less and eating normally you are naturally carb-loading anyway...carb loading the night before is just going to, for most people, create a stupid bloaty, gross feeling the next morning: race morning! See next myth...

Myth: Pasta the night before an endurance event constitutes carbohydrate loading

Fact: Carbohydrate loading typically requires a combination of tapering exercise while increasing carbohydrate consumption, and it's usually done over a few days. A single high-carbohydrate meal the night before a big competition is not an effective method for boosting muscle glycogen levels. Personally I suggest this meal to be 2 days prior. Example: race on Sunday? Eat your pasta dinner on Friday.
The worst thing you can do for your marathon comfort is to load up huge plates of pasta and salad and high-fat salad dressing the night before the marathon. As one expert commented, "Constipation is unknown among marathon participants." You don't want the extra weight in your digestive tract the next morning. You don't want any roughage, such as from the salad.

You don't want the extra weight, period. If you have been eating a balanced diet the week before the marathon, you have already loaded your muscles with glycogen.

How to Eat the Week Before the Marathon

As you taper your activity in the week before the marathon, you should eat a balanced diet with 60-70% carbohydrates and not overeat or undereat.

Two Days Before the Marathon
If you want a traditional pasta party, the time to do it is 2 nights before the marathon. Do not overeat. Reduce caffeine and alcohol consumption. Drink plenty of water. A giant bowl of pasta and a huge salad with lots of roughage are not recommended - you need moderation.

One Day Before the Marathon

Eliminate any high fiber foods and foods that cause gas, such as beans, broccoli, bran cereals, etc. If you are lactose intolerant, eliminate milk products. If spicy foods speed up your gut, eliminate them. Stick with low-residue foods and eat only enough to satisfy your basal metabolism. Eliminate alcohol and reduce caffeine to the bare minimum.

I can tell you without hesitation exactly what I have been eating for the past 6 marathons...

Breakfast - Eggs. Eggs Benedict if I am out of town as I order off a menu. Fruit of some kind. And typically 2 pieces of whole grain toast. No butter. No cheese. No milk.
Lunch - This varies, but usually a very large salad with grilled chicken or shrimp. Possibly a toss with some pasta if available. O&V only. A piece of bread of some sort.
Dinner - Soup of some sort; nothing cream based. Think chicken broth with a few veggies in it and thats my dinner. A piece of bread of some sort. Small, plain salad. Nothing fancy and O&V only.

Morning of the Marathon

Many marathoners can't eat anything before the starting gun. Whatever you choose for breakfast should be bland and high in carbohydrates and easy to digest. If you must have some coffee, have as little as possible.

My MO is that I have been having the same thing for the past 3 marathons and/or half marathon. If its a marathon, I have 2 plain brown sugar Pop Tarts, and if its a half marathon, I eat 1 of the 2. :O) Its quick, portable, taste yummy, and its simple carbs and sugar. Plus its the one time I will actually eat a Pop Tart and not feel badly about a) the calories and b) the fact that its processed fake food packed with chemicals that would kill a person if ingested on their own.

Drink a large glass of water 1-2 hours before the start and have nothing more to drink until the starting gun.

That starts you off well-hydrated but gives you enough time to eliminate any extra.

Here is a list of myths that I found online that I thought I would share. Anything in red font is my addition, opinion, thoughts or personal preferences.Myth 1: You can eat as many carbohydrates as you like since you exercise and train so hard.

Truth: There is a great saying “No work out can out work a bad diet”. TRUE! TRUE! TRUE!! The reality is that too much of anything will yield negative results. ALL Carbohydrates are broken down to sugar and too much carbohydrate intake (even healthy ones) will spike your blood sugar levels, cause an over release of Insulin and cause you body to store fat. Take a look around you and watch the people you know who overeat carbohydrates and exercise a lot (cardio), most of the time they have higher body fat levels and lack muscle tone. This was me!

This is due to the overconsumption of carbohydrates and working at too high of a heart rate for too long of a time.
Everything needs to stay in balance. Your body is a feed as it goes machine. The best way to look at this is by taking a baby's feeding routines into account. A baby will feed every 3 to 4 hours, eating balanced meals of all three nutrients - Protein, Fat and Carbohydrates, stop when satisfied and begin eating again when it is hungry. Our Nervous System uses Glucose (sugar) to create energy, so it relies on a steady balanced supply. When a baby grows (or you workout more one day than your other days), the body will need more fuel. It won't only need carbohydrates… it requires more balanced meals. The combination of protein, fat and carbohydrates within each meal creates a hormonal balance of your blood sugar levels which will maximize your results.

Myth 2: During high intensity cardiovascular exercise (Heart Rate above 160 BPM) of extended duration (60 minutes and above) you should eat many more carbohydrates before, during and after exercise to ensure you have enough energy to maximize performance. (I will do my best to keep this answer as non scientific as possible)

Truth: Your body does require more overall Calories (carbohydrates, protein and fat) during high intensity exercise due to the fact that you are mostly burning glucose during the activity. The old philosophy is that loading up on carbohydrates before an event would maximize your glucose (sugar) reserves for the activity. Unfortunately that is not the case. When too many carbohydrates are consumed your body will store fat and some of the glucose will also be stored to be utilized for energy. The challenge with this is that the stored glucose (sugar) in muscle tissue lacks something called a Glucose 6 Phosphate, all this means is that the sugar in each particular muscle can only be used for that muscle and cannot be accessed for blood sugar. So any extra glucose your body requires will be taken from the amino acids (protein) in your muscle mass and liver. In essence, your body begins to cannibalize itself.

For these reasons, carbohydrate loading before, during or after an event will completely work against you.
Of course, you definitely need to feed yourself before, during and after the training. The key is to feed yourself a balanced meal of protein, fat and carbohydrates - preferably low glycemic ones - and high quality food before and after training. During high intensity cardio of extended duration training (marathon, triathlon, extended high intensity cardio, etc...) you are best to either eat a piece of a protein bar or a have a portion of a protein shake every 15 minutes. Make sure the protein bar and protein shake match your balanced nutrient ratios. Personally I think protein bars for the most part and so far that I have found are nonsense and fall into processed garbage. There are some that are completely natural so look for the least amount of ingredients and ones that you can actually pronounce!

This type of consistent feeding will provide your body with a steady supply of glucose. It will also keep your liver glucose stores full. Keeping these stores full is critical because the glucose found in the liver is the only stored glucose that can be converted into blood sugar. Now, the liver can only hold approximately 400 grams of glucose at any given time... This is why carbohydrate loading will not work.

Myth 3: To maximize performance you must eat a lot of heavy carbohydrates (pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, etc) the night before an event.

Truth: The same information from Myth 2 applies to Myth 3. The overall philosophy of carbohydrate loading was to provide the body with a high amount of stored glucose (sugar) so it could utilize these stores during an event. As we discussed above, it is physiologically impossible. This means that all carbohydrate loading will do is store more fat and end up keeping the body's blood sugar levels unstable.
The answer is to consistently feed your body high quality balanced meals before, during and after the event. This will maximize your performance.

In other words, eat good REAL food 80% of the time and you don't need to worry about how you are fueled! You will be ready for anything at any time!!! :O)

Myth 4: During the event you should be consistently taking in glucose (sugar) supplements to keep your energy consistent.

Truth: I think you are now seeing the theme... all your meals should be balanced and you should feed your body as you go, meaning as you output energy, make sure you are consistently replacing that energy.
All pure sugar replacements do is quickly go through your digestive system and spike your blood sugar levels. Physics says that what goes up, must come down... The same thing applies to your blood sugar levels, and that kind of reaction will drastically affect your performance. When using glucose supplements you will eventually have an energy crash. They will also cause irregularities in your blood sugar and affect recovery time.

The solution is to consistently feed on a protein bar or protein shake as explained in myth 2. In the case of marathoning though, Gu or other gel, sports bean, candy or whatever obviously is our go to!

Of course, there will be times where you will “Hit the Wall” meaning your body seemed to burn more fuel than you expected and you experience low blood sugar. If this happens, taking a glucose supplement is recommended (always have one available for these types of emergencies) and then evaluate what happened so you can create a solution to prevent it from occurring again. This has only happened to me once....my first marathon. Where I had trained alone, I didn't know what I was doing and yes, I listened to other runners I had met that told me how I should be eating, and what I read on the internet. In other words I carbo loaded for days and days like it was my job. Ever since I gave up carbo loading and experimented, I have yet to hit another wall in a marathon.

Myth 5: After the Event you should eat many carbohydrates so you can refuel your body's low glucose (sugar) supply.

Truth: There is an Old Philosophy about the “Window of Opportunity”, meaning after an event your body is in such a deficit it needs to take in a large amount of food, especially carbohydrates, to recover and optimize performance. Once again this will only lead to spiking your blood sugar and storing fat.

Imagine if there is not a deficit, what if you fed your body correctly and balanced through the event and never hit a blood sugar low?

If you never hit a blood sugar low there is never a need to over consume carbohydrates. The reality is this: if you can prevent the ups and downs of your blood sugar and keep you body in a constant state of homeostasis (internal balance) you will train, perform and recover much more efficiently and effectively.

Again...eat well 80% (or more if you can) of the time and your body will thank you for it! Not just for marathoning but for life!!!

Marathon Week at a Glance

2012-01-09T07:21:00.000-06:00

Well its finally here...and I am feeling pretty darn good!

I have full range of motion with my back, and the numbness in my foot (directly related to my back issue) seems to be OK. My PF flared up a bit yesterday on my left heel, but I am not concerned about that in the least.

Even after the 10 mile run, a hard workout yesterday at the gym (1 hour: back, biceps and triceps) AND 15 min ab's...AND working 2 days at the L (standing for 12 hours), all is well.

This week as far as running goes, well its light for obvious reasons. Here is the running schedule:

Monday - 5 miles (with some mile repeats in there: nothing too fast thankfully)
Tuesday - Off
Wednesday - 4 miles
Thursday - 3 miles
Friday - 3 miles
Saturday - Off
Sunday - Marathon!

Gym workouts will be:

Monday - Chest and shoulders, ab's
Tuesday - Ab's (will do at home)
Wednesday - Back, bicep's and triceps, ab's
Thursday - Ab's (will do at home)
Friday - Ab's (will do at home), light weights which I will also do at home with the equipment I have: 15lb, 10lb, 5lb and I also have a 20lb weighted bar
Saturday - Ab's (will do at home)
Sunday - obviously nothing but running :O)

Other items on the agenda:

Two separate dinners pre-marathon; the last one being on Friday night with the KW group (so excited for this one); Coach will be talking and its always fun to hang out.
Saturday of course is the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials; busy busy morning! up at 4am to be at my first stop at 5am to load up the vehicle before heading downtown
I have my friend MK coming in to town to stay with me as she is also running Houston; EXCITED to see her!
Then on Sunday, after the marathon, there is the Texans game!!!! And then 2 marathon after parties to hit up!

Thank goodness I have Friday through Tuesday off! I'm gonna need those 2 days after marathon to rest up from what is a very, very busy week indeed!!!!!!!!!

I am working on a marathon week food post, along with 2 separate product reviews. I received a pair of Reebok running shoes for review and also some nutrition bars from another company! Lot's to catch up!

The blog will be busy with a lot of great and interesting posts in the next few weeks!

Marathon Trials, Marathon and product reviews! Oh my!

Katie Bar the Door...

2012-01-08T07:52:00.000-06:00

Today was my last "long" run before the Houston Marathon next Sunday...

I ran 10.48 miles at a 9:45 pace. It was stupid but I did it anyway. It was warm (60) and a bit humid (but nowhere near what it was last weekend, I don't think). I was in the groove and even though 3 miles of it were at Memorial Park (a surface that normally slows me down), I wasn't phased by it today for some reason.

I had foot numbness but not the entire run and that gives me a bit of cautious optimism.

Once I had 2 miles left, I tucked in behind 2 girls that I know that are 4-4:15 marathoners, put my head down and ran.

Today, I ended up going in to work, on a technicality. I thought I was working, so last weekend I turned down the chance to go to the Texans playoff game today. Then on Monday I saw that I wasnt working but the ticket was long gone, so yesterday I called to see if they needed me and they did as one person gave her 2 weeks notice and they just let her go. So it worked out.

All day I kept waiting for the back pain and more foot numbness but it never came...sure it hurts a little, but nothing that I can't manage.

I still worry though about next Sunday. Is it worth it for what it might do in the week or weeks afterwards? I don't know. Right now I feel pretty darn good about going out there, starting, and finishing.

Which brings me to my next thing: A couple of weeks back when I ran the 20 miler, and I actually ran with someone the whole way (CB) AND we knocked it out of the park...well after we both thought about it, when we have run together its always been good; better than good actually.

So CB was at LL today and I broached the topic of us meeting up on Sunday morning and doing this thing together...we both have a few aches and pains, and we both run about the same pace and we apparently run well together and the best thing about that is neither of us talk! :O) I told her that since I am off on Friday I would stop by LL, we'll assess how we're feeling and make the final decision there, but I am pretty certain (like 99.9%) that CB and I will be doing this thing together one week from today.

We both agree though that if one of us has to fall back, the other keeps going. We won't sacrifice.. :O) This takes a lot of pressure off of both of us ... I hate agreeing to run with anyone and then feel the pressure to perform outside of my limits on any given day.

And as of right now the forecast looks to be in our favor...praying that for once in my life I am dealt a good hand in the poker game that is marathon!

BOO to the YAH!

2012-01-07T18:57:00.000-06:00

Oh yeeeeeeeeeaah baby...

Weekend Motivation!!!

2012-01-06T09:03:00.000-06:00

Motivation for the normal peoples like you and me....

I've taken yesterday and today off, hoping that the extra day of rest helps with my back/foot...partner in crime seems to think it will. Short 10 miler tomorrow and then its minimal mileage until race day...also got my bib and corral assignment last night via email. Today is the last day to either defer to 2013 or drop to the half. Neither of which I am doing.

I'll either DNS or Finish what I started. One or the other. :O)

Texans playoff game tomorrow!!! Woohoo!!! Say what you will but I'm still a fan!!!

Saw this posted on Facebook last night and I really enjoyed this clip of the 2012 Olympic Marathon Trials runners from Minnesota...their accents make me laugh sometimes listening...and well, who doesn't love the phrase 'train your balls off'...? We were at dinner and the whole conversation was Trials, Trials, Trials...gotta love being out with someone who totally gets it.

Another Year...

2012-01-05T11:52:00.000-06:00

I just received the email from Kenyan Way about the Spring season of training. The Spring season of KW training either prepares you for a Spring marathon or for running faster at the shorter distances which are so popular here in the Spring: 5K's, 10K's, 8K's, and half marathons.

Originally I thought I was going to forego KW for the Spring but of course I have changed my mind based upon my running goals for the 1st half of the year.

I am encouraged by the information in the email, seems to be jazzing things up a bit, and well to be honest I am actually looking forward to getting back to the training I use to do on a continual basis instead of just running long runs and medium runs while preparing for a marathon. Sure I've done a bit of speed workouts but nothing like I will be doing consistently starting in February!

If any Houston readers are interested you can go to the Kenyan Way website to read more about the program and to sign up for the 10 week course. And if you have any questions you might want answers to from a 5 year veteran of this program, please email me!!! My email address is right there..up top to your right. :O)

Hope to see new faces!!!

Pump...Pump...Pump...Pump It Up!!!

2012-01-05T07:43:00.001-06:00

We are now 10 days away from the Chevron Houston Marathon and 9 days away from the Olympic Marathon Trials!

Its exciting to see the 'commercial' on the television (I generally see it in the mornings before work); not really a commercial, but rather just a quick spot for the Olympic Marathon Trials. I for one am getting really excited!

Here is the television spot. I think it was done great! Gives me chills every time I see it or even hear the accompanying music!

Recently at a Texans watch party where a lot of the HARRA board members were, and who consequently are also on either my running club (BCRR) and/or train with Kenyan Way were there, I was informed of where my volunteer captain for the Trials was, he indicated he knew where he wanted me to be on race day. It wasn't until I received an email from him that I knew what that was.

Originally I thought I would be in the same place as when we 'practiced' the fluid stops last year at the 1/2 Marathon Championships, but due to several of the runners indicating there were too many hairpin turns that the powers that be altered the course, albeit slightly. However due to the change, our team of folks will now be in Downtown Houston near the miles 3:11:19 of the Olympic Marathon Trials course. The course map can be found here.

Instead of just standing at or near fluid tables, I will be working the hospitality tent, which actually bodes well for me in case its freezing cold or raining. Or both. What this also means is that I will have to be up at 4am race morning to be at one location at 5 to pick up Starbucks and breakfast tacos, and then transport them to the area where I will be hospitality-izing!

Somehow this event here in Houston is overshadowing the fact that I will be yet again running the Houston Marathon the very next day (barring any further injury or increasing pain due to current injury). More on that later...

Additionally friends are starting to either post on Facebook images of the long range forecast, or texting me them :O)..so the weather stalking for many has begun. I look at the weather each morning...and of course keep my eye on the weather cast each day on a local news station. I tend to lean towards just paying attention to the local forecast since they use viable data, only go 7 days out whereas weather .com's use generalized data and go off past years and its really just a whole lot of 'this might happen if this happens and this happens and this happens...'

Additionally I wanted to point out that while NBC has the rights to the Olympic Trials and will not be streaming live online or otherwise, I do know that NBC will be showing the Trials later that day, so check your local listings!!! I know even though I will be front and center and up close to the action on race day, my butt will be planted in front of the television later that afternoon so that I can see the entire thing instead of just the 3 times the runners will pass (quickly) before my eyes!!!

Will you be watching???

Shark Snark Attack!

2012-01-05T07:17:00.001-06:00

My Momma always told me 'if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all'...well I do abide by that advice for the most part (moreso now in the past few years as I have matured...), but there are some days where I want to just unleash on so many things, but I try not to breed negativity.

I am not sure what's going on these past few days, maybe its PMS, or PMS (and yes they ARE different)...or maybe its because people are just people and I get so disappointed ... maybe I just pick (and picked as in past tense) bad apples, or maybe I am just vulnerable/gullible or something to where mean/bad people seem to end up in my life somehow.

For a long time I have wanted to write out some feelings about a person who was in my life for many years since I began running, we had a relationship...off and on, but we always would find our way back to each other (and always a bad idea)...He would be the first one to tell you how awful he treated me: cheating, lying...more cheating, and a lot more lying...how he took advantage of me and my feelings (which today I know those weren't real).

I should have known better (I did know better)..I mean anyone that cheats on his wife numerous times, chooses his own needs (wanting to date other women because he only ever was with his wife, sans the people he cheated with during his marriage) over his child, being broke all the time due to trying to keep up with whoever, letting his house go into foreclosure, not taking care of his dogs (this bothered me the most)...well this is not a good man...There were times I thought I loved him, but I didn't. I was in love with winning...I wanted to be the dump-er...and ultimately I was. I'd never had anyone treat me (badly) the way he did and my ultimate goal was to change him...now that was the dumbest idea ever.

I wish I could write it all here, but that would be writing a book, and well I'm just a blogger..not a full blown writer...so I give you a summation of where my thought process went when finally laying it all to rest.

Into everyone’s life, occasionally a little crazy must fall. It’s kind of an inevitability… like hitting every green light on the way to work when you’re trying to put on your makeup. You enter into what you are fully expecting to be a long-term, successful friendship, but through your naivety or trust or purity of heart, you somehow miss the person’s warning label emblazoned on their chest that screams: “BEWARE! Toxic person!!!”

It happens to the best of us. It’s definitely happened to me… I allowed someone in my life who turned out to personify “toxic” in more ways than one. There were definite red flags along the way, but as someone who always believes the best in people, I ignored them. Until it reached the point that I couldn’t.

A person can only slap you so many times before you have to stop turning the other cheek. And though this person’s actions say a great deal more about their weakness than mine, the entire experience taught me something very valuable, which I will now share with you.

Not everyone belongs in your life.

When you have a light that shines bright, you’re going to attract a lot of, well…moths. But these moths will do nothing but dull your shine, get in the way of where you’re going, and ultimately, create a big old mess. It is necessary, and even vital, to set standards for your life and the people you allow in it.

Look around you at the people you spend the most time with and realize that your life can’t rise any higher than your friendships. If you surround yourself with toxic people who drag you down, depress you, use you, and betray you…the friendship, and your life, has nowhere to go but down.

Remember: It's a lot harder to get someone OUT of your life than it is to let them IN, so please…be selective. Oh God how this is true...its almost been 5 years of hell now; most of 2011 was free of it; sans the mini-drama here and there and accusations of ridiculous proportions...and finally now that I have written this, its done forever...

Anyway... It’s your life. It’s your destiny. It’s your party.

And not just anyone deserves an invitation.

Daily Mile - Exercise Tracking Software

2012-01-03T10:32:00.009-06:00

You may notice something added to the blog over there to the right...a tracker now for mileage/workouts!

Since I don't wear my Garmin when I treadmill, or when I yoga, weight train, bike ride etc., I haven't had a real clear indicator of what my yearly anything is as it pertains to fitness! I have been seeing a lot of my Twitter and Facebook peeps logging their workouts using Daily Mile and it syncs up with both of those social media apps (if you want them to), and also you can share internally on DM with those people you allow to see them (kinda like Facebook I guess).

I added the widget (there is an option of 3) to my blog so that information is also shared with readers. I only shared the miles though, so I don't know that anything outside of mileage will show up here...guess I will find out once I add a workout other than that...which now that I think about it, I need to go add the weight training from Sunday! Nope, just distance. I could add the widget to show my last workout, route, etc., but I certainly don't want to share running routes with just anyone! :O)

Dailymile gives users a simple way to track their workouts. The application supplies users with a place to record all of their fitness efforts, whether they are strength training, jogging or doing any other physical activity. I think its fun how it tells you how many miles to go before you are around the world, or how many donuts you've burned. :O)

The user can record what they did, how many repetitions or miles they managed, when they did it and other workout related details such weight amounts and duration.

Users can also see what their fellow Dailymile members accomplished through feeds found on the homepage and on user profiles. The application also includes embedded maps so the user can plan routes. Competition features are included to give the user more ways to find motivation. Dailymile is also compatible with Garmin, Android and iPhone devices.

Daily Mile offers many simple features that are combined to offer athletes a full spectrum of functions that can make their fitness goals easier to obtain. The application records more than workout times.

Users can add how much they lifted, how many repetitions they managed and routes that they took. Dailymile can help athletes plan, organize and keep track of their workouts each day.

User profiles provide a fitness overview along the left hand side, which includes friends, motivations, total miles covered, fitness goals, number of routes created, number of races run and the user’s URL. The center of the user profile includes comments, images and more statistics.

A new user can join the Dailymile community by clicking the orange “Get Started” button found along the left side of the homepage. Two buttons at the top of the form invite the user to log in with an existing Facebook or Twitter account. Users who prefer to create a new account can fill out the form provided below. The form asks for an email address, full name and password. The user can click the orange “Sign Up” button at the bottom of the form to complete registration. A small note below the form advises the user that by submitting their information, they are automatically agreeing to the Dailymile terms of use.

Dailymile is available to all users for free. There are no subscription fees or other charges for using the website. Anyone can join the Dailymile community for free. No premium paid membership is available at this time. The site includes a small online store that sells t-shirts, however this is currently the only place users are asked to spend money (and it is completely optional).

Daily Mile Features

Challenge friends and family to fitness competitions
Record each days activities and share on Twitter and Facebook
Build up a friends list and profile on Dailymile
Create fitness goals and post them to your profile
Upload images to go with your profile

Want to join me on Daily Mile???? Do you use any other software for tracking all your workouts so you can get a weekly, monthly, yearly synopsis???

Taper Madness...or Something More Sinister?

2012-01-02T09:53:00.001-06:00

I didn't blog about my 'long' run this past Saturday, been kinda busy, but it was less than stellar. Guess it had to happen at some point. My long runs lately have been nothing short of awesome for someone of my caliber.

I had 12 miles on the schedule and wouldn't you know it, it was warm (62) and humid as all get out (98%). Add to that it was like swimming in fog. It took a lot of effort to even just see a person a mere 40 yards ahead of you and given this was a new route (or one that I dont recall ever running), well I missed a few turns. If you couldn't see the street signs and you couldn't see the people in front of you, well it was bound to happen.

I walked more than I care to admit on this one. I don't know if I am just flat out ass tired (probably), or if it was the 'heat' (definitely) or what, but it just sucked donkey ballz. Somehow I still ended up with an average of 10:38 pace though...somehow...

Add to all of that and the fact that my left foot is consistently numb, especially when running, I just am having serious doubts about going through with this marathon. I am sure a lot of it is taper madness driven, but I also have to be real about my situation (back/spine). It just flared up at a bad time and now I have to either deal with it for one more last time (for a while) on a distance of 26.2 or....

Honestly right now I don't have any answers. No way am I going to a doctor right now because I know what he would tell me. We have until this coming Friday to legitimately switch to the half, but I already know I'm not going to do that.

Right now my intent is to do this marathon, whether it be a great day of weather, or how I feel leading into it. I'm approaching it as 'finish'. After this one, I can rest.

Ah rest...you elude me. I am at that point in these months (8) of training. First for Chicago, then Dallas and now Houston.

What the hell was I thinking?

I ran yesterday on the treadmill to give everything a break (also my left knee is bothering me; but that could very well be phantom pains), and then this morning I hit the road for 5 miles. The next 2 weeks of my schedule is very light and I plan to take full advantage of that. At least this morning it was cold here again, a bit windy (especially on the way back to where even going down the TCJ bridge felt a bit hard).

And it was a run where again, I felt like it took more effort than it should (mostly mentally), and this is what causes me each time to have doubt.

But at the end of the day, in this thing we call marathon training, that is just something that is a part of it, and I don't think that goes away for anyone.

12 days to the Olympic Marathon Trials here in Houston and 13 days to marathon day....

The countdown begins...and for some (not me), the stalking of the weather on accuweather.com (which yes I did take a peek this morning, and it looks awesome; but I know obviously its going to change a million times between now and then)....

First Day of the Year - 2012

2012-01-01T21:14:00.000-06:00

Here is how the first day of the new year shaped up for me

Enjoyed laying around in bed a bit longer this morning

Running of course!

Hit the gym! Yes the gyms ARE open today!!!

Football! I had an offer to go to the game today but passed on that...that's an all day affair (9am to almost 5pm), and I had other things I wanted to accomplish today! And really Kubiak? Who goes for 2 when 1 would have tied and you would have had a decent chance? Smooth move Exlax.

Nap during the game! :O)

UNBELIEVABLE! JUST UNBELIEVEABLE!!! Speechless. Completely speechless.

What about you? Nursing a hangover? Laying around, eating? Just laying around?

All I can say is there were 3 people besides me at the gym today; guess those resolutioner's are all waiting for tomorrow...always tomorrow...

I Resolve Nothing! Kinda.

2012-01-01T08:08:00.002-06:00

I don't mean to be a Debby Downer, but honestly I HATE the first month of the year because everywhere you look, whether its TV (talk shows and commercials), or on social media (twitter and Facebook) or even just online (blogs, online news), everyone is making grandious gestures and promises that probably less than 5% even keep...They say that by February 10th, resolutions will have gone by the wayside.

And I don't know about you, but when I set a singular goal and fail...well I feel a) like a failure and b) worse than when I started.

I have a few things I would certainly like to be better at in 2012, thats pretty much what I think about every new year, and its the best resolution I can think of. At least for me. I personally don't like to set myself up for failure. I don't want to tout any numbers for PR's, or miles I am gonna run, or $ I will save, or to lose X number of pounds...you get the idea. I see it all the time, and I see many people in general and friends fall flat on their face and then some even have mental anguish over it.

I think its important to have goals, yes...but to put so much pressure on ones self with seemingly unattainable goals (or lofty at best), I just don't see the sense in it.

The only thing that is much different from this year compared to the past 5 is that this will be the first year I will not be training for a marathon(s). Not even for Houston 2013. I want to take the entire year off from running anything over 15 miles at any given time (15 miles max long run for half marathon training). I do want to focus on getting faster at shorter distances for a change, and just give my body (and my head) the break that it so deserves.

One of the things I am going to differently on the blog though is that I am not broadcasting which races I am doing ahead of time. I think if you've read the past few months though you already know that I am doing the RnR Seattle Half in June, but outside of that, you don't know squat! I havent signed up for RnR Vegas and based upon the debacle from a few weeks ago, not sure that I will either. I will just be posting training and then of course race recapping...

I love running, I truly do, and barring injury, I doubt I ever stop, but I just want to want to run and not feel like I have to run..you know? I am a by the book kind of trainee and I get so caught up in the scheduling of it all, I find myself sometimes becoming resentful.

A couple of days ago, I was out having sushi with a friend and the subject of 2012 marathons came up and when I said again that I would not be training in 2012, I got this 'oh sure J, riiiiight...' kind of look. I honestly think that no one believes that I can go a year without training for a couple of marathons, let alone even one marathon.

I'll show them!!!

OK, so I don't want to hear about how you're going to eat better, lose weight, run faster, run farther, spend more time with family and all that jazz...I want to hear something different!

What say you?

Weekend Motivation!!!

2011-12-30T09:56:00.000-06:00

They're spreading like wildfire!

For those doing Houston, this is your weekend motivation picture today!

For those who aren't...

And Happy New Year again everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Goodbye 2011...

2011-12-28T09:21:00.038-06:00

If there is one truly great life lesson that 2011 has brought, it would be that the only boundaries in life which exist are those which one imparts on themselves. Living in blissful ignorance of the difference from that which I am currently capable of and that which I am pursuing makes some think that I am off in candy land living a reality which is unthinkable and unattainable, and to those I say PISH-POSH. With every year I learn a little bit more about myself, and in others. I have become this person I never envisioned, but yet I really really like. I mean really. Like. :O)

Does the art of believing in something powerful and magical wash away once one hits adulthood where we all succumb to what we feel is our only fate and settle for a life that is predicably ordinary? Does one only stay within their realms of comfort never daring to color outside the lines?

Of course you do, if you want a life filled with conventional dullness and feel content never challenging yourself to outdo your societial predetermined potential. While some may call my dreams a hopeful wasteland, I call them opportunities and blessings. Daring for a moment to swim upstream with hopes of achieving something uniquely different from what society has predestined me to achieve is what gets me out of bed everyday. These days I'm holding on for the glimmer of hope for the impossible.

I see no sense in settling for the stability of a dead end business career in exchange for a paycheck that comes on someone elses terms and strips me of my individualism. Instead I chose to brave my soul to any who will listen and find value in that which I am passionately barking about on a daily basis, health and it's unseen freedoms.

Of course, I don't really have the means to just ditch everything and live off the land, but my pursuit of my next endeavor is in the works, and it might be 2 years before I reach it, but I will keep reaching. Even if the dream shifts due to unforeseen circumstances, it will be ok. At least there is something out there that I have the will to reach for instead of just settling.

Now what? What happens in 2012, and where is this all going? I wish I had the answer to that, but as of right now I don't. Here we are just a few days out from the new year where I should feel stress and pressure to keep pressing forward with a concrete plan for the direction my life is going, but that's not how I opperate.

Instead I fuel my dreams knowing that there is no intention to connect the dots going forward, rather the point is to look back and connect the dots from there.

Every year I think "God I am so glad for a new year. Surely this one is going to be better than the last." But yet there are always things that happen that can make it seem like such a crappy year as a whole, but I try and find the good and not to focus so much on the awful.

Two very awful and devastating things occurred in 2011, both of which upset the core of my being...my heart. But out of both of those, something good (maybe even great) have come from them. This is what I choose to focus on.

Obviously one of those things is the death of my Momma. I still think of her every day...I remember the last few days...I remember having my niece put the phone up to her ear when it was time and I was 20 min away, so that I could tell her how much I loved her and that it was OK for her to go...that we would be fine.

But even with her dying, things that are good have come with it. I'm not strong enough to go into those publicly, and honestly they're just too personal and will only be shared with those closest to me now...

Then there is the other thing that was quite a blow to me .. initially .. also extremely persona, but much less harder to get over than losing my momma. Then I realized that some things were never really that big of a deal to being with ... kinda like another death, as in gone forever, but not in the 6 feet under sense ...

But yeah, gone forever ... even the memories, the few good ones out of a number of years, have faded to almost nothingness now ... I find myself sometimes struggling to remember any good memories; mostly just the bad ones still linger from time to time ...

So to 2011, while you haven't been the most shining year for sure, at the end of the day, at least I had another year on God's great Earth ... I leave behind some bad memories, and some really great memories too.

I welcome the new year and whatever challenges it will present to me ... stronger, wiser, another year older, but oh so hopeful and happy ...

So to everyone out there ... please please be safe ... and please please be hopeful ...

Happy New Year!!!!

ZipFizz - Product Review

2011-12-27T06:49:00.000-06:00

I mentioned a while back that a representative from ZipFizz had contacted me to product review their product on my blog...so here goes...

I will review the Zipfizz energy shot which retails for about $1.99. This little 4 ounce bugger only has 30 calories, only 8 grams of carbs and contains zero sugar. The Zipfizz energy shot is marketed as a healthy alternative to energy drinks for those above reasons. Along with the liquid shot, Zipfizz also offers mixable flavored energy powders. Other than that I don't know too much more about Zipfizz so I will just start the review. That's probably all you care about anyway.

Zipfizz has 120 milligrams of caffeine, taurine, green tea extract and an unbelievable amount of b-vitamins. What's an unbelievable amount? How about 41,667% of your daily allowance of vitamin B-12. So yeah there is a lot of energy ingredients packed into this.

The package came with 7 (or was it 8) different flavors and honestly they were all good! I especially loved the grape and the creme orange flavor most! There was maybe one that I didnt care for (raspberry maybe; can't remember now). For the past 3 weekends, each Saturday morning before my long runs (18, 13 and 20), I drank the 20oz bottle (also provided) just before leaving the house. Now I cannot say for sure if it had anything to do with the awesome runs I had, but I am gonna go out on a limb and say, Yes!

They remind me of Nuun (which I dont like though) as when you put it in and add the cold water there is a fizzing thing that happens and once you close the little top and shake, be careful as the first time I did this, it blew the top open!!! Nothing spewed out but it scared the bejeezus out of me!

The other times I drank it; either before a work out and once just because (before work) I will say the high from this is extremely stable and hasn't yet given me the jitters. Everyone reacts differently though so to guarantee 100% that you will not get the jitters would be a lie. When I take it, I feel very awake, alert, and clear headed. And I seem to perform better whether its running or at the gym.

I have one vial left and I will use that this coming Saturday before my short long run :) ... I haven't seen it in the stores (but I hear you can get it at Costco), but I am in the process of seeing if anyone here in town besides Costco is carrying it! Otherwise I will order direct I guess! I really really really love this product!!!

Good taste, fast acting kick, low calorie count, no sugar. What more could you ask for right? Maybe some more B-vitamins? All joking aside I don't think I would change a thing about this energy shot.

Drop and Give Me 20

2011-12-26T07:02:00.003-06:00

The holiday is over and even though things are quite back to normal (still off work until Thursday!), I'm up early (also quite normal) so figured I would jot down this past Saturday's long run. What isn't normal is that I'm enjoying a nice hot cup of coffee made on my new Keurig single cup that I got for Christmas from my sister (along with over 100 Kcups! Won't need to buy coffee for quite some time either!)

I went into LL on Friday to pick up my check and say Merry Christmas to everyone (also scored a $25 gift card to Starbucks!). CB was working and while we were chatting she asked if I was running long with KW and of course I said yes. CB and I run roughly the same pace (she is also a multi-time Ironman), we talked about pace and we decided to run together. I told her that my past couple of runs had been under goal marathon pace and that I really needed to dial it back and we decided that 10:40 would be our target.

I must say at this point that early on Friday I began sneezing. Not just any sneezing but sneezing 5 times or more each time and it was an all day affair. I don't know what was going on; I didn't feel bad, but with each sneeze I was worried about my back (also not feeling all that great on Friday). Finally late afternoon I took 2 allergy Tylenol and of course that just made the sneezing stop but then my head was all clogged. I Vicks'd up and drank Theraflu around 9pm hoping that it wouldn't suck when the alarm went off at 4:15am (we had decided to start the route at 5am since Coach was going to have all the water stops up for everyone wanting to start early).

When I got up I didnt feel awful but I also didn't feel great and I always get a bit nervous when I agree to run with someone. We also had the threat of rain (100% chance), and I sure didn't like that at all. It was a bit windy and 46 deg when I walked out the door. I wore a long sleeve Lulu and a pair of speed shorts and hoped for the best.

When I got to base, tried to go to the bathroom (also not cooperating) and then CB arrived. There were a lot of folks already there so evidently a lot of others had the same idea. With it being Christmas Eve and the threat of rain, we all wanted to be done and be done early. We also apparently were having the same 'issues' that morning so we knew up front that some pit stops along the way were inevitable. :O)

In my head I knew that if something went wrong I could bail at 10.5 or even just go to 15 and then re-group and try for 20-21 on Monday/Tuesday since I was off.

We started out and the first mile came in at 10:27. Already too fast. I will just go ahead and say it now, but there was only ONE mile that came in at 10:40 and that was mile 6 which was right about where we started to get rained on (every other mile was between 10:15 and 10:30, with one mile being under 10). We pulled off under a tree so that I could adjust my Shuffle up under my chin to keep it somewhat dry. Thankfully the rain only lasted about 10 min before it stopped and we were very, very happy! Of course we knew that at any minute it could just start coming back down again.

We didn't intentionally run what we were running and many times I looked at my watch and we were too close to 10:05/10:10 and I would slow down and then she would slow down. We did have a couple of stops but they came at the right time so that we both capitalized on the location of a porta potty, with me only having to pull off to pee once behind a dumpster. Keepin' it classy right? Hey when you gotta go, you gotta go!

Something to also note here I guess is that I haven't had Gatorade on any runs in what seems like forever! I have made do with only water and Gu's. On todays run, since I didn't eat as much as I should have on Friday, I brought 4 Gu's and used every single one.

It wasn't until we had come around Hermann that I started to feel the effects of all that pounding on my back. We started off and I told her I was taking the short way back around Rice and would just end up with 20 and that I was fine with that (as opposed to the 21 mile route). Mentally I just couldnt handle those 2 miles around Rice at that point and my head needed to know we were on the downslope and on our way back to our cars, our heaters and warm clothes! While it wasn't excessively cold, my legs were indeed numb for basically the whole route and I was ready for warmth!

I took my last Gu with 3.5 miles to go, one last pit stop (thank goodness for new construction in University!) and thats when we ran into DP and and on his turn around he caught back up with us and the 3 of us ran back in together. I let them get a bit ahead of me but I was never more than 30 yards from them and I just kept it at the 10:30 pace I was running at that particular time.

Once we got back to base, Cyndy took off and DP and I ran the long way back to our cars just to add on a bit and I was done! done! done! TS walked by as I was adjusting things in the car and he and I stood around and talked for a bit, then it was off for home. As I was turning into my garage the skies opened up and the rain came pouring down...oh sweet sweet timing! From that point on until Sunday morning it rained and rained and rained...and we sure needed it!

A short nap after the maintenance dude fixed the heater and I was off to the fam's!

You know since August, I have run so many damn 20+ milers (with a full marathon thrown in there) that its obvious to me that the way I recover from them is nothing short of awesome for me. I ran Chicago, recovered, booted back up to 21 miles for Dallas, dropped to the half due to weather, and then ramped right back up for Houston. I never felt sore (just a bit tired) and was able to partake in the festivities like nothing had even go on that morning. Even on Sunday morning, getting up and heading out again it was like I hadn't run 20 miles the day before.

My back is a bit ouchy today, more than I would like, but I'm gonna go do a few miles on the treadmill today and get some weight work in as well. I am convinced that all that I have been doing has got to be the reason I have been running as well as I have.

I cannot believe Houston is less than 3 weeks away. I just hope that the weather cooperates and that so does my body on race day.

I think a movie double feature is on the docket for today...or maybe just lazing around...who knows and more importantly...who cares! Its vacation!!!

Hope your holidays were merry and bright!!

Expect the Unexpected!

2011-12-25T10:28:00.001-06:00

Coach gloves and scarf...and my tired, old mickey mouse gloves are in the trash. Right where they belong.

I just looooooooooooove the sparkly-ness!!!
MOST definitely NOT for running!!!

Did anyone get anything unexpected and fabulous!?

Kenyan Way and Merrrrrrrrrrrrrrry Christmas!!!

2011-12-24T10:17:00.001-06:00

Last long run done! Just over 20 miles at average of 10:27 pace.

A little rain, but it mostly held off until I was almost home and was soooo thankful!
Full write up later...right now I need the damn maintenance man to get here as my heater is broken!! And of course I need to get ready to head to the fam's for Christmas Eve celebrations!

Taper time! Again!

Weekend Motivation!!!

2011-12-23T13:29:00.002-06:00

Best thing about having a 21 miler scheduled for Christmas Eve?

Eating whatever the hell I want and not thinking twice about it!!!!

Have a wonderful holiday weekend, get some exercise in, eat mostly Paleo; allowing for a taste here and there for yummy carbs and dessert...My motto on days like these is: Taste everything, eat nothing!

2012 Marathon Olympic Trials

2011-12-22T13:19:00.002-06:00

I don't think its any secret that the Trials are being held in Houston the day before the Chevron Houston Marathon and that our fair city (at least us running geeks are) is beyond excited!

I have read a few blogs of out of towners coming to Houston to run the marathon and are just as giddy over being able to see the Trials the day before.

Runners World has a whole section on the upcoming Trials, updated often, then of course there is the Houston Marathon site, along with the Houston site for the Trials specifically.

I have also mentioned that I am so happy to be able to be a part of this as I am an Elite (fluid) stop volunteer. We had 'practice' at the set up etc., back in January for the 1/2 Marathon championship, which was done for that reason but also to test out a portion of the Olympic Trial marathon course. I know that its been tweaked somewhat at the suggestion of the powers that be, but mostly it stayed pretty true to its original plan if I am not mistaken. Best part about this job is that once its set up, its pretty much just stand around and watch the runners pass by time and time again (its a loop course).

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that I am going to see some of the all-time great distance runners (currently) running just a few feet from me in less than a month!!!!!!!!!

Here are a couple of posts from in January...and in looking for these I realized that I never went back and added the additional videos (women) and pictures from that day! Got sidetracked I suppose! I will add those sometime over the next couple of weeks. I am kind of shocked that that fell off my radar though! So more to come for certain!!!

Mens video (featuring Ryan Hall)

Miscellaneous

Go Faster Playlist

2011-12-21T18:18:00.000-06:00

Julie, a new reader and follower, recently emailed me for music since she is training for her first half marathon!! Goooooooo Julie!

I have a couple of playlists on my Shuffle, and one of them is what I call my 'go faster' playlist and/or for the last miles (probably 8 of them) of a marathon/half marathon or when you want a big negative split.

Not sure why, outside of the obvious, these particular songs make me go faster, or in some cases, just keep going..but they do!

I don't have these in any particular order and generally just click over to it on 'random shuffle' and take whatever order iPod wishes to dish out on any given day!

Super Bass (Nicki Minaj)
Tall Cool One (Robert Plant)
I'm Sexy and I Know It (LMFAO)
Party Rock (LMFAO)
Good Feeling (Flo Rida)
Moves Like Jagger (Maroon 5)
Missionary Man (Eurythmics)
I Like How It Feels (Enrique Iglesias)
Rain Over Me (Marc Anthony)
Judas (Lady Gaga) (the DJ Shadow remix version is best! but I actually have both versions on this playlist!)
Born This Way (Gaga)
Baby (Justin Bieber)
Run the World (Beyonce)
Evacuate the Dancefloor (Cascada)
Edge of Glory (Gaga)
On the Floor (Jennifer Lopez)
Otis (Kanye West and Jay Z)
100% Pure Love (Crystal Waters)
One Way or Another (Blondie)
Shake Your Groove Thing (Peaches and Herb)
Dance to The Music (Sly and the Family Stone)

See Ya Real Soon!!!

2011-12-20T15:13:00.000-06:00

It's the start of my holiday vacation (7 glorious days!), so I will be away quite a bit, but wanted to wish everyone

a wonderful and Merry Christmas, Seasons Greetings, Happy Holidays, Kwaanza, Hanakuah,

or whatever you celebrate at this time of year!

I have several posts written and scheduled for the next several days...just in case you have time on your hands to read...

Be safe, be great and most of all .... be kind to one another!!!!

2011 Race Synopsis

2011-12-19T06:19:00.000-06:00

Sunday, January 16, 2011
USAFit Marathon/Half Marathon
Worst race experience of my life (due to weather). Mentally broke down and almost DNF'd. No official time because I refused to cross the timing mat. I would later find out my time was somewhere around 2:21:xx. This whole race devastated me. Hypothermia after it was all said and done. I just didnt realize it at the time.

You can read about it here.
Pictures here.

I thought the course was ok, its a loop for the half and 2 loops for the full. I wouldnt want to do it twice I can tell you that much. I am not a looper. Hate loops. Its a smaller race and a lot of woggers and just overall walkers. They don't call it 'everyones marathon' for nothing.

I know I wont be doing this one again. Ever.

Sunday, January 30, 2011
Aramco (Houston) Half Marathon
No distance PR
Course PR by just over 7 minutes. I didn't realize this until a while later because I hadn't run the Aramco Houston half marathon in quite some time, and the last time I did it I remember is was 2:24xx. My official chip time for this one was 2:14:33. Not good (for me), but better than the fiasco 2 weeks ago at Sugarland, mostly mentally. Physically as well, but my goal for this one was just to hold it together in my head.

You can read about this one here.
Lots of pictures here, here and here. No race photos though. Way too crowded and I didn't see any of me. :(

Saturday, March 12, 2011
Bayou City Classic - 10K

Planned race, but didn't. Momma passed away on Thursday, March 10, 2011. :O(

Sunday, March 27, 2011
Angie's Crazy Half Marathon

No PR, but wasn't expecting one either. Rough month of little training and Momma being very sick and eventually passing away.

Course PR since I hadn't ever run this race. Not sure I will again either.

Race Review: HERE
Race Photos: HERE
Miscellaneous Photos: HERE and HERE

Saturday, April 2, 2011
4 Four the Park- 4 miler - Houston, Texas
39:29 (I think)

No where near a PR. No training, hot, humid. Blech. But I still came in under 40:, so I was happy. First race where I seriously thought I was going to have to stop to throw up. Not sure what was what on this day, but it wasn't good. To be honest, it was when I first had nervousness about the fact that I thought I could have possibly gotten myself knocked up. True story.

Previous PR: 36:58 (2009)

Race summation

Race photos

Sunday, May 15, 2011
Bay to Breakers 12K - San Francisco, CA
Course PR
Distance PR

Race Summation
Race Photos
Race Debauchery

****************************************

Sunday, October 9, 2011
Bank of America Chicago Marathon - Chicago, IL

2010 Course time: 4:51:xx - Weather conditions: 70deg at start, upper 80's and red flagged about the time I hit mile 22 or 23.

2011 Course time: 4:42:xx (not verifiable since I lost my chip and my Garmin lapped out due to too much data from past runs, and I had to delete and reset which took I dont know how much time!) - Weather conditions: 65deg at the start, upper 80's and red flagged just like last year. Alert level was never green; at the expo it was at Yellow and that was on Friday. Each day was warmer than the previous day.

I really, really, really loooooooooooooooove Chicago. And I really, really, really looooooooooooooooove the course of this marathon. What I do not love is the training here in Houston all Summer, 16-22 milers in August and early September only to be smacked in the face for 2 years in a row with 'record setting temperatures for Chicago'. Its one thing to train in the heat, with the promise (mostly) that your marathon is going to be cold or at least reasonably cool. I would do this race every single year; I truly would.

I will say that this 2011 trip to marathon in Chicago was WAAAAAAAAAAAAY more fun than 2010. I had such a wonderful time there with Tracey and meeting up with others as well. Last year was a big let down in that respect. It is so important to travel with like minded people! Especially when it comes to marathons!

Some say its a fluke, the heat. However with 4 out of the last 5 years its been 'record setting heat' marathon week/weekend, I think the fluke is that in 2009 it was actually cold.

I am hanging up my Fall marathon shoes for at least one year. Possibly more.

I'll miss you in 2012 Chicago. But if things work out like I want them to, maybe you and I will be more than just friends within the next few years. :O)

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Dallas White Rock ~~Marathon~~ Half Marathon - Dallas, Texas
Ran the half marathon at this race in 2010 and was my PR of 2:06:xx. That number still holds...hopefully we can change that this Spring (2012) if I decide to run a half in the Spring that is :O) I am eyeing the Woodlands Half. It would be a week of sign up for me as I am not going to register in advance due to weather uncertainty here at the beginning of March.

This was supposed to be #7 total, #2 in a trifecta, but it was not to be. I pulled out at mile 9 and turned with the half marathoners.

Running in 40deg (wind chill was 35) and pouring down rain from 40yrds out of the gate was not for me. I was so cold even dressed as I was that each raindrop felt like a knife going into me. At one point in the race I couldnt hardly see in front of me it was raining so hard. My clothes and shoes weighed 10 lbs (literally cuz I weighed them) due to the water (thankfully I wasnt wearing cotton ;o)). It was so bad that I left my shoes in the hotel room to die a slow death.

I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE the Dallas White Rock marathon/half marathon and will definitely go back again (maybe in 2012, maybe not).

I just wasn't going to go through another 17 miles of that crap (it got way worse believe me) when I didnt 'have' to. Hoping Houston is better to me in a few weeks.
Not thrilled with my time (2:13) but since I didn't run it initially as a half marathon, by the time I did decide to bail, there was not much I could do.

The Expo
The Hotel
The Digits
First Thoughts Post Race
Race Photos

And now on to 2012!!!!!!

Kenyan Way 'Long' Run - 13 miles

2011-12-17T16:26:00.000-06:00

Nice cool morning, but a bit windy. Thankfully part of our run was through RO, the place of no wind no matter what. :O) It was pretty running through there this morning with a lot of folks leaving their Christmas lights on. Those rich people sure must have some high electric bills during December! I wish more of the people left them on though. There were a lot of homes that you could tell had lights and decorations but must turn them off when they go night-night. :)

I somehow walked out of the house this morning with no Garmin? Unheard of, but I definitely did it and didn't even realize it until I took off for my first few miles around base before starting with the group.

My back yesterday was quite ouchy, so I was worried for this morning and when the alarm went off it was still a bit ouchy, but bearable. Once I started running it eased up thankfully and I never really felt much of it unless I was on a down-slope (there are a few on this route).

Since I left my Garmin at home, I just got in the 4hr group and decided to hang on as long as I could, knowing that they would be running faster than the posted training pace. I had to step it up this morning due to the fact I had an early hair appointment in Sugarland (couldnt get a later one!). I am not sure where I ended up in the mix, but figured I was either with the 4hr group and by the end was with the 4:15 group. I knew early on that I should not try and keep up with them, but did until about the 1/2 way point mostly because once we came out of RO the wind was a headwind and got in right behind 2 girls in the 4hr group and drafted until we switched directions :) which was about just over a mile or so, then I just backed off a bit.

Its several hours later now, and my back is feeling pretty darn good. My foot never went numb through the whole run which is always a good sign, so I am feeling cautiously optimistic. My plan is to hit the gym in the morning and if it aggravates the back again, then I will have to just lay off of them until after my 21 miler next weekend. I am hoping, SO hoping that its fine because I firmly believe that all the upper body/core work I have been doing is the sole reason I have been running so strong lately. The uphills on the last 2 long runs would normally do a number on me (HATE hills) but I have been strong on them and able to power through and not be completely out of breath once I top off.

Lots of other running around today, including fighting the crazy people at the grocer, but I knew I had better go now as it will only get worse as it gets closer to Christmas and I needed to get the stuff to make one of my momma's best desserts she always made at Christmas! There were several wine vendors giving samples, and I tried them all. I even bought a bottle of Pinot Grigio to enjoy thinking it will definitely help my back. :)

Enjoy your weekend and happy running!!!

Weekend Motivation!

2011-12-16T07:53:00.000-06:00

********************************

Wednesday all I did was run and all night and yesterday my back felt so much better!

Then yesterday I ran, and then did weights and my back is killing me again.

Today I wont be running or weights and if tomorrow morning, after my run (13miles), I feel fine and I feel fine tomorrow night and Sunday morning I don't have to literally roll out of bed because it hurts so bad, then I guess I will have to lay off the weights altogether for a good solid week. All I did was upper body obviously and I was careful to avoid anything that put any strain whatsoever on my lower back. Either I didn't do a good enough job of that or just any weight bearing exercise right now should be taken off the table until I can manage it better.

This makes me sad.

But the pain is just too intense. Like I cry if I sneeze it hurts so bad kind of pain.

I just hope that doing nothing today will help with the pain tomorrow morning when I have to get up to run.

Right now I am refusing to throw in any towels!!!

Christmas List

2011-12-15T08:53:00.001-06:00

Once you get to a certain age (it would seem), you really struggle to find things for a 'list' which my sister requires EVERY year...I mean come on, we're adults...if we want something we generally will just buy it ourselves. But to make her happy I came up with a few things...

I couldn't help it...I figured she laughed really hard when she saw this on there (but I also know she looooves to spend a lot of money and make everyone happy, and it couldnt hurt to ask)

For some reason I crave coffee a lot now, and having a one cupper at the house would be fab. This Mr Coffee model (Keurig) is cost effective too

My favorite running shirt by Lululemon (Run Swiftly) in either long sleeve or short sleeve AND in the new color Paris Pink

Lots of gift cards please! Visa, MC or Amex thank you very much. Cash is king!

Additionally, there were 2 other tops I wanted and sent her info on, but neither of them have images online anymore as they were limited edition shirts (one was the Lululemon Manifesto in purple and the other is a Houston Texans shirt that was put out by Pink by Victorias Secret). I know I am not going to get that one though because she called me freaking out because she couldnt find it and wanted me to see if I could find it online (I couldn't; the one I saw was in the store when I was out Christmas Shopping and evidently they sold out in no time at all)...I did find a replacement one though so we'll see... :O)

Every year I try and try and try to get my family to go along with adopting a family in need and putting the $$ we spend on gifts for each other towards giving a Christmas to a family that goes without. My niece would totally do it, but my sister and nephew...we'll they still have way too much commercialism in them...

And this year, yet again, my sister hogs all the ideas from everyone, not sharing with anyone, therefore most everyone is getting gift cards from me. Granted I did go out of my way to personalize them based on their likes and interests, but still.

So. What's the top thing on your list?

A Fluff(y) Post

2011-12-14T09:32:00.000-06:00

Jamoosh over at Last Mile Lounge tagged me to write 7 things about my cat.

I love my Nugget!!! (or Dulce which is his 'official' name but I never call him that anymore)

So here we go!

First Day Together!!!

Nugget loooooooooooves my running shoes! From the first day to now. Especially if I come home in them with dirt of any kind. I still can't put into words how much I loved him from the first time I picked him up! (he's a rescue kitty)

OMG, he was SO tiny!!! He fills that bag up now!

He loves to get inside anything that is a 'bag', whether it be my gym, yoga bag, empty grocery bags, AND my purse. Yes he tries to fit into my Coach bag. And usually, like this morning, if I forget to clasp it, he will go in there and take out everything he can get and litter the living room with it. Especially paper.

The cat LOVES paper.

Breakfast! He looooooooooooooves Cheerios (with Almond Milk!)

Yes. Cheerios. Loves loves loves them. He gets so excited when I have cereal. He will lay just far enough away from the bowl until I give him the go ahead. Usually I just toss a few ever so often to keep him happy until I'm done then I leave a few in the bottom of the bowl with a bit of almond milk still left.

Nugget, just like my dear departed Harley, likes to drink water directly from the faucet. Kitchen, bathroom sink, tub. Doesn't matter. He won't drink water out of his bowl, but he will play with the bowl until its all spilled out and I come home and find the bowl in the middle of the living room. I leave a bowl in the kitchen sink full of water for 'emergencies'. I know he drinks from it when I'm not there and he gets really thirsty.

I don't even know how to explain how he gets up there. One would think it would be to jump on the dresser, then jump to the top of the mirror. But no. He jumps on the dresser then CLIMBS THE WALL. Really. Boggles my mind. He loves it up there in the sunroom and at first I use to freak out because I thought he WAS using the mirror (and its wonky)...but when I saw what he was doing, I didn't worry so much. Now he doesn't get up there too much or if he does he does it when I'm not around. He has always been a 'climber' since the first day I brought him home.

He is a diva through and through. Or whatever the word is for a male diva.

And now that he's older...and a bit more settled (90% of the time) this is how he likes to spend his time. Or in one of the many window sills throughout the house where he can watch the dogs and/or birds and squirrels.

Yes, he has a very hard life.

JunieB Doesn't Go to Washington

2011-12-13T18:22:00.001-06:00

No Cherry Blossom for me. Sad face.

Kinda.

While I indeed really wanted to do this race, I'm definitely OK with not being chosen this year. Will try again next year :O) My initialy plan was that if I didn't get in, then I would immediately turn around and put in for the lottery for the NYC half which is open through the 19th.

However after thinking about it, and with 3 other trips in 2012 for races, I thought maybe I should just hold off on a 4th for 2012. At least for anything out of Texas. Plus all that $$$ can go towards some local Spring races. And 2 new tires (to match the other 2 new ones I recently bought). Man tires are expensive!

The back is a little better today, mostly because I was very diligent in not sitting in my chair for long periods of time. Ran an hour at the gym before Kyle got a hold of me and put me through the ringer. He pushed me today, upping the weight on some of the sets that I honestly didn't think I could complete. But I did.

Best part is that I am really starting to see results and that pushes me even more.

Hard work pays off.

Its warmed up considerably here, and since the last 2 days have been hard days on the weights along with running, I am planning on running one of my longer routes tomorrow through my 'hood and giving my muscles a breaky break. It'll be good to get out in the fresh air and not have to be all bundled up!

Marcel The Shell

2011-12-13T09:36:00.000-06:00

I may be late to this party, but I recently found out about a little dude called Marcel, the shell. He is SO damn cute! I just love his little quips and I thought I would share, because no matter if I am in the worst mood or sad, he makes me smile.

And the 2nd installment (my favorite part is if you notice something about when at one part he is on the laptop)...and seriously I want to just get a Marcel of my own when he is around the dog!!!

Good News, Bad News, Good News

2011-12-12T18:05:00.000-06:00

Good: I have full feeling back in my left foot and no pain on the top side during my run today

Bad: My back is hurting about 10 times worse than it did the first time I found out I was 'injured' (degenerative disk)

Good: Just like before, it doesn't hurt when I run

Easy 4 mile run today to test it out as I was in severe pain all day at work followed by 50 minutes of weights, obviously making sure nothing that would aggravate the lower back.

Just going to have to baby it, walk around at least once an hour at work, do my PT and watch it carefully.

#paleofail - Going Back to the Basics

2011-12-12T08:06:00.000-06:00

I'm callin' it.

Paleo, in its truest form, is not going to work for me. I think in general, I can be in that 80/20 bracket, but only to a certain degree. There are so many rules as it pertains to Paleo to be 'true' that I just can't and quite honestly, don't care to adhere to.

While I still rarely eat carbs in the form of beans, grains etc., I still like my toast, or grits and I still like my overnight oats from time to time! AND I still like my pizza crust (made from Naan). And I refuse to give up cheese (in moderation and I prefer NO cheese on pizza if that makes any sense :)). The waitress at Campisi's (or any place for that matter) always gives me a weird look when I order the veggie pizza with no cheese. :O)

And I am obviously not going to give up Diet Coke.

What I have decided, after much insight into what did work for me, was back in late 2009/Spring 2010. So we're going back to what worked and what I was content with on all levels.

This was basically a combination of Flexatarian and Lacto-ovo vegetarian.

I went back to read some of my posts from back then, but unfortunately they are on the other old blog and I didnt feel like going through all of that again; but will at some point. I had only transferred certain posts to the blog you are reading today (races and what-not). One of the other things that I did back then was journal every single thing that I ate.

We're going back to that as well. Not here on the blog, but in a journal just like I did before.
After a conversation with Kyle the other day, I realized that I was cuckoo to try and change what obviously works for my body, my age and my limitations that I have as it pertains to my thyroid etc. This whole eat as much as you want thing (kinda) with Paleo; well, I do better with portion control, so thats where I am headed back to; back to my basics and what worked.

Thats not to say that I havent noticed a difference (albeit slight) since starting this, but I know that I go off of it more than I would like, and when I do, it makes me feel guilty and bad about myself. This is not OK with me.

Also, to be fair, the difference could be attributed to the strength training and me off and on restricting myself. Kyle was NOT happy when he randomly asked me the other day 'what did you eat yesterday?' and my answer was: breakfast taco for breakfast, a bowl of cereal for lunch (craving) and no dinner (I had gone to the concert). He was extremely pleased with my choices in Dallas; as was I. It was easy.

What was my downfall leading up to Dallas and this week was not being prepared. I was concerned with leaving for Dallas and then gone all weekend which meant no prep work for the weeks food. And when I am not prepared with a certain level of my food prepared or easy to grab-n-go, I tend to just say F it and while 90% of the time I make OK choices, its never as good as if I had prepared and planned 90% of my weeks meals.

So on top of it already being a very hectic weekend, I did manage to get to the store yesterday and stock up on foods, and even managed to get food for the week pretty much all taken care of! We have Christmas lunch type of things here going on Thursday and Friday, so I didn't have to think about those days, breakfasts are easy, snacks are even easier and dinner as well! Whew!

I am happy I tried Paleo and I still believe in it 100%, especially as it pertains to the types of food you eat, a lot of vegetables and the types of meat (grass fed, anti hormone etc.) I still believe that grains are the root cause of obesity and that they do unimaginable things to our insides, but I also believe that everything in moderation is ok too.

Its just not mah thang!

And hey it had been a couple of weeks since I was at the store, and everyone made mention of my 'weight loss' so at least I got that going for me! Onward and upward (or downward I suppose!!!)

Yay Houston Texans!!!

2011-12-12T06:56:00.002-06:00

This is really all that matters today!

Go Texans! What a game! Our sidelines are a replica of a MASH unit but we keep winning! First ever playoff birth! Even if we only make in a game or two into the PO's, it'll be fine with me. I'm just glad that they finally made it! Now I just wish we had 1st or even 2nd string QB back! Hopefully Yates can pull more miracles out of his booty!

And in other news...the Cowboys keep finding new ways to lose...Poor wittle lambs... :) All in fun my Dallas readers and fellow bloggers...all in fun! (but I do a little happy dance every single time they lose; my whole family are Dallas fans and I love rubbing it in every chance I get)

Kenyan Way Long Run - 20 18 Miles

2011-12-10T15:18:00.000-06:00

In a nutshell this long run got cut short for a couple of reasons, the first one being that I ran it at marathon pace. Didn't mean to obviously, it just kinda happened that way. More on the run itself in a bit.

The 2nd reason was because of something wonky going on with my foot which I think is directly related to my back issue (degenerative disk). I dont remember exactly when it started in the route itself, but first the top of my left foot was hurting very badly. I tried loosening my laces, but that wasnt it. I am scared to think that its the beginning of some sort of stress issue. The other thing, as it pertains to my back, is that the same foot was basically numb for all of the 2nd half. It started with my toes and worked its way up mid foot.

Both were very uncomfortable, and since I was already running much faster than I should have been, I just kept at it, settling on the fact that I was going to call it at 18 miles. 18 miles at MP is like 20 at training pace right? Right? Well its gonna have to be.

I was worried about this run beforehand as it was, since it had been 4 weeks since the 21 miler in anticipation of the Dallas White Rock, and clearly due to that I had to run long this weekend, since I ended up only doing the half last weekend.

I got to base shortly before 5:15; Coach was like 20? Yeah. We chatted for a bit, told him I was nervous and he told me 'just jog it, you'll be fine'. Oops. I caught up to a few peeps at the 1st water stop and we were running about the same pace (10:05) but unfortunately they were going the long way around Rice to avoid Sabine at the end, so I ran most of University by myself, stopping at Starbucks for a potty break where a few others were, and then I met up with them again when they had stashed some water/G at an intersection and offered me some. Yes! I kept them in my sights for a while and then by the time I got to the Westpark bridge (which I conquered at 10:22; purposely just putting one foot in front of the other so I didnt walk it at all), but most of the rest of the run was run alone. I will say my fastest mile came in at 9:47 and not ashamed to say it was all because a certain person had gone by and I wanted to make certain I made it to the next water station while he was there. :) No shame in my game! We'll just leave the conversation part out of this story.

I made it back to base (16 miles) then just added on at the end and called it a day. Sure I could have done 2 more miles, but I thought better of it based on what I had done and how the foot was feeling. My back is absolutely killing me right now, and I was going to go to the gym, but I think I had better just settle with the ibuprofen, some food, a bit of Christmas shopping and rest. I'll hit the gym tomorrow before working a shift at the 'store'.

Unfortunately because I forgot to stop my watch when I finished and was walking around and talking (who me?), my pace actually shows 10:32 average due to a 12:xx something 19th mile. Oops. Obviously it should be closer to 10:15 at my best guesstimate.

Definitely pleased with it, but I know it was the wrong thing to do. I should never have pushed it like that today on a training run. At the most I should have run the last 5-6 miles at MP, not the whole damn thing. As it is, I actually ran quite a few miles way under GMP.

Oh well, whats done is done. I'll cut back to 13 miles next weekend before doing 21 for the last long run before Houston. Hoping it all goes well. This wacky running schedule I've done the past several months has been very different for me, and I just hope that the fitness is there to actually be able to knock out one more long run.

**updated to add that while I was out shopping, on several occasions, the top of my foot would 'cramp' up and it was difficult to walk. Had to stretch it out and wait for it to stop. Good grief, I hope this goes away, or at the very least stays manageable for just a bit longer!

Product Review Coming! - ZipFizz

2011-12-09T18:17:00.000-06:00

I was contacted recently by a representative at ZipFizz to find out if I was interested in receiving, testing and reviewing their product on my blog and to my readers/followers.

I just received the package via UPS, and have mixed up my first bottle (provided in package) to drink before my long run in the morning...I chose Grape for the first guinea pig!

Will be following this up with a full product review in a week, once I go through all the tubes and have some basis for review.

They have provided me with information for savings for the readers/followers so I will pass that along once I am able to give a thumbs up or a thumbs down.

Stay tuned!

SportsPhoto - Dallas White Rock

2011-12-09T16:53:00.004-06:00

A few things about these few photos from the race last Sunday:

You'll notice that I have my Shuffle unprotected. Well it wasn't unprotected early on. I had it wrapped in a baggie, used my longer length buds and had it tucked into the back zip of the shorts with the cord threaded up through the back of my shirts. However at some point in the race I accidentially hit the button trying to turn the volume up on it, and it got WAY too loud and I couldnt adjust it so I had to take it out of the baggie. After trying to get it back in, I couldnt so I just took it out, clipped it under my chin, hoping this would keep it somewhat dry and I wouldnt end up shorting out #4 in a years time. Since it was pouring and I had ditched my visor, the thing still got wet. However I was very careful NOT to touch anything on it until after I could get it dried off. This seemed to have saved it.
You will also know that I was still wearing my old school Garmin 205. I wondered about it as well in all the rain. I had run in the rain with it before but never for this length of time or in that much of a downpour. I saw a lot of people that had theirs wrapped in cellophane, saran wrap and/or taped. Or a combination of all 3. My Garmin survived just fine. At least as of Monday it was still ok. I havent run with it since Sundays deluge.
As I had previously mentioned, while we were in the Start corral it was just drizzly and thats when I made the decision to toss my visor and my little jacket. Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.
No gloves you say? Well they were so soaked, that around mile something or other (mid race I would guess) I just finally tossed them. Another big mistake. While yes my hands were cold as ice with them on, it was nothing compared to at the end. I could NOT feel my thumbs. My Lulu top has the 'hand-over' thing that keeps 1/2 your hand covered and those 4 fingers together but the lonely thumb? He just is all alone and therefore gets really cold. You could have dropped a 20lb weight on my thumbs and I probably wouldnt have felt it.
I had 2 shirts on. A short sleeve compression top (Nike) to stick close to my skin and then the Lulu Run Swiftly top on top of that. Nike capris and a pair of Lulu Speed shorts. A SpiBelt to carry 2 extra Gu's and a race number belt. Had I known I was going to do the full I wouldnt have needed the SpiBelt. And of course, 2 sparkly Sweaty Bands. Like that made a difference at all.
I did not get a picture post race like last year. Everyone was just herded into the building and thats where they were set up. The crowd was dense and all I could think about was getting my checked bag so I could get into dry clothes. Another picture of me standing in front of some board was not important at all.