negative splits

check out this short article on training techniques for runners. it's all good (I love running hills), except for the "negative split" suggestion.  I remember these practices from my days of cross country. I remember dry heaving and feeling like I might have collapsed a lung.

and yes, I cannot stop reading fitsugar. what can I say? I love magazines and blogs. and I also love celebrity fitness. it blends reading about exercising with reading us weekly. what's not to love about that? and who doesn't want a body like gwyneth paltrow and / or cameron diaz? so what if I have a thing for blonds? you wanna step? you got beef with me?

no, I didn't grow up in brooklyn, but I did once work with someone who did (bensonhurst).

it's twisted, but I love reading about running. when I was in high school, I used to read a magazine called ultra runner. I've never run more than 13 miles in a row, and I've never really wanted to, but it was still completely fascinating to read about people doing >50 mile runs. imagine having to carry toilet paper with you on a run.

blech, lunch sucked

I was a sucker, and I went for the cafeteria beef bourguignon.  I was thinking that I wanted something warm and yummy. instead of getting it over egg noodles, I had veggies on the side. it's a good thing my veggies were on the side because the beef substance was so gross that had it totally infected my veggies, I wouldn't have had any food to eat at all. ok, not exactly true, I did fish some beef and mushrooms out of the brown grease, but that was because I was starving, and I'd spent my lunch money on the most terrible choice ever. there you go, one big reason I'm bringing carbs back into my diet. had I not been trying to avoid them like the plague, I would have done something sensible, like gotten a barley and wild rice soup. sigh. I'd just seen the chart, below and remembered where beef was versus rice, and wa-bam, horrible lunch decision made. I couldn't tell from where I was standing that the brown stuff was mostly grease...

via thekitchn.com from massivehealth.com

so I'm in the third week of my 10K training. I love it. it gives me something to feel committed to, which has been a big boon to me in terms of motivation. I NEED motivation these days. yesterday was a cross-training day, today is a normal run day (that means running as quickly as possible and intervals - for me, as quickly as possible = 6 - 6.5 mph with a few walking breaks and incline between 1 and 2). my long run last Sunday was a happy one for me because I exceeded my goal of 30 continuous minutes. I went for 40 minutes and ran 12 minute miles, which for me is great (I followed Jeff Galloway's advice and went 2 minutes slower than regular runs - it works!). 

today I feel icky due to lunch and am really hoping the stitch in my side magically disappears by the time I get my sneakers on.  Max, I really hope I don't have your stomach bug!

c is for...

cookies, of course (and for cookie monster, duh), and now, for me, calories. I swear that since I started working out, I've gained weight. sigh, my friend, Katie (who has also signed up for the same 10K - I'll be running with team K8 if Kermit signs up too), says it could be water weight, but I don't know. I started a spreadsheet of calories consumed. I suppose we'll see...

inspired by Heather, I have started taking a walk every half hour at work (every twenty minutes would be a better interval, but corporate life demands compromises) - up three flights of stairs, then back down. there was a NY Times article that detailed the benefits of this type of conditioning, and it was convincing enough to persuade both of us to give it a go. Heather is also practicing her balance while watching TV and brushing her teeth.  I've given up TV (in exchange for sleep) so maybe I'll balance whilst cooking. 

this post was brought to you by the letter C, and the punctuation mark, the comma. 

so not technical

sometime after May 30, this blog may disappear. blogger told me to migrate my account, but when I made the attempt, it told me that my account didn't exist. um, I'm no techie, but I can read and fill out forms. neither of those abilities helped me out in this situation. if this blog goes away, I'll make a new one.

left = Seiji; right = Max trying to eat the pack&play...of course.

I forgot my gym clothes today. that's super annoying. I was going to run out and buy some new ones, then head to the gym, but when I realized that I'd also have to buy shoes of some sort, I dropped that idea. instead, I resigned myself to skipping the strength workout (I'll have to do it Saturday or Sunday) and ate lunch at my desk. I had masaman curry with brocolli, asparagus, and tofu - best nearly instant dinner ever. I decided that I'd cruise the internet for a good strength training regimen for runners, and I came across a website called fitsugar. it looks pretty fun. that's where I'm headed now. strength workout tomorrw, "long run" on Sunday.  seeya!

sometimes you need a little extra oompf

so, monday was my first day of 10k training, but it was a rest day (I took my dog on a long, brisk walk). I'm not making that up, by the way, I'm following a real schedule that was put together by someone other than me, and on the first day, you rest. hence, Tuesday was my very first run of my very first 10k training plan.

a month ago (or so) I stopped eating most carbohydrates (I know!). I skimmed a book, titled, Why We Get Fat and What to Do About It, and it convinced me to cut out all unecessary carbs. so, out went bread, rice, crackers, sweets & etc. it was hard at first, but I've gotten used to it. for me, the key was to eat a tiny sweet at least once a day to keep the other cravings at bay. I also allow myself a cheat day, but I don't go crazy (unless you call eating a veggie samosa crazy - I don't, I call it crazy delicious).

anyway, my boss brings in a home-baked treat every Monday morning. I NEVER eat them. however, I heard SO MANY yummy noises coming from near her office door the other day (which happened to be a Tuesday, but she wasn't here Monday and she's that committed to baking for the office) that I buckled and took one of what looked to be a fairly thick chocolate cookie. I ate it on the way to my son's daycare where I was scheduled to make butter with his class. I decided that it would be extra fuel for my very first official 10k run.

the cookie was so amazingly delicious that as I had the first bite in my mouth, I nearly pounded the steering wheel and said out loud in my best Special Agent Dale Cooper voice, "That is one damn fine cookie, Diane." I got the link to the recipe today - it was that good. the chocolate cookie looked thick because there was peanut butter hiding inside. for me, that is a very nice surprise.

since yesterday was a run day, today was a rest/cross train day. I went to a spin class during lunch and came back beet red and feeling like my face was pulsing. I had a meeting at 1pm, which meant that I had to bring my lunch and pulsate throughout the meeting. even though I was already sweaty, I got soup because nothing else in the cafeteria was calling to me. have you ever heard someone tell you that if you're hot you should drink or eat something hot because it will cool you down? well it works, I swear it did. as soon as I began to eat the soup, I began to cool off, and it wasn't because I was just normally cooling off. I'm usually a pulsing hot mess for at least 45 minutes after working out.

new post, new goal, new obsessions

wow, I have been away for a LONG time. what's been going on? oh not much, just experiencing sheer insanity. but that's OK because where it counts my life is a placid, happy place.

I just signed up for my very FIRST race.  yeah, I used to run cross country, winter, and spring track when I was a teenager, and although I did continue running through much of my adult life, I've never run a community organized race.

so why now?

I tend to be a sucker for magazines placed in the impulse section of the check out line and I let myself buy one about every six months. yesterday I bought and read a running magazine (Running Times). it made me nostalgic for my running days. today I signed up for the Runner's World 10K in Bethlehem, PA. it doesn't happen until the third week of October, so if I can't run 6 miles by then, then I just totally suck.

this is the featured photo of Bethlehem. it looks "enhanced" to me (Technicolor?).

actually, considering the fact that I haven't run regularly since month five of my first pregnancy, there's a pretty decent chance that I won't finish this 10K. it amazes me, when I consider my history of compulsive running and exercising, that I haven't fallen back into that pattern AT ALL since Henry's birth, four years ago.

but now I have an official completion date for "getting into shape." John has signed on to "support me" in this endeavor. I have found inspirational words on a website called, Run Injury Free with Jeff Galloway.  nothing can stop me now! well, nothing except my tendency towards torpor.

I'm alive!

here I am! I think I may be emerging from a lack-of-sleep induced black hole - with some good news, to boot. I found my whole body ugg. it's not form-fitting, and it doesn't have sleeves like a snuggie, but it is AWESOME.  it's a faux-fur throw from restoration hardware.

my advice is, "get one now. you may not think you need it, but once you have it, you won't be able to imagine life without it." for those who have children or pets, it's exactly that feeling you get when you think about how much more simple your life would be without them (children and / or pets), but then you realize you can't even imagine how empty it would be to go back to your life before you had them (children and / or pets). these throws may end up being my go-to wedding gift (for when there's no registry, of course). to get the best deal, find an outlet and purchase when they're on sale. they are pretty dear, I'm not going to lie - mine cost $58 after a 20% discount on top of an already discounted price - but they are SO worth it that I want another one! the desire for a second one isn't rational. it's a wholly emotional reaction to how wonderful the first one is. they're heavy (in that great blanket weight way), super-soft, look great on a couch, and oh so uber comforting. mine is the mink color. I'm about 5'3" and it's the perfect length for me. I can't think of a better way to spend my winter than curled up on my couch, with a fire going in the fire place, and reading a book. kids? what kids? husband? what husband? dogs and cat = extra fur supplement to my faux fur.