16.3 (LOL)

Date: March 13, 2016

Author: astottler

Hey guys! I’m currently taking a little study break. We’re in the home stretch! I have 2 finals tomorrow and then I’m DONE. Tomorrow will be a long day though—2 back to back 3 hour finals followed by my 3 hour off campus Biochem class.

Shall we back it up a bit to Friday before getting into 16.3?

My morning began with a WET 5 mile run. And cold. Yuck. Sometimes I like running in the rain, most times I don’t, especially in the morning. But I got it done. A highlight was breakfast—I was super excited to try the Siggi’s fig and lemon yogurt, and realized it would go perfectly with the copious amounts of lemon poppyseed bread in the freezer. I used the one with the slightly weird texture. I actually like the flavor of that more. Still looking for the perfect recipe!

In my morning class, I got to work with rats! Then, it was lunchtime. It was a made to order brunch, so I got eggs florentine on a gluten free english muffin.

After lunch, I went to my final class of the quarter and just got DRENCHED on the bike ride back. When I arrived at my dorm, my sister was waiting outside for me and I didn’t have time to change clothes. We were off to visit the cat she was going to adopt! I fell in love with a few others while there.

But meet Lava! My first nephew 😉

He’s such a sweetie. He loves climbing on everyone’s lap and purring.

The rest of my wild Friday night consisted of falling asleep before 10pm. #deadweek

Saturday morning before Crossfit, I stopped by the Stanford softball game. They were playing Cal Poly, and growing up I played softball with quite a few girls who are now on Cal Poly, so it was fun to see them play!

Then, Saturday morning was 16.3! I was not really excited for it. The workout was a 7 minute AMRAP of 10 snatches at 55# and 3 muscle ups. So, muscle ups are definitely not a thing for me. I assumed I would do scaled, which was 35# snatches and jumping chest to bar pull ups, which I was not excited about. When I showed up however, out coach informed us that since any reps in Rx is ranked higher than scaled, it made sense to just do Rx and then finish the workout with pull ups, and take a score of 10. Since 55# snatches are really comfortable for me, I took this option, and scored all of a 10. Because of that limitation, there wasn’t much hoopla around the workout. The exciting thing though was that I actually did 5 pull ups between my snatch sets WITHOUT a band. WHATTT. I used the smallest band for the first set and then ditched it for the last couple. I’ve been putting in work on the pull ups lately, so I was pretty pumped to be able to break them out in a workout for the first time!

After my heat, I judged a heat and watched another. It was actually a lot of fun, and sort of amusing. Because of the way the standards for muscle ups were set, you can actually do some pretty ugly things to make it work.

After the workout, I went out to lunch with my gym-mates. We went to The Counter, which was delicious but insanely slow. We were there for over 2 hours! It was really fun getting to know everyone though. I keep saying this, but I love the Crossfit community.

My make your own burger creation went unphotographed because I was ravenous, but I did a chicken burger with gruyere, garlic aioli, avocado, mixed greens, and tomato on a GF bun. Demolished.

The rest of my day consisted of a review session, studying, and a cat bath.

Because of my vet assistant experience, I came over to bathe Lava and clean his ears. He was not amused. He’s such a sweetie and we weren’t worried about getting bitten, but he definitely did not love the water and was quite squirmy! After his bath and partial blow-dry, he would not stop cleaning himself—I don’t think he liked any part of the experience!

I think he forgave his mean old aunt though because he was curled up on my lap an spurring before I left.

Sunday morning was my 9 mile training run, which I was not looking forward to AT ALL. The weather report called for rain all day, and it did not disappoint. I was a little worried about blisters for 9 miles in the rain, but that ended up being a non issue. I was also thoroughly unprepared for this run. I don’t actually have any water bottles at school right now (right??), and forget to get some gu from home last time I went back. Luckily, I still had a few packets of chocolate, but I was worried about the caffeine in chocolate because last time I had issues with it. But sometimes you have to suck it up, get out, and get to work. Based on the route, I hit a water fountain at mile 5 so I could take my gu then. It gave me quite the energy boost! Overall, I felt pretty good, albeit wet. Myshoe came untied in the last mile, and when I bent down to tie it, and nice little puddle came out of my rain jacket. Needless to say I was DRENCHED.

I’m not really paying attention to paces right now, so I was pretty happy with this!

Lunch was super delicious. A bowl of polenta, eggs, spinach, and mozzarella.

And then I committed to not going outside the rest of the day. I’m so over being cold and wet!

I’m currently rocking my seasonably appropriate compression socks. It’s a good thing St. Patrick’s Day falls during long run season!

Aaand now it’s back to studying. ONE MORE DAY!

Running in the rain—love it or hate it?

Easter+Everything

Date: April 7, 2015

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

Wow, things have been crazy here lately. I’m in a sorority, and this week is our big formal recruitment!

I think I owe you all some food pictures, especially with my fantastically limited diet. As for how that’s going-I’m not ready to start adding things back yet, and I’m feeling ok. I sometimes feel bad, but it’s pretty good and lately hasn’t been a problem. So I’m feeling PRETTY good.

So-the weekend! I worked on Friday afternoon instead of Saturday because I had a recruitment workshop. I had to pick up my employee key tag from the gym I’m going to start subbing at (which looks exactly like my membership key tag from when I was a member).

And the gym was right across from Whole Foods, so I grabbed dinner there.

Turkey meatloaf, quinoa salads, and normal salad. The real highlight though was raiding the dairy free/gluten free bakery area. I picked up this AMAZING brownie which I think was made with garbanzo beans?

Saturday’s meal schedule was really strange since I had my workshop, but I had a super early dinner of sushi-type of things, which I dipped in vinaigrette. Yeah…

Then, my sister and I got full body massages! I had never had one before, and it was so nice! Although the next day I felt a little bruised. Afterwards, we went out for Pho, because rice noodles are one of the few things I can eat!

Then, I went home for Easter! Yes, we are in our 20s and still do egg hunts.

Also-know what is gluten and dairy free? Jelly beans. YUM. I had so many! Because Easter is one of the times where candy mid-morning is 100% acceptable.

After the hunt-we ended up not finding anywhere near all of them, although we found one with a giant hole far from where it started so maybe animals played a hand-we met up with my grandma and uncle for brunch at a fancy hotel.

I actually managed pretty well to avoid gluten/dairy/nuts.

I brought my own soy sauce in my purse that was gluten free. Cute. Sushi, smoked salmon, salad, chicken.

Corn taco with beans, guac, rice, and salsa. Plus more sushi and jasmine rice.

I also had some dessert. I had a few bites of gluten/dairy containing things, but I think it was ok, especially since I’m doing a full other week of total elimination. My favorite was peach crisp!

After brunch, we did some egg dying!

Which is what I will be eating for the next week straight. These are all for me:

In other news, I did my last major long run of half training yesterday. It was 9 miles, and it was a mix of great and really, really sucky. Saturday-Monday I was dealing with really bad allergies (that always occur the week of formal recruitment), so my lungs felt disgusting. My stomach was kind of off so I felt gross. And my new shoes are definitely not ready to be raced in. HOWEVER. My legs felt fantastic! They weren’t even tired, so I’m taking that as a good sign! That being said, I still have no expectations for race day. It will definitely depend on how I feel!

What did you do for Easter?

Why is Running So Hard?

Date: September 17, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

I’m so glad to be caught up on posts! Sort of.

So….I have a half marathon in 3 weeks. Yeah. Originally I was gunning for a big PR in this race, but I’ve decided I’m most definitely not going to do that. Thanks to foot issues, I’m probably not going to be in the best shape. Plus I’m tired of dying at races, so I’m going to go out very conservatively. My plan is to go out around a 10:00 pace, and my goal is to run a sub-10:00 last mile. 10:00 is on the slow side for me for races, but I want to keep a steady pace and have something left at the end, which is how I know I will have paced well. On that note, after about a week off of running, my foot is feeling much better and it’s time to get back at it. Since I was in Berkeley all weekend, and another recovery day couldn’t hurt, I did a long run on Monday. Technically 3 weeks out from my race I should have done a 12 mile run, but I opted for a 10 miler instead.

I had what seems to be my current pre-long run food (I can’t believe I’m eating yogurt pre-long run…)-plain yogurt, a banana mashed with cocoa powder, and sunflower seed butter.

I was super casual about this run and didn’t head out until around 12 (definitely couldn’t have done this in DC) so it was pretty warm, but a BEAUTIFUL day. The trail I ran on offers views of what I consider one of the most beautiful parts of Northern CA.

(Old pic-it was the perfect day so it was even more beautiful!)

I ran 2 more miles into this trail than I have before, and the scenery changed completely. I reached the edge of the reservoir and then was running through a wooded forest. At the 5 mile turnaround, I was shocked when the trail opened up to a beautiful lake/other reservoir! It was amazing! I also took my gu here-I finally tried the mint chocolate I’ve had FOREVER and it was SO delicious! It was a very warm day so it was nice and melty, like peppermint hot fudge! (Note: I still don’t recommend using goo as hot fudge on a sundae-it’s not THAT good.) The only problem was it made me cough like crazy-I guess I won’t be switching over anytime soon!

This run for me was more to get the miles in than anything else, so the pace was what it was. This was hard! Why is running so hard? It’s amazing how fast you get out of shape. Between tapering and a week off after my race, my legs did not have anywhere near the volume of mileage that I would normally have at this point in training.

But I finished and then gobbled down some leftovers-a turkey burger and sweet potato.

And then made pumpkin custard.

Dinner that night was Grilled Peach and Chicken salad. One of the peaches we used was absolutely amazing.

Plus some pita chips on the side.

For dessert, I tried Pumpkin Spice english muffins! They are SOOO good! I had mine toasted with butter and cinnamon sugar. I think they’d also be fantastic with cinnamon Laughing Cow or cream cheese. Yum!

Do you find you get out of running shape quickly?

Sights On a Long Run

Date: August 17, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

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.

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.

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.

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!

I finished perfectly at my lunch location of choice.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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?

Peak Week

Date: August 13, 2014

Author: astottler

Categories: Uncategorized

So…one of the reasons for my absence? It’s peak week! Of my half marathon training! Not sure if anyone else actually calls it that, but this week is my heaviest week of running, with the training plan telling me to do 4,6,4, 12. Last week was pretty heavy as well-4,5,4,11. Sooo it’s sort of been knocking me out! That being said, let’s talk about some of my noteworthy workouts from the past week!

Thursday(last week)-run club workout. There was a sub leading it, and she planned out a route right through downtown. As a result, about halfway through (maybe less) we started getting stuck at every. single. light. Which I personally welcomed because I was casually dying. However, what this meant to my companions was that we should sprint the distances between the lights. Dying.

Friday-rowing workout at the gym+abs in the morning-nothing too crazy, just 4 sets of 5 minutes on the erg plus about 10 minutes of abs. To be honest it was an excuse to use the super fancy showers at my gym…seriously, they are amazing.

That evening was Crossfit-Death by Slamballs. This was a 15 minute AMRAP, with every minute starting with 3 burpees, and then 1 slam ball, then 2 slam balls,3,4,5, etc, increasing by one every minute so that the last minute you do 3 burps plus 15 slam balls. If you fail to complete the slam balls, you “die.” Somehow, I “lived.” But barely. Ugh, in the last round I sort of wished I had died earlier! I used a 30# slam ball.

Later that evening, since it was Friday night, I was asking around Georgetown and stopped by the Reebok store. They had a promotion that if you do 20 burpees, you get 20% off. Uhm, yes! I ALMOST got some beautiful turquoise Nano 4.0s but they didn’t have my size. Probably just as well though, because I think I like my 2.0s more-they just fit my feet better! I did however, get this shirt (putting burpee count for the day at 65 if you’re counting):

Saturday: Crossfit-I haven’t gone on a Saturday in forever, and I wanted to work on handstands since I”m getting close! We also did snatches. The WOD was a fun one-sprints in the form of Cops and Robbers (basically tag). It was only 10 sprints, but I definitely felt it the next day…which was…

Sunday-11 miles! This was a pretty uneventful run. I incorporated lots of hills in the first couple of miles, and the end was awful because I messed up my complicated planned route a bit so I got back to near the start at about a mile short, so I had to run in circles for a mile. Which I hate doing-I like pure out and backs. Plus I was dying at that point and contemplated finishing at 10+ but I did it. The best moment though was finishing at the Georgetown waterfront where there was this fountain/sprinkler thing that kids were playing in in their bathings suits. I stuck my head in and it was the best thing ever.

The issue was that after my run I felt really…uncomfortable. I don’t know, not bad, just weird. I walked to a cafe to get some food (and lots of water) into me. I sat at the cafe briefly contemplating whether I was going to pass out, and then realized I was being ridiculous and paranoid. Does anyone else do that-they feel slightly off and then it freaks them out? Anyways, I think the problem may have been lack of electrolytes. It was pretty warm, and while the heat didn’t really bother me, I sweated quite a bit. Given all my races are in San Francisco and I train by the bay, I’m not used to this kind of thing! I think I’m going to try and get salted goo for this week’s run, or carry coconut water or something.

Monday: Crossfit-Not ideal after a long run, but I felt decent and didn’t want to miss squat day.

Tuesday: Rest/yoga. My legs were kind of beat up, and my hamstrings were tight, so this was perfect. It was power yoga in a warm room (~80?), but it wasn’t too intense and my hamstrings got a great stretch.

Wednesday-legs felt restored for my morning 6 miler! Uneventful-I ran to the Lincoln Memorial which I can only do on longer runs now because I live further, and almost swallowed about 50 gnats at the reflecting pool.

And that’s what you missed! I promise to try and be more consistent-but after my 11 miler I lay on my bed not moving for a solid 3 hours. It knocked me out!

Also-I’ve been making an effort to tweet more, so feel free to follow me there!

How do you handle the heat?