Hmmm…yeah. Well, first things first, I did twelve miles on Saturday and it was great. For the first time EVER, I ran the SC and was not precipitated on, not even a little. That right there would have made it noteworthy. I was also well-rested because I moved a short run from Thursday to Sunday (Thursday was my B-day), so I had two days' rest going into it. That gave me the confidence to really work on my pace, and I finished the 12 miles in 1:47:06, for a pace of 8:55! Holy crap! It went by in a flash. I don't think I need to tell you how much this boosts my confidence.
The questionable part was that I tried Shot Bloks for the first time. I sort of wondered how you were supposed to ingest them on the run, and then I read a suggestion that you sort of tuck a square into your cheek and let it dissolve. That's nice in theory, but in practice having my cheek puffed out messed with my breathing, and made me feel like a chipmunk. They took forever to dissolve (I ended up chewing them a little because I needed to take another square while the old one was still hanging around). Plus, my tummy (which normally doesn't bother me at all) seemed a little uneasy about the Bloks. It just gurgled and felt vaguely out of sorts. On the other hand – I kept up a 8:55 pace on a relatively long run, and that may be because I pretty much constantly had a Blok in my mouth. On my 19-miler this weekend I think I'll try them again – that is a true long run, and I'll be on one day's rest.
I’m not really nervous about nineteen – now that whatever was bugging me in January is gone I feel great about running. I am a bit anxious about the route, however. At the last minute I was invited to the beach this weekend (and I will never turn down a free beach weekend), so I'm trying to find a route nearby that seems safe. I emailed the local runner's club, hopefully they'll have some suggestions. And for the ice bath – into the ocean!! Can't wait.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Monday, February 11, 2008
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Seventeen miles on Saturday – wow.
Even as I was running, I couldn't believe I was doing it. To think my long run just a few months ago was five!
I was indeed in the rain for three hours straight, although it did mix with snow for a while in the middle, which was nice. I think I made the right choice in what I wore, even though I was WAY more bundled up than any of the other runners I saw (all four of them). It's one thing to get soaked to the skin on my short runs during the week, when I can come home and take a hot shower right away. I was concerned about getting soaked in the first half-hour, then having two and half more hours in which to get all chafe-y and uncomfortable.
I'm now convinced that I had a bad, clingy cold the last few weeks. I feel like a new runner now. Not only did I have plenty of energy on Saturday night, on Sunday I was fine. I even contemplated going for a short run, but settled on some yoga and a long walk instead. It is such a huge relief to know that I wasn't feeling crummy from the running but from some lousy germs that I probably got from my dad (thanks, Pop).
***
Now that I'm into the highest mileages I'll be doing, I've been thinking a lot about what to eat after a long run. I know it's important to get a lot of protein, carbs, etc., but I wanted to avoid nutrition bars and recovery powder thingies because they are both expensive and of dubious, perhaps chemical origin. So I googled around for awhile and stumbled across a great recipe on a website which (of course) I cannot locate now. I would give credit where it is due if I wasn't such a spaz.
Anywho, the recipe is below. I really like it. It's fast & easy to make, it's muy tasty, and I can drink it while I'm doing other things like stretching or getting in the ice bath (AAAAHHHHH!).
1 cup milk (soy or dairy)
1/3 cu. of either powdered skim milk or soy protein powder
2 tbs. of instant pudding mix, for flavor and to thicken the shake (I use butterscotch…mmmmm)
4 ice cubes
Combine everything in a blender and pulse until smooth
The original recipe called for dairy milk and the milk powder, neither of which I have at home, ergo I used soy milk & powder. The result was super tasty. The pudding mix, while adding sugar, also makes the shake uber-palatable. I was worried it would be one of those "choke it down, its good for you" things, but now I look forward to it. It fills me up, gives me a lot of protein and carbs, and I haven't been as sore on Sundays since I've been making them (although that may be due to other things too – like shaking off that persistent cold). The added bonus is that it costs like 40 cents a shake, as opposed to $3 and higher for commercial brands.
PS - How much do ice baths *#$%&`%*#$ suck????
I was indeed in the rain for three hours straight, although it did mix with snow for a while in the middle, which was nice. I think I made the right choice in what I wore, even though I was WAY more bundled up than any of the other runners I saw (all four of them). It's one thing to get soaked to the skin on my short runs during the week, when I can come home and take a hot shower right away. I was concerned about getting soaked in the first half-hour, then having two and half more hours in which to get all chafe-y and uncomfortable.
I'm now convinced that I had a bad, clingy cold the last few weeks. I feel like a new runner now. Not only did I have plenty of energy on Saturday night, on Sunday I was fine. I even contemplated going for a short run, but settled on some yoga and a long walk instead. It is such a huge relief to know that I wasn't feeling crummy from the running but from some lousy germs that I probably got from my dad (thanks, Pop).
***
Now that I'm into the highest mileages I'll be doing, I've been thinking a lot about what to eat after a long run. I know it's important to get a lot of protein, carbs, etc., but I wanted to avoid nutrition bars and recovery powder thingies because they are both expensive and of dubious, perhaps chemical origin. So I googled around for awhile and stumbled across a great recipe on a website which (of course) I cannot locate now. I would give credit where it is due if I wasn't such a spaz.
Anywho, the recipe is below. I really like it. It's fast & easy to make, it's muy tasty, and I can drink it while I'm doing other things like stretching or getting in the ice bath (AAAAHHHHH!).
1 cup milk (soy or dairy)
1/3 cu. of either powdered skim milk or soy protein powder
2 tbs. of instant pudding mix, for flavor and to thicken the shake (I use butterscotch…mmmmm)
4 ice cubes
Combine everything in a blender and pulse until smooth
The original recipe called for dairy milk and the milk powder, neither of which I have at home, ergo I used soy milk & powder. The result was super tasty. The pudding mix, while adding sugar, also makes the shake uber-palatable. I was worried it would be one of those "choke it down, its good for you" things, but now I look forward to it. It fills me up, gives me a lot of protein and carbs, and I haven't been as sore on Sundays since I've been making them (although that may be due to other things too – like shaking off that persistent cold). The added bonus is that it costs like 40 cents a shake, as opposed to $3 and higher for commercial brands.
PS - How much do ice baths *#$%&`%*#$ suck????
Monday, January 28, 2008
I admit, I wimped out
Saturday morning dawned cold & icky (a scientific term). It was raining/icing steadily, and I made the call that it would be silly to put myself through another long run in miserable weather. Plus, parts of the sidewalk by my house were slippery enough that I nearly went toes over ass while walking on them. Thus to the gym I went, to complete twelve grueling miles on the treadmill. Shudder. Yuck. Blarg. I really hate when I have to restart the treadmill. I don't know if this is a 24 Hour Fitness thing or is universal, but all the treadmills at the gym have a max of 60 minutes per session. Even if I do a separate warm-up, that's a max of 6 miles, give or take a few tenths. Ergo, if I want to do more than 6 miles I have to let the treadmill come to a complete stop, furiously press the "restart" and "speed up" buttons, and try to get back into the groove I was so ignominiously booted out of. I realize that in the grand scheme of Life's Inconveniences this one ranks pretty low, somewhere in the vicinity of changing the oil in your car, but way below flossing or the stomach flu. Still. Oh, and another thing I've come to dislike about doing long runs at the gym is that I get funny looks from people while swallowing gels. I get that most people on the treadmill at the gym are walking or running 2 or 3 miles, and have most likely never run long enough to need a gel. I get that it might be weird to see the gal next to you trying to subtly ooze some goo out of a tube into her sweaty face while simultaneously trying not to fall off the back of the treadmill into the guy behind her. But do ya gotta stare?
To look on the bright side of the gym thing, I wasn't on one of the machines that faces the wall, and I got to watch most of Paycheck, a completely forgettable action movie from the 90s that I vaguely remember seeing at the drive-in with my two best friends in high school. We went to see it because we had a thing for Ben Affleck, who spends the entire movie looking like an insurance salesman with tanorexia and a pomade fixation.
To look on the bright side of the gym thing, I wasn't on one of the machines that faces the wall, and I got to watch most of Paycheck, a completely forgettable action movie from the 90s that I vaguely remember seeing at the drive-in with my two best friends in high school. We went to see it because we had a thing for Ben Affleck, who spends the entire movie looking like an insurance salesman with tanorexia and a pomade fixation.
Monday, December 10, 2007
See below for whining
miles: Saturday, 8.5 outdoors, Sunday, 3.1 outdoors
total program miles: 122.1
pain level: noticeable discomfort
Owie, owie, owie, my legs are stiff. I had an amazing run on Saturday morning, everything was ideal. The weather was gorgeous, I felt awesome, not a speck of pain, energized (I remembered a gel this time!), and to top it off I didn't listen to my iPod and the time still flew by. When I reached the half-way point I thought "No way I did four and a quarter miles already!" As I cruised into the driveway I felt on top of the world. I did a good cool-down with stretches, and later in the day I took a walk to loosen up, but I could still feel myself getting stiff.
When I woke up on Sunday my legs were all "No thanks, boss, no running today, we'll just sit on the couch if its all the same to you." But of course I had signed up to run a 5k on Sunday with my friend T, and this was her first 5k ever. So I had to go. I popped some ibuprofen and headed out into the frigid air. It was bleeding cold yesterday in the Portland metro area, it even snowed as the run was finishing up. Yuck. I have to say, though, once I finished warming up and the run started, I felt good. I didn't push myself too hard.
But this morning – yikes. My legs feel like warped planks of wood.
I think the problem must be that my run on Saturday was conducted entirely on sidewalks, concrete sidewalks. I can't think of what else could have caused the stiffness, as I've run 8 miles twice before (once on packed dirt and once on the treadmill) and felt little stiffness the days following. Assuming that to be the case, I now face a dilemma. To run in my neighborhood means to run on concrete. The streets are asphalt but too busy to be run in, and there are no trails of meaningful distance within an easy walk. I have resisted the idea of driving to a running spot because it seems like a waste of both time and fuel to drive so that I may run. Of course I don't want to tear my poor legs up either. I've come up with a tentative plan, yes, ANOTHER tentative plan (we'll see how long this one lasts). In order to minimize the strain on my system, I'm going to try running all my weekday runs on the treadmill. I'm thinking I'll try the Springwater corridor for long weekend runs – yes it’s a drive, but a short one at least, and its asphalt. And if I'm feeling virtuous, I can even take the bus.
An aside: The gel I brought with me on Saturday was Espresso Love Gu. I "ate" it after about 4 miles. (It doesn't feel right to me to say that I "took" a gel, although that seems to be the agreed phrasing in the on-line community. But you don't really "eat" a gel either, since it just sort of slithers down one's throat. "Ingested" is too cumbersome and suggestive...maybe "swallowed", since that is really what you do with a gel?) One thing in its favor, it tasted a heckuva lot better than Lemon Sublime Gu. I tried that flavor a few weeks ago and nearly gagged. Blech. Anyway, as I tore the top off the little packet I was imagining that this would be a burdensome and awkward ritual that, while necessary, would assume its place near dental cleanings and the hand-washing of delicates at the bottom of the list of desirable activities. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I sort of squirted the stuff into my mouth and it took care of the rest, just sort of shimmying downward without any help from me. I barely had time to notice the taste before it was gone. Swallowing the whole thing took maybe 20 seconds and I was able to run the entire time. I'm going to keep experimenting – this week I'm trying Shot Bloks – but the Gu experience was not unpleasant
total program miles: 122.1
pain level: noticeable discomfort
Owie, owie, owie, my legs are stiff. I had an amazing run on Saturday morning, everything was ideal. The weather was gorgeous, I felt awesome, not a speck of pain, energized (I remembered a gel this time!), and to top it off I didn't listen to my iPod and the time still flew by. When I reached the half-way point I thought "No way I did four and a quarter miles already!" As I cruised into the driveway I felt on top of the world. I did a good cool-down with stretches, and later in the day I took a walk to loosen up, but I could still feel myself getting stiff.
When I woke up on Sunday my legs were all "No thanks, boss, no running today, we'll just sit on the couch if its all the same to you." But of course I had signed up to run a 5k on Sunday with my friend T, and this was her first 5k ever. So I had to go. I popped some ibuprofen and headed out into the frigid air. It was bleeding cold yesterday in the Portland metro area, it even snowed as the run was finishing up. Yuck. I have to say, though, once I finished warming up and the run started, I felt good. I didn't push myself too hard.
But this morning – yikes. My legs feel like warped planks of wood.
I think the problem must be that my run on Saturday was conducted entirely on sidewalks, concrete sidewalks. I can't think of what else could have caused the stiffness, as I've run 8 miles twice before (once on packed dirt and once on the treadmill) and felt little stiffness the days following. Assuming that to be the case, I now face a dilemma. To run in my neighborhood means to run on concrete. The streets are asphalt but too busy to be run in, and there are no trails of meaningful distance within an easy walk. I have resisted the idea of driving to a running spot because it seems like a waste of both time and fuel to drive so that I may run. Of course I don't want to tear my poor legs up either. I've come up with a tentative plan, yes, ANOTHER tentative plan (we'll see how long this one lasts). In order to minimize the strain on my system, I'm going to try running all my weekday runs on the treadmill. I'm thinking I'll try the Springwater corridor for long weekend runs – yes it’s a drive, but a short one at least, and its asphalt. And if I'm feeling virtuous, I can even take the bus.
An aside: The gel I brought with me on Saturday was Espresso Love Gu. I "ate" it after about 4 miles. (It doesn't feel right to me to say that I "took" a gel, although that seems to be the agreed phrasing in the on-line community. But you don't really "eat" a gel either, since it just sort of slithers down one's throat. "Ingested" is too cumbersome and suggestive...maybe "swallowed", since that is really what you do with a gel?) One thing in its favor, it tasted a heckuva lot better than Lemon Sublime Gu. I tried that flavor a few weeks ago and nearly gagged. Blech. Anyway, as I tore the top off the little packet I was imagining that this would be a burdensome and awkward ritual that, while necessary, would assume its place near dental cleanings and the hand-washing of delicates at the bottom of the list of desirable activities. I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. I sort of squirted the stuff into my mouth and it took care of the rest, just sort of shimmying downward without any help from me. I barely had time to notice the taste before it was gone. Swallowing the whole thing took maybe 20 seconds and I was able to run the entire time. I'm going to keep experimenting – this week I'm trying Shot Bloks – but the Gu experience was not unpleasant
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
One run down: so far, so good
distance: 3 miles (outdoors)
total program distance: 3 miles
pain level: naught
On the bus coming home last night I read the form chapter in The Competitive Runner's Guide. He basically said don't try very hard to correct your natural form, but gave some tips to keep in mind. I tried a few last night. My favorite was imagining that I was holding potato chips between my middle fingers and thumbs to keep from straining my hands. I have a tendency to run with them straight out, alá the chase scenes in cop movies, which now that I've thought about it would probably hurt my forearms after 4 hours of holding them that way. So I tried to focus on that and on making sure I wasn't overstriding. I think I did well on both counts.
The main thing I did last night was try to self-monitor my heart-rate and breathing. What I noticed is once I got up the hill to the track and got in a rhythm, I was easily breathing through my nose and really was barely exerting myself. Bad girl! So I upped the pace until I was breathing a comfortable 2-2 (two footfalls on the inhale, two on the exhale). And man was I going fast! For me, that is. I was really surprised by how good it felt. As I said below, I've never timed myself ever, it's just been guesstimating. I didn't wear a watch last night either, but I think I did pretty close to a 5k, with a substantial hill thrown in, and I was at or just under 30 minutes. Sweet! Now all I have to do is be able to run at that pace for 4 hours!! Gee, nothing to it. :) But it does give me a lot of hope and encouragement. Heading down my street at the end of the run I felt great. We'll see how I feel after three days in a row. My previous schedule was every other day.
Total topic change: pumpkin spice lattes. I have a weird thing for PSLs, as I cleverly call them. They are full of empty sugar calories, and if you get one prepared the way I like it (double tall soy) it costs $4.20, which is just flipping wrong. But on a cold, brisk fall day, a well-prepared PSL is like…well, its like a little slice of heaven you can warm your hands around. But therein lies the rub – they must be well-prepared. If not, a PSL is the coffee equivalent of a two-day old 7-11 maple bar with some nutmeg on top. I've found that the Starbucks in this town vary wildly in the quality of PSLs they produce. The Starbucks on Third makes amazing PSLs, and it is a constant struggle to avoid the temptation when I walk by on the way to work. But this weekend I went to the Starbucks on west Burnside and…um…20th-ish, and the PSL was so bad that I DIDN'T EVEN DRINK THE WHOLE THING! Sacrilege! I felt terrible but I just couldn’t drink the damn thing it was so cloying. Anyway, it's turned me off of PSLs for awhile, which is probably a good thing.
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