Category: Eat!

Simple Saturday

I have probably mentioned a lot that I have been super tired lately. I even took an unplanned nap after Run or Dye last weekend. It seems like all I do lately is go to the doctor. So there has been a little change in plans. I had planned on running my third half of the year on May 31^stbut have decided that it would probably be smarter to step back to the 10K. Especially considering that I have 2 papers due in the next two weeks and should really spend some time on those. See, I am a Slacker! I feel bummed missing the half but I decided to use the time to work on training better and to work on my form. I am signed up for a half in July that I am super excited for. NikeC is going to run it too! Woo hoo for race buddies!

The half in July is part of the same event that I ran a 10K in last July. In fact Rock to the Pier was my first race recap on this blog, awww, nostalgia. They also have a Rock’n Around the Pier half and that is what I am running this year. 90% of the race is on the beach and I can’t wait. This year also has a little added excitement to it. Due to the tides, the race starts at 6:30 but high tide is expected to start rolling in before 8:30ish. So, the website warns that the half marathoners will get wet and may have to navigate some rocks at some point. It also states that if runners don’t hit the turnaround point (10K) by the 1:20:00 mark, they will be bussed back to the finish line. Yikes! I’m still looking forward to it though. 🙂

So small but yummy... and dangerous — So small but yummy… and dangerous

Friday was a usual scheduled rest day, and unfortunately the cookies were victorious. Seriously, no will power. Did I mention they are from a french bakery? However it has been a week since I had candy. The only time I have a problem with candy is the beginning of the year. My favorite candy is SweetTarts and I especially love the small ones. For Valentines day and Easter they make special bags of hearts and bunnies. It’s a problem every year. I only eat the red, orange and purple so I usually delude myself until thinking its ok. It’s not. Thankfully, Easter candy is all gone and I’m not really a chocolate person so I am in the clear until next year. 🙂 Maybe by then I will have the strength to resist.

Today was a work day for me so no sleeping in for me. The drive was pretty, no fog in sight and I kind of wished I had a real camera. I passed classic cars going east for a car show and hordes of bikers going north for the Criterium. Plus Saturday work town was gearing up for the AMGEN tour next week. Everyone had a bike, I’m jealous! I have been looking into borrowing one but no luck yet. That’s ok, I still have time. Once off work, I headed home.

The weather was mid 70’s and breezy, so I headed out for an early afternoon run. I read a quote on Twitter the other day and for some reason it was a light bulb moment. I can’t remember who tweeted, I can’t even remember who originally said it (but it was some famous runner) or even the exact wording- blogger fail! But it said something like this-“if you don’t take your easy runs easy enough, it will make your hard runs easy”. Or in my case- races. Easy means eeeasssy; which I already knew but sometimes reading it from someone more talented helps.

I am still working on my form so today was going to be an easy day. I determined that I had to warm up before trying to focus on my legs. I tried to do it from the beginning and just felt like I was running with a limp. So I went back to the old way with a short walk for a warm up. Once I felt warmed up, I went back to working on actively using my right leg. It’s harder than it sounds. 😦 I felt like there was an army drill sergeant in my head- right, right, right. I’m not even sure I am doing anything, other than I am sore in new ways. And oddly enough, the first 3 miles were a bit faster than I thought. Focusing on my legs meant I focused less on pace and somehow that made it seem easier? At least until mile 4, I hit that last hill and felt tired for the first time, I walked a bit. I finished 4.5 miles and stretched. I was a little hot but nothing a little water couldn’t fix.

After that I took Zoey for a walk. I haven’t taken her for a puppy jog in a while. She didn’t bark at any cars, well except for a Directv van, guess she was mad at them for some reason. 🙂 She was feeling pretty lazy though, she kept lying down on the first mile. She’d trot along and then just plop down on the ground. After we turned around, I took her to the school so she could play in the grass. She was very excited and wanted off the leash but that wasn’t happening. Then we headed for home. She was a very good puppy. 🙂

All in all, it was a pretty good Saturday! Now I really should do some research.

How was your Saturday?

Does anyone know what quote I am talking about?

Anyone have a race?

February Recap

February ended with a whimper. I did not get in a run on Thursday like I hoped. I decided that another rest day was smarter than just trying to add to my monthly mile total. Plus by some freak chance of nature, the mileage came out perfectly even and I decided that was pretty cool-

The numbers geek in me is smiling :) — The numbers geek in me is smiling 🙂

Mileage- 70 Miles
Races- Super Fun Run 5k and Heart & Soles 10K both of which ended up being way harder than planned.

Friday I was prepared for a 12 hour work day but it only ended up being 10ish. No complaints here. 🙂 Everything got done (hopefully) and we were home free. Our area has been pummeled by rain the last few days. While I’m not complaining because we desperately need it, driving in it is not so much fun, even less so at night. Turn on your headlights people!!!

Today’s weather was more of the same but that didn’t stop me from heading to SLO for a little shopping, good food, and a trip to the Running Warehouse. Lunch was the usual yumminess, and I was able to show restraint when shopping. For the most part, I did buy two new pairs of running shorts. 🙂 You can never have too many right? Plus it occurred to me that I didn’t own a pair of black shorts, how did I let that happen? Problem resolved.

The Warehouse was packed. I had hoped that the rain would keep the crowds down, but I should have know better. We runners are crazy, right? I knew I was going to take awhile, so I was ok waiting. I had come prepared and I had both my Inspire’s and my Wave Rider’s with me. I explained everything to the guy who helped me. I am pretty sure he has helped me before and he seems super knowledgeable and friendly. I then ran on the treadmill in both of my current shoes. I still over-pronate but only on the right foot. The shoes didn’t make a giant difference either. Apparently I do things backwards, my right foot is smaller than my left and also has a higher arch. But it is my left that hurts. Truthfully, it feels like my shin splints used to, so I know ramping up my mileage and pace were factors. I am also come to realize that my left glute is weaker than it should be. Which is kind of hilarious actually, not only am I a Slacker but I have a lazy ass to prove it. 🙂

After the treadmill test it was time to try on shoes. All the shoes!! Haha, just 4 pairs. I tried on the following- Mizuno Wave Inspire 10, Asics Something or other, Brooks Transcend and Brooks Adrenaline 14. I guess that tells you how the Asics worked out. 🙂 The toe box pinched in a way I did not think I would get used to. Whereas the toe box in the Transcend felt huge, plus the price tag was a little steep. The Inspire’s felt ok but not great. The Adrenaline’s felt loose but more cushioned. Each time I tried on a pair of shoes, I ran up and down the concrete walkway outside the building. I am sure the people in the cycle store thought I was looney. I have seen people doing it before but never have. I felt like a weirdo but it was better than the treadmill.

I mentioned that the right Adrenaline felt very loose. He tied my shoe in a way I had never seen that made it super snug. They called it shoe-doo (shoe +voodoo). I was torn, I wanted to stick with Mizuno out of principle and I had a knee jerk reaction to the Adrenaline’s. Probably because the very first pair of running shoes I ever owned were Brooks Adrenaline. In the end, I went with the cushioning and chose the Brooks. As long as they work out, my shoe rotation will now be the Adrenaline’s and the Wave Rider’s. So long to the pink Inspire’s that have not been so friendly.

My mother was with me and I took so long that the new Brooks Cascadia caught her eye. She’s had the previous two versions. She tried them on and loved them, so she left with shoes too. I then treated her to dinner at Woodstock’s. Today was my cheat day, so yum!

I didn’t make it home in time to run today. It was already dark and my gym closes early on Saturdays. I am anxious to finally get back out there tomorrow. Both because I am getting twitchy and to try out the shoes. I am hoping for a break in the rain because I would like to test them outside and not have them turn into a giant mud ball. I need to get back into training!

Who raced today?

Anyone else ever feel like they are cheating on their shoes?

Sadness and Cookies

Thank goodness it’s almost Wednesday.

Monday started on a sour note, coming in to work we learned that our fish- Mo Betta- had joined the great guppy in sky. He had been sick for a few weeks and we tried so many things but in the end nothing worked. I admit I refused to even look in the fish bowl (punch bowl) I let the others deal with that. We were all in a little funk after that. Have I mentioned the awesome customers? One felt bad for us and showed up a few hours later with a gift. Say hello to this little guy-

Confusion abounded while we tried to figure out what to do with him. A coworker refused to use the “death bowl” again and all we had were vases. Luckily that same coworker had a large glass jar thing. So that is currently his home, his name is also a work in progress. Wish us luck that he stays feisty.

It’s also that lovely time of year that tempts all healthy eating plans. Yup, these were delivered yesterday as well-

Girl Scout cookies!!! So much for no gluten. Not that I am allergic to gluten but it seems to be the easier way to manage this Low-FODMAP thing my doctor has me on since December. At least 85% of the time, I told him I’m not giving up pizza or a hamburger once a week 🙂 He rolled his eyes. And continuing on the healthy kick, I put spinach and kale in my smoothie tonight. Spinach!!! I hate spinach, have ever since I was a kid, can’t even stand the smell of it. I managed to drink the whole thing so woo hoo! 🙂

Today was rough for some reason. I was dragging all morning. I took yesterday as a rest day since I was still a little sore from Sunday’s run. So I wasn’t tired from a hard workout. Work turned a little crazy by the end of the day, too. I originally had plans to go to the movies tonight with a friend but that fell through. So I headed to the gym after work.

I told myself I would do an easy 4 miles to wake myself up and get me going for the rest of the week. Once I got going, I felt pretty good. I have been foam rolling often and I found a new (to me) yoga/stretching routine that seems to helping to. Things never really hurt, just sometimes I feel a lingering soreness. My easy 4 turned into an easy 5 for the night. 5 miles- 50:53. Oddly enough there was a guy running on a treadmill near me who would throw boxing jabs while running. That was interesting. 🙂 I made sure to foam roll tonight as well, plus my newest torture device-

In other news, Run or Dye is coming to town in May. I am on the fence about how I feel about these runs. Having never done one, I can only speculate. I am already stressing over the logistics of not staining my car seats or my shoes. But I have always promised C that we would run a race in tutu’s and this seems like the perfect opportunity. We actually have quite the team growing, C’s husband and NikeC and ME and more, so it should be a fun day. And colorful.

How is everyone’s week so far?

Any thoughts on color runs?

Any helpful betta fish hints?

Accidental Tempo

First off, I want to say thank you to everyone for the thoughts left on my last post, they really helped 🙂

Today, I set no alarms. After the past couple of weird days I just wanted to get some sleep. I was hoping a good rest would help. It wasn’t the best but I felt a little more level this morning. Not to say that I didn’t have random moments throughout the day but I ignored them.

I met my mother for lunch where I did indulge a little, tri-tip sandwich and onion rings, yes please. Then we hit up a favorite antique store for a little browsing. I hadn’t realized I hadn’t been there since early November, so many things had changed. I went in with the intention of spending no money, I didn’t need anything and as always, Christmas was more than I planned for 😦 I held strong to this until one of the back stalls. I found this little beauty. Then I saw the price. 30 bucks??? It’s mine. Way too good of deal to pass up. Plus I will never turn down extra storage. Like I mentioned before, slight hoarding tendencies.

I was still kind of full from lunch but I knew I needed to get a run in. Not only did my training plan call for it, but I needed one. I was torn between doing the 8 that was on the schedule or backing it down to 6. I had been text messaging with a friend who commented that her legs weren’t ready to run in shorts. I agreed that mine were the same, hello Holiday 4 7. So what do I do? I decide to try out my new running skirt. So I changed and was out the door.

The plan was for this to be a slow and steady run between 6-8 miles. So when the first 3 came in under 30 minutes, hills and all, oops. My head knew what I needed to do but my feet were not listening at all. Luckily I ran into my mother out walking Zoey again, perfect reason for a walk break to slow down. Of course they were going up that damn hill from New Year’s again, but oh well. We walked for a bit then I ran on. Again my feet ruled my head and I went left up another hill, actually the same one I ~~ran~~ walked up 10 minutes previously.

I looped around and then ran up another hill. Stupid feet. Coming down, I hit 6 miles. I was tired and feeling the too fast pace and hills. I headed for home slowly, telling myself I was done when I hit my driveway no matter what the GPS said. I was tired, my legs were heavy, I had had a too big a lunch, and my upper thighs had been regretting the skirt since mile 5. Once again my feet ruled and when I ran passed my driveway, the Garmin said 7.57. So I ran another .25 mile out and then back. I stopped the Garmin as I began the crawl up my driveway. I was so done. But I felt good in a sore, tired kind of way.

Where's the escalator? — Where’s the escalator?

I started out way too fast and was crawling by the end but I finished it. My feet chose to not listen to my head and maybe I needed that. The true measure will be how sore I am tomorrow. It should be a rest day, but I may try to make up some miles, but they will be really slow ones, I promise. I rewarded myself with a nice hot shower (oh the sting!) and a yummy smoothie 🙂

While on my run, I passed an older lady out for a walk and she told me it was too hot for me to running. It is January 4th and I ran in a skirt and tank top, 72º. I can’t decide if her comment was funny or freakishly correct 🙂

Hope everyone had a good Saturday!!!

Anyone else like antique stores?

I’m not the only one who’ve had my feet overrule my head right?

Watery Eyes

Thursday was supposed to be a rest/ cross training day but since I knew the likelihood of me running today was pretty nil, I optimistically packed my running gear. It was a pretty good day at work. We were fully staffed, and even with the hectic-ness of month end, new month, year end and new year all at once, it was still good. I was looking forward to a good run after work. I wasn’t too eager to find out just how many people were working on their New Year’s resolutions but oh well. It wasn’t until 4:45 that things went screwy.

I lost my mojo (if I ever had any to begin with). I had absolutely no desire to go for a run or deal with the after work New Year crowd. Even my drive home sounded horrible. It wasn’t except for the random tears that started on the way. For no flippin’ reason!!!! Seriously nothing was wrong but I was crying.

Yup, that's about right — Yup, that’s about right

Today was my late day, so driving home last night in between sniffs, I thought about the logistics of a morning run. I even laid out clothes before sleeping last night. Then I went to sleep in the hopes that I would wake up in a better mood. When my alarm went off, I rolled over and pulled back the curtain, still dark. I hit snooze. Second alarm went off, more dark, another snooze. This continued for all 5 alarms. I then had to drag myself out of bed for work. The funk was still around.

I treated myself to a peppermint mocha along the commute hoping that it would help. Not so much, I almost cried twice at work before 11:00. What the hell. I really don’t understand it. By the time I got off work, all I wanted to do was eat a large pizza, but I didn’t. Mostly because I didn’t want to pay for it, so I can’t even call it a will power win.

Tomorrow's question — Tomorrow’s question

8 miles are on the calendar for tomorrow but I missed a 4 mile training run. So here’s to hoping for a good run of some sort tomorrow and a better mood. Or at least one that makes sense.

Anyone else ever randomly cry for no reason?

I see everyone is doing great with their goals so far!! Such a great thing to read!

Any races this weekend?