Race Report of Kneee Disaster

Well, I've been putting off doing this race report because the race did not go nearly as well as I'd hoped... however, I'm sitting in class, enjoy some nice oatmeal with banana and almond butter, so now is as good a time as any I suppose!

I'll start with Friday. I dropped Martha off in the morning to stay with a puppy friend and headed out to Clarksville to pick up my race packet. The "race expo" definitely left much to be desired but it was cute. This year was also the inaugural Clarksville race so there were expected kinks to be worked out for next year. I also checked into our hotel and instead of doing work for a bit there, I just napped in the patch of sun on the bed... ah....

After a bit, I picked my mom up at the Nashville airport. Hurray! I was so happy that she flew in to run with me. We had a pretty good dinner at Cafe Nonna in Nashville, but I was a little disappointed with the lasagna. Not nearly as many tasty fall veggies as I had hoped. We drove back to Clarksville and after some ice cream, called it a night in preparation for the morning race.

We were up and fed and at the starting line by 7:45am the next morning, and the race began at 8. The course and weather were both perfect! The course winds its way by some wineries and farm houses and had a good mix of flat stretches and good hills. It was about 60 degrees when we started and I was actually kinda hot as it warmed up. All in all though, perfect conditions. Plus, the run felt great. My legs felt relaxed, the pace was nice, and my heartrate was comfortable. At about mile 2, my left IT band started twinging, but not too bad. However, by mile 6 it was really starting to hurt. We stopped to walk for about a half mile, hopping that it would give my knee enough of a rest to come back. Between mile 6.5 and 7.5, it hurt but I figured that i could run through it. Only another 6 miles to go at that point! However, between 7.5 and 7.9, it went from uncomfortable to unbearable. We were going around a curve and within 10 steps, I couldn't put any weight on it. With some tears (I'd say half from frustration and half from pain), we got a ride from a really rude cop to the finish line, where the EMTs had to check me out.

Beginning of the race! You can see how beautiful the weather was. :)

Once they determined that I wasn't going to die on the spot and I signed a refusal of treatment form, my mom got the car and picked me up, and off we drove. I didn't want to stick around for the festivities and medal stuff because it would just add to the depressing situation.

After a few days of contemplation, I know that it was the right call to stop and that I probably ran through it for too long in that I still can't really walk on my left leg. I think I kept going because I didn't want to stop and give up and then think back that I hadn't pushed hard enough. I think the lesson is to listen to your body and when it says no, it means no. Also not to take two weeks off with a race coming up!!

So for the future! I'm going to physical therapy today and we'll see how it looks. Hopefully in a few months, I can start really training again and maybe the DPHM is still a possibility. Rehab it and try again! I'm more determined than ever now to finish it because having an unfinished half hanging over my head is going to irk me until I finish one. I hope I can come back stronger and quicker. I also hope that my knee feels well enough for yoga tomorrow!!! I have it in a brace now because it helps keep it stable as I drag myself around. I'm a tad worried that I'm going to throw my right hip out with the awkward way I'm walking but hopefully we'll talk about that at PT today. It felt a whole lot better this morning after icing it lots and elevating yesterday, but it's pretty uncomfortable in class with the angle of the chair and all the stairs I have to hop up to get to my seat. Last class of the day at least! Hopefully someone can give Martha a long walk for me today too... poor puppy.

Here's to hoping that PT goes well today and that I'll have some good news in a few hours!

Frittata Success

My run yesterday was a tad miserable. I got about 2 miles in on the treadmill and the left knee was starting to twinge and by the 2 1/2 mile point, it was downright hurting so I stopped. I'm glad that I got a little bit in but I'd feel better about it if I could've gotten through the whole thing pain free. Right now I'm just focusing on getting the knee swelling down and making it through Saturday in one piece. My mom suggested that I just do the 5k instead of the full half, but I want to try. Hopefully my knees will play along. I wish I had fit more runs in the past two weeks. Sigh. Things to do next time around.

Yoga was pretty theraputic though and felt great. My teacher did lots of corrections on me and it felt great on my knees and back. Plus, I really am starting to get the hang of headstand!! I still have my legs bent but I can hold that for about five breaths. I wish I had more room in my apartment to practice on. Now that I'm not totally relient on the wall maybe I can try the living room? There isn't a whole ton of free floor space! I'm looking forward to Thursday and told her that I might need to opt out of a few warriors so I don't exhaust my legs for this weekend!

Last night, I opted out of going to Zumi because I am both trying to save some money and get more veggies into my diet. Solution: I made this awesome frittata from the Clean Eating website!! I've been considering subscribing to the magazine, mostly for the recipes, and now I think that I definitely will. I found the recipe on their main website, under Menus&Recipes (I can't seem to get a direct link to the recipe), and it was delicious with potatoes, arugula, and cherry tomatoes. I subbed in red potatoes because I like how creamy they are and added onion.

Easy Deliciousness

So amazing. I planned on eating half of it, but could only manage to eat about a third so now I have lunch for today and tomorrow! I'm going to roast some butternut squash to accompany it, if I have the time. I have another class this evening and a presentation to work on for the next couple of hours so I don't know how much time I have to devote to cooking. Unfortunately.

However, when I get home tonight, I'm going to try my hand at this Curried Vegetable Stew, but I think I'll just have a nice chunk of sourdough bread instead of the couscous. Hopefully it goes well! Goodness, what would I do without the internet and its recipe search functions.

Swine flu avoidance at school

So the knees are feeling a bit better today! Hurray! I bought another IT band strap for my left knee yesterday and I'm going to try a 3 mile jog or so this afternoon to see how it goes. I'm hoping it goes well ... or else. I know that the straps are just a temporary fix, but after this weekend, I can work to get to the root of the problem. Eeks, I also have lots of work to do and errands to run as well. Yikes. I can't believe it is already November!

Plus, school right now basically sounds like a swine flu infirmary. On all sides of me, people are coughing and sneezing and looking downright feverish. When I had the swine this summer, I was out of work for almost an entire week so these people must really be suffering trying to get here for class. On the other hand, I am working so hard this semester not to get sick so being surrounded by all this illness really stresses me out. I had bronchitis during both sets of finals last year and got pneumonia this summer. My poor lungs just can't take another round! I'm doing all I can with eating well, exercising, sleeping enough, and taking lots of Airborne. Hopefully I'll make it through the semester unscathed as I definitely do not have time to get sick again. Although I should be immune to swine flu now, I still fear the seasonal flu... and any cold really, as it always goes straight to my lungs.

On a happier note, tonight I have yoga, hopefully after a successful run! I'm working on my schedule for next semester and as of right now, it looks like I'm going to have loooong Tuesdays, with class intermittently from 8am to 5:50pm. Sigh. I was trying to avoid that but the schedule of offered classes for next semester is pretty terrible.

OK, I'm off to get some more reading done and have a snack, of course. Skim cappuccino and cashew cookie lara bar it is! However, before I run off, I have a bone to pick with Starbucks...

Really!? It's the beginning of November! I love the holidays as much as the next person, but this is getting ridiculous. I am officially boycotting all things holly jolly and jingle bell-y until post-Thanksgiving. Call me Scrooge but this is starting to become absurd.

IT Band strikes again. and again.

Well, my running freakout was certainly justified. Unfortunately. However, I did complete my first official 5K on Saturday!! It was just a fun experience in general to get a number and line up and run with lots of people you don't know. Plus, there were some fabulous costumes which provided on course entertainment. :)

Awkward pre-race, sun-in-my-eyes picture.
At least it proves I was there!

Blurry action shot

I'm not sure what my official time is, but the clock said 33:10 when I finished. I'll update when I find out the official time. (UPDATE: Apparently the official time was 33:19... Don't know how that happened but maybe I saw the clock wrong.) My knees were in a world of pain though, and not just the right one. By mile 2 they were both hurting, but it was really the left one that was killer for the duration. It feels like it's the IT band on that side too. Sigh. I think it was caused by a combination of things, mostly that I hadn't run in a while and the entire course was pretty much uphill. They were pretty swollen on Saturday night and when I woke up on Sunday, my left knee was so swollen I couldn't bend it all the way. I iced them on both Saturday night and Sunday morning, but I'm not sure how much it helped. Any kind of motion that involved pivoting was super painful. I cleaned the apartment last night and just vacuuming was pretty painful.

Of course, the swollen knees prevented me from my long run yesterday and now that the half is only 5 days away, I think I just need to focus on getting my knees back to normal and will run it without doing a last long run. I'm definitely looking forward to the race, but I'll be happy when it's done and I can go to a doctor to get my knees checked out again. I think I may pick up an IT band strap for my left knee as well, since the right one seems to give my knee some relief and that knee recovered much quicker.

For some reason, if I have a long run scheduled and I can't fit it in, I just skip it instead of doing a shorter one in its place. With finals coming up, I definitely won't have time for long runs (long being 9+ miles) but I'm really hoping to squeeze in 3 or so 3-5 mile runs a week, focusing on speed. Then when finals end, I can start working on distance again, hopefully to do the DPHM. :)

Project done and running freakout

Soul-sucking, life-killing project has been submitted! Hip hip hurray!
And the Yankees won tonight to tie up the series! Hip hip Jorge!

Goodness am I glad to be done with that project. Well, in all truth, only the writing portion is done as we still need to present next week. Also, I have to physically turn it in tomorrow morning as it was just sent to the printer to be bound. However, as it is no longer able to be edited, in essence, I think it is done.

Tonight, I was able to beg off a few hours from my partner (who was fabulous by the by) and steal off to yoga for an hour tonight. It was so nice to be back moving, but I could really feel my inactivity from the past week. Plus, it was a crazy challenging class! We must have held chaturangas for 5 breaths at a time, 8 or 9 times. I was suffering by the end of those. Plus, my body was really super tight, probably due to stress.

Usually, I find Ardha Matsyendrasana (seated twists) to be super comfortable and easy to bind, however, I was having a lot of trouble getting into it. So, instead of being an intelligent yogini and taking it easy, I shoved by shoulder down and pulled my left shoulder. I suppose it's not really the shoulder, rather the muscle under my left armpit towards the back? Anyway, it hurt. I tried to rotate my shoulder a bit to loosen it up, but it was hurting even to extend my left arm all the way out so I was down for the count. I was especially sad because they spent the rest of the class working on backbends and walkovers, which I loooove. Anything involving a bendy back. :) I wish I could say lesson learned but we'll see. I tend to be rather injury prone and it's usually from pushing myself... or walking into walls. I don't think it's bad though and will probably be all better tomorrow.

Anyway, tomorrow is a "no school work" day for me as I am celebrating the end of this project! I'm looking forward to a nice pedicure, some sushi, maybe checking out the new Lululemon showroom. Fun fun fun! I also need to pick up my 5K registration. Oops. I haven't really run in.... (checking blog for training records).... OH MY GOSHNESS NINE DAYS! And my last long run was TWO WEEKS AGO!?! Crap crap crap. Well, 5K Saturday and I'll do a long one on Sunday and have a short taper until the half on next Saturday. This project could not have come at a worse time and I need to learn how to fit runs in when I'm busy. I hope this doesn't really screw me over come next week as it would suck if I lost all my endurance after all that work. Sigh. Alright. Positive thoughts and energy to my muscles.

Plus it's my five year anniversary on Saturday! "Anniversary of what?" you ask?


I shall tell you tomorrow. :) Good night!

Wanted: Time for a run!

AHHHH! All I want to do is go for a run! It's so beautiful outside! 60's. Crisp air but clear blue sky. Crunchy leaves. Air smells smokey. UGH school UGH. I need to get this done.

I've always been a procrastinator. In high school, I got away with everything. Writing a paper in the class before it's due? Check. In college, I'd cram for exams the night before, sometime day of. Fine. However, it's so much hader to do now. I've gotten a bit better, but not really. I've always been jealous of the people who can sit down at a computer and write a paper in 3 hours... several days before it's due! The very few times that I've managed to do this, I notice how much less stressful it is and how I actually enjoy the process. Again, I think it comes down to mental stamina. Maybe doing school work can help my running by teaching me concentration? I truly don't know how I've made it this far academically without learning how to prioritize work.

While taking a break (read: avoiding writing like the plague) I found another race to do! :) The New Paltz Turkey Trot. I called my mom and told her about it, and she said that she'd been thinking about it today too actually! Weird cross country ESP that we have. It's on the morning of Thanksgiving, so the whole family will be in NY. I know at least 4 of us would want to run it and maybe others would want to walk! Nice way to start off a holiday which involves stuffing yourself chock full of food for hours.

Also, I heard from a good friend of mine out in Nevada who apparently reads my blog frequently. Just wanted to tell her that as soon as we get her back to her good and healthy self, I will run her first 5K with her. :) :) :) Now, I just have to do MY first one next Saturday!
And sometime between now and then, I have to do my 12 mile run...

GAHHHHHH! Ok. Back to work.

Ice baths?

Today my legs still felt pretty sluggish and I was so frustrated in yoga. Although I felt pretty alright after my run Sunday, I'm just not recovering well from it.

Which led me to, of course, do a handy internet search. The suggestion that kept coming up for recovery from 8+ mile runs was.... ice baths. I find that runnersworld.com usually has great articles and advice, so I'm a little dismayed that they also support this tactic (see this article!). I'm starting to like running more and I'm really pleased with my progress, but I hate, despise, loath being cold. My car's seat heaters are always on, I have about 4 or 5 throw blankets in a one bedroom apartment, and my winter heating bill is embarrassingly atrocious. Therefore, the idea of lowering myself into a bath with ice sounds appalling. However, it seems like there is a whole lot of support behind it and marathoners and ultra-marathoners swear by it. (And then there is little ol' me, huffing and puffing behind.)

Plus, the science of it makes sense. When you run, the blood vessels in your legs open up to deliver extra oxygen to your muscles. By cooling them, you are helping to restrict the vessels which keeps blood from pooling in your legs and helps in the healing process. (Can I tell you though, just the idea of blood pooling anywhere, even in my legs, is enough to make me squeamish... Ick)

Have any of you actually done this ice bath madness? Did it result in hypothermia? What kinda of really really exciting reading material did you have to take your mind off of the numbing of your extremities? Sigh. I'd like to think that I'm willing to do anything, within reason, to help my running process along, but I wonder if this is outside my boundaries of reason. Burr.

Yoga was shockingly unenjoyable today. I think much of it was because my legs were so tight and my body felt crappy. We also were working on peacock pose, which involves resting on your chin a little bit in order to get your balance to go totally up. I can't put any weight on my chin since I broke my jaw a few years back (more on that soon, I'm sure) so I found it exceedingly frustrating.

Peacock Pose in Yoga Journal

Oh well. There will always be hard days. I suppose that getting through hard classes and difficult days with grace is always a bigger accomplishment, but that didn't stop me from cursing under my breath. At least, I got to gorge myself on sashimi afterward!!

Sigh. Onward and upward, I hope.

10 miles - Accomplished!

Holy amazing run! I did my 10 miles this afternoon in 1:50:32. Considering that I ran 8 miles last week in 1:47:28, this is a pretty incredible time for me. My 5K split was 31:38. Really pretty amazing! I think the thing that made the most difference is that IT band strap that I got last week. Honestly, I didn't have any side knee pain during or after the run. Both knees are still a little bit sore, but more the general soreness that comes from pounding on the pavement for two hours! I'm ecstatic. I actually got the chance to push my muscles without worrying about what it would do to my joints.

I'm also glad that I waited until today to do the run. On Friday, I wasn't really feeling it and I felt so rested today. I also didn't have my watch on Friday and it helps a lot for me to know my pace etc. Speaking of pace, my mile splits! (Goodness I love this watch)
1: 10:00
2: 10:06
3: 10:32
4: 10:47
5: 10:59
6: 11:02
7: 10:55
8: 11:23
9: 12:56
10: 11:42

I pretty much had no energy after mile 7. I'm going to try out a couple of things to munch on as I go to see what works for me. My mom tried Luna Sports Energy Chews today on her long run and really liked them so I think that I'll pick up some of these to try out this week.
I think it's time to invest in that fuel belt too as I'd like to have more water and Gatorade on me as I run. My arms also got tired holding the full bottles in the beginning!

I walked a minute after every mile and I think it helped save some of the energy in my legs. I also walked 1/2 mile of mile 9 because I was so exhausted but I pulled it out for the last one. Not bad, not bad at all, in my opinion!!

My muscle pain is also definitely not as severe post-run this week. I downed a banana and some Muscle Milk Light following the run as I was starving but I still felt a little nauseous about an hour or so later. I'm not a huge Muscle Milk fan as I think it tastes like chocolate chalk, but it's a quick way get some nutrients and a lot of protein. After dinner, I felt a little bit better though. Dinner was pretty simple but so delicious. I just mixed a cup of chickpeas, half a chopped tomato, half a chopped cucumber, some red onion, and balsamic vinegar and then devoured. I also had a baked sweet potato with some Greek yogurt mixed in.

Following dinner, and with a much calmer stomach, a friend and I tried out Sweet CeCe's frozen yogurt here in Nashville. I was pretty pleasantly surprised! I had stepped in before when I was in the area and was disappointed because it's self-serve and only one or two of the flavors were listed as low-fat. However, I found out later that all of the flavors are fat-free, unless it says low-fat. Interesting. They need to explain that more clearly at the store because I was ready to write it off pretty quickly!

I tried the pumpkin yogurt (fat-free!). It was very good and tasted like fall to me with pumpkin and cinnamon flavors. It was really sweet though so I'm not too sure of what the sugar content would be. Sweet CeCe's website lists the nutritional info for a bunch of the flavors, but pumpkin didn't make the list. Cookies n' Cream however had 110 calories, no fat, and 17g sugar in a 1/2 cup. The self serve cups are giant and the yogurt comes out really fast though so it was even difficult for me to regulate portions. I added some golden graham cereal and a little crushed malt balls. Final verdict: It was a tasty treat, but probably not one that I will be having all the time. Definitely worth trying out though if you are in Nashville!

Thwarted by the weather

Today was supposed to be my 10 mile run. I didn't get up as early as I would have like but I got dressed and drove to the park. On my drive down, I heard the warning signal on the radio that there were tornado watches and hail warnings. I made it a mile into the run when I decided that the sky looked way too ominous and that I would try again tomorrow. The sky opened up about 30 seconds later so I think that I made a good call. :) I will run through rain but I will not run through hail and high winds. I had a bit of a bad experience with the movie Twister when I was younger, so I have a tiny (read: huge) fear of those ravenous wind tunnels. During the spring in Nashville, the tornado sirens go off almost every afternoon and I usually spend the afternoon hours of 3pm - 6pm terrified. I'm certainly not up for running in it. Plus, I had forgotten my watch at home so I felt totally off kilter without it.

Yoga last night was crazy challenging. However, I suppose that I write that about every Thursday class but it's very true. I loved it though. I think I do need to find a new mat though! Mine becomes way too slippery when I sweat and it's caused me to fall on my face several times. This past class, I was in side crow and my right hand slide out from under me and thump, I was on the ground. Takes all the pride and fun out of doing a really difficult asana! My shoulders are a bit tight this morning but I'm definitely not hurting as bad this time around. My teacher is also a dancer and I like how graceful she makes everything look. All of her asanas have a really amazing flow to them and it is certainly something to look up to and try to emulate. I'm one of the world's most ungraceful beings, but it's still fun to try!

On a rare non-training note, today I bought a couple of pumpkin ales to test out. First up:

Buffalo Bill's Pumpkin Ale

Pretty tasty, smooth, mellow. I can't say that I taste all that much pumpkin in it and it's not as sweet as pumpkin beers can sometimes be. Definitely a delicious beer to just sip on while I did stuff around the apartment, but it's a little steep on calories at around 216. I might buy it again, but I'm going to wait to see what I think about the others. I only have 2 more types to try right now but may be willing to open up my lateral taste test to some more options!!

Off to walk the puppy and hopefully get to bed early so I can try a new yoga class tomorrow. Still working on my getting up early goal but at least I'm going to bed earlier!

Update:
How have I not mentioned the Yankees yet? After tonight's game, I'm ready to propose to Teixiera. I love that team, even if they try to kill me by being down in the 9th. Just saying.

Ouch Ouch Ouch

Ouch. Everything hurts.

Today was a 5 miler and I actually semi-enjoyed (read: didn't completely hate) it. I ran the first 3 miles at about 12:00 each, walked the fourth in about 14:00, and ran the last one in just under 10:00! Even my fast mile is probably pretty slow for most people, for me, it was pretty darn quick.

However even though it went pretty well during the run, my body is really hurting now. My right knee felt kind of alright (more on that in a second) for most of the run, but now it's throbbing. My ankles are sore, my lower back aches, even my calf muscles hurt. I just took a pain killer and I'm looking forward to when it starts to kick in. I'm icing my knee now and will probably ice my ankles in a little bit, just for good measure.

I bought an IT band strap to see if that helps. I'm pretty sure that it's my right IT band that is flaring up and bothering me, and I thought today to search online if they make some kind of support for it. They do! I bought this one and tried it out today. So far, I'm undecided. My knee still hurt at about mile 2, but I think it felt a little better and didn't hurt as sharply as I continued running. It also didn't feel quite as stiff at the end, but then again, I am currently icing it so who knows. I'll hold off on judgment until I try it out a few more times. I'm pretty sure it didn't make anything worse though so I may as well keep at it.

Also, in a move of sheer brilliance, I decided that I'm not going to go to another orthopedist until after this half... mostly because I don't want to be told to lay off the training and not be able to do it. We'll see what kind of smart plan that really is. If I end up on crutches or needing surgery, here is a note to my future self: You friggen idiot.

Alright, off to finish up the icing and head to bed. I'm exhausted and could probably use a full night sleep. Thank goodness for Advil.

Update:
I was looking over the last couple of posts and realized that I ran 8 miles in 1:47 last week and 5 in 1:00 today. That's a difference of and average 13:23 and 12:00 mile splits. Granted, I tend to get slower as the mileage drags on, but I'm pretty proud of pushing myself. With running, I think I have a tendency to stop or slow too soon (when it's not related to pain) so I've been trying to run through being tired or cramps and only walk for knee pain.
Hurray for going from super slow me to slow me in a week.

Running Gear

4 miles in the rain. Ahh. With a big shock to myself, I didn't hate every single step. Now, this doesn't mean that I loved every second as I sped around the loop but I was able to enjoy a few moments. As I was running in the rain, I was thinking about what a big difference my running gear made. I was always of the mindset that you should get the good gear as you get better and pretty much "earn" it. In some sense, that makes sense. However, on the other hand, for someone like me who really really struggles with the workouts, good quality gear makes my life (and run) just a little bit easier. So, here is a run down of my usual running pieces:

1. Sneakers
I've been a converted Asics fan for quite a bit. They are so light and comfortable. I got a new pair about a month ago and I love them. Introducing my Asics Kayano 15. The best thing about them is that somehow, they stop me from kicking my ankles. I couldn't figure out why, but for years I would kick the inside ankle on my opposite foot every 10 steps or so, so a 5 miles run would leave them pretty raw and bruised. Not a problem anymore!


2. Clothes
I jump around in a lot of brands, but I think my favorite is Under Armour. I didn't realize what a ginormous difference sweat-wicking clothing makes. I was always under the impression that cotten tanks were fine and it was no big deal. For shorter 3 milers, I still don't really care but if it's raining or I'm running a long run, I now really appreciate the difference these make. For example, it was pouring today during my run, and I was only mildly damp at the end. No dripping at all. Today I was wearing my UA long sleeve and Nike running capris. My absolute favorites are the UA Quickstep shorts, too cold for them today though:

3. Watch
For my birthday last year, my mom got me a Garmon Forerunner. It is so technologically advanced that I'm pretty sure I can command satellites with it if I finally got around to reading the whole instruction manual. I probably never will. However! It's very useful for other reasons. First and probably most importantly, calculates distance so I get in the full length of each training run. Second, calculates speed. I find this especially helpful for keeping my walking recovery speed up and my run speed down because I'm really trying to pace myself. I can also use the lap timer to set mile splits, see my heart-rate, calories burned, elevation of course.... amazing thing. With all this data, I should at least be able to fine tune some of my training, right? It's certainly an investment piece but a really amazing tool. My one and only complaint is that the chest strap it comes with is way too big for me. I currently have part of it tied up with a hair tie which give me a nice lump on my back and I'm still always hiking it up. However, my mom just ordered an XS one for me, so that will be fixed soon. Minor complaint and easily fixed.


4. Fuel belt
I don't actually have one of these yet but I want one! I'm thinking of getting the Wachusett Belt for water, Gatorade, and to hold a snack (I start to starve after 7 miles). However, I think the 4 bottle one might be better for longer runs? I really despise holding a water bottle as I run. I suppose I could always refill though... hmm. Things to think about. I'm a pretty thirsty girl. Suggestions?

5. iPhone and headphones
Enough said. How people can run sans music is beyond me. BORED. I was all about Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers on todays jaunt as I will be seeing them (for the 6th time!) tonight.

6. Recovery food!
For the last mile of my run, I usually just think about what kind of recovery food I get to eat. Goal is for high protein and nutrient dense. Today was an apple and my favorite: low-fat chocolate milk. I've been buying cases of it in the little kid lunch box size, in vanilla and strawberry too, so I can have one waiting for me in my car. Mmm. So good and so worth running for. Plus, I don't like regular milk so whenever I can cram it into my diet with lattes, protein shakes, or chocolate is a good thing.
So that's a pretty complete run down of my running gear! Are there any things that you can't workout without? (And of course, don't ever forget the SPF! I had 30 on today... and it was pouring). :)

8 miles! 8 miles!

I did it! I ran my planned 8 miles at Centennial Park this afternoon in 1:47:24. It was grueling and difficult and at mile 3, I was pretty ready to give up but I didn't. I'm so proud of myself, really. My knee started hurting about at mile 2 so I did a variation of run/walk every quarter mile. When it was really hurting, I'd walk a half, run a quarter, but by the end, it was back to the original plan. I was so exhausted and starving when I finished but at least I finished.

This trail was a great find though since it's much much closer than the one in Brentwood. It's a mile loop, with every quarter marked. Paved, flat, and very pretty. Also helped that today was perfect running weather with 68 degrees, sunshine, and a light breeze.

Trail

View of the Parthenon over the lake/pond

My whole body is pretty achy though. I popped some ibuprofen when I got home but my lower back especially is bothering me. The combination of my yoga class yesterday and the run today really kicked my butt. So, what do I plan to do about it? I'm going to another class tomorrow morning! :) This one is only a level II though so it should loosen me up a bit. I don't want the running to shorten my hamstrings and counteract all the goodness I have been achieving in yoga!

Alright, I'm exhausted but wanted to document my accomplishment today. Certainly not on the pace to break world records, but it was right on for making my under 3 hours goal (on pace for a 2:55, but I was definitely slowing towards the end). I also tried to keep my walking mile time under 15:00/mile in order to keep the pace up, even if I couldn't run all of it.

Good night! Hoping for less sore muscles in the morning!

Good night moon. Hello October.

Alright! I'm excited to run again! Woo! The weather is so perfect outside that it has renewed my running spirit. The fact that I find it really difficult doesn't mean I should give up as nothing worth doing ever comes easy, no?? Well, it surely does not for me. Plus, I have found the next half that I want to do: The Disney Princess Half Marathon. Imagine the possibilities! A sports tiara! Pink running skirts! A finish line filled with Disney princesses! A giant pile of chocolate chip pancakes with Goofy following the race!! Unfortunately the race starts at 6am, probably to both avoid the heat in Florida and so that they can open the park to the public at a reasonable hour. My goal is to finish the November 7th one in 3 hours, and then I will consider the DPHM. Goals to work towards! Tomorrow is my long run and I'm looking forward to checking out the loop at Centennial Park finally. Hopefully this nice weather will hold out for me (According to the weatherman, it should be perfect around 9am!!).

I'm hoping that my morning run will loosen up my legs a bit. Yoga was insanely difficult tonight and I was almost chaturanga'd to death. I'm always surprised by people who think that yoga is just stretching and chanting Om. Holding those high lunges and up-dogs for several minutes can be excruciating! I definitely need a towel for class though. I was trying to hold onto my ankle in trikonasana and my hand kept sliding off! Funny... but ew. I love the crazy challenging classes the most though. I love feeling exhausted, like I've worked hard and done my best. I've been easing up on the strength training in the gym because yoga is doing a pretty great job kicking my butt on its own. Interestingly, I find the meditation parts to be the most difficult as I can't quite get my mind to sit still yet. It's amazing how hard it is to think of nothing and just... be.

Also, I finally got around to making the acorn squash tonight. I meant to take a picture, but it was at about 10pm that it finally finished cooking so I basically dove into it. It was alright, although not the most special thing that I've ever eaten. It was definitely less food than I was expecting as I ended up also making tomato soup and crackers, and later had some of the roasted cauliflower that I made for tomorrow. I'm actually hungry now again. I guess that means that I better get to sleep.

Good night moon. Hello October. :)

Yoga and Acorn Squash Adventures

Ah, yoga was as lovely last night as I expected it would be. It's definitely a pretty tough workout for me and I pour sweat (such an attractive, feminine quality, I know) but I really love it. We spent a lot of the class working on back bends which I adore so it was a pretty fun class! I think I finally got the hang of flipping the dog too. Tuesdays classes are more instructive while Thursdays are more flow-y so it's a very nice combination. Hopefully I can add one in on Saturday too this week.

I ran out of healthy food on Sunday or so and never got around to getting to the grocery store so for Sunday and Monday, I kind of just ate crap. (Well, crap for me.) Grilled ham and cheese, grits with butter, chocolate covered pretzels, eh. I was surprised how blah I felt because of it, and rather quickly. Yoga always inspires me to do and eat good things though so I restocked yesterday. I bought an acorn squash, which I've never worked with, and through a quick online search, found this recipe that I think that I will try out tonight. I'd like to roast a head of cauliflower too for the next couple of days. I love cauliflower in eggs... maybe with some potato and spinach and cheese for a frittata? Delicious. This upcoming weekend (which starts for me tomorrow night - no class on Friday!), I'd like to do some cooking for the upcoming week. I love making homemade soups and they are so easy for midweek meal because you can freeze them. Plus, I've been meaning to make some more veggie burgers, but they take forever without a food processor. Maybe I'll just give in and buy a Cuisinart...

I also hope to get a run in today. I have a softball game, but I think that counts more as hanging out than real exercise so hopefully I can squeeze it in. My breaks are annoying on Wednesdays though because they are all about 2 hours long... not quite long enough to get a whole lot done but too long to just be lazy. At least I've been a little bit better on the sleep front. I was asleep by 1am last night and up around 8am... I'd love to be a morning person and I think it just will take some training to go to bed earlier and get up by 6:30am everday. I feel like I waste so much time with my current schedule.

Anyway, the weather is finally gorgeous and is so autumn-y! I guess I should bite my tongue from what I said a few days back! I think I'll go sit outside for a bit before shuffling back to class... mmm...

Can't sleep but at least the sun is back in Nashville!

Ugh, my sleep schedule is so off. I've been staying up really late recently which unfortunately results in my sleeping later than I should. So tonight, I tried to be in bed by midnight to reset my clock, however, after lying in bed for two hours, I just can't seem to get to sleep and gave up so I could write this. I suppose the other way to do it is to just get up at 7am tomorrow and just spend the day exhausted so I fall asleep earlier. I think that's the way that I have to do it. Darn me and my night owl ways.

Other than my insomnia-like habits, I had a rather nice weekend. I can't say that I was terribly productive though. I got caught up on some of my work at Bongo, but really, I just wanted to sit and absorb some sun (with SPF 50, of course) as it's been weeks since I've seen it. Finally the sun came out in Nashville. It has rained every day for almost 3 weeks straight so everything has just been damp and dank and icky. The weather for the next week looks so lovely though -- 70's and sunshine. However, that probably won't help with my renewed work ethic to get more accomplished. I decided to go back to taking all my notes by hand as I end up with much higher quality notes... it's just a whole lot more boring during the process! Along with that, my goals for the week are to get to bed by midnight/up by 7am and to drink more water. I already failed on the former today so we'll see how the rest goes.

My run on Saturday was eh as I got about 2 miles into it and my knee starting aching again. So I walked another 2, got fed up and went home. Yes, I realize that this is not the most dedicated strategy as I have 13.1 to run in 40 days but I'm just awfully frustrated with it. Now that the sun is back and I've had some time to cool off, I have a bit of a better mindset. I just don't quite understand why I have so much trouble with running. I know quite a few people that can pick up and run distance with just a few weeks training. I'm in pretty great shape right now and every step is a fight at the moment. I look forward to the day when a run sounds like a great idea, but right now I kind of dread it.... that attitude probably doesn't help too much either though. Work in progress, work in progress.

One exciting event from this weekend is that I went to see GirlTalk. I had seen him last year and it was sooo much fun. This time he was alright but the music and mixes were better last year. There was also a bar at last year's event so that probably had something to do with it. This one was was filled to the rafters with neon-spandex clad, drunk freshman girls. Goodness, they were rude and pushy and obnoxious. Plus, they made me feel about 100 years old. Granted, I was home that night by 11:30pm, so maybe I am.

GirlTalk Show

I also went to see (500) Days of Summer. I don't know exactly what I was expecting but it was really great. I'm glad that I got to see it before it leaves theaters because I think that it's one of those movies that is more enjoyable on the big screen. I also don't think I expected it to be so funny. However, parts of it definitely broke my heart at times and wasn't really as romantic comedy-ish as it was billed. Movie love stories always kind of hurt my heart though! I think I'm just a big sappy mush. Parts of it reminded me of High Fidelity, althought that's probably just that I loved both movies. High Fidelity is definitely a top five :) and has my all time favorite movie quote: "It's human chemistry. Some people just feel like home."

Alright, on that scattered note, I should try to sleep again. Have to be up by 7am, no matter what time I actually fall asleep.

Semi Vegetarian

I mentioned in a previous post that I haven't been eating all that much meat recently. For a few years now, I have been back and forth on whether or not to become a vegetarian. For the most part, I'm tempted because of environmental concerns (read Michael Pollen's The Omnivore's Dilemma) and animal cruelty. I actually am not against the consumption of animal products but I prefer to do so in a eco-conscious manner. For example, I think that small farms that treat their livestock humanely and don't pump them full of hormones are lovely. However, the vast majority of meat in supermarkets and restaurants comes from concentrated animal feeding operations (affectionately known as CAFOs) which saddens me. THerefore, it's really just easier to forego meat if I really want to practice what I preach.

On the other hand, the second I decide that I'm giving up meat for good, all I want is a cheeseburger. And a giant corned beef sandwich. And maybe some flank steak with chimichurri sauce. And a big plate of meat lasagna. So you can seem my dilemma! I suppose that happens with a lot of things in that once it is banned, it is all that I can think about.

Therefore, I've finally come to the semi-vegetarian catagory. Ninety-five percent of the time, I try to avoid meat products but since it's not actually forbidden, it's a much easier policy to follow. There are some comfort foods, like the aforementioned corned beef, that I'm not willing to give up but on a day-to-day basis, I try to be fairly meat free. It's super easy to do most of the time since I cook and prepare the majority of my own food. However, when I go out to eat with friends, I usually don't admit my eating status to fellow diners because it prompts a few undesired responses.

(1.) You're a big pansy for not eating meat.
(2.) Yay for not eating meat! Wait, did you just get bacon?
(3.) Being a vegetarian most of the time doesn't make you a vegetarian.

So really, it's just private choice to not eat a lot of meat that I try to live by but no need to be perfect. (Well, private except between you and me now!) I still eat a fair amount of fish, but now that I think about it, I don't think that I've had meat in 2 or 3 weeks now. However, I'm also going out for Ethiopian food tonight so we'll see how that goes! :) Do you have any self-imposed food choices?

I also need to squeeze in a four mile run today. Because of my schedule today, I need to do it inside on a treadmill. Boo. I feel like a hamster on a treadmill. I do appreciate that it's flat and very convenient at least and I think for my 8 miler on Friday (knee pending of course) that I'll make it out to the Brentwood trail. Even if I have to walk a bit of it, it should be an enjoyable romp. Bug spray is definitely a necessity though!!

Finally, my yoga class yesterday was lovely again!! The teacher is so challenging and teaches lots of poses that I've never done before. Plus, she is really hands on and corrects your alignment which I love. It's the only way I learn, especially since there is no mirror in the room. We also spent a lot of time in trikonasana and half moon pose which are two of my favorites. All in all, a great class. A friend of mine also started it too which was sooo much fun, especially since we got sushi afterward. Actually, I should probably eat before class because I started thinking about food about halfway through! All in all, it was a solid class and I'm looking forward to another yoga class tomorrow. Life is pretty good. :)

New trail and protein powder

After my bout of knee problems yesterday, I decided to cut my 5 mile run today by a bit and transfer to flat ground. In fact, I finally tried a new trail! I've been running the 2.1 mile loop by my apartment and it was getting pretty boring. In addition, there are parts with no sidewalk and some serious hills so that was definitely not going to help my knee. Due to some great searching by my mom, I went on a 15 minute drive out of town to try out the Brentwood Breezeway. It was a fantastic find! The loop around is about 6 miles I think, but I only did a portion of it due to time, light, and knee. I do hope to head back there for some of my long runs though. It is a whole lot more visually interesting than my current loop... AND FLAT! (Nashville is a pretty hilly place for those not familiar with the area.) I'm actually not even sure how far I ran as I left my watch at home (amazing how dependent I am on that thing now) but I'd estimate about 3 miles or so. I was pretty careful about my knee and walked whenever it started to fight me.

But really, isn't this trail just gorgeous? I kept taking pictures with my phone, probably to the annoyance of other runners on the trail...


Besides my run out there, I had a pretty low key day. I did manage to pick up a new protein powder. I'm definitely lagging on protein intake (only managed a measly 40 grams today) so I'm trying to squeeze some more in through this method as well as with low fat dairy and beans. First to try is GNC's be-BUFF Vanilla Bean Protein and Fiber Complete Mix. I bought it basically because I liked the new ads... I'm such a sucker for packaging and advertising. Today I had an OK shake with the powder and just water, but I'm hoping that adding a frozen banana will make it more palatable for me. This summer at Gold's Gym, I had an amaaaazing protein shake with some kind of chai tea powder, but I can't seem to replicate the flavor on my own yet. Anyone have suggestions for how to make protein shakes more tasty and fun?

Besides that, my school work is stressing me out a bit more than I'd like it to and I am hoping that I can start getting to bed earlier than my current 1:30am schedule, but we'll see how it goes. I know the work is only going to pile on as we head more into the semester. Speaking of heading into the semester, Happy Fall! I love this season and already made myself oatmeal with pumpkin butter and walnuts for breakfast tomorrow morning. Of course it won't be cool and autumny here for a bit, but I'm all ready to dive into fall foods. Butternut squash soup, apple cider, white bean chili... Mmm. Starved just thinking about it.

Running Pains

Soooo frustrated with my body today! According to my training schedule, today was supposed to be a seven miler. The weather here has been so rainy recently, so I just decided to try for it in the rain. It was actually very nice and cool but then my right knee decided it wasn't going any further. I got about 4 1/2 miles into it and on one step, my right foot hit the ground and pain shot through the outside of my right knee. This knee has always been a bit of a problem for me and it frustrates me so much! I walked on it a bit and then tried to run again and it hurt to even bend my knee.

While trying to run again, I noticed that I was favoring it and starting to kick my foot out to the right just to clear the pavement so I cut the run short just at about 5 miles. The yogini in me was telling me to listen to my body and to be forgiving of a sore knee, but athlete in me was basically screaming obscenities at it. A bit of an internal Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde argument. I know it's never good to run on something that hurts so sharply, but it just feels like I'm at such a roadblock.

ARG.

I feel like my body has been fighting me through out this training. I've been waiting to enjoy the workouts and the training sessions but so far I dread most of it. I need to find some kind of happy medium so that I don't end up really injuring myself. I guess I'm not quite sure what to do differently. I've been pretty diligent on the strength training and yoga, eating really well, and took extra care to hydrate well today. I've had the knee MRIed just to make sure there isn't anything structurally wrong but this has happened a few times before. I think I may talk to a running coach to see if there is a problem with my stride that is putting stress on my outer knee. Sigh, I'll get through it and even if I have to walk part of this half marathon, I'll cross that finish line!

At least I did have a delicious post run dinner though! I haven't been eating much meat recently (an upcoming post on that) so eggs have been my go-to food. So I had some whole wheat pasta mixed with blanched grape tomatoes and arugula, a little feta, and all topped with a fried egg. Egg onto of any kind of carbohydrate is a favorite comfort food of mine! I took a picture of it but it looks like if I'm going to be uploading food pictures, I need a better camera! It did not look very appetizing on my little low quality camera.

OK, on that note I'm off to play with the pup a bit. With all this awful rainy weather, she's looking a bit forlorn from being stuck inside so much recently.

Hello!

Hello Interweb!

The first post is always the hardest, or so I'm assuming. Where do I start? Is an introduction in order or am I just to assume that will all come out eventually? And really, who am I actually introducing myself to?

Well new friends, please bear with me as I awkwardly start off.

During my most recent long weekend run, I was thinking about all the silly and inconsequential things that pass through my mind on a daily basis. To stave off running boredom, I figured there has to be at least one person out there in this ginormous world who is interested in my musings. We'll see how true that turns out to be.

So what am I planning to write about? Well, I've lost my mind and am training for my first (last??) half marathon. I'm a terrible runner. Really, no modesty there at all. I've always been really daunted by the activity and that bugs me to no end. So the solution? Grab that running beast by the horns and defeat it! Very very slowly over the course of 13.1 miles. That's the plan at least.

I'm also getting back into my yoga practice. It helps me find some much needed balance and clarity. Plus, all this running has really shortened my hamstrings so that's a nice bonus as well! I just started at a new studio and I already loooove the teacher.

Ok friends, I have loads of work to get done and I can't give it all away on the first post but I'm glad you found me!