Born For This

…on my iPod My long run mix is full of music from 1996-2002.  Soon I’m sure someone will call that “retro”.

I was struggling on my run this morning – I really felt the effects of my deliberate overtraining this week, for better and for worse.

Better: I went out really fast and didn’t have any fatigue at all during the first 3 miles. I had a lot of energy throughout my run, and I didn’t ever really feel out of breath.

Worse: My legs felt like they were made of cement.  I could not. make. them. go. I brought 2 dates with me and ate them at mile 4.5, but they seemed to help with just the last 1.5 miles of my run.  I wasn’t sore, but I really felt like I was dragging.

I finished my 7 miles in 91.5 min (avg 13 min/mile pace), despite my tired legs, crappy outfit (no clean wicking shirts, down to the last sports bra that I really don’t like to wear for running), headache, and mental breakdown at mile 2.5.

Also, it is hot.

(I got this crazy-big gatorade to stave off the headache I’ve been getting after my long runs…seems to be working for now.)

After my run, we dropped off some football tickets with a friend (we’ll be out of town for the game…this is what usually happens when we win things) and hit the farmer’s market.  The haul:

Eggplant, a bitter melon, two cantaloupes, fenugreek sprouts, and pears…

Our favorite of the week – a “bucket of pears” for $3. It’s finally time for more fruit to be ripe here.

Next, we went to our favorite breakfast place for the second time this week, where we talked about what it would be like to work for the CIA, NSA, FBI, etc. (having grown up in DC, I know my fair share of folks who’ve gone that route)…I think I’d rather live abroad on my own dime and be able to talk about what I do, but who knows where I’ll be an a few years .  During that scintillating discussion, I had migas – scrambled eggs with veggies and corn tortillas, with a side of guac and breakfast potatoes.

Then it was on to another stop for some, um…

yes, macarons – lemon, almond, and chocolate. They are gluten-free (though cross-contamination is likely, but whatever) and like little puffs of dream and perfection.

Sigh.  I feel a cooking project coming on.

And a wine tasting at this new place, which was pretty good.  Wine just a few hours after running isn’t my favorite thing, but we found a few new wines that we really liked.  Stay tuned for info on those

I am still hot and out of sorts from this morning’s run…I think it might be nap time for me.  I’ve got a good role model:

Running, running, running.

I’ve been running consistently for four months now. Is it officially a habit yet?

This morning I did a long speedwork session to cover my 3 miles (in 48 minutes…lots of fast running mixed with very slow recovery walking).  I did a .5 mile warm-up jog at 5 mph, then 6 x 440 at 6 mph with 2 minutes of recovery between each interval, finishing with another .3 mile cool-down jog at 5.5 mph and some more walking.

It was also a strength training day, so I did weighted squats and lunges with alternating feet on the bosu, followed by shoulder presses, 21 curls, shoulder flies, and tricep extensions.  I stretched for a few, then came upstairs and did Tamilee Webb’s abs on OnDemand.  I love her abs program – I really think it focuses on the important muscles that basic crunches don’t engange – but man, it’s tough.  I’m still sore from Tuesday’s yoga class, which made it extra tough.

WB took the day off today since he had to work all last weekend.  We took the opportunity to go to our favorite breakfast place for the first time on a weekday!

I was a bad, bad blogger and didn’t remember to take a photo until after it was all over – at least you can see a smudge from the black beans that came with my huevos rancheros .  I have noticed that this happens when I’m starving – I am working on a solution to help myself remember.

After breakfast, we went to a very nice bookstore that is closing soon, where I got yet another cute notebook (I used to be helpless in the face of an elegant little notebook – this is the first I’ve bought in at least a year, and it may end up as a gift) and two gift books for my mom (a fun sudoku book and a guided journal).  Our next stop:

The most foam I have ever gotten on a macchiato.  (A macchiato is espresso with a dab or two of foam, like a tiny dry cappuccino. This one had a whole foam ‘fro.)

We hung out at a coffee shop and read for almost two hours. (I have neglected my book club romance novel and the meetup is tomorrow night!  Too bad I am not liking the book – just not my thing.) Years ago, I worked for a few different coffee shops.  I ended up with a caffeine sensitivity and didn’t have anything with caffeine (except sometimes chocolate) for almost 8 years! I am glad that’s over.)

And that is the entire day so far!  A nice, lazy Thursday, with lots of time for me to reflect on my running history….

How I got back to running

When I (re-)started the couch to 5k running program in January, I was frustrated because I had let a big project at work keep me from sticking to the training I had started last fall – but more frustrated by the fact that my pace was stuck around 4.25 mph (yes, that was a running pace).  I could barely handle the 2 minute running segments in the plan.

Work got in the way again in February, but I picked up the plan where I left off and continued to make progress throughout the spring.  I was *so* excited to finally be able to run 30 minutes at a time again.  I think two things made me stick to the schedule, despite the fact that work was even crazier:

1. I was really in the thick of a big project at work and I needed a structured outlet
2. I was really fed up with letting other things get in the way of what matters to me

(the really shallow reason that probably didn’t help: I was going to the beach in mid-May.  I don’t think a few weeks of running made a difference in that one way or another.)

But before that…

Waaaayy before that I was born with a heart problem and couldn’t run at all (doctor’s orders).  I wasn’t cleared to play sports until I was in high school, which meant I grew up hating physical activity because I could never participate and just didn’t understand it.  I liked being outside and going for walks, but I was on a very short leash.  (I was seriously tempted to be sick every year when it came time for the Presidential/National physical fitness test, because I was always one of the last few to amble across the finish line.)

I began exercising with a vengeance in high school, and I built up my speed and endurance to the point that 8 minute miles were second nature…until I got mono!  (No, not from kissing.)  I was out of commission for a few months, and even thought I kept working out after that I never went back to running in a serious way.  I did a few 5k races when I was in college, but most of my fitness focused around dance, gym machines like the stairmill and the elliptical, and yoga.  My running fitness slipped away, and whenever I tried to get back to a solid running base I became frustrated by how slow my progress was and gave up after about 6 weeks every time.

Why I’m still running

I love all the things that every runner seems to love – the endorphins, the time outside, the undeniable accomplishment, the freedom, and the simplicity of the sport. But that is not always enough to get me out the door for a run!  Here are some of the other reasons that keep my laces tied:

1. I am committed to running my first half marathon in October – I want to help the cause I’m running for, and I want to see how well I can do at something that I never thought I’d be able to do.
2. I am continually surprised by what my body can do – it keeps coming up with new paces, new splits, and better form, seemingly with no help from me.  Maybe it will turn out that I’ve been a runner in sheep’s clothing all this time!
3. I am a huge proponent of disease prevention, and I know running is great for zapping stress, improving sleep, and killing the bad, diabetes-promoting fat.
4. I am shallow and vain, and I live in a climate with an extended bikini season.  I also work in an industry where appearance and first impressions are prized.
5. Along the lines of #4 -  I assume I will be getting married sometime in the near-ish future, and I know the gowns I like run small.
6. I like meeting people who run – it’s a diverse group, of course, but running is a nice thing to have in common with friends.
7. It will keep me even younger for longer – not an issue now, but I know I’ll get there eventually.
8. It keeps me happy and focused (the magic cocktail of endorphins, accomplishment, and measurable improvement).
9. I love exploring on foot, and I can go so much farther at 5 or 6 mph than I can at 3 mph.
10. I love a good excuse to travel – a race isn’t a vacation, it’s for my health!
11. It forces me to take “me time” and leave work on time so that I don’t lose the progress I’ve made so far.
12. I love having more energy!  I can work a 9 hour day, go for a run, and still be awake enough to enjoy going out for drinks or dancing.
13. I’m not very good at it yet, and I can’t back down from a good challenge.

What’s next?

More of the same, I’m sure.  I have a big fall/winter running season planned, and I’m already looking at races for next year.  I really want to get back to a 7-8 minute mile, and I’d love to be able to finish a half marathon in under two hours.  Most of all, I want to keep running – no matter how fast or slow, I want to keep running in my life.

And…I want to do a bike tour somewhere abroad, but that will probably require getting WB on board, so…circa 2011?

Dance was okay last night…I got to dance with a lot of more experienced guys, which is fun unless they’re show-offs.  I firmly believe that the roles of the lead are to make the girl look good, make the girl have fun, and to look good himself in a subtle-yet-confident way.

When we got home, we finished off the last of the “cheesecake” and banana “ice cream”.

My night was cut short after that because I had hives that started on the bridge of my nose.  I have no idea what caused them, but I am sometimes allergic to raspberries…perhaps last night was one of those times.  I put my cranky, itchy, blotchy, welt-y self to bed.

Running with Lizards

I had a great 3 mile run this morning with a bunch of lizards!  I’m trying to identify what I saw…so far it looks like anoles (which I knew), skinks, and whiptails.  (I miss running where I grew up – the wildlife there was more along the lines of fluffy squirrels, chipmunks, and the occasional deer and rabbit.) I found this handy lizard identifier (in case you ever need to, you know, identify a lizard).

(like the one on the left – more info and copyright: Wikipedia/Alistair J. Cullum)

I set a goal for myself of 32:20, but I didn’t make it – finished in 34:30.  That’s still my fastest 3 mile run this year, but…well, you know how it is when the legs just won’t go any faster!  My real killer this time was that I had to take two real breaks and 4 mini-breaks (street crossings, less than 10 seconds each, but still…).  I am trying to be rational and accept that running miracles are few and far between I will keep working until my legs and lungs can get to where I want them to be.

Speedwork

I’ve been a bit haphazard so far with my training, hesitant to set tough goals for myself and still in awe that I am actually running so much (with a dash of scared-to-schedule-because-I’m-changing-jobs). Since I have the week off, I plan to do a mini-bootcamp of speedwork sessions because I’ve decided I really want to run my September 5k in 30 minutes or less.

I finished a 5k on July 4 in 39:40.  I was happy with that time because I hadn’t been doing any speed training, I hadn’t run much outside in the heat, and I hadn’t done a race in (mumble)  years.  Ok, 8 years.  I have done plenty of fun fitness things in those 8 years, but I stopped running races because I felt silly since everyone in my age group seemed lightning-fast and I didn’t have time to put into Real Training.

Now that I’m older and more mellow (kind of), I am much better at accepting things as they are before getting bent out of shape and trying to move mountains overnight.

Anyhow, this means that my 5k pace needs to be about 9:23 per mile.  2:07 faster per mile than my average pace on today’s tempo run.  I am convinced I can do this in the 6 weeks before my 5k.

Today’s speed session:

• 5 x 440 repeats (quarter miles) at 6 mph. (I cheated and tried to do the last one at 6.4 but had to drop back down to 6 halfway through)

I also stayed for 30 minutes of strength training, during which I did just about every exercise in the world!

• Squats with shoulder presses
• Lunges with bicep curls
• Shoulder flies (two kinds)
• Tricep extensions
• 21 curls
• One-legged squats on the bosu
• Balance exercises on the bosu
• Push-ups and planks on the bosu

Breakfast

I was finally starting to feel tired so I came up for this:

This beautiful green monster contained:

• 3 kale leaves (curly green)
• applesauce
• flax
• 1 banana
• 3 strawberries
• a splash of agave (I’ve been feeling a bit off, so I didn’t want anything too bitter)
• almond milk

As crazy as it sounds, there might be more working out this afternoon!  I am also looking forward to some time poolside, and perhaps some Italian cooking.

I am still in awe about yesterday’s run.  I was dejected when I got home because I thought I had taken 2 hours and 15 minutes to finish 8 miles, which would fall under the “snail” category in my book.  It was a delightful surprise when WB reminded me that I had left the house at 8, not 7:30.

I credit some of the speed to my desperate “fight against the clock”, and more of it to my Camelbak.  I have never worn my Camelbak on a run before and I was worried about chafing and other annoyances.  No problems so far, so…fingers crossed.  I credit the last three miles to the damp mini-Larabar I clawed open at mile 5.5.  I’ve never eaten during a run before – the larabar might have been a bit too dry, but I think the sweet dates were what pushed me through my last few miles.

After the run, the farmer’s market:

This week’s haul!

Microgreens

Sprouts (lentil this week)

Yellow pear tomatoes

Eggplant and peppers (from the sprout man – we love him!)

I only had about 20 minutes before my meeting, so I put together a quesadilla with some lentil sprouts and ketchup:

My meeting was not the most exciting way to spend a Saturday afternoon, but it was good to see some folks that I only see at these meetings.  (Ok, I’ll be honest – after my run it was reeeally hard to keep my eyes open in the freezing-cold a/c while we reviewed policies that I used to teach.  I get so sleepy a few hours after long runs, and combined with the cold…it was a challenge to stay plugged in.)

I had some cheese and crackers after I got home, then watched some Food Network since it was time for Giada and Ina.  After some stretching and some time with the foam roller, it was time for WB to be home from his weekend workshop (quite a weekend at the office for the two of us).  We had a mini-date night with takeout from the healthy mexican place, and some shopping/browsing, followed by gelato.  I got a combo of vanilla, cantaloupe sorbet, and violet – girly, but super-tasty.

We got home and curled up for some shark-related Dirty Jobs (love that show – I didn’t watch TV for years, but it’s nice to have on lazy weekends) with some tea.  I had some Tropic of Strawberry that we got on the Celestial Seasonings tour.  It’s got a sweet, tropical, fruity flavor – notes of fresh strawberry, pineapple, coconut and banana, backed by a sweet and tart hibiscus base.

Delicious!