Overpronator

New York City Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T12:16:00.004-04:00

Since I became a New Yorker, I make it a point to visit the Village for the Halloween Parade ... unless Halloween falls on a football night when the Steelers are playing, in which case, alternate planning will take effect. This is definitely one of my favorite night's in the City because creativity, showmanship, and uncensored humor are expressed without any inhibition. In 2008 (the first recession), a man was dressed in a suit with a pink slip in his breast pocket, and a wire strung through his tie so that when he posed, it looked like he was jumping off a building or a bridge in attempt for suicide. In 2009, a guy was fully decked in a Storm Trooper costume that looked like it came direct from Universal Studios. In addition to the elaborate plastic construction, the costume also included a voice distortion mechanism to make the guy actually sound like a Storm Trooper.

Last year ... I think the Steelers were on, so I just enjoyed the kiddy parade in my neighborhood during trick-or-treating hour.

One of my favorite moments from this year was walking towards a subway for the return home, I came across two lean and tall black men in full drag. I just stopped and looked at them, who were intensely involved in matters of their own logistics in getting to where they needed to be. Without thinking, the words, "It's the Williams sisters!" flew out of my mouth. One of them snapped out of their dialog and just laughed out loud and waved at me.

Another great moment is actually shown in one of the photos below. The group of men dressed in primary colored polyester jumpers were beat-boxing and dancing in front of a restaurant window. On the other side of the window was a large dining party, hysterically laughing as they watched the impromptu show. For the diners, that's what I consider value added without additional cost.

I love New York City. I really, really do.

A Snowy Trick With A Sweet Reprieve

2011-10-30T01:20:00.002-04:00

The Snowy Trick was such a pretty surprise this morning, though proved to be a bit painful. By the afternoon, the fat wet snowflakes turned into small piercing icicles propelled by a strong and fierce wind. During my walk in the wintery landscape, I thought that I had been involuntarily subjected to some type of a holistic microdermabrasion.

So I retreated back inside, fired up my oven, and prepared a sweet reprieve. Oatmeal cookies with white and dark chocolate chips as well dried cranberries and raisins.

The Devil in a Church Basement

2011-10-23T23:29:00.000-04:00

I had to make a cake for a Church social tonight. Even though Paula Deen and a host of other proper chefs use a prepared mix from a box to start, I just can't do it. I can't bring myself to serve Pillsbury to my friends, and I most certainly was not going to do so for the Church. So given the venue and the time of year, a Devil’s Food Cake seemed a clever idea. I've made them before, so I am familiar with the way the batter should look, smell and taste for it to be worthwhile.

Thankfully, the cake came out simply amazing. I was worried that the entire cake would return home with me, but the exact opposite extreme happened - there wasn't a scrap left.

The Tasty Road to Prosperity

2011-10-22T20:38:00.000-04:00

You become prosperous by living frugally.
Five (5) Dumplings for $1
Ten (10) Dumplings for $2

The picture above shows fried dumplings with pork and chives. The only better dumpling that I have ever had came out of my aunt's kitchen in Taiwan.

From Prosperity Dumpling at 46 Eldridge Street in the neighborhood of straddling Chinatown and Little Italy in Manhattan - the "A" from the Google map copied in the above marks the spot.

Black Bottom Butterscotch Custard

2011-10-22T20:03:00.001-04:00

This is my favorite dessert of all time.

Black Bottom Butterscotch Custard: A layer of bittersweet chocolate with our homemade butterscotch custard topped with fresh coconut whip cream.

From The Chocolate Room at 269 Court Street in the neighborhood of Cobble Hill in Brooklyn

The Run, the Views and the Migraine

2011-10-20T16:54:00.002-04:00

My most recent run feels like it was just yesterday, but it actually happened a few weeks ago. I’m not sure how far I had gone, but I do remember feeling a hint of the bliss that I use to feel. I think the run was only between four and five miles, and I know the duration of the run was only one hour … well … 61 minutes and 21 seconds.

In the years that I’ve lived in Brooklyn, I haven’t been able to run on the Bridge as often as I would like because of the traffic hazards known as meandering-shutterbug-happy-tourists. On this particular morning, I was determined to run on the Bridge. Just as the sun had risen, I was out the door and heading towards the stunning beauty of the twin masonry structure.

With the first step of the run, I was excited and captivated by the views leading to and all along the Brooklyn Bridge. I did notice what seemed like toxic fumes blowing directly on to the pedestrian boardwalk upon entering the bridge. It seems like scrubbers within the exhaust system for the construction underneath the pedestrian path are either entirely missing or simply defective, but I decided that the odor was not going to spoil. I was enjoying the early morning sunlight glistening on the water, and taking in the gifts of our engineering and construction forefathers.

Every now and then an overly aggressive cyclist would interrupt my trance, but that happens everywhere in the early morning streets of New York City. Some of the cyclists are not just chasing down miles for their daily exercise regimen, but are actually commuters in disguise. These are all the things that would normally send me into a tirade about hating overcrowding and declaring some weird need to live in the middle of nowhere. Nothing was going to bother me on this particular morning run. Because of my elation, I hardly noticed my heart rate had well exceeded 85% of my max. My monitor indicated that I was consistently dabbling into the area of 92 – 94% of my max, but I paid no attention to the buzzing little device either. Did I mention the views?

By the end of the run, my monitor reported that I was within my target heart rate for all of 12 minutes and 34 seconds with an average heart rate of 88%. When I entered the park near my building for the cool down segment of my run, I noticed that things didn’t feel quite right. My legs and my ribs were actually aching a little, and it felt like my head was starting to split open.

After my shower, my headache had evolved into a screaming five alarm migraine. I’m attributing the cause of the migraine to the construction fumes because that run just felt good ... despite what the numbers say.

Brooklyn, You're Far More Beautiful

2011-09-28T23:58:00.000-04:00

Views of Brooklyn Bridge Park

As I approached the entrance into the Brooklyn Bridge Park, a cross-wearing Brooklyn gentleman was in a van with his friends traveling along Furman Street. He leaned out of his opened window and said to me, “You’re boo-ti-ful. Just boo-ti-ful. Look at you. Bootiful!”

In all honesty, I’m really not a pretty thing to look at when I’m running, especially today. I never wear make-up when exercising, my body composition would send Pat (my former nutritionist) into shock, and I have a brand new blood encrusted scab on my chin from a *ahem* blemish that seemed to have exploded the other day. Yeah, there is nothing pretty about me at this moment.

Though the greeting given by this particular Brooklynite may have been induced by beer goggles (he was sitting in the rear of the van), it definitely gave me an additional spring to each stride. Here are the results from tonight’s run.

I’m not really sure how far I went because my Garmin is out of commission, and driving my route with a GPS isn’t an option because a lot of the area I covered is pedestrian only. I just hope that maybe I underestimated the distance because a pace of 3.5 MPH is disheartening.

Looking at my original schedule, clearly this week did not start off as planned. There was a slight food situation in my apartment – there was none starting from the end of last week. I had reservations for visiting the 9/11 Memorial in the early evening on Monday (which was amazing and will be given its own post later this week), so I spent the rest of Monday evening grocery shopping. Given the domestic issues, I ended up starting the training schedule today, and I see that modifications are definitely needed. Not only do I need to consider the delayed start, but also, 2 -3 miles just isn’t fun near my dwelling. The views simply aren’t as good within that range.

Training Schedule

2011-09-24T16:08:00.003-04:00

This is it. I've been exercising without much rhyme or reason, and I'm getting tired of it. I miss the structure of my previous life, and this is my attempt at getting it back. This training plan begins Monday, September 26th, and it features a Christmas Option being The Christmas Marathon in NYC. If I take this option, then I probably won't be running in a marathon on January 15th, which is the Redding Marathon.

Reflection via Editing

2011-09-22T22:34:00.000-04:00

I have been trying to edit this blog and extract thesentimental and angsty elements so that these pages are exclusively dedicatedto the sport of running. Unfortunately, this proved to be ~~difficult~~impossible. When it comes to this sport(and I would extend the observation to any athletic performance), it is not onlyintegrated, but dependent upon the way you live your life. In simple terms - everything matters. Your performance considers not just yourprevious work-outs, or what you eat and how you sleep, but it actuallyconsiders the amount of stress you encountered within the course of your day.

Reading through my old entries, I felt the typicalembarrassment associated with any occasion where I encounter my younger self,but I’m also impressed by the ruthless nature in which I attacked my selfimposed workload. There is something in humanambition that is highly admirable, and knowing that I had engaged in anunwavering and steadfast focus is giving me pride in who I was, and confidencein who I want to be.

I see that I struggled with what was my career, and I wasalso completely absorbed in a relationship that filled me with the biggestfeelings and the strongest security that I had ever felt. I had even bigger goals and aspirations,which I didn’t realize that I was ill-equipped to even begin to pursue –marriage, children, home ownership just to name a few. All the while, I was shrouded in anxiety as Imethodically checked off each work-out session. That little check gave me false confidence that everything wasgoing to be okay, but it was enough to make me push forward despite my shortcomings.

To this day I feel annoyed when friends and mentors reassureme that “everything comes in due time.” Ironicthat those are the very words that I would tell my younger self, and I knowthat she would be even more annoyed with that bit advice than I am with it now. That’s the other oddity when it comes toambition – it leaves little room for patience and acceptance for currentimperfections.

As I try to reclaim the person that I once was, perhaps Iwill be able to engage in this journey with less anxiety and a little moreenjoyment. Believe it or not, there wasjoy in between the carb counting, heart rate monitoring, and the ever important,pace and distance setting. There was asmall space in between those numbers where a fleck of abundant joy fought forits dear life every single time the running shoes were double knotted. I allowed that joy to leave me, and I havebeen without it for a few years now. I havecome to realize that I have replaced this pure joy with inferior substitutes thatrequired very little input from me.

A close friend of mine recently told me that happiness isnot a luxury commodity that I believe it to be, but rather, an essentialcomponent to life. I thought it was aridiculous statement at first, but upon reflection, it is indeed, the only thingthat makes life worth living. For myself, it has alwaysbeen chasing down endorphins with a perfectly calibratedsystem that is my body. That tiny fleck wasthe very thing that kept the entire marathon operation going, and I cannot waitto have it back.

Good Morning

2011-05-26T08:18:00.004-04:00

I’m not sure what makes today different from any other day in the past two … three … four years, but I’m feeling invigorated and ambitious. Today is the day that I start to do this running thing again.

For the past couple of weeks, I’ve just been remembering what it feels like to engage in that automated glide through the air and go into that trance like state of mind. I also remembered what it felt like to enter and hold a weird yogic binding position, and the feeling of mental release as the body exits the pose and enters into a counter position. I miss these feelings and experiences so very much, and it has simply been too long.

Now that I have completed my MBA program, I can refocus my intentions, energy, and awareness back on to my physical form, and God willing, be a fully conscious participant in whatever is next to come. I know it will take a few months, but I’m ready for the ride.

In just a few minutes, I will be heading out for a half hour jog. I intend to maintain a heart rate between 75 and 83% of my new max (if it means that I have to go into a speed walk ... so be it).

Wish me luck, and have a great day readers!

Day 1 - It Started by Surprise

2010-04-08T00:05:00.005-04:00

I have no idea what my weight is, I'm too afraid to find out.
I know my body is composed of mostly fat and very little lean muscle mass.
A brisk walking pace puts me at 73% of my maximum heart rate.
I'm weak. Really, really, pathetically weak.
Yoga is not an option for me at this point in time - I'm too clumsy and bloated.

These things will change, but I'm not dieting. I'll watch what I eat, but I am not dieting. I can't do that salad thing that I did back in 2006. I loved the way I looked, and getting my body fat percentage below 9% was amazing, but I'm not doing that again.

I don't really have a game plan, but whatever it is, it started yesterday with Rachels Buschert's group fitness class called Whipped. It involved rope used by ships for anchoring purposes. The drills were silly, and brutal.

After the class, I took my already aching body onto the treadmill and walked at approximately 73% of my maximum heart rate.

So yes, it started yesterday. I'm going back to the gym today for another session with the treadmill. Although the weather is beyond amazing, I think the filtered air is better for me given the new development of sinus issues from some sort of allergen.

I'm doing this thing slowly this time around.

I may walk the half marathon later this month, if I go at all. I am not prepared for it because I did not train like I should have. Instead, I allowed work to get in the way of my other goals. Things will change now.

Not Fully Caffeinated

2009-12-02T15:40:00.005-05:00

I woke up rather early on Tuesday morning so that I can catch the first yoga class my gym had to offer. The schedule said that the first class is at 9:30, so I prepared for the day so that I can attend the class.

Since I was completely out of coffee, I went to the corner deli for a large cup of coffee, and proceeded to the gym. I arrived at the yoga studio (on the third floor of the gym) at 9:20 after dropping off my things save my yoga mat in my locker, and I was greeted by a woman cleaning the studio who did not look like she was anywhere near done. I asked her if there was a class in 10 minutes, and it became evident that she did not speak English. She said something to the effect of checking the schedule.

Thinking that perhaps the yoga class would be held in the main studio, I went to a different floor to see if that was where it would be. I didn't remember if the main studio was on the fourth floor or the second, and I can't even now recall which direction I went. When I arrived to the doorway of the main studio, I remembered what I had seen first thing in the early morning - classes listed under the Monday header instead of Tuesday.

So, I decided to go to my locker, put away my yoga mat, and just spend an hour on the treadmill.

I went to my locker, but I found it odd that my locker number didn't match to the one that I had used when I first arrived to the gym. What's more, my lock didn't look exactly right either, but I swear I was standing in the right place - first row on the right, middle locker on the right.

I looked up and around me, and that was when I realized ... I was actually in the men's locker room.

This is what happens when you leave your domicile before caffeine is fully absorbed into your system.

On a positive note, all the confusion induced stress helped my performance on the treadmill. I maintained 82% of my maximum heart rate at 3.9 MPH, and I was able to run for 15 minutes at 4.2 MPH. During my last five minutes on the treadmill, I increased my speed so that I would have a 6.0 MPH run for one minute, while reducing my speed back down to 4.0 MPH during my last 30 seconds.

I still only traveled 4.0 miles, but I felt stronger yesterday than I did the day before, or even on Tuesday of last week.

Reanimated

2009-11-25T14:25:00.006-05:00

Current Status? Overweight and unemployed. Well, I do some freelance work, but it isn't really full time employment.

I am, however, back in school. A month after paying off my undergraduate loans, I was accepted into a MBA program and re-enlisted in an other round of education related debt.

I don't have any answers. I barely even know the questions to ask. My current goals include finishing this degree and to get rid of the weight I had acquired since my break down in 2008. I just need to get through this part, and I'll be able to focus on the questions and what the right answers.

As part of my plan for getting there, I signed up with some of classmates for the Unite Half Marathon at Rutgers University in New Brunswick. Race Day is April 18th.

In preparation for this race, I went back to the gym for the first time yesterday. I stepped on the treadmill, and I saw the long road ahead of me.

A slow easy pace was once 10 minute per mile, and my legs enjoyed a good cruise within the area of 8 minutes per mile every now and then.

Yesterday, my heart rate was at 75% of my max at 3.7 MPH (16 minutes per mile). I hung in there for 42 minutes, and then I switched over to a jog at 4.2 MPH (14 minutes and 17 seconds per mile). Then, when I had about 3 minutes left on the typical 60 minute allotment, I visited 6.0 MPH (10 minutes per mile). Here, I saw my heart rate reach 91% of my current max.

In total, I traveled only 4 miles during my 60 minute work out. It was a bitter reality, but I felt a happy sweetness in my legs and core. I know that, God willing, there are hundreds of miles ahead of me. The first series will be hard, but I'm looking forward to the ride.

Today, I'm brutally sore ... and I'm loving it. And tonight? I'm thinking a little cross training via spin class.

Brooks Trance 8

2009-06-01T10:44:00.003-04:00

I took the new shoes out for two runs. After the first run, I was disheartened and wanted to relegate them as treadmill shoes. They seemed flimsy on the first run, and I desperately wished that I had purchased a pair of Kayanos instead.

I took them out one more time yesterday, thinking that I would stop by Jack Rabbit after work during the week if my first assessment held true.

The second run was a bit surprising. I didn't notice the road as much as my first run, and my arches weren't as fatigued. I did wear a different pair of socks (a pair made by Under Armour), which probably changed the feel entirely.

So, I am happy to report that these shoes, with the right pair of socks, do pass go. I just hope they last.

In any event, I think I'll have to pick up a pair of Kayanos anyway. I'll use them as an alternate since I've been wearing my Asics Gel GT-2120 Trail as my default walking shoes around NYC.

Now ... I just need to commit to my next race.

With New Shoes, It Feels Like 2005

2009-05-03T21:28:00.009-04:00

I have no idea what my body fat percentage is, but I have a hunch that is something scary. Medically, I think I'm at the obese end of the spectrum. At my physical, my new doctor was incredibly kind and gentle. She simply won't confirm or deny the bad stuff. Instead, she only gives encouragement. She simply said that I know what I need to do, and I just have to go and do it, when I'm ready.

Mentally, I know I can get back to my size 4 /6 self, and I know what it takes to get there. So I don't feel overwhelmed, but I don't think I'm entirely ready to go at Project Weight Loss full force.

I am going to reintroduce physical activity back into daily life. Even if it means waking up before the sun does. I already started to take my vitamins again, and I went shoe shopping today at my new local running store.

This place actually has a camera set up at the back end of the treadmill, allowing you to view a digital video of your stride as you run. Since your gait can change with time, I showed up completely open minded to what they would say. Unsurprisingly, after video analysis, I am ... an overpronator.

I was given a choice of three running shoes. A trusty pair of Asics Kayano, another pair by Saucony, and a pair of Brooks Trance 8. I was tempted to go with the tried and true Kayano. I was in love with them since 2005, and Runner's World gave them Editors Choice in 2008 and 2009.

There was something about the Brooks that I couldn't shake off (pictured above with a Nathan Shoe Pocket attached on the left shoe). It felt so light, and my heals stayed firmly in place. It truly felt like a glove for my feet. They were so comfortable that it made me nervous; I thought that perhaps it was more of a treadmill shoe than a road shoe.

The sale woman assured me that wasn't the case, so I had to go against my inclination. They did not win Editor's Choice from RW, but this is what they have to say ...

Runner's World Shoe Lab Test Results
The new Trance 8 is the first Brooks shoe built using biodegradable midsole foam, which means that it lasts only about 20 years in a landfill--versus the 1,000 years it takes most running-shoe soles to break down. In our tests, this new foam performed as well as the previous versions. Some testers commented on how well the Trance held their feet, while others found that the laces were difficult to adjust. Recommended for runners with normal to low arches looking for a shoe that's more environmentally friendly than most.

Who would have known that I opted for the green choice out of the mix of stability shoes? The thing is, as with most green choices, they tend to fall apart under heavy intense usage. For example, biodegradable road signage. It doesn't even sound like it would be a good idea. Buying green isn't always the greener option if you consume twice or three times as much product to handle the duration of your needs. I am now a "heavy" runner, so I am skeptical about a biodegradable midsole carrying this obese person for 500 miles. Well, we'll just have to see. Hopefully, I'll be taking off tomorrow morning. If not, I will be antsy through out the entire work day before I get to go for a ride in my new orange shoes.

Lehigh Valley Half Marathon

2008-05-01T08:42:00.006-04:00

Let me just start off with the fact that I do not recommend any of the following activities:

1. Going from months of complete sedentary life to finishing a half marathon.
2. Being an out-of-towner, showing up at a bar full of out-of-towners and drinking whatever beverages the cute bartender brings over your way, even if it is free of charge.
3. I should really emphasize item 2.
4. I should also add over here that item 2 should NEVER EVER happen on the day before a long run, like, a half marathon.
5. Item 2 should really NEVER EVER happen on the day before a half marathon ESPECIALLY if said half marathon is your first run of the season.

So basically, I showed up in Allentown, PA this past Saturday afternoon for the race packet pick up and expo so that I could run in the half on Sunday. After I was done with the race things, I went over to the Allentown Brew Works for a quick little lunch. I sat at the bar and order their pulled pork sandwich and asked the bartender for a beverage to go with. He thought their Pilsener would go well, so that was what I had ... on my own volition.

While I sat there, I watched the game (Mets vs Atlanta) and sent a few text messages over to H. He decided not to come with me this year, and this was my first race without him, so I was missing him a little.

Since it was still quiet at the restaurant, and being alone, the bartender gave me some company and threw a sample of their Wit over my way. I freakin' LOVED the Steelgaarden Wit. When this became known to the bartender, I received a few more glasses of the Wit.

After a little while, the ladies next to me had ordered a very pretty mixed drink - it was a vibrant shade of pink. Seeing my intrigue, the bartender gave me a bit of the pretty pink concoction - a watermelon martini. It was incredibly tasty.

By now, it was closing in on 4 o'clock, and I desperately needed some water. So after paying my tab, and having pinky swore that I would return for dinner (the Roadrunner Pasta had me all sorts of intrigued), I stumbled my way back to my hotel room.

And there I remained for the rest of the night. I eventually started to puke, and it basically didn't stop until well past midnight. Somewhere between drinking bottles and bottles of water and puking, I had managed to place a wake up call in the early morning. After five hours of sleep, I woke up with the headache and nausea entirely gone. I decided to run in the half just for the sake of finishing and to ignore my time entirely.

That was exactly what I did. I'm not going to mention my time here because it is incredibly slow, but considering the fact that I did not train, and having had the worst hang over I have EVER had ... the mere act of finishing 13.1 miles (and not being sick afterwards might I add) isn't too shabby.

And a note to the cute bartender - I'm so sorry for not coming back, though I tried my very best. The thing is ... the Porcelain God just would not let me leave his alter.

Unable to Get Lost

2008-03-26T13:37:00.003-04:00

Days like today don't come around too often. According to the National Weather Service, it is mostly sunny this afternoon with a high near 61, 35% humidity and a west wind between 15 and 17 mph. It is, in fact a gorgeous day. Even though I'm in a foul mood with emotions and thoughts going to places that I can't seem to follow, the frail remnant of the runner in me shoved me out into the sunshine and clear air with the last bit of her tiny little might.

I wasn't sure how long my cardiovascular system would hold out for, so I started off the run with a test. I clicked on the heart rate monitor, and began my run uphill. The heart jumped immediately from rest to 85%. I felt heavy and unsure. So I decided to run the four mile loop instead of the eight that was once a leisurely distance.

I saw the things that would normally make me happy. Trees full of fuzzy, voluptuous buds promising cascades of flowers in a few weeks time. Groups of wandering parents and teenagers visiting Rutgers to take in the atmosphere that is the home of the Scarlet Knights. Frolicking squirrels dodging pedestrian traffic while simultaneously at play and in search of buried snacks. I would normally find my love of running in between these sights and the fluid, regular motion of the body. I would get lost in the endorphin induced revelry while striding through this landscape and fair weather.

Unfortunately, it didn't happen today. It's an incredible waste because like I said before, days like this don't really come around too often.

Starting It Up

2008-01-06T23:42:00.001-05:00

Instead of hitting up the treadmill on Friday night, I decided to revisit my eight mile loop on Saturday morning. I'm almost back to my normal pace of ten minutes per mile (I finished the loop in 86 minutes), but the heart rate still needs a lot of work. I should be between 75 and 80% my max maintaining that pace for eight miles, but I was actually working a bit above 80% for the first half of the loop and 85 - 90% for the finish. I'm not pleased with this starting point, but it isn't terrible.

The rest of Saturday was a bit frantic. Immediately after the run, I had to get cleaned up for a hair appointment that has been urgently needed. I've been feeling like a weed for weeks. After the two hour sit down with my stylist, I had to run off to the Village for a quick little errand, and the day finally came to an end when I went to bed just a bit after midnight.

Sunday was another early morning and it featured a Power class, and apparently, I really don't have much.

Squats = Mere 44 lbs
Chest = Pathetic 27 lbs, and even that was painful
Back = 22 lbs, but that was a bit too easy
Triceps = 22 lbs, and that was a bit easy too
Biceps = started off with 22 lbs, punked down to 15 lbs
Lunges = 37 lbs ... but I could have gone with 44 lbs

After the class, I went for a facial, which was also long overdue. I knew that being off my meal plan, the recent lack of exercise, and the abnormal amount of stress I recently dealt with and am still handling had horrible effects on my body, and specifically, my facial skin. These items were confirmed with the beautician who worked with me. I'm getting started on the exercise and diet segment of my issues this week, and I plan to resolve the stress thing in one way or another soon.

Tomorrow, I think I may catch another Power class, but I definitely intend on chasing down a few miles on the treadmill.

Today is the Day!

2008-01-04T08:34:00.000-05:00

I tried to get back to the gym to start attacking my 2008 physical goals. I made it to the parking lot on Wednesday night, but I realized that going in would be entirely stupid. My left leg was bothering me after the 8 mile refresher on Tuesday, and my carpel tunnel wrists weren't ready to do any kind of lifting. So I bailed.

I thought about going back yesterday, but my left heal was still creaking (I think I may have agrivated my achiles on Tuesday), but my hip flexors felt fine (they weren't happy with my on Wednesday). The wrists still didn't feel strong enough to hold on to any kind of weights, so I bailed on that idea.

But tonight is looking very promising. Definitely promising. Maybe ...

Tentative Races for 2008

2008-01-02T08:53:00.000-05:00

The only race I'm committed so far is the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon in Allentown, PA on Sunday, April 27th. I'm currently considering the following events:

March 30th Cape May, NJ
www.odmarathon.org

May 4th Long Branch, NJ
www.njmarathon.org

October 11th Baltimore, MD
www.thebaltimoremarathon.com

November 23rd Philly
www.philadelphiamarathon.com

The strategy is to keep the marathoning local this year so that climate and environment wouldn't be too much of a factor in these races.

Hello 2008

2008-01-01T22:04:00.000-05:00

We had grand plans as to how we were going to ring in the new year, with fondue being the presiding theme for the evening (thanks to his brother & brother's fiance's joint Christmas present for us ... a Cuisinart fondue pot). To start off, a cheddar and Guinness fondue for dinner with bread, apples and pigs in a blanket for dipping. Then, a Lindt milk chocolate and peanut butter truffle fondue with pound cake, berries, apples, bananas, marshmallows, and Belgian waffles for dipping. Finally, for the midnight toast, a flute of Kir Royale and a spear of chocolate coated berries to go with.

All of this, in our jammies, wooly socks and slippers while we sit on the couch enjoying each other's company with the cat.

Well, the dinner fondue ended up taking place at the dinner table. I decided to have a beer to go with dinner, which basically killed the rest of the evening. I guess I didn't eat that much during the day because I was severely tipsy within an hour of dinner. I was so tipsy that I needed to rest a bit for the alcohol to wear off before the chocolate segment of the evening.

I think I fell asleep around 8:30 PM, and I woke up at 12:19 AM, at which time, all I wanted was a glass of water and to return to my inebriated sleep. Yup, so I missed the whole thing.

So in lieu of our late evening festivities, we had Kir Royale with our berry pancakes for breakfast, and our chocolate fondue with another glass of Kir Royale for dinner (shown on the left).

In between glasses of Kir Royale, I went out for a run today. What was once an easy, relaxing, and leisurely loop, a run that I considered as an "easy recovery run" was incredibly hard today. I approached 95% of my maximum heart rate on a few occasions for a total of a mile or two in the span of the eight mile loop. The legs felt fine, the belly fat acquired since the Philadelphia Marathon was jiggling away, and my mind remained stubbornly fixed on finishing the run despite the pleas of my heart and the warnings of the monitor.

I finished the 8 miles 92 minutes, which is 12 minutes more than what I considered a leisurely pace. The body felt fine, but the internal body was not pleased. I eventually got sick - bad headache and mild nausea. It passed in an hour, but I'm so not happy with myself.

So it wasn't the best way to start off 2008, but I'm cautiously optimistic.

Philadelphia Marathon

2007-11-23T20:38:00.000-05:00

Each time I go to Philadelphia with a lot of uncertainty, I leave that City with the uncertainty left behind. In 2006, I showed up at the Jefferson Hospital Half Marathon in Philadelphia after being thoroughly beaten by the hills of the Runner’s World Half Marathon in Allentown, PA (now known as the Lehigh Valley Half Marathon) just a few months prior. I officially declared that if I didn’t finish strong in Philly, then I would only run for my own enjoyment and bow out of these half marathon events.

After the Jefferson Half Marathon, I not only felt great, but I really believed that on that day, I could have finished a full marathon. I remember seeing the 10th and then the 11th mile marker after a mere blink of the eye. Not only was I without uncertainty after that race, but I signed up for my first marathon shortly thereafter.

I ended 2006 with the Marathon of the Palm Beaches. Ground temperatures had reached 90 degrees by 10 AM on that course, and nothing more than stubborn pride made me cross that finish line. In 2007, a return trip to Allentown was made, and I had to redeem myself by ripping those hills to shreds. With that item checked off my to-do list, a more daunting task was ahead of me - the Quebec Marathon. Although I did beat my Palm Beach time, I did require medical attention after stubborn pride delivered me, once again, to the finish line.

Discouraged, a little heart broken, and uncertain about myself as a marathon runner, I half heartedly attacked my already relaxed training schedule for the Philadelphia Marathon. I left a lot of things get in the way of my training as I skipped numerous tempo and speed sessions. I clung on to my distance runs and some of my strength training, but I would go without those at times as well.

I’m amazed by how calm I was the night before the race. It even featured an unfriendly discussion regarding my marital arrangements with my fiancé. The morning of the race, I was a little panicky. I was unsure about how many layers of clothing I needed, and what I should strip at the half way marker, which ultimately asks the question, “So, where should I pin down this freakin’ bib number?” When everything was finally set to go, I had 15 minutes to show up at the starting gates. And I found myself, a marathon runner, mixed in the gate for the half marathon. I eventually figured a way to the proper gate, and five minutes later, we were off and running.

Me just before I got lost amidst the half marathoners gate

Feeling a bit more optimistic after the start horn

Course Highlights

1. Near mile marker 5 in South Philly

We were running through a residential neighborhood and there was a hand written sign that said something to this effect –

Running 26.2 miles for a t-shirt and a soft pretzel??

I thought to myself, Wow, there’s a soft pretzel too? Bonus. And at that, I laughed out loud.

2. Near mile marker 7

This is part of the downtown area emerging from South Philly. There were a lot of locally owned mom & pop type stores. One of the stores is called Condom Kingdom, and it had a very elaborate store front with a huge sign above the entrance. A group of middle-aged mothers were really interested in the store, and decided to gather around for a picture. Low and behold, one out of the ten of them had packed a digital camera. Again, I laughed out loud, and so did the guy next to me.

3. Around mile marker 8

This is when the outermost layer got stripped – the water repellent windbreaker. I also opted to take off the gloves, but within seconds, had to retrieve them. Right before my little strip, one of the volunteers on a Segway had a malfunction. She was spinning in circles, her battery pack was in tangles, and a spectator was trying to help her out, but he only got further tangled into the Segway mess. That one got a quiet internal giggle. Those Segway things seem a bit silly to me, but it would be wrong to laugh at somebody else’s struggles. Bad karma while in the middle of running a marathon just didn’t seem like a smart thing to do.

4. Drexel Frat Houses around mile 9

I wasn’t a fan of frats until this marathon. These college kids were out bright and early, banging away at pots and pans on their porches. This one guy completely won my heart within 25 paces. He would use his wooden spoon and point at a cute girl running by, and say, “You, I love!” and bang away at his pot just to point again when another chick passes by. I, of course, laughed out loud at this, and so, of course, he pointed at me and threw out a “You too, I love!” before banging away.

5. Somewhere in the midst of the 10th and 11 mile … was a hill

It was mild hill, nothing to really complain about, but you did become aware of your quads and a slight increase in the heart rate. Then a sign emerged saying something about the last hill before fast track hos, with a super tiny 2 in between the h and the o. That one got a chuckle.

6. A little bit after the half marathon point

I was very happy to see my picture taking fiancé at this point because he had a Snickers Marathon Bar ready for me. Out of all the protein bars out there, I’m a fan of the Cliff and Luna Bars, but the ones by Snickers tend to last a bit longer. It probably has something to do with the preservatives, but one bar for every marathon that you run can’t be too bad.

And then the test appeared without a notice- miles 18 - 21.

This was by far the most difficult part of the course. We were heading out to Manayunk, PA, which did not offer much in terms of spectators or infrastructure along the way. It was just a long stretch of road on a cold, wet, rainy day. I didn’t even notice how miserable of a day it was until I was heading out of Philly. I tried to focus on my breathing, took a few sips of my Gaspari Size On from my CamelBak, nibbled on the Marathon Bar, and tried to let go of my fears. Eventually, as we started to cross over on to Main Street, a little laughter was just around the corner.

7. A beer stand prepared by the local neighborhood bar.

I, of course, abstained.

And then, we crossed over to Main Street Manayunk, and were greeted by Navy Veterans declaring the view that we were about to see by the waterfall is the most beautiful view that the entire marathon had to offer.

I do believe the man was quite accurate in his statement. A little while later, mile 19 was right there.

8. And a few staff members of Le Bus were handing out brownies to the runners at miles 19 and 21!

Admittedly, the circumstances may have had an impact on my assessment, but I swear that those were the best damn brownies I have ever had.

So, now came the home stretch. Armed with a belly full of Creatine (compliments of Gaspari Size On) and brownies, I was confident that crossing the finish line without the need of medical attention afterwards was entirely achievable. I checked my time, and it was even feasible for me to finish this 26.2 mile sucker in less than 5 hours. If I could just get my mind to work with me, I can EASILY get in by 4:45 / 4:50. The problem was that the way back into Philly was just as desolate as it was getting out. I could not conjure up any positive thoughts, even though I saw the miles winding down. Even at mile marker 23, I was still holding back. It was until I actually saw the Philadelphia Museum of Art well after the 25th mile marker that I snapped out of my funk and started to turn it on. I bolted after the 26th mile marker and had more than enough left to sprint it in.

I felt like I could have done maybe another 5 miles, but certainly at least another 2. I wish I had given it up earlier at 23 miles, and I kicked myself for not doing so … but I was smiling the whole time.

I did cross the finish line strong at 5:00. It was a PR. I know I will do better next time around, and I will eventually get to Boston. And quite possibly, by way of Philadelphia in 2008.

The Night Before in Philly

2007-11-17T22:10:00.000-05:00

It’s the night before the marathon, and I’m calm for the first time. I was a nervous wreck the night before the Marathon of the Palm Beaches, and I was just plain scared before Quebec. Tonight, I’m calm. I know I will finish, but the time is questionable.

Walking around the expo and registration, I heard a lot of nervous chatter and worries about proper gear and attire. The placement of your tag poses an interesting question given that there will be layers of clothing that may or may not be stripped during the course of 26.2 miles. A group of girls around my age were waiting in line behind me for our race tags, and I overheard their conversation regarding this matter, and what sort of clothing would optimize their comfort through the race. They eventually submitted that no matter what they wore, they were going to feel a lot of pain regardless.

I laughed a little to myself. For whatever reason, the pain doesn’t scare me, and I don’t really care to avoid it. I can certainly do without it, but it doesn’t bother me too much. I’m actually a bit curious as to how I will handle myself this time around. I’ve always approached the marathon with the thought in being slow and steady, and to run nowhere near my normal pace until the 20th mile. Well, each previous marathon, I got way too excited after the 5th mile. I'm thinking this time around, I will be smarter and just let the excitement pass.

Well, wish me luck and send a prayer. Take off is scheduled in 8.5 hours.

The Beginning of a Beautiful Friendship

2007-11-12T23:19:00.000-05:00

Fall Distance Running Gear:
Under Armour Cold Gear mock turtle neck and running tights
Columbia Breast Cancer Awareness fleece vest
CamelBak with 50 ounces of Gaspari's SizeOn sports drink
Asics Gel GT-2120 Trail

The Delaware and Raritan Canal stretches along Central Jersey all the way down to the New Hope area of Pennsylvania. Along side the canal is a tow path, and that is usually where I find my distance runs.

I have a love-hate relationship with this tow path. The gravel and rock hurts the feet, and I have suffered from numerous ankle twists and sprains due to the highly irregular surface. When I see a big pile of leaves, I will come to a complete stop and walk because underneath the colorful and seemingly even surface can be a jutting tree root, a large rock, or a big hole looking to shell out some unmerciful pain after an inevitable fall. Oh, and did I mention the mud puddles? Those puddles can cover such a wide expanse of the path that there is no possible way to continue forward without stomping into that thick organic brown liquid, soaking your socks through, and being rewarded with some lovely blisters for your pursuit of more miles.

And then you have to endure every last one of those obstacles again on the return trip.

The tow path itself is beautiful, especially this time of year. Right before the red and yellow leaves started to fall, there was an amazing spread of wild purple flowers all over the landscape. The view is calming, but the run can be maddening especially if it had rained. If the path was dry, then the problems are not quite so numerous.

On Sunday, I decided to buy a new pair of running shoes. I think my form suffers as I fatigue, so I have been eyeing the Asics Kinsei’s (to the left) for its motion control feature. In all honesty, I’ve been coveting them because it’s just a hot looking shoe, but my rationalization is that the motion control will prove beneficial for this weekend’s marathon in Philly.

Am I ready? No, I probably won’t finish with a Boston qualifying time as I had originally hoped in the beginning of this year. Will I finish? Hell yes, and I’ll be happy with anything near 5 hours.

So while I was at my favorite running store, I asked the cute sales boy who is about all of 15 years of age regarding their selection of trail shoes. I ended up sticking with a stability shoe from Asics that is made for trail running, the Asics Gel GT-2120 Trail (below and to the left), and took them out that afternoon for a ride. What an amazing difference.

The first couple of miles were on the road en route to the path, and my toes fell asleep. I had a moment’s hesitation and thought that maybe these girls were going to be returned. When I hit the path, everything changed. I felt completely in control, and I can tell that my ankles were secured in place. Midway through my run, I realized that trail running is an entirely different sort of running. I felt the smaller muscle groups (ankles, calves, hip flexors, even a bit in the adductors) working harder than they ever had before. By the time I was finished with the 15 mile run (I know … not a good idea for a taper week, but I couldn’t resist), I felt sore in places that I didn’t think could be touched by running. I welcomed the discomfort, and found the soreness refreshing.

I do believe that this marks the beginning of a whole new running experience, and I do look forward to chronicling every single one of them.

Week #2

2007-10-08T10:40:00.001-04:00

I think I pretty much missed Week #1, but Week #2 was 85% there.

Monday 10/01 - Power Session

Tuesday 10/02- 6 miles at 5.8 MPH

Wednesday 10/03 - Power Session

Thursday 10/04 - Late night at the office, brought home a pizza and watched Grey's Anatomy.

Friday 10/05 - Should have gone to the gym to make up the missed 5 mile tempo, but ended up vegetating at home.

Saturday 10/06 - Power Session

Sunday 10/07 - 12 miles between 5.8 and 6.5 MPH pace (got a little cocky after the 10th mile)

I was geared up for a run outside when a few drops of rain and some scary clouds sent me packing for the gym. Do you have any idea what it's like to spend over two hours on a treadmill? Because I did take my run indoors and spent that amount of time on a treadmill, the clouds decided to move on to other places. I know if I had continued on my run out on the trail, the sky would have immediately split open with rain the very second I reached the farthest point from home.

So, for all of you people out there that enjoyed the afternoon outside in the Jersey sunshine on Sunday, you're quite welcome.

Tonight, we got some more Power in store.

Here I Go

2007-09-25T15:24:00.002-04:00

This is the itinerary up through the Philadelphia Marathon, compliments of Runner's World. I will definitely maintain the milage, but I may tinker with the pace a little.

I wasn't entirely back at the gym and doing my full load of work, but I do believe I'm ready for a full return this week.

I did go for an 8 miler on Sunday, and went to a Power session last night. I'm definitely looking forward to the Easy Run tonight.

Almost Back Entirely

2007-09-17T08:53:00.001-04:00

Tuesday Night

6 miles on treadmill at a leisurely 10 minutes per mile pace - heart rate did not exceed 80% max

Half an hour on a machine that's like part elliptical, part stair climber - hear rate did not exceed 75% max

Wednesday Night

Power Session

6 miles on treadmill at the same 10 minutes per mile pace - wasn't wearing heart rate monitor

Thursday & Friday Nights

In Little Italy for the Feast of San Gerrano

Saturday

Deep tissue massage and a facial

This sort of treatment will definitely be part of a regularly schedule program. I think the massage is what made me return to being human. Well, the massive quantities of the uber doughy zeppola helped a bit as well.

Sunday

What an absolutely gorgeous pre-fall day. I was worried about the type of distance I would cover, but I simply couldn't not head out there for some sort of run. I was pleasantly surprised a bit after an hour and having completed my typical seven mile loop, I was able to resist heading home and continue on to finish ten miles in 1:40.

As for today ... there will be a Power Session and some time on a treadmill.

I hope I'm back for good. I didn't like not having any go in me. Thanks Gotta Run for your advice in my previous entry. I think you were right about the recovery and my need to clear the head.

So Much for Being Human

2007-09-09T18:45:00.000-04:00

Tried for 10, expected 7, and I got 2.5.

Now, it is war between me, my body, and everything that has to deal with either one.

Almost Human Again

2007-09-09T16:02:00.000-04:00

The collective events of this summer made me fall off my training schedule, rendered my meal plans irrelevant, and turned me into a hostile, angry psychopath. To borrow the words of Titus Pullo of HBO's Rome, similar to Medusa on the rag.

Before stumbling my way through the marathon in Quebec, I had turned down a job offer simply because I wasn't entirely ready to leave the hell that is my current workplace. I don't leave until I have emotionally and mentally severed all ties and loyalties I have with a company, and more importantly, with the people I think that I work for. The ties haven't dissolved just yet, but I will know when there's nothing left for me to stay.

Upon my return to work after having my very first IV, I was truly bitter about not taking the job offer. I was handed one ridiculous matter after another, and even through Labor Day weekend I was all fire and hell. Hopefully, with the end of last week, I can finally return to being human for a little while.

I was surprised to find that I'm still as 91% lean mass when I went to my appointment with my Nutritionist on Friday. I have been eating horribly, and probably not nearly the amount of protein I'm suppose to, nor have I been exercising regularly. Apparently, it takes about 7 days for crappy eating to show up on the scale. His advice to me is to focus on cardio work for the next week so that the scale wouldn't have a shocking affect and send me off to some type of psychotic work-out frenzy before falling into the grips of desperate despair.

So with that bit of advice, I finally went back to the gym for a Power session yesterday, and the rest of the day was spent walking around SoHo. I'm slated for a long slow run in about half an hour. This is my first run after the marathon, and I'm hoping to cover ten strong miles, though I have a feeling that I can consider myself lucky if I can grind out seven.

It's a bit stressful knowing that the Philly marathon is right around the corner. If Philly doesn't go as well as I hope, I think I may just go back to being a non-athletically inclined gym goer. The thing is, I put that responsibility on Philly before when I thought I could no longer cope with the challenges of the half marathon. Then I ran in the Jefferson Hospital half marathon, and I decided to go for the full race after crossing the finish line. Hopefully, Philly will make me love this sport again, just as it did before.

Québec Marathon des Deux Rives SSQ

2007-09-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

Québec Marathon des Deux Rives SSQ completed on Sunday, August 26th in approximately 5:24 – sun poisoning type problem, IV drip and finishers medal included. I signed up for this race because it was featured in the January 2007 issue of Runner’s World as the 6th top “ten marathon experiences you should have in your lifetime.” The views, in fact, breath taking, and I’m likely to run this event again.

The course, though beautiful, is not to be taken lightly.

I remember Pacer Dave telling me at my first marathon in the Palm Beaches that the test of the marathon comes after mile 16, when you still have ten more to go, and the race for PR comes when you have five miles remaining. The clerks at the Running Room, the local running store in Quebec, where I purchased an extra pair of socks cautioned me about the course and to keep an eye on my pace. Because the first half to two thirds of the course is a gentle downhill slope, it may feel easy, but it is actually straining your quadriceps in a way that you wouldn’t really notice until later on.

I recalled these words of advice while stretching, and lining up at the start line. I was nervous and scared, but excited about the promising views. Expecting to hear a gun shot, my heart rate jolted into the beginning of the cardio zone with the firing of a canon. Yes, they fired a canon. Have you ever been within 20 yards of a canon being shot? It’s amazing how mentally focused you become, and the adrenaline rush is entirely unmatched.

Approximately 30 seconds after the cannon, the 5:30 pace crew were off and jogging. I noted the crowd that was around the pace setter, referred as the Pace Bunnies because the pace were written on pink bunny ears strapped on to their headbands. I made mental notes about their clothing so I would have some idea as to who I should try to keep up with should I ever lose my group.

As time wore on, I came across two girls and hung with them for a little while. We were rolling along at 10:20 per mile pace according to Garmin. I don’t recall their names, but the one in the white tank is a personal assistant to two lawyers, and the one in the black is in PR for Neiman Marcus in White Plains. It was PR girl’s birthday that weekend, and her gift to herself is a few days in Quebec, the marathon, to a spa day to cap it all off upon her return.

At some point while the three of us were running together, my Beau magically appeared with my waist pack with a bottle of Pure Vitargo and a change of socks. The girls asked me if he was my husband, and I felt obligated to say that he was. We had found our wedding bands one night after dinner in the old city. He fell in love with the concept of a titanium band after reading a story that a guy had to have his finger cut off to remove the band when he died. While window shopping after dinner, I found a display of wedding bands that were a bit darker than platinum. So we went in, and after an hour of looking through the cases and working with the salesgirl, we walked out with our wedding bands. He was so excited about the purchase that he insisted on looking at them while we sat at the Pub Saint-Alexandre for our post dinner drink. Well, from just looking at the bands, it proceeded to wearing the bands, and finally, to pretending that we are married for the duration of our stay in Quebec. Staying true to our little game of pretend, that was the only time that I have ever declared myself married. It was an odd feeling, and it felt like a lie despite the fact that we’ve been together for over seven years.

After a mile or two, the girl in the white tank eventually dropped off from us in search of a lost friend from a few miles back, and I eventually dropped off from PR girl because she was increasing her pace. I would have loved to cruise with her, but I was worried about my heart rate. It was approaching 80%, and we had only covered 11 miles. From then on, I was going at it solo, minding my heart rate and pace. I was enjoying the views and the glorious day, and a little annoyed at having chosen a short sleeve instead of a tank top for the race. It was rather chilly before the race started, but it was warming up quite a bit well before the canon shot.

I was worried about the hill at around mile 14 / 15, and the beginning of the real test upon my approach. It was in fact, everything that I had feared. The climb was steep and curved. It wasn’t too long of a climb, but it was long enough. The clerks words came to haunt me as I ascended the hill – my quads were hurting in a way that I have never felt before. I’m accustomed to the pain associated with an uphill fight, but I understood the pain that comes with downhill running. Within a minute of this ascension, I felt the underside of my quads near the bone burning up, along with the exterior of my calves. It was such an unusual feeling. Then, as Pacer Dave had advised however long ago, the test was about to begin.

The sun was now thoroughly beating down, and we were heading into the major roadways that are without any sort of shade. I began seeing some of the faster members of the 5:30 pace group, and tried to keep pace with them. By mile 18, I was having hard time ignoring the headache that had been developing since the hill, so I started walking. I walked for a mile, and decided to sit down to change my socks. My bottle was nearly empty, and I started to drink Gatorade at the water stations.

After the sock change, I tried to start the running again, but it was more of sputtering jog than an actual run. I decided to give it a true valiant go when there was five miles remaining, but that effort didn’t last too long on account of the headache and a burning sensation that was running along my torso. The 5:30 pace group had passed me by, but the Pace Bunny was still nowhere in sight. Finally, with two miles remaining, I returned to my jogging pace that eventually evolved into my running pace as I approached my last mile.

My head was on the verge of exploding as I crossed the finish line, but I did finish strong. Normally, this is where the story would end, but in this instance, the story does go on.

I was incredibly uncomfortable, and all I wanted was a cab ride back to the hotel. Because my head was hurting so badly, I could only speak in a whisper, which was a problem because the years of high volume heavy metal has rendered my Beau’s hearing equal to that of a ninety year old. He thought that there was something wrong with my calves each time I asked for a cab. I was so frustrated and the headache was so severe that I nearly started to cry. Eventually, he caught on to my need for a cab, so he ran off to figure out a way to catch one that didn’t require me to walk several blocks out into the area that wasn’t closed off. While he was out searching, I sat under a tree trying to relax and get myself to feel better. There was a woman walking around me who was concerned about my well being. I insisted that I was fine, but after a couple of minutes, two French Canadian male medics came over to me. They basically didn’t speak English, and given my weak whispers of protests, they wrapped two different sorts of blood pressure equipment on me, and pricked my finger for a blood sugar test. Apparently, 31 units of whatever measurement the test uses is low, so a wheelchair came out and I was promptly shipped off to the medical tent.

There, I was given a cup of 7 Up since they were completely out of Gatorade. Two seconds after a tiny sip of soda, and I threw up more stuff than I thought I had in me. This whole while, I had kept my eyes shut to block out the sunlight that made me headache ever worse. I had no idea I had the attention of the entire medical staff. With eyes shut, they gave me an IV drip, which made me feel better within seconds though the headache persisted. I had been cold ever since I crossed the finish line, but I started to shake uncontrollably from the chill. This is when I started to turn blue, apparently. One of the medics that had carted me off into the tent kept asking me, calmly, “Madame? Are you okay?” I replied in my whisper that I was okay, but my Beau started to panic - HONEY! Open your eyes! Honey? Just open your eyes. Your turning blue and you look like death!

So for his benefit, I opened the eyes, and the headache really started to pound away. Eventually, I felt that I would be able to walk a few blocks to catch a cab as long as I kept my eyes closed. The medics was still concerned and gave us directions to the area hospital should my problems worsen in anyway. We thanked them, caught a cab, and hobbled off.

I was really hoping that I would be able to enjoy that one nice day of our stay in Quebec, but that didn’t really happen. I showered and slept for a few hours. It was well past sunset before I was ready to be out and about again.

That night, we celebrated crossing the finish line at Le Patriarche. That was where PR girl had her birthday dinner, and she highly recommended the place. It was, in fact, supremely tasty.

All said and told, it wasn’t a terrible marathon. Afterall, I did finish.

The Day Before

2007-08-25T16:54:00.000-04:00

I have fully accepted the possibilities of a DNF. I have not been loyal to my training schedule for a variety of reasons, but mainly because I have not been very successful at the balancing act. I have allowed myself to commit too much of my emotional and mental resources to things that are entirely beyond my control. As a means of compensation, I've been letting go of my training. I'm not sure if this was a good solution to my problems, but it was a solution.

Some times I wonder if I'm going about this whole thing from the wrong angle. I'm not a professional athlete, but it almost seems that I'm trying to live like one between my meal plans and training schedule. The mental effort and physical discipline it takes to execute those two agendas on a daily basis does not allow for much auxiliary stresses, such as overtime commitments of work, battling evil that is NJDMV, and contending with rampant stupidity.

I don't know how people like IronWil and GottaRun do it. Especially IronWil. One of her training session is likely to land me in the hospital with an IV drip in the PSYCHIATRIC WARD because they would be convinced that I was, in fact, trying to commit suicide. Why else would a seemingly sane person continue in a five hour workout if she's already seeing stars after only an hour and a half?

So anyway, here I am. In the middle of a truly beautiful city (an entry about my jaunts in Quebec is forthcoming ... I forgot to pack the cable that connects my camera to the laptop), I sit at my hotel desk, looking out into Place George V and Menege Militaire. The weather hasn't been the best, but the grey skies, fog and mist lends a certain character and mood to this city that is both haunting and regal.

View from my window at the Chateau Laurier

I'm incredibly nervous and scared for tomorrow. I know I can cover 15 miles without any problems, and possibly even 20 if I hold back enough, but 26.2 may just be a bit more than I can handle.

I am not worried about a DNF - I know that there is no shame in it. Everybody needs to fail once in a while, and it isn't so bad to fail here. There's always some Poutine and a lovely collection of Patisseries to provide some comfort either way. In the meanwhile, keep your fingers crossed and pray for me. Maybe a full rosary ... or two.

Uh-oh

2007-08-02T15:44:00.001-04:00

Skipped the gym last night because I had to work late ...

I might not go tonight either on account of the drowsies. This isn't good. I should go, but I just KNOW it won't feel too good.

Tempo Run #9 and Finding My Go

2007-08-01T11:29:00.001-04:00

I have no idea what I did or how I did it, but I found the go last night during my tempo run. It showed up completely by surprise too. The warm up was more difficult than I would have liked it to be, and within the first mile, my heart rate went up to 88% of my max at tempo. It felt like getting 2.5 miles out would be the most I could do, so I just started to adjust my thinking. I knew the pace was a bit fast, but I kept repeating to myself the remaining laps on a track that I had to complete. For whatever reason, thinking I have 7 laps to go is far less intimidating than knowing I have 1.75 miles remaining.

When I had completed 1.5 miles at tempo, I noticed my heart rate had dropped down to 85%, and it felt like I was actually hanging out down at 83%. That was when this thought came to mind: Maybe I can go another mile at this pace? Maybe I can do 4 miles? I know that I can do more than 3 … and that’s when I knew that I had found my go.

Crossing the third mile, my heart rate had climbed up to 91%, but it fell back to 88% when I had only a quarter of a mile remaining. The only thing I did differently this time around was consuming about half of the SuperPump half an hour before the run, and the rest about 10 minutes before the run. Maybe the element of time released magic was what gave me the go?

Tonight - Power with Debbie. I know not to plan on running or doing anything else tonight ...

15 Miles and Some Cross Training

2007-07-31T09:11:00.001-04:00

On Sunday, I decided to head to the gym for my distance run instead of taking it outdoors on account of fear of the eminent thunderstorms. On my way there, I saw three cyclists making an evenly paced break away in the opposite direction of where I was traveling. It was odd to see them riding in such a way, they weren't riding in a draft/pull configuration but more of an each man for himself sort of mentality. I soon understood why - they were riding to save their lives.

The sky had ripped open, and visibility was none existent about half a mile down the road. It was scary, but I was pleased with my treadmill decision because being caught in that storm would not have turned out well.

I intended to run a total of 20 miles, even though I was slated for 15. I felt strong enough to cover about 30 at my relatively slow pace. I started off at a mild 5.8 MPH, where my heart rate stayed between 75 and 78% of my max for the first ten miles. When I crossed over to the 11th mile, I turned it up to 6.0 MPH, and my heart rate held steady at 80%. Unfortunately, I had to get off the treadmill by mile 14 because I had ran out of water. The water fountain was off in another corner of the gym where the temperature was a lot cooler, and I felt my legs starting to tighten up.

By the time I climbed back on the treadmill, my leg muscles felt locked and I had lost my go. I tried to get it all started again, but after a mile struggling with the 6.0 MPH pace with a heart rate up at 85%, I knew the day was over.

In total, I covered 15 miles in about 2:45 ... and the best part? It felt good.

Last night, I struggled my way through Power and a cycling class. I was considering going home for a rest as I was on my way to the gym. Once I showed up, I was hardly energized to even consider putting two hours of work, but somehow ... I made it through.

Tonight is a Tempo Run. I hope I can find my go tonight.

Tempo Run #8 & Power

2007-07-27T08:10:00.001-04:00

Done and done.

I was a bit ambitious and started last night's tempo run at 7.3 MPH, but a bit after a third of a mile into the work out at that pace, I knew I wouldn't be able to hang in for three full miles. So I reduced my speed to 7.2 MPH, which is basically about right given that my speed work is at 7.4 MPH and I do cross past 90% during the third set of speed at that pace. The impact of just a tiny tenth of a mile per hour or 13 seconds per mile faster is simply amazing.

After the tempo run, I peeled myself off the treadmill and proceeded to Power with the cutest fitness instructor I have ever had the pleasure to work with. I was hopeless in his class, even sat down on the bench during one of the breaks in between sets, but I still stuck it out for the entire hour. The extra fatigue on the legs is what makes them shapelier ... right? He was worth every minute of the pain though.

I just need to figure out a way to pull myself together before going to his class. Seriously, I looked like a train wreck with puffy out of control hair. Life will be so much easier when the sucker finally grows out. If it's one thing I've learned in the 26 years of my existence is that long hair is easy points on the hot chick score card.

For extra credit, I managed to wake up about twenty minutes after my alarm went off this morning, which was set at 4:45 AM. I got started on my run a bit later than I normally do, at 5:20, and it was just a miserable morning. It was hotter than normal and incredibly humid with overcast skies. I was actually cramping up a bit and the run itself was just not enjoyable. I only covered about 2.5 miles, but today was suppose to be my day off, so I'm not feeling bad about it. The main reason for the early morning run is because I have an appointment with my nutritionist tonight. I know that a twenty minute run first thing in the morning probably isn't going to do much for me in terms of my body composition, but I think it may have some sort of impact on my numbers tonight. I hope it does, at least.

Merciless Power Session

2007-07-26T11:45:00.001-04:00

Good Lord that was painful. I really wanted to go for a run last night, but I was far too tired and my arms wanted nothing more than to fall off my body.

It's amazing the things that can happen when you modify a count or deny even just three seconds worth of a break. Debbie - if you ever come across this site ... KNOW that you slaughtered my biceps last night. SLAUGHTERED.

Because I couldn't make last night's run, I intended on grabbing a few miles this morning. That really didn't happen. I woke up at 7:20 this morning, which is about 10 minutes before I need to leave for work. Needless to say, I'm not looking too pretty today.

So tonight I have a tempo run and I may go to another Power class. Because I am in fact, a bit crazed.

Speed Work #4 and the Pursuit of Balance

2007-07-25T08:10:00.001-04:00

I do believe I am out of my little funk. I had a great work out last night, though breathing is proving to be somewhat tasking these days. I choose to do my speed and tempo sessions on the treadmill, but I don't feel comfortable spitting into a tissue when the machines next to me are occupied. I even rarely spit when I'm running outside, so my indoor inhibitions are even greater.*

I originally wanted to head home right after I was done, and try to persuade H into running a couple of miles with me. I was a little anxious to do something active outside considering a lot of the summer seemed to have slipped right by me. Instead, we decided to meet up at the local bar for a beer and a quick dinner. I was hoping to land a spot at the tiki bar, but it was probably the humidity factor that made H drop anchor at the bar stool directly in front of the Mets game. I didn't mind too much - having a close up few of David Wright made up for it.

Although I was a little smelly and looking incredibly not cute sitting at the bar in my post work out state (short hair with curling tendencies that was cut for a straight style after a sweaty work out is not exactly a fabulous look), we definitely needed the little mid-week jaunt. I was concerned that my return to my training would consume my conscious hours, so I wouldn't have any time to share with H. Well, last night, the bar acted as a balance. If it should happen again, I'm definitely getting a quick rinse and real clothes to change into after the gym.

The only negative aspect of the jaunt is the stromboli we had for dinner, which is not a prescribed item on my meal plan. So, to balance THAT out, I got up early this morning for a quick four mile run. It felt great. Harder than it was before, but it still felt pretty damn good.

Tonight, another Power session and either a light evening run outside, or I hop back on the treadmill. It depends on the weather and my mood I guess. We shall see.

* For the non-runners in the world who deign to read my humble blog - spitting is about as normal as breathing and sweating when you're running. Gross, but true.

Star Power Mario with Gaspari

2007-07-24T08:24:00.001-04:00

Last night's work out involved some severe ass kicking. I'm taking the pre-work out supplement called SuperPump by Gaspari, and it feels like being Star Power Mario with fireball capabilities in Super Mario Brothers I. During the Power session, I cranked out the following wieghts

Squats = 55 lbs
Chest, Clean & Press and Back= 38 lbs
Triceps and Biceps = 22 lbs (I think I can probably go up to 27 lbs)
Lunges = 49 lbs
Shoulders = 22 lbs

After the Power session, I went in for a cycling class that included a few hills, two sets of isolations, and one series of interval sprints. By the time I got home, it felt like I had hit up a goomba just as my Star Power was fading, and I had shrunk down to little Mario.

I killed 900 calories and I think I lost a quarter of an inch in circumference. At least, it feels like I lost a quarter of an inch in circumference.

Tonight, speed work on the treadmill. I'm hoping that I can get that done super quick, so I can head home and squeeze in a relaxing run. It's a beautiful day, and I don't want to miss the chance to enjoy days like these.

Week in Review

2007-07-22T17:35:00.001-04:00

Monday 7/16

Power
Cycling
I'm having a hard time in crossing past the mid 80's in the profiles when standing. It's actually easier to test my heart rate in a seated climb, than standing. Although we are supposedly in 3rd, it feels more like a standing run on the M3 bikes.

Tuesday 7/17

Speed Session
I completely punked out on this one. I ran two sets of one milers at 7.4 MPH. I covered a total of four miles, but I was hoping to get at least three sets in.

Thursday 7/19

I took a serving of a pre-work out supplement that was incredibly effective. I felt like a car spinning out of control - all sorts of kinetic energy unleashed, and I was having a hard time controlling my mind. It was the most intense work out I have ever had, but it was a little scary at the same time.

Tempo Run

Power

This week was a bit of a slow restart, but hopefully, this coming week will be better. I tried to go out for a distance run today, but it had failed miserably despite two attempts at covering some semblance of distance. The first try resulted in a pace that was slightly faster than 12 minutes per mile, and I had to turn around after two miles. Nothing felt right, and I really needed to pee. So after using the bathroom, I ditched my water belt (I think hearing the water swishing around my mid section made me think I needed to go more so than I actually did), and tried again. The pace was a bit faster, around 10:45 per mile during the first mile, but by the time I crossed over into the second mile, the special go, go, go feeling just wasn't there.

I am feeling a little discouraged and distressed. I'm tempted to give it up, and just live like a typical person without any real athletic commitments. I know that's not the sort of person that I am, but being this emotional wreck just isn't working out for me.

Out of the Haze

2007-07-10T22:41:00.000-04:00

I am pleased to announce that I am back, entirely. I didn’t realize that I was making a departure, but I found myself in a self induced haze brought on by a dietary supplement, the consumption of which was the result of a soul search down dark mental alleys. I will now elaborate on both components of my self induced haze.

Ironwil had described with great ease the burdensome personality traits of endurance athletes. Although I feel that I am far too much of a novice to be able to dignify myself as even an amateur endurance athlete, I do feel that I can uphold the label of endurance enthusiast. With this title, I can say without hesitation that I fit her description of the mentality of ther endurance sport enthusiasts.

The timing of her post could not have been better because I was in the midst of what I perceived to be a great struggle. My training schedule had become oppressive, and difficult to answer. The misstep between total energy expended against the amount of calories consumed had triggered weight and body fat difficulties. I wasn’t meeting the mileage and speeds mandated by the schedule, and I wasn’t happy with my body composition and measurements.

As a means to contend with my body composition issues, I started to take an appetite suppressant that also functioned as a fat burner. This is a very effective and exceedingly potent supplement, but it made me feel tired. It felt like there was a perpetual cloud in my head that made my thoughts fuzzy and unclear. I had started to trim down in less than a week while taking these pills, but I was also very sluggish and unable to finish my workout sessions.

That was when the internal berating started. I questioned why I should even bother doing what I’m doing. Why can’t I just be like the other women at the gym who show up for their one hour sessions and be pleased with herself? Why can’t I just be satisfied in maintaining a low carb, low cal diet and have the lean and cut body that can’t handle anything more than two hours worth of work?

The answer to these question is actually quite simple – because I want to be an athlete. I want to be able to say that I am an athlete without being shy about it. I want to be able to say that I am, more specifically, an endurance athlete. I want to be able to validate that statement by providing a litany of events that I’ve COMPLETED. There is pride and confidence in being such a thing, and not just because of the competition of the events, but really all the training (emotional, mental and physical training) it took to get there.

With that in mind, I stopped taking the supplements, and I’m reevaluating my training schedule. In addition to chucking the goal of qualifying for the Boston this year, I’m just going to do what I want to do – be an athlete. I’m not quite sure what the means yet, and I know I still have to do the strength training and speed work, but I need to find that joy again. The joy for running, and the joy for exercise in general. I remember when it didn't seem like any sort of obligation as it is as of late. There was a time not too long ago when three hours of intense work would fly by unnoticed if not simply for the feeling of being content. I want that joy back, and I will be an athlete once again.

Week in Review

2007-06-29T07:06:00.001-04:00

It feels like I've been taking a bit of a breather this week. After the unintended quick 10.5 miles followed by another 10 miles that was actually suppose to be 16 miles, I haven't been able to come back mentally. My diet has been random, mostly healthy, but random.

Tuesday
4 miles at 5 AM

Wednesday
Power

Thursday
5 mile Tempo Run
2.6 miles @ 7.3 MPH just under 90% max
Power

Friday
4 miles at 5 AM

Saturday
Power

Well the week has past, and a new week is coming. This coming week SHOULD be better. I have a few new tricks up my sleeve, including Cytolean and a possible new drink supplement that can help power my work outs. I hope to cover 18 miles on Sunday. I have a twenty mile PAVED route planned, and I'm fully intend on taking it slow and steady. Wish me luck.

So It Wasn't the Cheese

2007-06-25T08:36:00.001-04:00

Tried for 16 last night, got all of 10.3 miles in.

I knew it from the very beginning because I wasn't using my quads as much as I was using my calves. Needless to say, the pace was UBER slow, something like 11:30 minutes per mile.

The gravel trail I do my long distance runs is insufferable. It takes every last grain of joy out of running. Before I even hit the 8 mile turn around, I was thinking maybe I should just do my typical 10 - 12 mile paved loop everyday instead of doing this marathon training stuff. I would have more fun, and I really don't need to do marathons. It's just ... cool to run through cities ... the closed down 26.2 miles worth of road for the sake of pedestrian traffic.

Okay, so I need to do marathons. That's one of the best ways to tour a city. I just have to figure out some other place to go to cover the heavy mileage days.

Was it the Cheese?

2007-06-24T16:09:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, I went out for a run without really knowing what to expect. It was later in the day, and I had about two hours of daylight remaining. I was suppose to cover a 16 mile run, but I knew that that couldn't possibly happen last night. So I was thinking either a fast and mildly shorter run, but I wasn't feeling up for that either AND I wanted to spend as much time running in that beautiful day as I possibly could. So I just ventured out with my Garmin, hoping for the best.

Knowing that I've been eating pretty much randomly since Thursday, I wasn't expecting much. The only thing that had been consistent was the cheese ... it started off with some Apple Smoked Gouda and it ended with Sharp White Cheddar.

So I headed out, feeling as though I was trucking along. My body felt heavy and lethargic, but I felt confident that I can continue on for at least 10 miles. I was focused on my form - although my upper body was a little wriggly, I felt my foot plants had improved. After the first three miles, I finally looked at my Garmin. I was expecting to see an average pace that was slightly higher than 10 minutes per mile, but I was completely shocked by what I saw.

9:17 Minutes Per Mile.

Keep in mind, the first portion 6 miles of this course is mainly downhill, but still ... I have NEVER covered any distance greater than 7 miles at a pace like this.

I guess the speed work and tempo runs are finally paying off. Either that, or it was the cheese.

In total, I covered 10.5 miles in a bit over 98 minutes. The return trip uphill killed my average pace down to an overall average of 9:27 minutes per mile ... which is still pretty fast. I didn't even feel as though I had left a chunk of my midsection out on the course this time.

And now, in about half an hour ... I'm going to try to cover 16 miles. I'm hoping for some divine intervention right about now.

Bump It Up ... Just a Little

2007-06-20T08:53:00.001-04:00

I added just under five pounds of weight for the leg exercises for the Power class on Monday, and increased the speed for the tempo run last night. I was surprised that I was able to handle the additions, but I suffered through both.

More Power to come tonight ...

The Fifth 5 AM Run

2007-06-18T08:12:00.000-04:00

What a fantastic morning. For the first time since I've started my marathon training endeavors, I went out for a run this morning, without a heart rate monitor, my Garmin, or even a digital watch. I don't know how long it took me to do the four miles, but I was back at home drinking some water before 6 AM. This extra little bit of time combined with a rather easy morning and getting ready, I had almost 45 minutes before needing to leave. So how did I spend this extra bit of time? I took a half hour nap cuddled up with H. It was absolute bliss.

Tonight, I'm taking the Power class and I may skip the cycling class depending on how I'm feeling. I have a hunch that I'll be yawning up a storm no later than quarter after 7.

Thursday Tempo and a Long Sunday Run

2007-06-17T22:17:00.000-04:00

I just haven't been myself this past week. I took Tuesday and Wednesday off, did pretty well on Thursday night's tempo run, clipped out on Friday and Saturday, and did a long run today.

I'm hoping to come back to my normally scheduled program, and refocus on my meal plan this week. I've been a bit ... emotionally off, which brought me to discover the joys of red wine and beers of the stout variety, particularly something called a Milk Stout. Oh baby, one bottle of a Milk Stout, followed by one bottle of a Chocolate Stout ... cap the WHOLE thing off with some ice cream ... and it's a nice mixing of maltose and lactose induced happiness.

This week begins a new week. One without alcohol until Friday night, no cheating on the meal plan, and no angsting or emo-ing whatsoever ... until Friday night. It will be totally okay if the Milk Stout releases a little bit of those things, but that won't happen until Friday.

So anyway, here's the deal on this past Thursday.

It was a tough run, and I was surprised to see my heart rate at such a low point even though it felt like it was going to beat out of my chest. I did notice a little bit of difficulty breathing with this tempo run, which may be the reason why I felt so fatigued despite what the heart rate monitor said. I've been wheezing a little as I progressed into the run, and it was much more pronounced as I was closing in on the final two miles. I'm hoping that this condition will just go away on its own. It never happens when I'm cruising along at 80% of my max or lower.

Today's run was long, hot and slow. The majority of it was spent on a gravel muddy trail, which made it incredibly difficult to find speed. You can pretty much tell when I found paved surfaces from the heart rate graph below.

That complete plummet around mile 11 was when I found a water fountain and hosed off my face after slurping down a gallon of water. I noticed when I trotted off after the fountain that my back was in a bit of an uncomfortable state as I progressed. I think I was bent over in that awkward drinking fountain position.

Interestingly, today's 14 mile loop burned less calories than last week's 13 miler. Go figure. This coming Sunday is gonna be a 16 mile day. It definitely won't happen on a treadmill, and I REALLY don't want to go on the trail again. Maybe I'll get up extraordinarily early on Sunday, and just run a stretch of road somewhere before the cars show up. After all, isn't that what real runners do?

Bring It ... To A Complete Stop

2007-06-12T21:59:00.000-04:00

The signs were all there. I wanted to go home right after work ... but I didn't. In the locker room, I discovered I was without socks. So I bought some at the front desk. Finally, I make it on the tread. I opted for the tempo run since there was no way a speed session would have worked out for me.

Well, the tempo run didn't happen either. I left the gym after a minute on the treadmill.

I think I may have needed a recovery day.

Bring It! Just Half Way

2007-06-12T08:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday ...

5 Am Run - goal was 4 miles, but it turned out to be 2.5

Power Class - a whole new set of exercises, but didn't miss a single beat ... except for the sets involving the biceps ... missed a few reps in that one

Cycling - completed the hour ... but stayed under 80% even though it was suppose to be an interval profile

I don't really mind since I covered 13 miles on Sunday. Today will either be a tempo run or a speed session. I have a feeling that it's gonna be a tempo day.

For the Love of It

2007-06-10T19:05:00.001-04:00

I was slated for a relatively fast 12 miler today. I was suppose to go at it with a 9:40 mile pace. I knew I wasn't going to do that before I even walked out the door, and I finally came to terms with a decision that I've been flirting with for a couple of weeks.

Although I want to run in Boston next year, this goal is slowly killing my love for running. I normally become excited on my long run days; it was formerly a treat that I looked forward to all week. Ever since I placed a time stipulation on these long runs, I've started dreading the work out and I even stopped noticing things. I discovered the amazing flowering bushes in favorite nooks around campus are already past their prime, which I didn't even notice when they first bloomed. I noticed people actually looking at me today, with a faint trace of a smile on their faces. Two lovely gentlemen even offered encouragement when I looked their way - one guy was particularly creative and partially flirtatious in his approach. He looked at his watch, said that he can't wait around for me all day and that I looked as though I could definitely pick up the pace. When I saw him again after the turnaround, he gave me the standard, looking good and wished me a good day.

The universe gave me it's blessing with my decision to disregard time for my long runs by having a turtle cross my path. They say that turtles are slow creatures, but this guy was probably the fastest turtle in all of Central Jersey, and a rather lucky one too. He lives by a wild purple daisy. There aren't that many wild daisies around these parts, and certainly even fewer purple ones.

So yes, I have come to terms with my decision. I'll still do the prescribed speed work and tempo runs, but I'm reclaiming my long distance days. It's no big deal if I don't make it to Boston in 2008, it will happen when it happens. Perhaps my body and mind just isn't prepared to go for it right now, which is completely acceptable.

So here are today's stats ...

and I was craving a cantaloupe Italian Ice from The Lemon Ice King of Corona during the ENTIRE run.

Speed Work #3

2007-06-08T08:41:00.000-04:00

I wasn’t confident when I arrived at the gym about completing the speed session. I was feeling tired, and the thought of having to do a total of eight miles, four of which with speed, was intimidating. I wasn’t sure if I would be able to handle it, but I’m happy to say I did … well … sort of. The treadmill has a maximum time allowance of one hour, so I had to cut my last recovery jog and cool down distance by half each.

I knew I was going for it less than one minute into the first speed set. I saw that my heart rate was only at 83% and climbing slowly, and I didn’t feel as fatigued as I thought I would. Not to mention, the speed work was only one mile at a time, so thinking that I had less than four laps around a track remaining basically immediately after I started each set was a huge help. The mental wall showed up between a half and a third of a mile remaining per set, but it would slowly crumble after closing in on the quarter mile mark.

I didn’t feel sick or anything, but that hole in my mid section came back. This time, it felt like there was a thin layer of Elmer’s glue trying to cover up the missing chunk. So needless to say ... I didn't exactly show up for Power after the speed session - I went straight to the locker room before heading home.

Tempo Run #4 & 5 AM Run #3

2007-06-06T08:40:00.001-04:00

Last night, I had a decision to make. I could either do a speed session or a tempo run. The tempo run was needed for the sake of redemption – I tried to go for it on Friday, but as stated previously … speed does not happen on Friday nights. The alternative was a speed session so that I could save the tempo run for Thursdays on account of recent developments that makes speed work on Thursday nights almost as impossible as Friday nights.

In either case, a mile warm up is required, so I decided to postpone my decision until midway through the warm up. Not even a quarter of a mile into it I knew I would opt for redemption. My legs felt fine, though a bit sore from Monday night’s cross training efforts that was double teamed by Power and Cycle classes. The problem was my upper body. The weight of my relatively new muscles developed from Power felt extraordinarily heavy, and unwilling to assist in my running efforts. So I just buckled down, cranked up the Iced Earth, and tried to keep up with the human conveyor belt.

I was surprised to find for the majority of the run, I had kept my heart rate within 85%. It felt like I was working a lot harder because my upper body actually felt like a heavy load, so it wasn’t a cruising tempo run at all. It was more of hauling tempo run. By the end of it, I was completely drenched in sweat, which actually made me VERY cold within seconds of dismounting the conveyor belt.

I felt completely drained, not unlike the way I felt after the nine miler at 9:34. That was still the hardest run I’ve had this year, but I did feel as though a chunk of my mid section was missing after the tempo run last night.

Given the circumstances, I had set my alarm for another early morning run without any real intentions on actually doing it. Well, I did this morning. I’m glad and pleased with myself that I did.

And tonight … we go back to Power with Debby, the Queen of Drills. The past couple of weeks, her drill of choice was the clean and press. I wonder what it’s going to be tonight.

Happy Morning Run

2007-05-31T10:00:00.000-04:00

Surprisingly, I’m really enjoying the pre-sunrise run. During the day, you pass by these commercially provided landscaped grounds on a college campus that are dull and hardly worth admiring because they are so incredibly common. Annually planted expanses of white and red pansies are hardly breathtaking. The thing with the early morning is that the air is modestly perfumed by these flowers, and the wild flowers and flowering “weeds” provide the stronger aromatic backdrop. The cool air and the gentle breezes that are barely noticeable provide the perfect environment for these scents to mingle. Today was only my second early morning run, but I’m slowly loving it.

The animals are out there too. I saw the cutest skunk this morning at a good 20 yard distance. It looked like his white bangs needed a trim, and he had to stick up his nose in order to get a good look at me before scampering away. I also passed by a happily married mallard couple, waddling about near some bushes. Maybe they’re not married yet, and I had saw them in the middle of their waddle of shame!

As for the new shoes – no complaints here. The Kayano was a bit harder on the first run than the 1120s, and the 1120s offers way more medial support. I’m tempted to say that I actually like the 1120s more than the Kayano, but it’s far too premature to give that as my formal opinion because the trial comes in around the 200th mile.

Speed Work #2 and a 5 AM Run

2007-05-30T08:42:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day Weekend was fantastic, and a separate entry is pending. To my dismay, the work outs weren’t too great on account of random junk food consumption and servings of alcohol here and there.

Last night, I made up for the Speed Work that was originally intended for last Thursday. Given this recent development, I think Tempo Runs are now permanently slated for Thursday evenings.

The Speed Work was a challenge, but I stuck it out.

Fellow gym members probably think I’m a bit quirky in the least. Since I had my IPOD cranking to Power Metal, my self talk was bit loud. I noticed the walker on the treadmill next to me jolt every now and then. I’ve been feeling a bit self conscious because a few pairs of my running shorts are a bit on the short side, and I have noticed some people looking at me with a somewhat scandalized expression. These shorty shorts are normally reserved for speed and tempo days. This is on account of the phenomenon that occurs when my legs rotate at a slightly accelerated pace - the interior of the shorts tend to rise. Hence, the shorty shorts are a good option because there’s not much rising going on to begin with, which also means no more tugging. By the end of these sessions, the shorts get a bit longer because they are dripping with sweat, so really the net amount of time that I’m somewhat indecent is while I’m stretching before I start the run. Despite my rational ... I don't think I can dodge the judgemental looks tossed my way.

On a more positive note, I’m also proud to report that I did my first 5 AM run this morning! Thanks to the motivation by example from GottaRun, I finally got myself up and logged 4 miles at approximately 10 minutes per mile. Yes, I was doing my happy running pace, and my heart rate was around 75 and did not exceed 80%. Maybe I can crank out a faster pace when I’m adjusted to this early morning routing.

I also attribute this little accomplishment to my revamped diet plan. Prior to this week, my average daily caloric in take during the work week was around 850, but definitely under 1,000. My carb count was around 60 grams, so I was perpetually tired. Even after 10 hours of sleep, I still felt exhausted, and my work outs were excessively draining. My nutritionist increased my calories to around 1,110 total per day, and my carbs are around 120 grams. In addition to the added calories and carbs, I’m also using supplemental drinks to aid in muscle recovery and to alleviate the feeling of fatigue that I’ve been dealing with. I’m using Size On for recovery, and Pure Vitargo for carb loading / replenishment either before or right after my work out. Judging by my energy level this morning after last night’s speed work and this morning’s light run, I think the combination of all those things are working pretty well for me.

The biggest indicator that the supplements are not a joke is in my calves. This past weekend, I spent a lot of time walking. Since Sunday, it felt like the skin on my calves were being stretched in attempt to creat space for the newly expanded calves. The calves weren’t sore, but it felt like the skin running three inches deep were tightened for the past three days, and it was particularly uncomfortable yesterday morning. This morning, when I got out of bed, that uncomfortable feeling was entirely gone.

So if nothing else, I highly recommend the combination of Size On and Pure Vitargo.

Tempo Run #3

2007-05-26T09:38:00.000-04:00

I had a bit of a false start to this work out on Thursday thanks to a treadmill that short circuited twice. Once during the warm up mile, and again while I was in the first mile at tempo. Thankfully, the AZN Asian Excellence Awards on E! was on when I switched machines, so I barely noticed the pain I was in during my make up missed tempo run. The award show was rather hysterical, and some of my favorite entertainers were on, which includes Kal Penn and Margaret Cho.

Even though I had enough time to cover the fourth mile at tempo before the strength class (see the previous post), I just didn't have it in me.

I'm feeling a bit antsy because I was suppose to go to the gym this morning, but because of our excursion plans for Brooklyn, I decided not to. This amount to two full days of rest, and I didn't get the mileage I was targeting this week. Oh well, maybe next week will be better.

To the Other (and my former favored) Matt

2007-05-25T23:29:00.000-04:00

Dearest Matt B.,

I’m sorry to have to do this, but I must. That extraordinary something that I had with you is now over. Every girl eventually has a fantasy man, a mental boy toy, and you were mine … just in a different sort of way.

I knew you to be kind and gentle - a teacher to children by day, and an instructor to adults by night. Your sweet face and charming smile accented your gentle nature, and your nimble and toned body provided evidence of your physical competence and abilities.

Out of the other instructors, I deemed you to be the one who is pure and without evil. You provided options for the grueling tricep exercises, which offers a touch of grace and amnesty for your weaker students. You made sure that all programmed breaks were properly administered, and you allotted the most amount of time for stretching in between sets.

I would think of you during other Power sessions, and longed for your presence. When Debby skips the breaks in the bicep track, I yearn for your generosity in permitting them. When the only option is to punk out during the last set of tricep dips because you have lost all capabilities in maintaining proper alignment, I covet your grace and amnesty. You became a source of comfort and affirmation during the more foreboding hours known as Power.

The cusp of my alternative lust for you is evidenced in my training schedule. I have planned for a speed session every Thursday before your special hour, and I have done so over the past several weeks. You have been instrumental in my high count of calories burned on the day before my weekly rest.

This past Thursday, you changed EVERYTHING. In a single track, you shattered every single notion I had of you, and you revealed yourself as the demon that you are. You revel in seeing pain. You saunter the studio enjoying your twisted sadistic pleasures, just like the rest of them. You have betrayed me with your tweaked shoulder track, and don’t think I didn’t notice your smiling dimples when you indicated that you will be bringing other modifications within your next sessions.

You cruel, cruel man. You HAD me and I wanted you, but it’s over. It’s entirely OVER.

How in the hell am I suppose to fit in my speed sessions now you Wretch!

Yours No Longer,
The Muscularly Dyslexic Girl Who Had Inadvertently Developed Her Shoulders While Doing Bicep Exercises

PS - Despite your shared evil among fitness instructors, you are still a cutey ... objectively speaking.

A Bit of Wine Should Do It

2007-05-24T09:09:00.000-04:00

I made plans yesterday. I wanted to make up the Tempo Run after the strength class last night. I had the extra set of clothes, and I was fully ready to go. The thing is, I knew that the body didn’t want to, and the body knew that I knew that it didn’t want to. I still hadn’t recovered from that Monday night 9 miler, but I ignored the internal dialogue, and fully intended to execute my plans.

The toughest instructor teaches the class on Wednesday nights. She always adds something extra to the program and took away a couple of the intended breaks in between the sets of bicep curls. Last week, she added an extra five minutes of continuous clean and presses at the end of the class. Last night, there weren’t that many people in her class. The majority of them were new to Power entirely, which was a good thing because it made her go a bit easier on us. Just a bit.

After the session, I just knew that my legs, lungs and heart would not cooperate with me on the treadmill.
Four miles at a minimum of 6.8 MPH? There isn’t enough creotine in the world that can make it happen baby.
So I submitted, and headed home. That was when I noticed that I was hungry. No, hungry does not precisely describe the feeling. It was more like a starvation type of hunger, and my normal salad with a Boca burger and an egg white wasn’t going to cut it. So I called up H to see if he would be interested in eating out, and we decided to hit up something downtown. As it turned out, Harvest Moon was our final destination. The vegetarian chili was excellent, and the Harvest Burger with yam fries was also pretty good. Oh, and I can’t forget to mention the chocolate molten cake. Now that was super tasty.

The food was great, but what really did it for me was the Merlot. I’m not really a wine drinker, and when I do, I normally prefer white wine just for the dry and chilled factor. I find it refreshing at times, but last night, for some odd reason, I was interested in red meat and tepid red wine. Something in the line from Les Miserables was on my mind, “There is wine here to revive you,” and I doubt the Bishop was referring to the white stuff. So I blindly picked the Powers Merlot, and I have to say, I really enjoyed it. Mid way through my glass, it was as though I was drinking some type of liquid berry and floral potpourri, and I liked it … a lot.

Of course, after the meal, we walked home and I was a bit more than tipsy. I went off to dream land, and this morning, I woke up feeling fully revived. It was probably a combination of the fat and carbs, but I believe the Merlot had something to do with it.

A Missed Tempo

2007-05-23T10:55:00.000-04:00

I knew it before I got into my car yesterday to go to the gym, but being the stubborn person that I am, I insisted on giving it a go anyway. After all, you never really know until you try.

At 6:20 PM, I climbed on to the treadmill and started the warm up. That feeling was all over me, but I persisted. By the end of the one mile warm up, I was at 6.6 MPH, so I eased into the 6.9 MPH the tempo run. Focused on form, which was entirely absent just twenty four hours ago, I mentally checked off the list of items that made me an inefficient runner. I concentrated on symmetrical cadence starting with the foot strike, then the roll / midstance, and finally the propulsion. I have a tendency to favor my hip flexors over my obliques, so I spot checked that my sides were in fact contracted just a bit after the midstance.

Just after a third of a mile at tempo, I was exhausted. Not a single part of me was enjoying the ride, and I felt far more fatigued than what my heart rate suggested. It felt like I was working at 88%, when my heart rate did not exceed 83%, and actually dropped down to 80% at a few measures. I called it quits by the end of the first mile at tempo, and brought the whole thing down to a walk. I was on the treadmill for a total of 20 minutes.

Not wanting to waste the trip to the gym, I decided to hit up George’s program. It normally takes me about an hour to finish the stability and core work, but it took about an hour and a half yesterday even skipping the one footed push-ups. It really should have been a recovery day, but I couldn’t figure out a way to maneuver this week’s schedule to make that work. I guess one missed work out wouldn’t have been terrible, and it might have garnered better performances for all other successive work outs this week. But no, I was too stubborn to see that yesterday.

To perk myself up, I decided to go out to buy a pair of running shoes. It’s just about time to retire my current active pair to the treadmill, and get something new for the roads. I would normally go to the running store, and hop on their treadmill to try out whatever they recommended in stock. Since it was late, and I’ve enjoyed my Asics Gel Kayano VII thoroughly (though I liked darker blue ones from the fall of 2006 way more than the pinkish orange ones from the winter of 2006), I went over to Dick’s to pick up a replacement pair. That was such a good move. I had a $10 coupon, and the Kayano’s, which are normally in the area of $130 and $145, were on sale for $80. After paying $70 at check out for the shoes, I really didn’t feel so bad about the tempo run.

I’ve also been meaning to have a different pair of shoes. It’s been almost a year with the Kayano’s, so I was thinking it is also about time to change it up a bit. This is just for the sake of strengthening different parts of the foot, and assorted other tiny muscles and parts. This is another way to help improve overall efficiency. So I went online and found out that Runner’s World Editor’s Pick for overpronators (such as yours truly) is the Asics Gel 1120. I opened a new window and looked them up at Dick’s, and low and behold, the 1120s, which goes for $90 or so, were on sale for $63 with free shipping and handling. Considering that I would normally pay $130 or so for a single pair, I thought it wasn’t entirely unjustifiable to pick up a second pair. The total amount I spent on both pairs is still within the vicinity of how much I would have spent on just one pair, and with that reasoning, I clicked and purchased.

A review comparing the two stability shoes is now pending.

9 Miles in 86:11

2007-05-22T08:28:00.000-04:00

Last night's run was probably the hardest run of the year. My goal was to finish 9 miles in 88:30 (or 9:50 minutes per mile), and I was stressing about it even before I started. My normal pace is 10 minutes per mile, which is my happy, life-is-good-look-at-how-pretty-the-world-is-when-running pace, with the heart rate hanging around 75 to 80%. The thought of cranking the speed up by a mere 10 seconds gave me all kinds of pre-run grief.

So it took me about twelve minutes to finish the first mile, which threw me into hysterics.
That just means you have more time to make up over the next eight miles, so now what are you going to do?

By the second mile, I just bit down and started to pick up a little speed and wouldn't let it go. My form was horrible, my breathing was all over the place, and forget about controlling the heart rate. This is basically what it looked like (ala Garmin).

I was checking my time, distance and heart rate starting at mile four, just to verify that feeling like death was giving me the results I wanted. A little bit into the fourth mile, I realized that if I could just keep the pace going, eventually, I can finish off the run at my leisurely 10 minutes per mile pace and still make it in at 88:30. So I checked and rechecked every quarter mile or so, feeling the need to hurl as I progressed along. By mile 7.19, I felt as though I had nothing left in me, but I plodded along thinking in terms of the number of times around a track I had left, and approximating the amount of time I had to complete the loops. I finally relaxed at mile 8.9, when I was basically done for the day, and I had killed my goal time.

Although I'm happy that I was able to average 9:34 minutes per mile for 9 miles, and I was able to keep it just under the anaerobic threshold (maximum heart rate was at 88.7%), it's also incredibly discouraging. After the run, it felt like I had lost a chunk of my mid section on the course somewhere. I truly felt like death, and I'm amazed that I overcame the need to hurl.

To qualify for Boston, I need to have my time down to 8:15 minutes per mile for 26.2 miles. I just don't know if that is going to happen this year.

Rest Day ... Finally

2007-05-18T09:35:00.000-04:00

There were some severe work outs in the past two days, and I am looking forward to going straight home after work today. I need to clean up the remnants of my daily tornado-ing through the 800 square feet of space, which seems to shrink as the week progresses, and promptly enlarges after a bit of tender loving overhaul.

Wednesday

Power session with Debbie. She's the toughest instructor out of the bunch, and she assaulted our shoulders that night. There were a couple of participants who couldn't get the proper form for the clean and press, so she spent 5 minutes at the end of the class doing continuous clean and presses. It's like running, but on your shoulders ... so actually, it's not like running at all. It was far more painful, especially when you tacked on five extra pounds of weight in the beginning of the class.

After Power, I went into the Kinesis Studio to do the program that George wrote up for me. I had my IPod on, and I was doing my Bosu core work with Madonna ala Austin Powers. People were going in and heading out of the tiny studio, but a small group of three looked like they were there to stay. I eventually took off my headphones, said hello, and one of the trainers told me that class was about to start. The older white gentleman looked at me, and said, "If you want a good work out, you should stay." He probably didn't mean anything by it, but I interpretted it as, "I doubt that you can hang with us." Of course, I had to join to prevent the voices in my head from mocking me .

Knowing NOTHING about Kinesis, and I had no idea what I was in for. It was probably the hardest strength conditioning work I have EVER endured. It basically looks something like this ...

You go at each exercise for a total of 30 seconds or a minute per set, and you pull the cords as fast as you can. There are four stations, and we did four sets per station. The first set is done while standing at a high squat, the second set at a low squat, and the third and fourth set at a lunge position. The different positions gives it the total body component because the legs and core are actively involved with each rep.

We had a total of ten seconds to switch positions between sets, which made it somewhat cardio intensive. Since it was my first time, I had almost no load on each of the machines, which was slightly embarassing because my cables were flying all over the place and making a lot of noise. The worst part was the exercise that focused on the shoulders, which had already been thoroughly beaten by Debbie.

I'm not really sure if the pain was worth being able to say that I didn't punk out.

Thursday

I finally get to the program that George wrote up, and the tiny little muscles around the shins and ankles were screaming at me, pleading me to stop this one legged business. I plodded on, and even though my heart rate didn't go past 70%, I was sweating A LOT and it was a struggle to go through.

After the program, I engaged in a little interval.

I was originally scheduled for an easy five miler, but I decided to cover the five miles through a little interval work. This is mainly due to my nutritionist's insistance to fit it in somewhere. He had originally set up a profile that was cardio for the first half hour (65 - 75% heart rate), and three sets of three minute sprints at 95% with two minute recovery periods in between. Since it was my first go, I decided to hang at 90%. Next time, I'll probably push for 93% ... 95 kinda scares me. There seems to be something supremely unnatural in pushing the heart rate up to 190 beats per minute, when your inside ... on a treadmill. Actually, it's unnatural even outside in the middle of anywhere, and you're not being chased by a bear.

In any case, I finished both work outs, and I'm looking forward to having a day of rest.

Tempo Run #2 and the Last Tuesday

2007-05-16T09:39:00.000-04:00

It was tough, but I got through it.

Part of the impetus was having to rush home for the last Tuesday night. I have been a loyal Gilmore Girls fan since it's debut episode seven years ago. I watched Rory stumble through her class schedule on her first day at Chilton, I cried during her well crafted and equally well executed valediction, which was rich in literary allegory, and I fell head over heals in love with Triston (and yet I feel NOTHING for Lucas Scott), Max Medina and the more recent Logan Huntsberger (personally, I would have said yes).

I managed to hook my Beau on to the show through Take Out Tuesday I instituted many moons ago. I decided that the only proper way to watch the Gilmore Girls is to eat like the Gilmore Girls. So over the years, there have been numerous pizzas with fancy beer in tow, fake Chinese food loaded with MSG, Thai food that is probably a little less unhealthy and wee bit more authentic than the Chinese stuff, Boston Market, more pizzas, and there was even an ice cream Sundae Tuesday.

On one special Tuesday, after being so tenderly nursed by my Beau for several days, I dragged my fevered-sweaty-flu-stricken person to the market and crafted Sugar Night. It was adorned with M&Ms, brownies, Twizzlers, Twix, cookies, and a myriad of other items that was washed down by a steamy mug of Ovaltine hot chocolate (I was sick after all). Somewhere along the way between Sugar Night and the first Tuesday Night Pizza, my Beau became a Gilmore Girls fan. He came up with a song to express not only his fanship, but also his love for Tuesdays with the Girls. The song is merely the word Tuesday sung to the melody of Deutschland Uber Alles (direct translation is Germany Over All, which means Germany above all other countries), more commonly known as Hitler's anthem.

Yes, Tuesdays and the Gilmore Girls have been something really special in our lives together. Unfortunately, with my training efforts over the last year, take out Tuesday has fallen by the wayside, and the new episodes were taped to be viewed on a day other than Tuesday. The spirit of Tuesday had perished, and the Tuesday Anthem had not been sung for many moons. But with the series finale last night, I ran through the Tempo Run in an effort to revive Tuesday one last time.

We ordered the Somerset pizza from Panico's, and had picked up Twizzlers as a straw for our Boylan sodas, brownies, a lot of ice cream and organic Oreos at the market over the weekend for the occasion. We munched away on our Tuesday Take Out as the Gilmores engaged in Friday Night dinner. I gobbled down a big huge bowl of ice cream (so much for thinking that I'm lactose intolerant ... I'm so not) at Rory's Bon Voyage party as an online magazine reporter tasked to travel with Barack Obama's campaign trail. It was a bittersweet Tuesday night, and yours truly suffered from a severe belly ache immediately afterwards.

The Return of the Toe Sprain with Some Knowledge on Top

2007-05-14T08:26:00.000-04:00

On Saturday morning, I decided to do a little alternative cross training. I'm not really interested in the Cycling program that my gym endorses (I prefer Spin ... and really just Janet's and Muse's way about it), and I would like to pick up a few swim lessons before I head into the lap pool. So I did a step / kick class before Power. I don't really know when it happened, but by the time that Power started, I knew my toe was in trouble again.

I took a dose of Naproxen right when I got home, and I was walking around gingerly for the rest of the day. I am NEVER doing step or kick boxing EVER again.

On Sunday, I had my first full hour with George, and it turns out that he really isn't the devil. I thought that he would revise my speed work schedule and go crazy with a crap load of sprints, but he was focused on other things. The program that he wrote up for me is geared on core strength (upon my request based on Janet's recommendation), joint stability, balance and focusing on weaknesses. The focus on weakness completely captivates me, and it actually pulls everything else together.

Everybody favors a leg to kick and the opposite to stand on. I prefer to kick with my right foot and I always plant with my left. With this favoritism, my body has evolved to handle balancing on the left foot, but the right foot poses as a challenge. This has a negative impact my running because I am more susceptible to injury whenever I plant with my right foot on slightly imperfect surfaces. To rectify this situation, a large section of the program is strength conditioning on one foot. So I will be doing some bicep curls, dead lifts, shoulder work, etc with lighter weights on one foot, as well as some one legged push ups. George is particularly excited about the push ups, which is VERY difficult for me. Right now, I can do around ten solid long TWO legged push ups with relatively good form, and I normally go to my knees whenever I need to see fifteen or more push ups in a single go. He has 3 sets of 25 one legged push ups on my program. It isn’t impossible, but it won’t be fun … at all.

During our session, we discovered that I favor using my triceps when doing push ups (when it should be more about biceps), and my hip flexors when running on a hill (when it should be all about the obliques). He isn’t concerned about the push ups too much because the form is still good, but the hip flexor thing is a nuisance. So I’m doing some things on the Bosu to help further develop the oblique muscles, and also to get accustomed to actually using them when running.

All said, I think I will be able to get to Boston next year. The speed will come, especially with my diligent training schedule, but the key component is George helping me becoming more efficient and smarter with my body when running. At this point, it isn’t even about getting to Boston. I’m excited about how running is going to feel when I do it right, and when I can use both legs effectively. I have a feeling that this program is going to change everything.

Speedwork #1 and a Piece of Bread

2007-05-11T08:41:00.000-04:00

I've been limiting my carbohydrate consumption down to something in the area of 60 - 70 grams per day. Because of what happened during the last couple of months, and not being able to burn up the stuff I was eating, I'm still a little paranoid about eating more than I use. So basically, my only source of carbs per day is a serving of oatmeal and half a cup of brown rice, and the rest of the time, I'm eating vegetables and some kind of lean protein.

Given my dizzy spell from Tempo Run #1, I added a piece of whole wheat bread into my meal plan, which bumped up my carbs up to something like 75 grams yesterday. Let me tell you, I felt amazing. It was such a tiny little alteration, but it had a huge impact. Look at what happened:

I was amazed that my maximum heart rate at 7.2 MPH is the same as it was when I was going at 6.8 on Tempo Run #1.

After the speed session, I attended the Power class and went up to 44 lbs in weight for the squats. The back was feeling a bit tight and strained, but I'm disappointed to report that my legs are still not sore. I definitely need to work on my core so that I can put more load on my legs.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with myself. It all happened just because of one single piece of bread.

Some Strength and a Little Speed

2007-05-10T08:16:00.000-04:00

The Power class last night was a bit odd. I increased my weights, and the exercises were tough with the additional load, but I'm not that sore. Keep in mind that this class was crafted for lighter weights with a lot of reps.

Legs - Aproximately 35 lbs
Chest - Aproximately 30 lbs
Shoulders, biceps and back - Aproximately 25 lbs
Triceps - 1.5 sets of long leg dips, 1.5 sets of half leg dip, 3 sets of 10 lb plate

I know I need to bump up the load for my legs (probably go up to 45 lbs, maybe even 50 to get the right amount of soreness), but I'm worried that my lower back can't support that kind of weight. The chest press was a challenge at 30 lbs, but the lack of soreness tells me that maybe I should go heavier. The others are fine for now because I am sore in those areas.

I may go back for another Power class tonight to try out 45 lbs on the legs and 35 lbs on the chest. I do plan on a speed session tonight, we'll just have to see how this is going to work out ... if at all. I'm not very optimistic about the 8:24 pace.

Taking it from the Top: Tempo Run #1

2007-05-09T12:31:00.000-04:00

This is the first week of my sixteen week training period for the marathon in Quebec. The Runner's World training schedule asked for 8:54 minutes per mile tempo run, but I was having a hard time settling into the work out.

During the warm up, I was feeling dizzy, and I really didn't think I could do the work out. I tried pushing for 7.0 for half a mile, but my heart rate shot up to the 90s almost immediately. So I turned it back down to my warm up pace (10 Minutes Per Mile / 6.0 MPH) to regroup.

I decided to switch treadmills after the dizziness passed and I had regained control of my heart rate. I don't know if it was the treadmill, or if my body found a piece of carb in the recesses of my storage areas, but I cranked out 2 miles on the other treadmile at a solid 6.8 MPH pace. The heart rate didn't exceed 87%, and it felt like I was cruising. Right after the second mile at tempo, the energy faded, and I struggled to pull in that last half mile at pace.

Overall, I completed more than the prescribed 5 miles ala Runner's World, and I did get 3 miles worth of tempo in, although with a bit of a break in between the first half mile and the second 2.5 miles. I guess I can't really complain, but I hope it will be smoother at the next go around.

Tonight is all about strength conditioning at the Power class. Maybe a little boxing to follow, but I'm not entirely committed.

A New Look

2007-05-08T09:03:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling a little brighter these days, so the previous black layout was starting to feel a wee bit drab.

I'm also trying to figure something out in terms of my wardrobing needs. Nothing fits because of the combination of a size 2 waist, size 4 hips, and a size 6 rump. I'm taking a serious look at skirts these days because pants are just plain painful.

And Getting to Business:
Cross Training Day

Power Class - went up in weights, but I think I should go way heavier for the legs. I just have this fear that my lower back can't handle the load.

Cycle - rode at 80% my maximum heart rate, in the range of 200 and 250 watts. I felt incredibly week. I think it has to do with my carbohydrate depletion.

To Do List

Work out training schedule and give it to ~~the Devil~~ George for him to revise and finalize. Send that finalized info over to Pat (Nutritionist and owner of Mindless Meals) to work out a meal plan to sustain training schedule.

Notes from the Weekend

2007-05-06T18:35:00.000-04:00

Friday Night
Note to self - NEVER plan a tempo run or speed session on Friday night. It won't work, and the legs will hate you.

Saturday Morning
The Spectacular - Launch of new programs at the RWJ Fitness and Wellness Center. The studios were packed, and the new music and workout profile for Power (endurance strength conditioning class) is great. Fergy definitely makes bicep curls a lot easier to contend with.

Saturday Afternoon
Parts of New Brunswick was closed down for the Coexistence Festival. Before we walked around the festivities, we headed off to Marita's Cantina for a little Cinco de Mayo lunching. I'm not too keen on Mexican or Tex Mex, but my Beau loves the stuff. While we were there, we saw this ...

I was offended by the indecency while my Beau was laughing hysterically internally. He kept on asking me, "How can she not feel a draft?" Just a little lower, and she could totally be in position to relieve herself. Apparently, nothing comes between her and her Gap.

After seeing that, we saw some of this ...

It's the Indigo Girls! Oh, and there were some lesbian loving going on in the crowd during their performance.

Sunday Morning
10 Miles in about an hour and a half. It was leisurely run with a maximum heart rate that didn't exceed 75%.

Sunday Afternoon
I met the Devil. Apparently, he's blond and goes by the name of George. He's going to be my personal trainer. He believes that I can get to Boston, but it's going to require a lot of speed work, which we both know that I won't enjoy. I think my addiction will be cured, and I will soon acquire the healthy all-American aversion for gym going.

My TV World

2007-05-04T08:22:00.000-04:00

So the hot pilot man from Nantucket (the type-A older brother, who yours truly was crushing on during her pre-puberty days) lands in LA, becomes an alternative medicine specialist, and is now trying to nail Dr. Addison, who only recently disentangled herself from the grips of McSteamy and McDreamy?

I need to be her in the alternate universe where this is real. Even if she's all dried up and with only two eggs left in her person.

I had a moment when Naomi smashes a plate while doing the dishes, goes into a tirade about doing everything that your suppose to do, and then finding yourself all alone one day, not knowing how to deal because while you were busy doing everything your suppose do, your social development came to a stand still. Now, when you need the social skills that was suppose to be developed and groomed all the while, you are left there, hanging out in the world of hormonal adults with a set of social rituals that are completely foreign to you, and your social maturity is equivalent to that of a college freshman.

My Beau fell asleep when I had this moment. The Addison in LA segment of Grey's bored him, while I found myself interacting with the soothsayers of ABC, who were warning all those type-A females out there who walk on the straight and narrow. It's like they are telling me to inject myself with just one small dose of contemporary liberalism, and show up in California for just a little while.

Up Ahead ...
Yoga and a tempo run. I'm going to try 8:30 minutes per mile pace for 3 miles. Wish me luck.

Addiction

2007-05-03T14:55:00.000-04:00

I'm addicted to my new gym. It is becoming an obsession, if it isn't already. I look forward to the time I get to spend at that 55,000 square foot mecca of exercise ... all day. I actually feel a little sad after my workout because I know that there's going to be a-whole-nother day before I get to go back.

Upon my Beau's request and the fact that I haven't taken a day off yet since the half marathon, I'm going to have to deal with not going tonight.

This is going to be rough.

Recovery Run

2007-05-02T08:36:00.000-04:00

The spin crew at NYSC Somerset had their extended ride last night. Since I could only be with them in spirit, I planned a recovery run to match their start and end time of their ride. Well, I started with them, but I had to call it quits 45 minutes later. I just couldn't hang since I haven't really rested since Sunday's half marathon. Sorry Ladies, I tried my best though. I covered a bit over 4 miles during my 10 minutes per mile jaunt (excluding the warm up of course).

Tonight, there is definitely a strength class and possibly a short little tempo run.

I also made a personal training appointment with the most badass trainer at the gym. His name is George and I can't wait to meet him. If he can't get me to Boston in 2008, I don't think anybody can.

Time Trials

2007-04-30T21:59:00.000-04:00

My hip flexors and lower abs were severely sore today, while my glutes, quads and calves were just a bit on the tight side, and my ankles a smidge bit stiff. I can't complain too much, but I wasn't prepared to be sore in those particular places. Normally, it's all the other things that are sore, but I guess that's because of the hills and the fact that I wasn't pushing for speed.

I thought about not going to the gym tonight, but it was too hard to give up Arnold's (the cycling instructor) time trial. So I went, and it was like any normal Monday night. I went to Power (the strength class) and went a bit easy on the weights, and then to my first pseudo time trial.

Arnold and an assistant (who is also a cycling instructor) went around the studio every two minutes and recorded the wattages from each bike. I can't remember what my heart rate numbers were, but I know I was working well over 85% my max at the "all out" segments, and I kept my heart rate between 70 and 75% during the "moderate" periods. These are my stats:

Average Warm Up: 132 Watts
5 Minute All Out: 253 Watts - Apparently, I punked out on this one
10 Minute Moderate Pace: 170 Watts
20 Minute Time Trial: 300 Watts
10 Minute Moderate Effort: 120 Watts

For some sort of reference, Lance Armstrong cranks out something like 400 Watts and keeps it going for 5 hours. On the flip side, I'm pretty sure that I was the strongest woman in the studio tonight, and stronger than something like 75% of the men. For the 20 minute time trial, there was only one guy stronger than me. Just let me point out right here that I ran a very hilly half marathon yesterday morning. Then again, the guy was fighting a wicked head cold, so I may just have to admit defeat. We'll just wait five weeks and what comes of it. I think I can take him.

Lehigh Valley Half Marathon - The Second Try

2007-04-29T17:40:00.000-04:00

I have been very nervous and anxious for this race. I was hoping to match my time in Philly, which would be quite an accomplishment given the topography of this course compared to Philly's flatness. Allentown has three rolling hills right before mile 9, a bunch of random slower inclines and declines, and one sever climb towards the track stadium at the end of the race. Given my recent toe problem, I restricted myself to endurance strength training with only an occasional treadmill run. I had to give up my goal and just try to beat last year's time, which I did.

Last year, I crossed the finish line at 2:21 and my chipped time was 2:19. This year, I crossed the finish at 2:12, and my chipped time was 2:09:53.

My Beau has been very supportive through this whole endeavor. All of yesterday while I was freaking internally, he was coming up with some of the wittiest things that I have ever heard from him, such as ...

"You know your old when your shits smell like death. Mine have a healthy, robust smell."

At the Pasta Dinner, Dottie Lessard-O’Connor spoke about her gruelling work outs in preparation for her lung transplant, and the importance of following your dreams. My Beau's comment - "Right now, my dreams are covered with extra cheese."

The race itself wasn't as bad as I had feared. I just remembered how awful I felt last year, but I believe I was better prepared this year. I knew the tricky parts of the course (where the climbs are, approximately when the gravel part ends, where the finish line ACTUALLY is, things like that) and I have an easier time dealing with hills now (thanks Janet!), so I had some semblance of a game plan.

7:58 AM Near the Starting Line

I was in the pack with the 2:10 Pace Setter for the majority of the run. She did a great job at maintaining perfect pace, and I told her so. I decided to break away around mile 7, which is the flat part of the course right before the hills because I thought I would be better off executing my own game plan for the rolling hills. Trying to maintain a steady pace up and down those suckers would probably be harder for me than dealing with it on my own terms.

So I approached the steep climbs with a tightened core, extreme control of the body, and I just powered through the climb with my legs - this maximizes efficiency in exerting all force forward, but it spiked my heart rate. I engaged in an active recovery on the declines by maintaining torso control and letting the legs loose. My heart rate fell slightly and I didn't have to give up my slightly accelerated pace. The tough part of executing this plan were the older ladies that blocked the path on the decline. They were afraid of falling, so they actually slowed down at the declines. There was this one particular pack composed of shorter ladies, and since their center of gravity is already pretty low, they seemed more precarious holding themselves back. They looked less balanced and I believe they would have better off if they had relaxed a little and followed momentum a bit. Then again, who am I to say what's right for them; fear sometimes can be a wise guide. In any case, they impeded my active recovery strategy, and I was annoyed.

Once the rolling hills were over, I regrouped and slowed down a bit for more of a recovery because I wanted to finish "like a rock star," as Dottie had put it. I saw the pace setter pass me a mile or two after the hills at a water station around mile 10, but I kept an eye on her pack. I was making plans to meet up with her at mile 12, when my Beau showed up and started to run next to me to take pictures. Yes, it was obnoxious. It was impossible to smile and chat with the boy while coming up with and simultaneously execute a strategy to take down the pace setter. He eventually left me alone, and I had a mile to meet and beat my intended pace.

These pictures are the product of my Beau's annoyance.

So I just picked up the tempo and kept at it through that last climb to the stadium. That climb was a nightmare and a half, and there was another half a mile of flat road (not a decline) before the finish line. It took a lot of will to turn it up after that last climb, but I did, and I passed the pace setter around this juncture.

I tried my best to sprint it in, but it felt like a slow motion sprint. My legs and feet were not being cooperative at all. It was worth it though, beating last year's time by nearly ten minutes, not feeling like death, and actually parttaking in some of the post race food. There were chocolate chip muffin tops!

After crossing the Finish Line, and before getting my eat on

Overall, I am pretty pleased given the circumstances. And this officially marks the beginning of my running season.

Game ON

2007-04-25T08:36:00.000-04:00

I started my new gym this Sunday, and the only thing I can say is holy goodness.

The cycling studio is equipped with the Keiser M3, including the computer panel that can read your heart rate monitor. Arnold is one of the instructors and pointed out that we are probably the only studio in the state that has the M3s. He is very excited in sharing his training philosophy, which is modeled after Chris Carmichael 's program. It emphasizes using a percentage of your maximum wattage as opposed to your maximum heart rate, and he will have his cyclist monitor the increase of their maximum wattage every five weeks.

The multitude of conditioning classes is also great. I can get the recommended three strength sessions per week, and do a toning or some other type of endurance strength class on the other days in combination with my own cardio work. If I still don't get the cuts that I want, I don't think anything will.

The studio rooms are in and by themselves fantastic. The ventilation and sound systems are great - screeching head set microphones and thermal issues are entirely not present. The flooring is quite special because of a layer of shock absorption that lowers the impact on your joints, without a bounce back feel. Jumping around in the studio made me think that my toe had completely recovered, but I discovered that wasn't true at all after half an hour into one of the cycling classes.

My toe still bothering me slightly, and I'm a little worried that I may not finish this Sunday's half marathon in Allentown. Oh well, whatever happens happens.

Random Thoughts

2007-04-12T08:56:00.000-04:00

Jaw droppingly crazy. They started in St. Louis, Senegal and ended at the Red Sea. This is an ultra marathon through the Sahara.

To my Beau
Don't worry Hon, I have no aspirations to do ANYTHING remotely similar to this. Some type of test of endurance and strength on that rock in the middle of the Pacific (his reference to Hawaii) is still game though.

So I was suppose to start my intense training regimen a few weeks ago, but the efforts have been more of a sputter on account of my still swollen toe. I'm afraid of going out for a long run due to the intense pain of a few weekends ago. Because of this, I haven't been consuming as many carbs as I normally would when in training (loading up the day before a long run, depleting on recovery days, and things of that nature). In turn, my treadmilling has not been strong, which damages my confidence. I don't know what kind of distance I can cover at this point in time, and I refuse to consume extra calories and carbs because I may not burn it up.

This is the sort of pattern that makes me think that I won't be able to get to Boston next year. To qualify, I have to finish one of the three marathons I have slated for this year in 3 hours and 40 minutes, which is 8:23 minutes per mile. Right now, 9:14 is my max speed for distance run, but I know I can't sustain that for more than four or five miles. It's a bit odd because I know I can run for hours on end at 10 minutes per mile ... under the right conditions.

Maybe on of the trainers at my new gym can help me out. My first day over there is this Tuesday, the 17th. If they don't think it's possible, then I guess Boston will have to wait till 2009.

Tempo Run #4

2007-04-02T20:34:00.000-04:00

It wasn't an authentic Tempo Run, but it wasn't a easy run either. It felt like my heart rate was between 80 and 85%, which indicates that it does qualify as a Tempo Run, but I really wouldn't know since I was without my monitor. I guess the lack of authenticity can be forgiven since it was my first hard run after my toe problem.

800 Approximate Calories Burned
4.0 - 6.0 mph warm up for ten minutes
6.5 - 6.8 mph (8:50 - 9:14 minutes per mile) until the end of the first half hour
7.0 mph (8:34 minutes per mile) for the last half hour
Cool Down - To busy restraining myself from singing along to Question of Heaven (Iced Earth with Barlow) to recall pace, time, distance, or anything else
A bit over 6.5 miles total distance by the end of one hour

I thought I was going to lift tonight, but I doubt it. The bed beckons.

A Stress Fracture ... It Is Not

2007-03-28T08:51:00.000-04:00

Well, I should say that it isn't likely. The good doctor, who is a fellow runner, said that it can be one of three things:

Gout - not likely because of my age, and the quasi-regular and generally healthy diet

Stress Fracture - not likely because it wouldn't heal quit as quickly as it is healing, and I would definitely remember what I did that made it happen

Myopersomethingorother Sprain - a ligament in the area of the big toe that is in some type of distress

It should be fine in about two weeks. If not, then I will be taking a trip to a Podiatrist where an x-ray will be administered, and a local shot will be given if the images show that a stress fracture isn't the cause of my grief. If it is a stress fracture, then my right foot will be in some kind of a rubber boot type contraption until it gets better.

And there's MORE good news.

I can continue running ... but only on a treadmill. It stinks that I have to miss out on these gorgeous days that are simply PERFECT for running, but I can't complain too much.

A Stress Fracture?

2007-03-27T09:01:00.000-04:00

I may have one ... in my right foot ... around the area of my big toe.

I think it may have happened in the beginning of March on a Monday night during a multi-impact class ... or a Wednesday night during a cardio kick boxing class. I remember feeling something not quite right at some point jumping on one foot, but dismissed it as a cramp or a minor bad step. The pain would come back every now and then, but I didn't suspect anything serious.

And then I went running ... outside ... with intentions to cover at minimum 8 miles. After four miles, I hobbled back home with the most severe pain in my foot ... EVER. I was walking on my right heal because my toe could not bear any load without making me scream and flail my arms.

So in a little over 2 hours, I will be going to see the doctor for a formal diagonis. I even went out last night for an emergency / season's-first pedicure. I don't exactly want a perfect stranger to examine a set of ugly feet with unpolished toes. What kind of impression would that give? I can deal with being thought of as a person that engages in acts of self mutilation via exercise, but to be labeled as a masochist with poor hygiene is simply too much.

I hope this thing will take less than two weeks to heal.

Speed Work #3

2007-03-01T08:25:00.000-05:00

I forgot to look at my training log yesterday, but I remembered something about a series of one milers with speed, some type of recovery in the middle, and a one mile warm up and cool down to amount to 7 miles. So I ended up doing:

One (1) Mile Warm Up starting at 4.0 to 6.5 mph
One (1) Mile with speed at 7.5 mph (8 minutes per mile) - heart rate at 82%
1/4 Mile (400 Meters) Recovery at 6.5 mph (9:14 minutes per mile) - heart rate at 78%
Two (2) Miles with speed at 7.7 mph (7:47 minutes per mile) and recovery in between - heart rate between 85 and 88%
1/4 Mile (400 Meters) Recovery at 6.5 mph (9:14 minutes per mile) in between - heart rate at 80%
One (1) Mile with speed at 7.7 mph (7:47 minutes per mile) for half a mile, and 8.0 mph (7:30 minutes per mile) for the last half mile - heart rate between 88 and 90%
1/4 Mile (400 Meters) Cool Down

Everything was pretty close, but the recovery was suppose to be for 1/2 mile (800 meters) and the speed was suppose to be at 7.0 mph (8:30 minutes per mile). So, I'm pretty glad that I didn't look at the log.

I also skipped the Recovery and proper cool down because the kick boxing class had started, and I was very interested in attending. I still had a bunch of energy left and I didn't feel fatigued, so I went, and I'm glad I did.

In addition to making it to Boston, my auxiliary goal is to become more coordinated and have a wider range of aerobic motion. So I've been picking up some step and kick boxing classes, and I've noticed a remarkable difference.

My shape is changing, and I attribute that to the additional classes that makes use of a variety of muscles intensely, which I hadn't really used before. I also feel that I have more control over my body, and my running has benefited from it. I don't feel as tired after a hard work out, and my trouble areas (knees, Achilles, shins) aren't quite as troublesome.

In short, I highly recommend for runners to take on a multitude of aerobic cross training, and to try things that require a variety of movement and coordination.

Tempo Run #3: Back on Track

2007-02-22T08:23:00.000-05:00

Between getting bumped from Goddess' sprint workout and falling back from the stomach flu and a minor back spasm, I think I fell back in line with my original training schedule.

Last night, I ran a seven (7) mile tempo run:
One (1) Mile warm up starting at 3.5 up to 6.0 mph
Five (5) Mile tempo at 9:13 minute miles (6.5 mph)
One (1) Mile cool down starting at 6.0 to 3.5 mph

It was tough keeping the heart rate at 85%. It was mainly between 87 and 89%. Well, until I lost 32 ounces of water from my bottle when I had one mile left in my tempo run. My water bottle fell off the holder, rolled over the treadmill belt, and splashed out the remnants all over the gym floor. Simply glorious. Strangely, my heart rate fell back to 85% when it took a tumble. Maybe it was a sudden kick of endorphins or adrenaline that relaxed me a bit?

I had fully intended on cleaning it up AFTER my workout, but a friend of mine saw the whole thing and cleaned up most of it before a staff member came over with a mop.

Next week ... speed work.
Yip. Ee.

Speed Work #2 Turned Tempo Run #2

2007-02-11T12:24:00.000-05:00

I hopped on the treadmill on Monday night (right before I became sick), ready for a speed work out. I was suppose to do 3 x 1600 meters (1 mile) in 8:30 minutes (or 7.0 MPH) with 2 x 800 meters recovery jogs in between. Including the warm up and cool down, it was suppose to amount to 6 miles.

My first set of 1600 meters, the heart rate was between 75% and 80%. I thought that maybe by the end of the first set, I would feel differently. Well, that didn't really happen, so I decided to skip the first recovery, and maybe take on just one recovery jog after increasing the speed up to 7.2. I increased the speed, but I still didn't need a recovery. I ended up finishing the four miles in one shot.

So basically, what was suppose to be a speedwork out turned into a tempo run that I wasn't scheduled to cover at that pace and distance until April. I attribute this outcome to the sprint work out from Tuesday night the week before. Goddess came up with a profile composed of 12 one minute sprints with one minute recovery in between. The idea was to get the heart rate up to 92 - 95% your max during the sprints, and to skip a sprint if the one minute recovery in between was insufficient. I took the heart rate up between 90 and 92% for each sprint so that I wouldn't have to punk out. The profile was a true torture, but it totally paid off.

There's another sprint session coming up next Saturday. I wonder if it will impact my training schedule as much as it did from that Tuesday class. It's kinda odd to be excited and stressed about an upcoming torture.

Tempo Run #1

2007-02-01T09:38:00.000-05:00

I covered a total of six miles last night including one mile warm up and cool down, and four miles at 6.5 mph (9:13 minute miles). It wasn't too difficult, and I think I could have gone a smidge faster for that amount of distance. Unfortunately, I was a bit dizzy because I had skipped my morning oatmeal, which is basically cut my total carb count by half up until my workout.

I was also a bit sick afterwards. I had my normal dinner (1/2 cup brown rice, a serving of shrimp and 1/2 cup of steamed veggies), but I still wasn't feeling to well. Thinking it was due to a carb deficiency, I had one pretzel stick and five organic potato chips ... which ultimately made me nauseous.

I'm feeling fine now, but last night was a completely different story.

Cross Training and Strength Conditioning ... From Hell

2007-01-24T08:26:00.000-05:00

Monday Night with Arnolda

I took my first aerobic type class I have ever taken in my adult life. If I hadn't fulfilled all prerequisites to be a full fledged woman, then it can be assured that I am now.

I've always looked down at aerobics (and all derivatives thereof) as inferior and "girly" exercise. In my mind, it's for people who just don't want to or can't run, but they want the same caloric burn. Basically ... non-athletes who are complete punks and wimps that can't man-up to real exercise like running.

Well, it may be true that aerobics is an option if you don't want to or can't run, but there is nothing wimpy about it. This particular aerobics session focused on high impact cardio boxing type movements. It required a lot of coordination and a full range of motion for all major muscle groups.

My heart rate was up at 91% of the max for about 30 minutes out of the full one hour class. I have NEVER moved my body the way I did on Monday, and I'm sure new neuropathways involving muscle control are still being formed.

Tuesday Night with Goddess turned Fiend

Last night, one of my girls (Muse be her name) discovered that the devil, in fact, wears Lycra.

After an intense spin class (heart rate hit 208 beats per minute ... I thought my monitor was picking up a microwave or maybe a cop car signal ... but I later realized that it probably happened during one of the four sets of sprints), we went to an even harder strength class that Goddess was subbing.

I think we did five or six different types of squats at various counts for 35 minutes ... easily. This was broken up with upper body stuff, including lats for the benefit of summer halter tops. The thing is, I already BURNED all of my halter tops after the last strength class she subbed, so I thought that I might be exempt. Well, not really. The phrase "punk out" was used, which indicates that there are no exemptions available.

My right leg felt as though it was going to fall off. A couple of us were on the verge of tears, but I ended up laughing because it was just a ridiculously hard time. We got through it, and I'm loving my stretchy dress pants today. The legs are incredibly swollen.

Somewhat Insane

2007-01-16T08:48:00.000-05:00

I did it again. I intended on an easy run on the treadmill for about an hour before the strength class, and I ended up running on the machine for 80 minutes and I covered about 8 miles. Obviously, the pace was at 10 minutes per mile. It was easy on the legs, but I was having a hard time keeping my heart rate down. I'm a bit embarrassed to report that my heart rate was up at 85% my max after the first half hour, and it was a fight to keep it there during the last twenty minutes. Had a I gone a bit slower, my legs really wouldn't be running as they would be doing a bouncy jog, so I felt that I had to deal with the elevated heart rate.

In time, the heart rate will go down at that speed ... I hope. If it doesn't ... I don't know how I will ever show up in Boston.

So I went to the strength class thoroughly soaked with sweat, and trying to shake off some of the tension in my legs. The instructor ... let's just call her Arnolda the Nazi ... tells us that we will only be doing 21 reps and not going for time, so it might be a good idea to go up in weights since there's only a need for two sets - one light and one heavy.

I thought to myself ... score! It's going to be a doable class, and I can definitely go up from my 8 lbs dumbbells to 10 since for only doing reps.

Bad, bad idea.

We ended up doing 3 sets of 21 reps of each exercise ... meaning we did one set of 63 reps for each exercise. Within five minutes, I almost cried and ran out of the studio whaling if it weren't for a little voice in my head that just repeatedly said, "Don't be a punk." At the end of the class, Arnolda the Nazi told me that my body is probably in shock, and I should rest up after eating 3 grams of protein for dinner.

I burned a total of 1,211 calories yesterday. I don't think I ate 1,211 calories yesterday.

I think my body is in such deep shock, that it doesn't even realize that it's in shock even at this very moment.

Mild Plans Turned Severe

2007-01-09T08:32:00.000-05:00

Due to Sunday's less-than-kick-!ss strength class (it wasn't bad, it just wasn't anywhere near brutal), I wanted to make up for it with some follow up conditioning. My game plan was go easy on the treadmill for about an hour before class, and to use lighter weights and killer form for the strength work out. In total, I wanted to work at 75% intensity for the entire 2 hours, if not a little bit less.

Well, it didn't exactly pan out that way - the work out ended up being a bit on the severe side. I started off on the treadmill at around 70%, but my legs wanted just a bit more speed. So I ended up hitting 80-85% for about an hour. It didn't feel particularly difficult, but it was not what I had planned.

Walking in to the strength class, I was confident that I could go easy since Sharon-the-substitute-instructor wasn't at all difficult the last time I took one of her classes. Well, something must have happened since then because she thoroughly whipped my behind. It was a challenging class, but very doable. Her work out consisted of one set of 21 reps for every exercise, and she switched up the counts and the excercises so that you would work the same muscle group at least three times, but in three different ways.

That was definitely the toughest full two hour work out that I've had this year.

In an ideal world, class times would remain the same, but Sharon would teach at least one strength class per week, Janet will tack on Sunday's strength class to her instruction schedule, and Muse would instruct two evening spin rides. If that would happen ... I would be so unbelievably fit, happy, and probably injury free.

Cyber Gods ... please make nice with the Fitness Club Gods and send word of these wishes ...

Loving El Nino

2007-01-06T11:20:00.000-05:00

Typing in my running shorts cause it's 70 in Central Jersey.

I will be hitting the road this blessed blessed afternoon despite riding the Eliminator profile this morning. I don't care what kind of pain I might be in tomorrow, nor do I care if it doesn't jive with my training schedule. I will be running for an indefinite period of time TODAY ... in my shorts and tank top.

Is it really January?

Speed Work #1

2007-01-03T19:36:00.000-05:00

One (1) mile warm up
Starting at 3.5 up to 6.0 mph, approximately 17 down to 10 minutes per mile
Heart beats started at 90 up to 155 per minute - tail end of the warm up at around 75% - 80% maximum heart rate
80% at the end of the warm up? I think this is going to be trouble.

One (1) mile with speed
7.1 mph, approximately 8:27 per mile
Heart beats went from 165 to 175, and varied within that area - fluctuating between 85% and 89% maximum heart rate
Began my count down after the first tenth of a mile

Half (1/2) mile recovery jog
6.0 mph, approximately 10 minutes per mile
Heart beats stayed between 160 and 170- fluctuating between 80% and 85% maximum heart rate
Since when was 80 - 85% considered an active recovery? A month ago I was at 150 (about 75% my max) at this speed. What the hell is going on?

One (1) mile with speed
7.1 mph, approximately 8:27 per mile
Heart beats went straight to 175 and 178 area - basically hitting up 89% maximum heart rate right away
Just 8 more minutes and 27 seconds of hell left.

Half (1/2) mile recovery jog
6.0 mph, approximately 10 minutes per mile
Heart beats stayed between 160 and 170
In 5 little minutes, we're taking this crap down!

One (1) mile cool down
Starting at 5.5 mph down to 2.5 mph
Heart beats went from 165ish down to 130ish - from 85ish to 65ish maximum heart rate
It's finally over. Next week is tempo, so there's a full two weeks before the next speed session.

Farewell 2006

2006-12-31T16:48:00.001-05:00

The last morning of 2006, Goddess made her debut as a Club Strength Instructor. She was "just subbing," but the whole class ... present company included ... simply loved her despite the fact that she took our behinds and handed it back to us, thoroughly whipped and beaten. Numerous parts of me were involuntarily shaking as we progressed through her profile, and a few tears did shed from my sweat encircled eyes.

We all made plans on attending tomorrow morning's super spin class, and Goddess will be instructing, so I really wasn't going to do any type of exercises until then.

H and I went out for lunch to Old Man Rafferty's (no table cloth, but it wasn't a bar and there were utensils ... so I'm okay with that), and my waistline that's already well stocked with some extras had only expanded more. With the sun shining coupled with the mildly cool weather, and my pudge jiggling about, happy in providing a muffin top to my silhouette, I decided that it would be poetic to go on the run that started my affair with running this year.

Around 2:45, I headed out to Johnson Park to tackle the very first 8 mile outdoor run I completed this year. I remember the day well. I just met a friendly stone contractor by the name of John, and we decided to go long that day. I remember my heart rate being up at 85% after the third mile, and I was already deliriously tired. I tend to be a quiet runner, but he really wanted to chat with me. Most people do chat while they run, so not wanting to seem rude or abnormal, I chatted. It only made the run harder than it already was. In addition, our starting origin is also our finish destination, and it is at a higher elevation than the bulk of the course. So we had to finish this sucker uphill, chatting the whole way. Needless to day, we were one of the last ones in, and we got lost on the way back since we were both new comers and weren't too familiar with the course. I hadn't really seen him since, and I've stopped running with that group since the days became shorter and they run during the early evening hours.

As I plodded through this course, I remembered that day, and other running moments during the year. It feels like I'm starting the process all over again, but this time a bit stronger and wiser ... like I've taken 26.2 steps blindly forward, and 16.2 steps consciously back. I'm a bit out of shape, but I don't really mind because I'm still 10 steps ahead of where I was a year ago.

As I've said before, 2006 was very kind to me, and 2007 will be a challenge. With my friends and support network, I feel confident that each goal will be met, and I know I will go to Boston in 2008. So I sealed off the year with a serious strength work out, and paid homage to the path that has brought me to where I am now. There will be chocolate fondue and champagne to celebrate all that was 2006, and to embrace all that we hope for in 2007. Tomorrow ... we will buckle down and get the game plan started for Destination Boston.

So Happy New Year Everybody!

Live well, be well, love generously and above all else, be happy and just keep going.

Ow and a Brilliant!

2006-12-27T21:03:00.000-05:00

I did my first run since the marathon tonight, and I also started dieting again. Even though I've been spinning and took two yoga classes since, I'm hopelessly out of shape ... and a bit on the fat side. Yes, it is true. I can feel parts jiggling where they didn't jiggle before, and sadly, not where a bit more jiggling would be welcomed. Why must the fat go all the way around the waist first?

So I was up between 75% ad 80% at a pace that was formerly my RECOVERY JOG during speed work sessions. A bit shocked and ashamed, I proceeded with my itinerary for the evening - 5 mile tempo run, 3 miles at 9:20ish minutes per mile (6.5 miles per hour) with a 1 mile warm up and cool down. Because of my current shape, I gave myself a two mile warm up, and a solid five minute cool down (that's just what happens when you hit the cool button on the treadmill). I tallied 5 miles at 49 minutes, and completed 5.3 miles after 54 minutes.

Even though it wasn't the easiest run, the arrival of two larger middle aged white men kept me amused (and more importantly ... distracted) during the last 15 minute stretch of 6.5 mph. The one with a goatee was about an XL and his friend on the treadmill next to me was at least an XXL ... and neither of them were of muscular build, though they may have been offensive linemen many moons ago. In any case, the gentlemen sauntered over and mounted their treadmills. The conversation was something like this ...

XXL
"You think I can do 3.5 with maybe a one incline?"

XL
"Just take it easy."

A minute later.

XXL
"I'm going to try."

XL
"No incline. ZERO."

XXL
"No, wait ... just hold on. Let me see, I think I can do this."

In My Head
Go ahead, look at my screen ... just take one little look. Yes, it does say 6.5 and the heart rate shows 170, and I'm holding the pace while breathing only through my nose. Can you do that big boy? - Machismo brings out my inner b*tch.

XL
"F*ck man, take it easy. This sh*t right here (pats the general area near the heart) is workin' hard carryin' all this weight. Just take it easy."

With the free that isn't gripping the heart sensor strip on the handle bar, XXL frantically taps at his screen, and I see his heart rate fell from 135 to 124 in about 3 seconds.

In My Head
Huh, he provided accurate information and effectively communicated the importance of maintaining aerobic exercise by using profanity laced simple sentences. XL, you just won my respect. This could very well qualify as a Brilliant! Guinness moment.

To Sugar or Not to Sugar

2006-12-16T11:15:00.000-05:00

Goddess Divine told me that she would really like to see me remove sugar from my diet. We all know that sugary foods are unhealthy and should not be a component to our regular diet, but I had no idea some of the more pertinent reasons behind it. I thought that my relatively high level of physical activity would attenuate some of the negative impacts of my sweet addiction. When I feel particularly guilty about having a smidge too much chocolate coated goodness, I tack on an extra mile or two to my runs, or throw in an additional class at the gym.

So the body totally doesn't work like that. Our kidneys retain sugar and only releases a certain amount. By continuously adding sugar into your system, you retain it for a longer period of time and it perpetually circulates at a steady rate that is probably slower than the rate of ingestion. *

When I relayed this information to my Beau, he became very upset. As cliched as it might be, sugar definitely makes me sweet because there is absolutely nothing that a Thomas Sweet Ice Cream Blend-In can't fix. Had to work over time because your boss didn't do his end of the assignment until 4:45 PM the night before the morning deadline (despite his weekly email and daily vocal reminders over the past 5 weeks) and now you need to edit, process and produce?** A chocolate pudding blended in with peanut butter cup will fix that situation right up.

What happens when I don't get the chocolate pudding with peanut butter cup blend-in? My poor Beau winds up walking on egg shells with his ears and eyes wide open. If I so much as repeat myself once in the course of a conversation, there is a high risk of me losing it. I try to control my inner rage, and I have to say to myself that even though that they do kind look alike, my Beau is definitely not the man that sits in the office next to mine.

So is sacrificing sweetness for health and higher levels of physical performance (reducing sugar also directly increases your muscular strength ... or something like that) a worthwhile trade? My Beau doesn't think so, but I think I might give it a whirl anyway.

* I think that statement is mostly right, but I need to look into this a bit closer to really understand why sugar is so evil.

** In his defense, my boss has too much of a workload for him to handle alone, and it seems that all of his clients are very difficult to contend with. When he gets into trouble, professional licenses are on the line, and lawsuits become eminent. With that aside, there are also egos to assuage, politics and bureaucracies to deal with, and schedules and budgets to meet ... even though the dealing and assuaging may render schedules and budgets useless.

Races of 2006 ... A Recap

2006-12-15T09:50:00.000-05:00

Runner's World Half Marathon

Allentown, Pennsylvania on April 29, 2006
2:19 Finish Time

I felt like death, and I looked like death too. Right after the race I thought that the sport of running was too hard, and maybe I wasn't cut out for it. My ambitions for a full marathon was greatly impaired, but I was glad that I was able to finish my first half. A minute later I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it another try, and something told me that things would only get easier.

I'm glad that I made that decision.

Jefferson Hospital Half Marathon

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on September 17, 2006

2:06 Finish Time

This is by far my proudest achievement this year. I felt great after the race, and I knew that a marathon was totally within my reach. Although I have to admit around mile 11, I thought that maybe I would be done with running (I was starting to feel a bit tired, and a little bored), but by the time I crossed the finish line ... everything changed. Thoughts of doing a full marathon before year end pounded my head, and once I had the blessing of Goddess Divine and the Spin Crew, I was set on that next goal.

Marathon of the Palm Beaches

West Palm Beach, Florida on December 3, 2006

5:36 Finish Time

This picture was taken before the heat stroke. It was a great run until mile 15, and by mile 20 I was walking. I wanted to finish at 4:30 or earlier, but the 90 degree weather set me back by an hour. It was wretched, painful, and my Beau told me that I was never to run another marathon again. If Allentown taught me one thing, it's always give a challenge a second chance. With that said, Marathon des Deux Rives SSQ-Lévis/Québec - here I come ... and I will finish during the 4th hour.

Marathon #2

2006-12-11T15:55:00.000-05:00

It's set, I'm in (for the Quebec City Marathon on August 26th) ... and a vacation it will be.
It should be between 60 and 70 on Marathon Day

Average high = 70°F
Average low = 50°F
Mean = 61°F

If it turns out to be 90 ... I'll take it as a sign from the Almighty that I am never to do another marathon again.

The Itinerary

Saturday August 18
Leave for Cooperstown, New York in the afternoon, arrive for late evening check in at Inn / BB … and have dinner on premises.

Sunday August 19
Hang out in Cooperstown, my Beau is particularly interested in The Brewery Ommegang tour.

Monday August 20
Leave for Montreal in mid-late morning, arrive for early evening check in at (possibly the Omni Royal) … and have dinner somewhere in the City.

Tuesday August 21
Crepe Suzette in Old Montreal and a chocolate croissant as a late morning snack. Walking all around to follow, late lunch / early dinner at whatever pub that charms us.

Thursday August 23
Leave for Quebec in the morning, arrive for check in at the Hotel Chateau Laurier in the early afternoon.

Friday August 24
Walk around town, visit historic sites, museums, and the most important thing of all ... Patisserie - s!

Saturday August 25
Rest day … maybe hang out in Old Quebec, but nothing really exerting. Oh, and dinner at Portofino, I'll probably have the Spaghetti alla bolognese.

Sunday August 26
Race Day, recovery evening.

Monday August 27
Leave for home EARLY in the morning, arrive at home late in the evening

Tuesday August 28
Unpacking, laundry, Nigel pick up.

Resolved

2006-12-10T22:58:00.000-05:00

I was resolved to end 2006 in a leisurely manner after the Marathon of the Palm Beaches. For the next three weeks, I was not to think twice about my eating habits nor feel any guilt for not logging the 20+ miles in a week as I had during the previous few months.

That lasted 7 days.

In addition to going back to my diet plan of cutting off refined sugar, limiting myself to less than 100 grams of carbs per day (62 grams to be exact), and going back meals that are more protein and vegetable intensive (approximately 104 grams of protein, and as many vegetables it takes to keep myself feeling full), I'm also revising my work out schedule. I haven't made any final commitments, but I'm fitting yoga, strength conditioning, and speed work into my weekly regimen. I'm totally focused on my 2007 goals, which includes the following:

1. Next Race - Lehigh Valley Half Marathon
Goal time 1:45 / 1:50 - There are hills to consider, so I don't think 1:30 is attainable.

2. Marathon #2 - Quebec City Marathon on August 26th
I'm not cmmitted to this ... yet. But if I do, then it's about trimming down the 5:36 to something that's mildly respectable ... like 4 would be a good start.

3. Marathon #3 - Hampton's Marathon on September 30th
I am committed to this one, they just need to finish their website first. The goal here is to get the time down to 3:40 or below to qualify for Boston.

4. Marathon #4 - Philadelphia Marathon on November 18th
If I didn't qualify for the Boston yet, then this is it. If, and only if, this one doesn't pan out either, then it's back to Palm Beach. I must be able to qualify after working on this for a year ... right?

I think I'm suppose to plan a wedding somewhere in the middle of all of this, but the money situation isn't looking too good and it's something that I haven't prepared for. I thought that a small quick little thing (think Porn Star Fabulous with my Beau pimped out in a top hat and pengin tails, myself as the Asian love child of Pam Anderson and Rupaul, and Elvis to greet us at the alter), or maybe even something in the Islands (think sandy casual with the two of us in white linen and $800 scores a celebrant, licenses, and a meal for 20) would do. But no. My powers of persuasion of late are so not working as my laid back and comedic Beau slowly morphs into something a bit more ceremonious and traditional like his father, and sentimental like his mother.

I wish my parents had bothered to think of a wedding fund for me. Well ... there's a lot of things that I wish my parents had done, but right now, this is about it. This isn't for me ... this is for him. He has a right to this (as per western culture), and my situation is denying him this ceremony. Maybe all this marathoning is a way for me to avoid the emotionally and financially difficult topic ... maybe this is the wedding equivalent to the pink outfit I was frantically looking for before Palm Beach.

Whatever, I'll just have to keep on running. This thing will work out ... somehow. Right?

Marathon of the Palm Beaches

2006-12-04T15:04:00.000-05:00

First and Foremost - A Disclosure

It was unseasonably hot on Sunday, December 3rd. It had been unseasonably cool during the week, and it peaked to 87 degrees, but the conditions along Flagler Drive (a long stretch of unshaded black top road adjacent to the ocean) was about 90 degrees. No world records or PRs were set among the Elite Runners (ie the Kenyans), and even they had problems.

Basically, the longer you were out there, the more problems you were likely to encounter due to the longer exposure with the sun and heat. The people that came in by 9 AM were fine. The people who planned on showing up some time after the 3 hour mark were the ones with the problems, and that includes myself.

My Pace-Setter (Dave - goal time 4:30) is a seasoned runner having completed about 20 marathons, which includes 6 ultras (so its more like 26 marathons), got sick after the second hour or so, dropped his placard and revoked his leadership.

I ran past a guy lieing on the sidewalk with EMT trying to hook him up to an IV despite his protests involving a sentence that was something like "I'm fine, just a little dizzy."

There were scores of people under the medical tent at the finish line.

With that said, I will now go into detail.

For photos, go to this site - http://www.flickr.com/photos/overpronator/sets/72157594362778936/

*****

It was a warm and dark at 6 AM, and we were corralled by our goal time as opposed to our race numbers. We saw the sun rise along Flagler Drive over the ocean around 7 AM ... half an hour into our race, and one optimistic fellow in a group near mine yelled, "Only 24 miles to go!" People cheered as the para-marthoners zipped by, and we cheered a little bit louder for this one man without legs sitting on something like a skateboard and propelling himself forward with his fists covered in hockey gloves.

I was right behind Pacer Dave, and we felt confident about finishing the race by 11 AM. The 10:20-ish pace was leisurely, and my heart rate stayed at 80% (160 beats per minute). The homes we passed by after Flagler Drive were things of beauty, and the architecture were various. New England style mansions with a brick facade and wrought iron fencing would sit proudly next to a stucco neo-Gothic castle-like structure of a pseudo Italian influence - wrought iron spiral stairwell wrapped around a tower included. The display of wealth were at times completely without reservation or inhibition of any kind.

Around mile 8 I had lost my pace group - Pacer Dave would speed up before water station to buy a few seconds to spend drinking the water before starting off again with the group ... on time and on pace. I figured out how to double cup (one cup in each hand) and maintain a slow stride while drinking, so I found myself a bit ahead at times. By mile 8, and I was swept up by a crowd, and I maintained the 80% heart rate at 10 minutes a mile, so I was a bit ahead of my pace group. Admittedly, I was caught up with the half marathoners who were excited about being close to done, which may have affected my sensibilities.

After a few water stations, I found Dave again, and rejoined the group. Then, it happened. We had emerged from the shaded residential streets, came back on Flagler Drive, and crossed the half way mark. We lost the majority of the running population, and it was getting HOT. With just a few people within my group trailing on, the visual realization of what was to come was mentally disabling. I tried to count on the things that I had going for me - I was VERY hydrated, my legs weren't hurting, and I had a bottle and a half of Pedalyte in my system to burn. I knew that I would be able to finish, but just not with Pacer Dave due to the heat. So my group was way ahead, and I was trotting behind under the hot hot Floridian sun above me, and the hot black top under me. I accepted that things might become difficult when I realized the puddles that were pooling in my shoes from water showers ala sprinklers and volunteers of the past hour had completely evaporated within 15 minutes. If that didn't spell trouble, then there were more signs to come.

Along Flagler Drive, I think I may have looked like death. A cop was trailing me for a couple of miles, and kept on asking my if I needed help. I looked at my heart rate ... 83% ... at a pace that is far from 10 minutes per mile. I gave him a nod, and he wished me luck and looped back. Sign of Trouble #2.

Eventually, we crossed into another residential neighborhood. This one less opulent, and a bit more Floridian. Capes and ranch style homes of the northeast with stucco exteriors, and roofing materials that are not the type I'm acquainted with. Some permanent trailers were thrown into the mix, and an inflatable snowball was anchored down as a lawn ornament. Then I saw him. A muscular black man, sprawled out on his back with an ambulance behind, and an EMT guy trying to give him an IV. Sign of Trouble #3.

The headache came on some time thereafter. The nausea followed. We are looking at mile 18. I just kept on going, thinking that under no circumstances can allow myself to throw up because my Beau would NEVER allow me to run another marathon again ... and I was already making plans for redemption.

At an unofficial water station, the people advertised beer. This wasn't unusual. Some of the residential supporters were offering water and Scotch, but without the Scotch. One group was dishing out water and vodka, but without the vodka. So I figured that this was like one of the others. I grabbed just one cup this time (I only double cup at official stations), felt a pleasant icy coldness, downed a gulp ... and realized ... it was in fact beer. I said thank you, gave the crew a thumbs up, but I went into a mental panic. Will the beer depart some type of chemical imbalance in my system that's a mix of Sport Jelly Bean, water, andGatorade? Will it suck up all the water and turn into something else entirely and cause my to fail? Okay, so I'm closing in on mile 20, will I have to call it quits NOW? Stupid, stupid beer ... contaminating the fragile system that's to carry me to the finish line. My only concession in case I do punk out is my second go at this excruciating physical test that is a marathon.

Somewhere around my planning for my second marathon, I came across Pacer Dave ... without his placard. Sign of Trouble #4. He said that he was really sick, and he was planning on run / walking it to the finish. He said that it was heat stroke, and that it's about 90 on the course.

This coming from the man on his 20th or so marathon, who trains with world class athletes, and finished about 6 ultra-marathons. This man ... this athlete ... this Ultra-marathoner ... is punking out. WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSE TO DO NOW?

Well, I walked. From the 20th mile all the way till the 25th mile, I walked. The heat stroke started to settle in. The headache, the nausea, and the occasional wave of cold passed by me. Other marathoners ... all of whom are from Florida, complained about the heat. I learned that they have never experienced heat of this sort during their training at this time of year. All of them walked. So ... with a bit of shame, and plans for a second marathon, I walked. My heart rate dropped to 106 beats per minute (about 50%), and I felt wretched.

Sign of Trouble #5 - a flock of hawks circling the start / finish as I crossed over the 21st mile. I think they were waiting to feast on marathon carcass - it was just that scary and ominous. With that thought, I abandoned whatever lingering sentiment I had to continue running in spite of my buzzing Garmin Forerunner.

Around 25.75 I started to run again. I needed to look good for the camera after all. So I ran it in. The medical tent was full of people. My Beau was angry at me. He had wanted to go find me, yell at me for being stupid, and shove me into an ambulance, or in the very least, get some medical attention.

The thing is, I wanted to puke in private ... and I had failed at that. We went on the trolley to take us back to the pick-up for the shuttle back to the hotel. Apparently, I had scandalized a bunch of tourists who witness my puking out the side of the trolley. It was watery pink mixture of fruit punch Sport jelly and water. I puked again at the pick-up location a few times. By the time we got back, I had nothing left.

My finish time was 5:36, I placed 521 out of 615. I will be redeemed ... next year.

The Night Before the Marathon

2006-12-02T18:26:00.000-05:00

I'm freaking.

Please send a thought, a prayer, and whatever divine and/or positive energy my way.

Odds and Ends

2006-11-30T13:12:00.000-05:00

Odd ...

I think I'm distracting myself with a new temporary obsession for a pink running outfit to match my partially pink running shoes. Instead of stressing about finishing 26.2 miles, which will require four hours or so of perpetual high impact motion, I'm entirely focused on get some pink and black running outfit appropriate for running in Palm Beach at 6:30 AM on a course that's mostly along the shore. Not only will the outfit by thermally appropriate, but it will also be the exact shade of pink to match that of the shoes.

Silly, trivial, could be a smidge expensive for what it's worth ... but it's totally working. My subconscious kicks so much ass.

End ...

I came across this line yesterday in a memoir I'm currently reading (The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer) and thought the following insightful and beautiful:

I considered quoting Whitman. I want to "lean and loaf at my ease observing a spear of summer grass." But my mother didn't give a damn about Whitman and she would find my song of myself off key.

She would find my song of myself off key. What a great line.

So VERY VERY Odd

A co-worker came up to my office area looking for my neighbor / boss and discovered that he / her husband wasn't there. So we started chatting and she went off about wanting to go home, and I agreed, but the more difficult part is not reading my book. She took a look at it and get this ... SHE KNOWS THE CAST. She grew up in Manhasset and went to Publicans all the time. It's almost like she knows famous people.

Preoccupied ... Even While Dreaming in my Dream

2006-11-28T09:04:00.000-05:00

Last night, I dreamt that I was sleeping and dreaming that I was chatting with coworkers and friends in my bedroom ... in the dark, as I was trying to get to sleep, and we were discussing the fact that when I wake, I will have to get ready for my marathon.

It was four layers of sleep with a marathon in the middle of it all.

I also flip flop during the day and run an internal dialogue that's something like this:

I'm so ready for this, I can do it tomorrow if I had to.

I'm not going to finish.

I'll finish ... probably between 4:30 and 5 ... but I'll finish.

I might die ... two days after my 26th birthday.

I'm going to be 26?

Holy crap! It's going to be my birthday! Huh ... I'll be 26. And to think, about ten years ago, I thought I would have a masters in something, be married and starting the whole family planning thing. Well ... I'll be running a marathon instead.

So I'm actually going through with this.

I might die ... at the finish line.

This thing called fear ... I'm definitely not a fan. It makes me seem insane.

A Monday That's Actually Wednesday

2006-11-20T08:32:00.001-05:00

Because of the short week, I'm not feeling too guilty about my brain-dead-ness. My Sunday long run was just a mess, and it felt like I stumbled my way through the whole 3 hour exercise - started 2:04-ish and ended at 5-ish. The only good this is that I kept my heart rate between 65 and 75% during the entire affair.

I think the reason as to why it was a bad run is because I didn't eat well. Saturday night dinner comprised of Aunt Annie's organic macaroni and cheese, when it should have been a large plate of whole wheat spaghetti with meatballs. Sunday breakfast was PJ's omlette from PJ's Pancake House - yum ... which is a place that I have been going to ... probably even before I was born. It's a 5 minute walk from my parent's former restaurant named North China Restaurant now turned Karen's Corner, or something like that. In any case, I digress. I had the omlette at 9 AM, and didn't have anything else prior to my 2 PM run. As I started, I knew the food thing was going to be a problem, but I casually shoved it aside.

In addition to the food issues, it was and has been very cloudy, so Patrick (my Garmin Forerunner) was having problems picking up the GPS signal. It kicked in between 2 and 3 miles after I started, and it lost the signal 7 miles after it had picked up. Then it got dark and cold, really quickly. At 3:30ish I wasn't feeling too good by the way things were panning out, so I turned around hoping that I would get my goal distance (between 18 and 20 miles) in by running home. I was about 9 miles away from where I started.

Then it got REALLY dark and REALLY cold, and I started to feel the lactic acid circulating from my mid back all the way down to the back of my heals. I started to get scared, so I think I may have done a couple of intervals back to my start on the tow path ... which was four miles away.

I finally get there, and I decided to call it quits. Running home was really not an option, so I walked over to Au Bon Pain, and asked the cashier if I could use their phone.

Unfortunately, I was so cold that I did not have full control of my tongue and speaking clearly was a bit of a challenge. I think it was apparent that I was in a bit of trouble, so the manager lent me his cell phone, I called H (now turned Knight in my shiny Corolla), rescued me with an order of a banana and a Pumpkin Harvest Soup in a bread bowl, and drove us home.

First he reprimanded for sending him into a panic, then he admired me for my "toughness" (which I'm so not, it's really more of stubborness and being fixated on my training schedule), and he ended the evening by whining and threatened to tell on me ... to my Spin Girls.

Ugh, the only good part about the whole thing was the soup in a bread bowl. I know I cleared at least 16 miles if not 17, but I'm not sure if I got up to 18 ... though it wouldn't surprise if I did. Whatever, given the conditions, I think I will definitely be able to finish the marathon ... maybe with a slow recovery job / bouncy walk here and there.

Running Tonight

2006-11-16T09:08:00.001-05:00

I skipped the gym last night because I worked late at the office, and I was headachey and frazzled by the time I got in the car. So I will be doing some speed work tonight.

I'm starting to panic ... I only have two more Sundays before my marathon ... which means I only have one super long run before race day.

Okay, so I'm not starting to panic ... I have been in a panic since I noticed this situation ... which was this past Sunday ... when I missed my long run ... because of work. Well, actually it was the weather, but I so would have had a better chance at doing it if I didn't come into the office at all.

******

With a $13 coupon from Espirit, I figured I would stop by during my lunch hour and pick up a sweater or two. I have almost nothing by way of tops because I gave away virtually every single sweater I had from last year (I got a bit smaller since then). So I walk in, and I completely expected to find absolutely nothing I would want. I was greated by the sales girl who pleasantly indicated that almost every turtleneck sweater in the store was on sale. Needless to say ... I found a few things.

I think it was the most expensive lunch hour ... during the work week ... I had ... this year.

******

I am so not a fan of speed work.

1 mile warm up
3 sets of one milers @ 8:04 minutes-ish per mile (7.4 mph) and one set of one mile (the last set) @ 8 minutes per mile (7.5 mph)
4 sets of half mile recovery jogs in between sets (jog = 10 minutes per mile / 6 mph)
1 mile cool down

During the speed portion of the work out, my heart rate was between 87% and 88% the maximum. I threw in every trick I had (breathe through the nose and exhale deeply through the mouth every fourth exhalation, relaxing the shoulders, listening to music, watching the TV, positive imagery ... and finally ... tapping the digital screen cause THAT might bring the heart rate down) and nothing worked. Finally, I accepted that there was going to be a total of four painful fits ... 8 minutes at a time, and just did the work out.

Oh the PAIN. When I was done, a couple of my friends who were still hanging around even asked what I was up to and commented that it looked like I was really involved ... as in I looked like hell with two stubby legs flying on a treadmill and my face looking all sorts of unhappy.

Whatever ... its done. And I am happy to report that it was the last speed work out I have scheduled before the ... *gulp* ... marathon.

Back I Am

2006-11-14T13:10:00.000-05:00

Not too chipper, but not blue ... nor overeating. Just drinking my coffee right now - the only sugary food that I had (and will have for the rest of) today.

Cross training today ... an aerobic ride with Goddess Divine. I hope all my girls show up tonight ... we haven't all been together in a while.

Holiday Shopping Begins

2006-11-05T11:22:00.000-05:00

Went to Franklin Mills yesterday to fill our closets, which has been depleted due to our recent weight loss - mine was planned, and his was completely inadvertent. He came back with a formidable haul, while I only scored a winter coat and a denim jacket.

We also got started on some of our Christmas shopping, and we have an idea as to what to give for most of his family. My family is a bit more difficult (in many many ways), and I don't know what to do with me friends. I think they're quasi-dieting so it takes away my favorite gift category ... all things yummy.

Trying to get psyched about my 15+ (maybe 16) miles today, and I'm feeling nervous. I think I should get another meal in before heading out - being hungry a one hour and fourty-five minutes into a solid two and a half hour workout (or longer) is not pleasant.

******

16.32 miles completed in 2:52:26 ... average pace at 10:33 minutes per mile. About 8 minutes more and Lance finished just about 10 more miles. One day, I will average 7:30 minute miles at 75% my maximum heart rate. It will take a year or two, but it WILL happen.

I have to say that today's run was a lot easier than last Sunday's. I went for longer, and it didn't feel like death. I think the absence of tornado-like wind conditions, and last night's super huge bowl of whole wheat spaghetti with meatballs from Village Pizza (1075 Easton Ave in Somerset) helped out ... just a bit.

So between resting up the week before, and carb and electrolyte loading the night before, I think I can cover 26.2 miles. Say a prayer, keep your fingers crossed ... and send out the spirits of stamina for me ... on December 3rd ... at 6:30 AM. It's less than a month away ... eek.

Let's Get Started

2006-11-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

Now I'm ready to roll. The two previous posts are for races I've already finished, and everything should fall into sequence from this point forward.

Tonight's Plans
Easy run for seven miles (probably at a 10 minute per mile pace).
Afterwards - it's all about Meredith and McDreamy on Grey's Anatomy.

******

Easily cleared the 7 miles at 10 minutes per mile pace ... but I was on a treadmill, so it was a bit easy to begin with.

I'm going for another 15 miles this weekend. I'm hoping it will feel better than last week's 15 miler ... the wind on Sunday made me seriously question whether or not I really wanted to be a runner. For a second I thought I was either some type of bizarre masochist, or that I only like being able to say that I enjoy running when I really didn't.

Then I remembered Philly, and the joys of running on cool summer evenings ... and I suffered on with the most painful facial exfoliations EVER - wind, leaves, and dust/dirt from the tow path ... I was convinced that my nose would fall off.

So the exchange between George and Meredith (aka slut-intern) in the elevator was simply brillant. George rattling off with the slew of Mc-s ala Christina and Meredith's overuse of "seriously" ala Izzy was just such an easy yet quietly hysterical comedic piece. Cheers! to the brainstorm session on that scene.