12 miles...

I'm totally catching up on my mileage posts. It was 11 miles two weekends ago and 12 miles this past weekend.

So after dropping 5 pounds in 4 days, I was FULL of energy for my planned 12 miler. Not so much. I had only been eating normal meals for less than 48 hours when I set out for 12. It was also my first run since rolling my ankle (can you say hot mess?). The Pilot was home and I promised him that I would take it easy and turn around for home if there was any pain in my ankle or otherwise had any trouble. Normally if The Pilot is home, he would tag along with me on his bike or roller blades but I gave the poor guy my cold so he wasn't feeling so great. We were both hoping that I didn't pass along my stomach bug as well.

We were planning to leave for Indiana around noon to visit with his family so that meant I needed to get out the door and knock out the miles so we could get on the road. Because of the time constraints, I didn't meet up with the team at the normal trail and instead headed to the trail near our house.

I had to do a run walk combo for the first 3 miles. That was pretty discouraging. I just couldn't seem to find my groove. My ankle felt fine but my breathing was all out of whack and my shins were giving me trouble. But like usual, once I got past 3 miles, I finally found my rhythm and chugged along.

Proof that my stomach was still recovering from whatever I had, my Shot Blok at mile 5 didn't sit well. Blah. I considered turning around but with only 1 more mile until my turnaround, I kept going. I texted the Pilot at mile 6 to tell him that I was indeed going to do all 12 miles....at the 6 mile turnaround, I didn't have a choice.

A lot of people around here hate the Hilliard Rail Trail. Personally, I don't mind it unless it is 90 degrees and the sun is out. There is NO shade on this trail (it used to be a railroad track). It's straight, flat and kind of baron, especially once you get past the 3 mile marker. You don't see too many people once you get past mile 3. Usually the only people out there are the other marathoners and the occasional cyclist (or lots of cyclists in the summer). Most people would be bored out of their minds out there but for some reason, I enjoy the open space. The sky feels bigger out there and I really think it gives me the chance to clear out my head. No claustrophobia out there. For some reason, this song comes to mind.

As I took in the open space, I ate another Shot Blok at mile 7. This one didn't go over well either. Despite drinking lots of water with it, my stomach was angry. All I could think about was how many miles I was away from the World's Cleanest Port-a-potty. After about 1/2 a mile though, my stomach seemed to settle down. This is when it started to snow. It was a real fine, wet snow that wasn't sticking to the ground but it was pretty cold on the side of my face. It was a cold 4 miles to back to the car.

Normally I don't listen to music when I run/walk but 12 miles alone is a long time so I brought along the ipod. When on the trail though, I only put one ear bud in so I can still hear my surroundings. I have officially decided that I am in serious need of new music. It was the worst running playlist ever. I tried to throw some songs together that would keep me moving but it was pretty lame. And then I must not have read the playlist correctly because it should have been just long enough to last for 12 miles. At mile 10 though, the playlist ended. Fail. Mile 10 is my "bite-me mile." I mentally have trouble getting past that mile. This is the reason the 11 and 12 milers were so important to me. I needed some mental toughness so I don't stop running and walk the rest of the race. I dug the ipod out of my coat and flipped to another playlist, which was equally as lame. When I say lame, I mean that the 1997 Jock Jams was involved. If anyone has any suggestions for a new and improved playlist, I'm open! I need something with a beat that will keep me moving faster than 12:45 per mile!

I was hoping to avoid eating another Shot Blok because my stomach got so weird with each one but just before I got to mile 11, my stomach was growling something fierce. Since getting sick, I can't let my stomach get empty without starting to feel nauseous (and for the record, I am not prego!). I knew if I didn't put something in my stomach, I would get nauseous and dizzy. I ate one tiny bite off the last Shot Blok. It was just enough to settle my stomach from feeling hungry but within minutes, my stomach was all kinds of mad. I did a random mix of running and walking for the entire last mile. I was really disappointed but kept trying to remind myself that I was going to make it all 12 miles as planned. Not bad considering my health (or lack of) over the past couple weeks.

I came strolling back to my car in 2:35. Which, when I subtract the time I had to stop for cars to cross 2 streets, is right at the pace I need to PR at Disney in a couple weeks. In other words, I would still have 18 minutes to run in the last 1.1 miles. I could walk the last mile if needed. I'm feeling confident with my training and where I'm at right now. I think I will do one more 11 or 12 miler before tapering off to rest up for the race. Only 16 more days! Woah.

11 miles...

It's the week of Christmas and I've already had 4 Christmas celebrations (5 if you count the luncheon at work) in addition to all of the sicknesses. That's my excuse for lack of blog posts and I'm sticking with it.

On December 10 I headed out for what I was hoping to be an 11 miler. I had somewhat low expectations because I was recovering from both the sinus infection that turned into a cold. I loaded up on antibiotics, Dayquil and headed out the door. This girl has a PR to smash.

I headed out early so I could get in some miles before meeting up with my teammates. With the wind chill it felt like 11 degrees. Chilly! I did my usual 3 minute warm up walk and then tried to run. The lungs and the legs both felt like they had never run before. Adding to the challenge was this:
Large portions of the trail were flooded and because it was so cold, it looked like a skating rink. After climbing through the bushes to get around some of the water/ice, I kept heading north until I saw this:
Crap. I went onto the mulch path that runs parallel to the paved trail (and further from the river) but I prefer the pavement. The mulch would normally act as a cushion which is good but the ground was frozen so it just made it difficult and unstable to run on. I felt like I was going to roll my ankle so after about nearly 2 miles, I turned around to head back to the team's meeting place. I also texted the other coaches and suggested the team head south on the trail and hoped there wasn't as much flooding in that direction.

I took a short break after close to 4 miles to meet up with the team briefly and then headed back out to finish up the remaining 7 miles. My normal run buddies weren't there but it was nice that the others were out there because as I was still heading out, the others started to turn around and pass me in the opposite direction. It's nice to have familiar faces to wave to and cheer for. Maybe that's just a TNT thing. We don't just say hi, we almost always exchange encouraging words. And I needed it. I was a snotfest. The lingering cold was really putting a damper on my run. I was sort of bummed out that I was still not 100% but at the same time, it felt great to be getting some fresh air and some time to clear my head.

When I made it back to the starting point, I somehow still had 1/2 mile to go. Crap. Some of my fellow coaches and teammates were still standing around and started cheering for me when they saw me coming closer. I love them! I yelled out that I still had 1/2 mile to go and kept running on by. When the Garmin said I had traveled another .25, I turned around. When I got back to where everyone was waiting though, that darn thing said 10.99 miles. Pre-Garmin I would have said close enough (well, pre-Garmin I won't have known I had shorted the run by such a small amount) but I couldn't very well post a picture of my Garmin with a 10.99 reading and called this blog post 11 miles now could I? So I jogged around in circles until that Garmin showed this:

11 miles in 2:25. Not race pace but considering the trek through the bushes, slowing down for icy patches and the snotfest in general, I was ok with the average time. I was pleased just to get 11 miles done!

Through the afternoon, I felt pretty good. Not too much soreness from the run and my snotfest seemed to have finally ended. And then it went to hell again. Right around bed time I started to feel a little nauseous. And then a lot nauseous. I then spend the next 4 days not able to eat real food but I already whined about that. I'm not really catching a break during this PR smashing training season but I'm still plugging along. I like to think that I'll be mentally tough come race day because of all of the challenges!

Weekday Veg

I loved the encouraging words from my Turkey Free Turkey Day post. Jana, over at Running Vegetarian, recently made her own post about how even being a "mostly vegetarian" can be healthier and more environmentally and animal friendly. The video she posted really sparked my interest so I thought I would share.



It's pretty incredible to think how much environment damage can be prevented just be eating less meat. I won't even get started on the animals. What I like about this video is that it's not all or nothing.

I know The Pilot would admit that being a vegetarian isn't always convenient. Especially when he's often stuck in airports or hotels near the airport where there is an abundance of fast food restaurants. Can you say processed, factory farmed beef and chicken? The combination of his lifestyle and his job means that he has to take some extra steps to prepare his meals but he makes it work because it is important to him and now it's probably like tying his shoes, he just does it.

But for those just starting out, it's a challenge. Some may get discouraged and give up. While a full-on vegan or vegetarian might say that is a cop-out, I think it's the truth. The average American isn't going to go cold Turkey (no pun intended) and quit eating meat. They might have good intentions but it may prove too difficult or like with any elimination diet (Atkins or anything else that eliminates a certain type of food), they may just miss certain foods. The "weekday veg" seems like a great compromise for those not ready or wanting to become a full time vegetarian.

While I am falling into that "week day veg" category, I think my reasoning behind it is slightly different. The Pilot has really opened my eyes to where my food comes from, which has led to some of the changes I've made in my diet ( I don't think I've eaten ANY chicken nuggets since I found out exactly how the meat was processed). Also, I don't like to cook so when The Pilot is home, he cooks and is obviously making vegetarian meals. My challenge is eating out and in other social settings like potlucks or menu tastings. As an event planner, I sometimes have to go to menu tastings. I haven't figured out how to approach that if I do decide to become a full-time vegetarian. But, as a "week day veg," this isn't a problem.

So is that enough? Am I doing enough to reduce my footprint on the earth? Am I doing enough to show compassion for animals? Who really as the answers to those questions anyways...but it is some food for thought. Pun intended.

More bad luck

So I blogged about brown fat on Saturday before my long run. I mentioned that I'd let you know if I was thinner when I was done. I'm actually 5 pounds lighter than I was on Saturday morning. Unfortunately, running in the cold was not the reason.

I came down with a nasty stomach bug on Saturday night and tonight-WEDNESDAY- was my first real meal since dinner on Saturday. I haven't had much other than saltines, soup, rice, Sprite and some other random nibbles. Bleh.

Like that wasn't enough, yesterday afternoon, I slipped in a parking lot and rolled my ankle. It hurt but I kept moving. It wasn't until about 5 hours later that the pain in my ankle/foot was radiating up my leg. I was convinced that I broke my foot but it was really late and there wasn't much I could do about it. Luckily when I got up this morning, I was able to wiggle my toes and it wasn't swollen. It's pretty sore and bruised but I'm telling myself it's just a sprain. It's not like I was up for running or any other workouts while I've been living off crackers for 4 days anyways. Sigh.

The good news? I made it 11 miles on Saturday morning (post about that adventure coming soon) and I'm finally over my sinus infection and cold.

It's been an terrible week all around. My mood and attitude are at a low and I'm just trying to regroup, focus on the fact that The Pilot will be home for the weekend, we get to spend lots of time with different family all weekend and with any luck, I'll be able to run 12 on Saturday.

I'm not holding my breath on that last one. If the ankle isn't feeling it, I'm not going to push it. I've gotten an 11 miler in, which is plenty of distance to get through a 1/2 marathon. I just really wanted a couple 10-12 milers before the race so I can teach my mind and body that I really can run past 10 miles. I just keep reminding myself that there are still a couple weeks left until race day and it's plenty of time to get back to 100% and have a great race.

Brown Fat

Ever heard of brown fat? Yeah, me neither. According to Bicycling magazine (via The Obesity Reviews), spending too much time in artificially heated environments can cause weight gain. Hello! I live in the Midwest. It gets darn cold here in the winter! The upside though is that spending time in the cold can help make you thinner. Brown fat (not regular fat) burns calories but is only activated by cold temperatures. Ummm...what? That sounds all sciency to me but this jumped out at me: Fully activated brown fast can raise resting metabolism by 20%. Yes, please! A jump-started metabolism is what this girl needs. My weight loss has plateaued again so maybe the cold weather training will kick my lazy metabolism into gear!

It's about 18 degrees (with the "feels like" temperature hovering at 11) this morning. I'll be burning all kinds of brown fat as I head out for my 10+ mile journey. I'll let you know if I'm thinner when I get done.

My Brush with Greatness

I'm a child of the 80's and if you are too then you probably remember this awesomeness:



And then of course there was this masterpiece:


Ahhhh, the great works of Matthew Broderick. Who is Ferris married to? Carrie:



The Pilot and I were in the DCA airport on Sunday waiting for our flight home. While we were talking about getting our boarding passes (we were non-reving), the Pilot had his back to the walkway in the center of the airport. I noticed a woman behind him with giant sunglasses. I thought to myself that it kind of looked like Sarah Jessica Parker but didn't say anything, assuming I was mistaken. But the RIGHT behind The Pilot was Matthew Broderick. I lost my ability to speak for a moment and started hitting The Pilot's arm. SJP and Ferris walked on by while I was still trying to spit out their names as The Pilot probably wondered what the h was wrong with me.

I never see anyone famous...or if I do, I don't know that I do. I saw Seal in an airport once but that's about it. So that was my brush with greatness. I live an exciting life.

Devil Cats

When we were away last weekend, my parents fed our cats for us. Now these cats love to eat. They NEVER leave any food in their bowls after a meal. But when we got home from our trip, both cats had food in their bowls. I double checked with my parents that they didn't overfeed them. They didn't. That's when The Pilot and I got nervous. We thought they had gotten into something they shouldn't and were sick. The Pilot went to the basement to um....check the litter boxes...but found another problem.

The bathroom door in the basement was open. We were sure we had closed it before we left. We are limited on storage and had just purchased a giant bag of cat food. The larger the bag, the cheaper it is. We hadn't dumped the food into the plastic bin in the kitchen yet so we were keeping the bag in the bathroom in the basement (we don't use it much) to keep the cats out of it. So when The Pilot found the bathroom door open, he looked inside and found this:
Those little punk cats had eaten a hole in the bag and been helping themselves to an all-you-can-eat buffet while we were gone.

Devil cats.