Monthly Archives: August 2014

Running and the Future: Training for My 4th Half

That’s quite the title, isn’t it?

Given I just finished the peak week of my half marathon training and now am in wonderful, wonderful taper mode, I wanted to discuss some of my experiences with this training cycle, as well as what’s next.

My training has been mixed. I thought I was going in at a good place because of my weekend Crossfit group runs, but I came to the DC heat+humidity and had my booty handed to me.

The first few weeks of training were not fun. The runs were really hard. It’s easy to consider yourself a half marathoner who can do anything because you’ve done several in the past. But to some extent, the past is the past.

To be honest,after my half in April, I didn’t run that much. I gained a little weight and that made running stink more so I ran less so it stunk even more.

But since training started, I’ve been putting the work in. I’ve worked on my speed at run club every week (aka the run of the week where I frantically try and keep up with my much speedier companions).

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I’ve woken up at 5am. I’ve gotten faster each week. I’ve dropped what I gained. But part of me wonders if it is enough for a PR.

I feel so much better after my 12 lie run though! I’m putting it out there now-my goal for this race is 2:05 (my PR is 2:09). It’s a flatter course than my PR race, and I’ve done a half in between that was a MUCH harder course. Plus I’ve been training in the heat all summer in DC, and I will be running in San Francisco. Plus it’s my favorite race ever. So we shall see!

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(Sidenote-I actually got a really amazing race photo that I can’t find right now-it’s me cheesing it up with the golden gate perfectly in the background!)

Post half marathon, I will throw myself into training for half marathon of fall #2, at the beginning of October. If I follow my same training schedule and jump in at the right time, it has me running 12 miles the weekend after my half. So we’ll see about that. I REALLY want to break 2:00 in that race. It’s completely flat. I’m a little worried about a couple of things though. 1. It will be warmer (not in SF) and 2. It’s not in SF and I’m scared the scenery will be too boring. But it can’t be that bad, right? Maybe I just love SF. I really want to do a half in DC…

Anyways, after October 4, what’s next? I think I’m going to work on speed work and try to PR again in the winter on a 5k, but I also want to log more miles than I have in non-half training in the past. I’m considering joining a running group back home.

I think in terms of week to week, I don’t want to necessarily to long runs, but instead do more mid-length runs. So, instead of small runs during the week and long on the weekends, do 6 mile runs a couple of times a week, plus speed work. At least that’s what I’m thinking for now!

(Also-my mom clearly rocks at awkward pre/post race stretching pics…Feast your eyes:)

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And now I need to go because I have to wake up early to, surprise surprise, run.

Choosing the Right Social Media

Let me just preface this post by saying that I’m not going to stop blogging.

That being said, I’ve been feeling a little lacking in motivation lately. And then I started to wonder if it’s holding me back. If constantly focusing on food/fitness is affecting me or making me obsessed.

I also haven’t been as involved in the blogging community lately. I blame this on the fact that I read lots of blog posts during my commute on my phone, and it’s a pain for me to comment on my phone, so I just don’t.

And don’t get me started on the fact that anytime I open Instagram I get hungry.

After some thinking, I’ve decided to step back a little bit in certain ways. For one thing, my phone has zero ability to hold charge, and I can’t make it through a day even without browsing social media. So I’m kind of forced to stop using my phone to browse things during my commute because Googlemaps are important for me to get home within a reasonable amount of time (yayy public transportation), so there’s that.

So here’s what I decided. One of my favorite forms of social media, Instagram, has to go. It’s influencing me too much. When I find myself about to go out and buy a Quest bar, I know I’m in trouble. Not that there is anything wrong with Quest bars-I know a ton of people love them-but they turn my stomach into knots and they have nuts (and I know I’ve reacted to them before). So when an app has me on the verge of going out and consuming an allergen, I know it’s time to step back.

I decided to be more active on Twitter. I like Twitter because it’s a small place to keep track of everything, and it’s easy to keep track of what is going on in the world.

I decided to stop reading so many blogs on my phone (partly not by choice but by necessity), and instead read them on my computer, where I can comment, interact, be more mindful, and not get run over by a bus in the process (#commutingproblems).

I think to reignite the blogging spark I need to be more active and go out there and find and read new blogs, and comment on my favorites.

I also would like to be more representative of what I’m actually doing on my blog. I guess I partly feel less motivated to blog when I’m having ice cream every day and I’m supposed to be promoting health, but ice cream is part of health.

I also worry about posting my exercise schedule. I always worry I’ll be judged for what I do-I’m not obsessed with exercise, I just really like it. I like my Crossfit friends, and love exploring DC by foot on my runs. For me, I can run in the morning and then do Crossfit at night. But that’s just what works for me! (And I definitely don’t do that every day-just to be clear).

But I’ve found that talking about exercise on my blog is a way to express all my thoughts on anything exercise related without annoying the heck out of everyone in real life. I always have to hold myself back when I see my family or all I find myself talking about is my latest run or WOD.

So that’s that. I’m going to be discussing this more later, but I’d love to hear your thoughts on social media. And since this is a food and fitness blog, here’s some food:

Breakfast: Banana custard made in the microwave because I didn’t want to dig and find my pot.

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Lunch was the typical green bean salad and milk, plus yogurt, sunflower seed butter, and a twist-nectarine! (Not blueberries like every other day for the past 2 weeks.)

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And dinner was at the Whole Foods Salad bar.I normally get soup+bread there for dinner on Mondays, but after trying some of the garlic-y kale the other day, I’ve been wanting more! I need to do a copycat version-it is delicious! I had that topped with Southwest chicken and some other random salad bar items. And then I impulse bought a huge piece of corn bread and ate the whole delicious thing. Cornbread here is so much better. I guess since it’s sort of the South?

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And thanks for sticking with this post!

Thoughts on social media?

Sights On a Long Run

Happy Sunday! I guess I still have some energy to blog! Today was my longest run of half marathon training, so I’m OFFICIALLY in taper mode! Yay!

Breakfast was plain greek yogurt+sunbutter+banana mashed with cocoa powder.

As for fueling on the run, I spiked my water bottle with coconut water. Worst. Decision. Ever. First worst decision though was buying plain coconut water instead of pineapple. I actually like pineapple-can’t stand plain. I thought plain would blend better with my water (that I wouldn’t taste it as much) but boy was I wrong. I think I gagged every time I took a drink. Blech.

I actually brought my phone (in case I passed out or died midway-never know!) so I got some pictures of today’s scenic route.

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I also made myself choke down some water every mile or so. It was hot and humid today so that was a priority.

At the halfway point, I ate my Cliff chocolate goo. I think this is the only brand and flavor I could ever race with. Every other type I’ve tried (even other Cliff flavors) give me coughing fits. Which is fine on a training run (well, fine-ish), attempting to choke it down without losing a lung would be difficult. I think it is because this flavor is a bit thicker and less sickly sweet. I really wanted salted caramel for this run (because electrolytes) but I didn’t make it to the store on time.

I didn’t have any expectations on this run, other than to try and finish. From the very start, my legs fell into a faster pace. My calves felt tighter running slower so that was that.

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Even though I got a new audiobook last night, I ran to music because I wanted to start with something to pump me up a bit. I didn’t plan to have music the whole way, but it was working for me. Plus, my route was pretty interesting and varied. From Georgetown to the river, past Jefferson, over the river to the Mt. Vernon trail, past the airport, back, and then from Lincoln through the National Mall.

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I hit Lincoln around mile 10, and it was SO awesome because those were the first working drinking fountains on my run. I only had a bit of water left, and it was the nasty coconut mix so having fresh water was heaven.

Also-funny story. At mile 11, I totally wiped out in from of the Washington Monument. Luckily the ground was smooth stone so I kind of just slid, with just a bit of a scrape and bruise on my knee. Another reason to run in pants!

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I finished perfectly at my lunch location of choice.

And out of nowhere, I had just completed my best ever 12 mile training run.

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I never really felt like death, and my legs just locked into a rhythm. Hopefully this bodes well for PRing my race! I finished feeling good. And hungry. Definitely an improvement from last week when I just felt kind of gross.

I finished at The Protein Bar, and got a chocolate protein shake and a BBQ chicken “bar-rito” with avocado.

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It has quinoa, not rice! So delicious. I’m getting hungry again just thinking about it. Or maybe that’s because I ran 12 miles? I honestly think the 11 mile run the week prior in my training plan is one of the worst-or at least it typically has been in my training! I get locked in a bit more by the time I hit the 12 miler. Also-totally random but on the way back I ran into a friend from school on the street who lives in DC!

On my way back, I decided to check one item off my DC dessert bucket list. Chocolate cream cheese muffin from a nearby coffee shop. It was kind of like marble creed/cream cheese. My weakness. So good. I actually had a chocolate muffin the night before the big run, and I think the carb loading helped.

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After cleaning myself up a lot, I met up with a friend for frozen yogurt. I wasn’t exactly feeling it after the muffin, so I just got tart with fruit.

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We walked around the National Mall and Capital Building a bit, and then found the Supreme Court!

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Take note of the compression socks. Those things are seriously magic.

On my way home, I stopped for a salad-the same one as the other day. It was delicious-feta, watermelon, chicken, etc.

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Aaand now I know I’m going to sleep well tonight. I felt so much better all day today than after my last long run! But I am certainly going to sleep well tonight…

What is your worst run of training?

 

Experiencing DC

Happy weekend! I’m posting today because there’s a very low probability of me having the energy to do it tomorrow after 12 miles!

Let’s start with fitness updates. The other day, for my 4 mile run, I decided to run uphill for a change, instead of down to the waterfront. So it was 2 miles. Straight. Up. Hill. The run back was great though! I kept thinking to myself “How the heck did I run up this thing?”

So we’ll see if I ever have the motivation to do it again! The best part of the run was FINALLY seeing a cat in DC though. I’ve seen only one other cat during my time here, and it was in the dark, from a distance, as I was passing on a bus. Yes, I do have fantastic cat sensors.

Friday evening I went to Crossfit and did 100 plyo pushups. Which was fun…(hah). From my knees, but still! Ow. We also did bench press. I never did much bench pressing before coming here. I never really did it when I first lifted with my trainer because it wasn’t a good movement for me given I was a softball pitcher. And my school Crossfit doesn’t really do them either. I used to hate and avoid them, but now I look forward to them! I’m terrible at keeping the bar path straight though. It’s by far my worst lift.

As for food, I have a random smattering of things.

One of my new favorite breakfasts-plain yogurt+banana mashed with cocoa powder+sunflower seed butter.

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Lots and lots of veggies-cabbage seasoned with Mrs.Dash, salt, nutritional yeast, and what turned out to be a TON of pepper…whoops.

I had time before Crossfit, and instead of munching on a giant muffin (which has happened a bit more often than I’d like to admit lately) I snacked on some veggies-garlic kale (SO good), ginger carrots, and grilled mango.

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After Crossfit, I went out for Mexican food at District Taco, a chain around here that is supposed to be good. It seemed pretty similar to Chipotle to me! I got chicken tacos.

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Saturday morning I was up early to do something I’ve been wanting to do for weeks now (more in a minute). I got a green smoothie as part of breakfast at Whole Foods-this is one I’ve been wanting to try. It supposedly had greens, coconut water, cocoa powder, banana, dates, and blueberries. I say supposedly because it was kind of watery. The green smoothies I’ve had here so far are way inferior to the ones I get back at home!

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For lunch today, I went to Sweetgreen, a salad chain very popular in DC. I’m going to miss this. It’s definitely grown on me. I got the seasonal salad with chicken, which included watermelon, heirloom tomatoes, mint, feta, spicy sunflower seeds, cucumber, and a champagne vinaigrette.

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For dinner, I went to a place I’ve been wanting to try (I’m trying to fit everything in!) which was sort of an Asian fusion place. I got a teriyaki chicken wrap on a whole wheat tortilla. Good, but messy!

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In terms of today’s activities, I woke up early-too early-I need more sleep!-and headed out for breakfast, and then metro-ed it over to Arlington Cemetery. Every since my first visit, I’ve been wanting to go really early in the morning before the crowds of people come in. You can go up to the Arlington house, which offers a fantastic view of all of the city.

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I’m really going to miss this place…

After some time here, I went back to the gym for a spin class, and after showering at the gym, I headed out to the museums. The original plan was the Natural History Museum and the American History Museum, but I quickly realized that was too ambitious given my longest run of the summer is tomorrow. I went to the Natural History Museum, and watched an IMAX movie on adorable lemurs. And then I impulse bought a stuffed giraffe. IMG_8886

 

My sorority is obsessed with giraffes, so it will decorate my room at school!

And now I’m SO tired…

One thing I want to share about fueling and such for tomorrow-I bought coconut water, and since I really don’t want to have to carry a separate bottle, I’m going to mix it into my regular water. I know, blech. But it’s supposed to be another warm one tomorrow and it beats carrying it! In terms of pre-long run meals, I’ve been eating pretty much anything I have on hand. While it’s great that I’ve become better adapted to being able to eat anything, it means I have zero clue what to eat on race day! Last weekend I had a yogurt bowl (because that was all the food I had in the house), and it was fine. A year ago, I would have never been able to tolerate that pre-run. So there’s that.

Ok, bedtime for me!

What is your go-to race day meal?

The Exorcist Stairs

Happy Thursday/Friday depending on when you’re reading this! Now that we’re all caught up, it’s back to your regularly scheduled programming.

This morning I slept in a bit. So…my commute has been weird ever since I moved. It used to take me like an hour. But then one day I was running late-15 min late-I I still got there at the same time. So today I left EVER LATER and got there at the same time. Ok…? How is that possible? So now I get to sleep later and my commute is shorter. A-ok with me!

Workout-wise, one thing I failed to mention yesterday was that I had a weird experience while practicing my handstands against the wall. I was facing the wall, and I’m just starting to learn to get my feet off the wall. I had a spotter, and I actually held it for a few seconds, before falling into my spotters hands…and then I kept going. Not sure what happened with the spotter, but I fell over backwards. It was possible the most graceful fall I’ve ever had-it turned into a nice little somersault. Left me kind of dizzy for a while though!

Moving on.

Here’s a new to me breakfast. Anyone remember my banana/cocoa powder mixtures I used to always make? Well, I decided it is sort of similar to my double chocolate banana bread. So I turned it into a yogurt bowl and topped it with sunflower seed butter. I had this pre-run but it was far too ugly to deserve a picture. This doesn’t look that pretty but it tastes great!

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In terms of lunches, here’s a new one. A broccoli/cabbage mix (what I could find at the grocery…) with sunflower seeds, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and coriander (plus salt and pepper).

Plus my new side dish-yogurt+berries+sunbutter.

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Tonight, I went to run club again. There was a different person leading it. It was a good one. We ran the Exorcist stairs! I’ve heard people talk about them-apparently they appeared in that movie? I’ve never seen it. But they stink. They are tall. And coincidentally really close to where I live to I should be incorporating them into my runs for these last 2 weeks!

Dinner was simple-tomato soup with added spinach and cheese, and a microwave cheddar quesadilla.

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There were also some snacks in there that went unpictured.

Have you seen the Exorcist?