Gourmet, the Vegan Way!

When it comes to food I generally have only one major picky area and that is that I prefer to eat healthy foods and will pretty much refuse otherwise.  This isn’t just due to the effects that things like fast food and highly processed things have on health, but it is mainly because I just don’t like it!  I grew up with parents that prepared breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home for my brothers and me everyday.  Sure, we went out every once and while or ordered pizza like any other family, but it was a treat when it happened.  In hindsight I feel extremely lucky and thankful that I was presented with foods like asparagus, squash, salmon, brown rice, and many other foods that are great for me, even if I didn’t always appreciate it at the time.

Recently I saw a show on TV where Jamie Oliver (English chef) asked a group of 20 or so elementary school students to name several fruits and vegetables.  It was extremely sad to see a child have no idea what a tomato or a bunch of broccoli was.  Unfortunately, there will probably always be areas in this country where the poverty directly affects the ability of families to afford quality, healthy foods and therefore cause children to not know what it is when they see it.  This is tragic enough as it is, but add to that people who can easily afford to eat and feed their children well choosing not to and ignoring the fact that their children are learning poor habits before they can even read.  These are the types of people who frustrate me.  Ok, I will stop shouting from my soapbox, but I think this topic is one in which many people are willing to talk about yet appaulingly lazy when it comes to actually fixing the problem.

What I really wanted to get at in this post is to show people (especially Austinites!) that there is a great place in the heart of Austin where people can eat, learn, and become inspired to cook in a healthy and new way at home.  Casa de Luz is a vegan restaurant located near Lamar and Barton Springs that caters to those who want to eat delicious, yet healthy food.  Most people that I enthusistically tell about this place are extremely skeptical about how good it could really be.  I understand that the word “vegan” can strike fear in the bellies of most people who enjoy meat, fish, and dairy, but my point is that good food is good food, and it is as simple as that.  It’s similar to travelling in a new country where someone says “eat this” in broken English and we nervously comply.  Mmm it is delicious, but what is it?  Oh, it’s year old fermented fish?  Umm, damn.  You want to hate it, but more than that you just want more!!  Obviously, vegetables are nowhere near as exotic as this, but for many (sadly) they are nearly just as rare in their diet.

Everything that Casa serves is vegan and 99% of it is gluten-free as well.  It is amazing how much flavor they pack with all-natural ingredients into their meals.  If I could eat every meal of every day there, I would.  Unfortunately, I am not rolling in the dough, so this is unlikely any time soon.  There is no salt or added sugar used in anything that they cook, so all of the mouth-watering flavor comes from the vegetables themselves or the many delicious nut sauces that accompany their food.  Recently I made it over for “first Monday sushi night” (first Monday of every month) and it was amazing.  I’d challenge anyone to try it and not love it.  Here are some pics…

Salad with quinoa, veggies, almonds

Veggie sushi, sauteed veggies, greens with coconut sauce, beans & pickled ginger

When you go to casa not only do you get salad, soup, and their entree, but there is a choice of hot or cold tea and water and an amazing selection of desserts.

New Territory

This morning after our 24 mile run I had a sudden realization that a lot has changed in a very short amount of time.  Now I could apply this statement to multiple areas of my life at this moment, but I will keep the focus narrow.  24 miles, no big deal.  Oh, we went up Mt. Bonnell at mile 18?  Yeah, I guess we did.  Whatever.  This is what I mean when I say that things have changed.  I found myself saying these things and it dawned on me that only a little over a year ago I was super proud of the fact that I had run 20 miles at one time…on a pretty flat course I might add.  Now, weekends are not weekends without beginning with a run that eclipses the two-hour mark by at least another half hour.  Pretty cool.  And crazy.

At this point in training we have about ten weeks to really focus our efforts on transforming the monster base we have created into a giant pyramid with a tip so sharp it could pop a balloon.  Well, we may not get to that point, after all we aren’t racing 5k’s, but hopefully the long threshold runs and speedy gonzales track work will get our legs (and brains) used to running fast and feeling like we want to chop our legs off at the end.  That is how I like to feel ; )  In fact, these past few weeks as we’ve transitioned from the base phase to the quality phase I have actually felt much better on my runs.  I am generally fresher and feel like I am back to home base.  Long easy recovery runs, slap-you-silly quality workouts, and long runs that nearly match our race distance.  This is essentially how our weeks are shaping up, yet there is one thing that I have not gotten back-of-the-hand cozy with just yet, RACE PREPS.

Race Prep: noun, profanity-inducer

Instead of describing what a race prep is, I will simply give a few examples of these awesome workouts:

• 2-5 mile warm-up, 3×5 miles at MGP (marathon goal pace) w/ 3-5 min recover, 2 mile cool-down
• 2.5 mile warm-up, 2×10 miles at MGP w/ 5 min recovery, 2.5 mile cool-down
• 20 miles with:  5 miles at MGP, several miles of VERY large hills, end up at track…10k broken into 2 miles at MGP, 2 miles at HMGP (half marathon goal pace), 2 miles at 10k pace, cool-down or ER visit (hehe)

Some refer to workouts like this as “marathon simulation runs”, but Rogue has trademarked them as Race Preps or Sole/Soul Busters.  I feel as though these names don’t quite get to the heart of the pain, focus, and excitement that go into these runs, but I’ll use them until I come up with a better name that doesn’t include a four-letter word or two.

With about two months to go before CIM I am keeping everything in perspective and altering my goals as such.  One goal that has been sort of forced upon me by others is to qualify for the olympic trials.  Don’t get me wrong here, I would love to do this, however I did a bit of math the other day and realized that at 22 I will have a good shot of qualifying for the next four Olympic Trials, so I feel no rush to do it this year.  This time around I will be 23 and a newbie.  For the 2016 trials I will be 27 and have many more races under my belt.  By the time the 2020 trials come around I will be a ripe 31, and still hitting it hard at 35 for the 2024 trials.  To qualify for all four trials would be an amazing feat for an amateur like myself, and you can bet your ass I will try, but if not, oh well.  I’m not a pro and I am fine with that.  As long as I can still listen to Steve tell me to do crazy things at 5:30 in morning, I am happy : )

Narrowing a bit from my previous point, I get to my thoughts on CIM specifically.  In December I feel that a solid sub 2:50 would be great.  For my first raced marathon I think that I would be a fool not to be as happy as a clam with this type of time.  That being said, I would like to see how far under 2:50 I can get it.  With my ‘A’ plan being 6:18 (2:45) pace, and my ‘B’ plan being to hold 6:25-30 (6:25 = 2:47-8, 6:30 = 2:50) pace, I think I have a solid idea of what I need to focus on in the coming weeks and especially during the remaining race preps.  After running the first race prep (and marathon) I felt very confidant in my ability to run 6:30′s for the race, so with the added training that I will have put in since then, I think my ‘A’ plan may be within striking distance.  Of course, never having raced a marathon I am planning to be humbled by the experience at least a little bit (potentially a lot).  Thankfully, these past five years Steve has been slowly building me into the type of runner who can mentally handle the physical and mental struggles that are inevitable in any distance race.  So to close this ramble, I will just say that my broad goal for this and every other marathon that I may end up doing is this:  never to give up, give in, or give less than I can at each moment because no matter what pace I go, it is going to hurt.  I have found that slow times due to fighting and keeping my head in it are infinitely less painful than slow times due to lack of heart and giving up.  I hope to keep mentally strong and let my body follow its lead.

“There is no crying in the marathon.”  Let’s hope not come December!!

Eeny Meeny Miny Mo, Marathon Race Shoes Here We Go!

Nike Lunar Racer +2

As December quickly approaches and our workout schedule shifts from easy long miles to longer workouts and faster overall paces I find myself thinking more and more about which shoe I will end up racing in at CIM.  A while ago I felt like it would be no-brainer and that I would go with my Nike Lunar Racer +2′s, which I have been doing all of my workouts and some runs in for the past 6 months or so.  Not so anymore.  As a completely neutral runner with a slight frame I can get away with a very minimal shoe, but I think that the construction of the lunar racer’s upper and arch area are just not quite enough for me come mile 18+ in a full-marathon where I will be moving at a clip of sub 6:30 per mile.  Having had a bit of plantar and a shin splint appear in the past year, I decided that while it is a great shoe for my workouts, it may not quite be right for the race itself…yet anyhow.

Nike Zoom Marathoner

As I was cleaning out the closet and donating some worn shoes a few weeks ago I came upon one of the crown jewels of my shoe collection: Nike Zoom Marathoners! I haven’t worn them since the 5 mile turkey trot I ran last year, but there was a time when these flats were a mainstay in my running shoe rotation for training runs as well as workouts and races.  Why did I abandon you Marathoner??  I am sorry, it will not happen again.  With this discovery, and the fact that my current pair have less than 50 miles on them, I decided that I will start training in them with the intention of wearing them for the race.  If for some reason I don’t feel like they are right, I will move on to something else or simply run in my Launches or Kinvaras, but I think that I will be fine in the Marathoners.

Aside from the two aforementioned shoes, I have also dabbled in wearing the Brooks Green Silence (women’s edition), but being that I have narrow feet they were just too wide and loose for my liking.  I plan to train in them for easy runs until they are dead, but I don’t see myself lacing them up for any races or tough workouts at this point.  They are also not a lightweight as I like for racing and running faster paces, so that was another turn-off for me.  Oh well, at least I can say that I gave ‘em the old college try.

Brooks Green Silence (women's)

Picking a shoe to race a marathon in is nothing short of anxiety-riden because it is not like a track 5k or 10k where it is not the end of the world if you aren’t 100% comfy in the spikes that you choose.  Annoying, yes, but the race is short enough where anything that rubs or feels awkward is short-lived.  Not the marathon!  Imagine going 26.2 miles in a shoe that is either too tight, too cushioned, rubbing a hole in your foot, cutting you, or simply too firm.  Pas bien mes amis!  This is why I am thinking about it now and trying to work out the kinks in my outfit choice, shoe choice, and nutrition plan.  The only thing I want stopping me from executing is my physical limits and not my mental fatigue and external factors along the way.  I have enough trouble swallowing water as it is, so I definitely do not need a shoe emergency tacked on.

Here are some of the key elements that I look for in a racing flat:

• As lightweight as possible for the marathon it is a balance because if the shoe is too light and minimal it may be too much for my foot to handle unless I have run several 20+ mile runs and know that it doesn’t cause my foot any unnecessary stress.
• Lightly Cushioned After running a marathon in my Brook Launch I knew that for a more serious race I would want to use a shoe with less cushioning.  When you hit mile 16+ in a long run or race, the accumulation of miles, sweat, fatigue, and foot swelling or changes (my shoes actually feel looser not tighter late in a run/race) cause as shoe with a moderate to high amount of cushioning feel far too sloppy for me and lack the amount of responsiveness that I want (especially when trying to hit a certain pace).
• Free From ANY Issues or Concerns If I have even a slight concern as to a rubbing spot, and weird pain, or just an uncomfortable fit with a shoe, I take it off and put on something that I know works until I can fiddle with it or just ditch it.  To me, a shoe is somewhat like when you are on a first date because you don’t always immediately know that it is right, but you definitely know when it is just wrong!  So if a shoe feels wrong to me in any way just walking in it, then it pretty much gets the axe.
• Responsiveness Being that I have run track and cross country for the past eight years, I am used to having a feather light, almost non-existent spike on during training and races.  This means that I have become accustomed to feeling the ground well and being able to respond to any inconsistencies in footing or surface really well.  Basically, I just like to be able to feel the ground and feel like I can turn, dodge something, or shift directions on a dime.  Maybe this isn’t as necessary in a marathon, but it is something that I look for anyhow.  It is one of those personal preference aspects of a shoe (as with most things) because many people don’t mind having so much between them and the ground that they could step on a nail and not know…not me.

Asia Shah-wow! I am going to be so ethnic ; )

Well, this past weekend was a surprisingly big one because I got engaged!  Even though we had been talking about it for a while and he knew that I was down with packing his snacks  and making nutella toast until the end of time, I was still shocked when it all went down.  Of course, I said yes and we are now on the long road to the big day.  I’m can’t wait to hear what ethnicity people who read my name prior to meeting me think I am.  Probably wouldn’t guess I’m a white girl with freckles haha.  Gus is really pumped too.  He was worried that he would always lack a male role model in his life and turn out liking the color pink and playing with girly toys…worry no more Gussy!

Here’s how it went down…

Kamran: “Hey, we should go to dinner tomorrow, maybe somewhere nicer.  We haven’t done that in a while.  Sushi?Ok, you call them and see about a reservation” (nonchalantly giving me the planning responsibility like it was any old weekend dinner).

Asia: “Ok!”

We ended up at Uchi, which was super exciting to me because I have always wanted to go.  After a brief wait in their outdoor area, we were in!  We sat at the chef bar and I am so glad that we did.  We were able to order directly from our chef and then watch him create the delicious dishes for us and some of the people around us.  Simply put, it was one of the best meals I have ever had and absolutely the best sushi that I have eaten.  Mmmm

I made him take pics, can you tell?

Oh yeah, work that good side Kam

How can this be beat?

Equally as delicious

We needed dessert of course, so it was a no-brainer for us to go to one of our favorite spots, Blue Dahlia.  It is a cute little French bistro on East 11th St. and it is home to Kamran’s favorite dessert around, chocolate mousse cake.  Three layers, dark, milk, and white chocolate  with seasonal berries.  Aka: Amazing.  I mentioned to him that we had gone there for dessert on our first date almost a year ago, which is pretty cute in hindsight.

Of course, upon arriving I had to go to the bathroom, so Kamran went ahead and ordered the cake for us.  We sat outside in their little garden area, which is really pretty and a great atmosphere.  When the cake came out I immediately noticed that the top was covered in thinly sliced strawberries, which it usually is not.  By the time she set it down in front of me I then noticed something else that has never appeared on the cake in the past, a freaking diamond ring!  Shock ensued, then me obsessively kissing Kam’s face and still freaking out.  All the while Kamran is expecting it to be on the side somewhere, so he was sitting there going “where is it?”  haha.  I didn’t even want to eat the dessert after that : )

Of course, we did eat the dessert and it was great.  After a late night we woke up extra early to get in a 16 mile run (good thing this was our down week!) and head to the airport to send his parents off on their trip.  It ended up being just us two on the run, which was all that I needed.

Holy mackerel!

One Step Closer to an Asia-Pretzel

Blue = Asia, Pink = Sydney ; )

Alright, let’s start out by getting one thing straight, I am not the yoga type.  In fact, my body may even fall into the anatomic category of non-yoga-compatible-muscle/bone interaction type.  It is new, so you might not have heard of it ; )  Basically, I am trying to get at just how inflexible I am and point out that this deficiency in flexibility is quite a handicap when someone is telling you to put your foot behind your head and balance on your other hand while pointing your left toes.  Be this as it may, I have been nagged by my mom for over a year to give yoga a try in order to ease some of my ongoing hamstring and hip tightness as I run more miles and move up to the marathon distance.  Owing to the fact that we are nearly carbon copies of one another, with her added height being one of the few exceptions, we have a lot of similarities in how our bodies are built and how this affects our running.  She has had a lot of relief from hip/hamstring issues since beginning a yoga routine, so it is easy to assume that I may benefit in similar ways.  Since I have more time to explore alternative training methods after graduating and moving from a controlled running environment in college to one in which I control all aspects of my running, I figured that it is as good a time as any to give yoga a try.

Ohmmm

Instead of going through my experiences at my first two classes in detail, I thought I would make a list of some of the things that I think I can gain (and did in just two classes) as a runner from doing yoga.  As a high mileage runner (hit my peak at 95, hold about 85 when not in base) I know that I have a tendency to focus my energy and place the most importance on my daily runs and workouts.  Even so, I know that  the other things that I do, such as lifting weights and stretching, keep injuries at bay while strengthening me in new and important ways that ultimately benefit my running and keep me healthy.  Here are a few things that I believe I, and all runners, can gain through practicing yoga either in a class setting or in a more abbreviated way at home:

• Increased flexibility: This is a biggie for me because I am not a naturally limber person to begin with and running tends to only make me tighter when I am not doing enough to keep my muscles loose and lengthened.  I am definitely not looking to become a contortionist or anything too extreme here, but I think that the ability to touch my toes would probably be good for me.
• Increased range of motion: It sounds like another way to phrase “increased flexibility”, but having a large range of motion is not entirely dependent on being flexible, and you can have one and not the other.  I have been told by my massage therapist that as a runner, my side to side range of motion is very good.  Due to the strictly forward-moving nature of running most runners don’t put enough emphasis on their ability to move laterally with control and strength as well as to open up their hips from side to side.  The years of agility training and plyometrics I have behind me for soccer as well as strength and conditioning in high school have managed to give me a good side to side range of motion in movement as well as static.  Even so, I see the movements and sustained poses of yoga as a great way to open up my hip and lower back muscles and joints so that they have a larger range of motion and ability to become stronger in holding those positions.  Most of what keeps someone from having a large range of motion is that the muscles responsible for these movements are weak because they are not called on often.  When it comes time for them to act as stabilizers in these movements, they simply aren’t able to do their jobs well because of the lack of practice.
• Improve core & overall strength: Most people look at me and think there is no way that I lift weights 2-3 times per week, but they are wrong.  Obviously, running marathons does not require the type of brute static strength that other sports do, but that does not mean that strength is not a factor.  I lift light weights and rarely pick up a bar, but I keep the weight light and the reps high in order to build lean muscle.  This muscle is used to lifting in a more endurance-based way that doesn’t completely deplete them in the process.  Almost all of my lifts, arms and legs, incorporate some core component that works my back and ab muscles in the process.  I am a believer that building a strong core (front & back) is essential for strong running, especially come mile 20 when fatigue hits.  This is where yoga comes in.  Holding yourself upright on one arm with one leg suspended and other poses actively engage all of the core muscles as stabilizers in order to keep from falling over.  This is something that I have to focus on when doing this because even though I have a strong core, it is not used to this new job of keeping things in place and maintaining balance.  To me it is exciting when an exercise makes me struggle because it does not usually happen with typical core work.  Introducing yoga has definitely allowed me to take my core (and arm and leg) strength to a new level that goes above and beyond what I do in the weight-room.
• Get the kinks out: One thing that I have found is that yoga is a great recovery workout the day of a hard workout or longer run because it opens up blood flow to the muscles that were fatigued earlier that day and flushes them out.  After a hard workout all most of us want to do is eat, drink, and lay on the floor, but having something easy on the body that gets things pumping again is a great way to open things up and ease your way into movement once again.  Sometimes finding time and the right match up with the class you want to do is tricky, but I find that doing some simple poses from what I learned in class and incorporating extra stretching into the routine allows me to get just as much out of it at home as well.  And my muscles thank me for it the next day when I get back on the roads again!
• Change my posture: Posture is something I have long thought I need to work on, but it isn’t just a matter of sitting up straight at the dinner table.  Improving posture, at least in my case, comes down to retraining my lower back and hip muscles to loosen up and adopt a more upright position as “home” when relaxed.  My pelvis tends to tilt forward, making me stick my butt out a bit and look like I am ready to line up for the 100m dash.  This puts extra strain on my hamstrings even when just standing in a relaxed position.  It is my hope that along with the exercises I have been given by my weight trainer, yoga will help to retrain these muscles to loosen up and make a more upright pelvic position their “home” over time.
• Relaxation & focus: I find that most of the people I plop down next to in a yoga class are much more granola looking and serene than I tend to be.  My movements are a bit more erratic and my personality does not really scream “zen” in any manner.  This made me feel like the elephant in the room at fist, but eventually I started to really revel in how slow and precise the movements were and how at ease you can feel if you just let your mind calm the f down (not always easy for me to stop thinking about a million things).  I was surprised and pleased at the mental calm I felt after my second class and think that this chill-out factor is something I have been missing.  As someone with a somewhat obsessive personality (I have a feeling some people will take issue with my use of the word “somewhat” here ; ), I take note of activities I do that bring things down from a boil to a simmer in my brain.  Running has always been my go-to for this feeling, and now I think that yoga (or even relaxed stretching at home) can be another outlet to get my mind right amidst the going-ons of life.

This is gonna be me one day!

A surprisingly large amount of people I know and meet have at least tried yoga before, but for those that have not (especially runners!) I feel like you owe it to yourself and body to give it a go.  The benefit of going even a few times is that learning a handful of general poses and positions can be all you need to keep the practice going at home.  I find paying $1o a class to be a bit much for my poor-post-college self, so I don’t see myself going more than once per week.  However, this doesn’t stop me from getting something out of the times that I do go to an organized class.  And besides, if you are like me and can’t always deal with listening to the psychedelic-energy-flow-musings of some woman who doesn’t shave on the regular, then at home yoga may be just the ticket : )

*Suggested classes to try if you are a beginner like me!

• Vinyasa
• Hatha+
• Yoga core
• Anything termed “yoga for runners/athletes”
• Kundalini
• Restorative yoga

*Suggested studios: (many more to explore that I have not been to)

• Black Swan Yoga (1114 W. 5th St) – donation based
• Eastside Yoga (1050 E. 11th St) – has a great beginners series
• Dane’s Body Shop (4227 Guadalupe St) - my first classes were here

Boston Qualifier/Race Prep #1 in the Bag

This past weekend Kamran and I made the journey up to the great state of Wisconsin to not only run the first race prep (of four) of our season but also to get my Boston Marathon 2011 qualifier.  Since CIM is too late to qualify, we planned on running a marathon in order to get the time, later substituting my faster time from CIM as my Boston seed.  This meant that I needed to run under 3:40, which given our easy paces and our goal pace, would not be an issue unless something quite unforeseen were to occur.  Thankfully, I did not get hit by a deer mid-stride or fall off the bridge we had to cross, so I made the time no problem and ran the longest run of my life (so far)!

Marathoner fail

Relaxing moment at my dad's place

The Fox Cities Marathon took place in Appleton, WI (near Green Bay), and I am from Madison, WI (1.5 hours South), so we got to enjoy the comforts of “home” for most of the trip and didn’t have to worry about rental cars, hotels, and being lost in a new place.  Ok, I’ll admit it.  My mom’s new house is not exactly in a super familiar area to me, so I did get us lost a few times and Kamran had to point the way, sad really.  One of the best parts of the trip was hearing the people speak with midwestern accents, something I don’t do near as much as most.  Somehow I managed to escape 18 years of being a Wisconsinite with only a few slightly nasal vowels and the incessant use of “you guys” in my repertoire.  Not sure how that happened, but I’ll take it!

We drove up to Appleton on Saturday prior to the race and had quite the digs waiting for us.  I had taken control of the hotel arrangements and decided that since this was not really a race, we could try something sort of new, like a cute little Inn ran by some of the most “Wisconsin-ish” people I have ever met.  When I say they were “wisconsin-ish” or “midwest-ish” I am referring to the amazing accent that the owner spoke with and the obsessively thorough and welcoming way that she beat me over the head with the details of my stay.  It was definitely a cute place and the woman was almost embarrassingly careful to tell me each detail at least five times.  We actually got upgraded to the deluxe Sea Breeze Suite.  I urge you, go to their site and look at all of the pictures because it is beyond belief.  The place slept eight, though we had to smuggle Kamran in since the woman somehow thought it would be me and my sister staying.  Well, not only do I not have a sister, but it was my mom and my boyfriend that would be accompanying me.  Oops.

We had to smuggle Kam in

Like being at the ocean...in Wisconsin

Come race morning the conditions were absolutely perfect for a race or hard workout effort.  It was 49 degrees and overcast and would not exceed 55-9 by the time we finished.  Getting to the start line was as smooth as silk due to the 1,000 marathoners involved in the event (including relay participants).  We were able to park within 200m and get into the bathrooms with no wait.  Now that’s what I call a stress-free race.  Once lined up, we quietly listened as the young woman singing the national anthem only mildly struggled, and then it was go time!

Dressed and ready to rock!

Pinning craziness

Within the first 400m we waved and yelled to my mom as we drifted comfortably into the herd that was dilligently following the 3:15 pace man.  Clicking off 7:20-25 through the first five miles was relatively uneventful and just before mile five I threw my hat and was ready to work.  I really had no idea what to expect going into this workout because I had never run 26.2 miles or done 15 miles of quality in the midst of a run, so it was untrodden territory for me.  It was immediately apparent to me that my fueling skills leave much to be desired and that I will need to perfect them in the coming weeks.  Mostly I struggle with taking in water while moving at 6:18 pace, which is understandable I think.  Regretfully, I did not force the issue with myself and cruised through the first set without taking anything in besides a few sips.  We came through these first ones right at 6:21, 6:24, 6:19, 6:12, 6:15 and felt pretty smooth.  At this point I made my way to the bushes and dropped trow to quick rid myself of the little water I had taken in…uh oh.  Making it quick we still made the recovery mile at 7:40, and I think I managed to show a little of my moon to the three guys behind us.  Whoops, guess that’s what happens when your shorts have GU packs pinned to them and take a bit more umph to bring up.

Gotta have the nutella or he will not turn on properly, like when you overheat your laptop

Kamran and my mom had to restrict my peanut butter eating, they worried for my tummy

After dropping two electrolyte pills on the way to the second set and managing a GU and some water, we stared the set.  Miles one through three were right on at 6:16, 6:26, 6:20 before a rather nasty cramp hit my ab/tummy area.  We made a game-time decision to go one mile and manage the stitch before going into 2×3 miles at pace.  The first mile saw us on pace and then I decided to hold to 6:30-45 since it was still hurting me (and I choked on some rather sugary gatorade ha!) and just push through it.  As I saw Kamran’s little booty sashay away from me for a bit (we would regroup each one and then run in together) I was proud of myself in that I did not for a minute give up my focus or intent on pushing the miles and doing what I could do that day.  I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t execute the plan that we had made, but in hindsight I think I probably learned more than I would have if it had gone perfectly.  Since I know my fitness is there, I felt ok just dealing with what the day had for me and finishing strong (after my momentary hissy fit, that is).  It was amazing to me how comfortable it felt to just click off 6:30-45′s and be within myself.  Besides the initial onset of the cramp that struck me, I felt pretty strong and in control all the way until one mile to go when I felt the faster paces catching up to me a bit.  My legs didn’t really want to run another mile, but that’s how it goes every race from the 3k to marathon.  Good think Kamran was there to hear me complain ; ) Once we rounded the corner at mile 26 and the band started up with On Wisconsin, Kamran and I grabbed hands and finished together : )

Awaiting our post-race massages!

Above everything else, this race was a tremendous learning experience for me.  Each mile gave me new insight and perspective not only on the race but also on my training and how best to maximize the time that I have before my first marathon race at CIM.  Here are a few of the things that I came away with from this race.  Some are procedural (fueling correctly) while others are more personal things that I now have confidence that I can do.

• My race hydration needs improvement I need to focus on hydrating early to stay ahead of my body’s loss of electrolytes and liquid (not really new, but the point was definitely driven home).  I am very good at keeping hydrated during the day and leading up to races, but since I never took a sip of water during a single race in high school or college, this is not something I am used to (or good at , yet).  No worries though, I think that with the training runs and race preps we have between us and CIM I will have plenty of time to perfect the art.
• My GU technique is right for me My GU technique of taking it slowly, not all at once, and taking a sip after it is down is ideal for keeping my pace up during the intake.  I know that I can not (or don’t want to) handle downing the whole thing in one gooey-gag-filled gulp, so I will stick to my way until it is proven ineffective.
• My mental toughness is better than I had thought I CAN push through the fog of bad times and I keep calm when my paces aren’t ideal.  When I focus on giving the best I can at that moment rather than forcing a certain time, it helps bump me back in the game much better than stressing about the split and overcompensating (like I used to in track).
• I am capable of maintaining sub-6:30 or right at 6:30 for 26.2 miles I really got a feel for what that pace and that distance meant.  Even though I wasn’t racing, I felt what it really is to just slowly grind the miles away, and I feel that I am right in the ballpark of a sub-2:50 race if all things work out perfectly and a 2:50 range race if I decided to be a bit more conservative (may change as I progress, but this is where my current mind sees my body).  Prior to this race I never really knew what I could do.  I had confidence that I could one day hit a sub 2:50 and hopefully near 2:40, but I just didn’t have a reference to how that felt or if my body was capable of handling it.  Well, I am happy to be a believer now!
• Miles start to click by like laps on a track This is a relief to me because I used to think the race seemed sooo long, but now I have a very relaxed approach to it that is more of a mindset that I can lock into.  Hitting 15 miles and knowing I had 11 to go was not remotely intimidating or scary.  I think this is attributable to the increased length of my long runs lately.  It just really changes your frame of mind to where “10 to go” is no different than “2 laps to go” on the track.  You know it’s gonna hurt and that it won’t be easy, but you also know that you will make it one way or another and that you will die trying to keep your current pace.
• It’s never too late to get back on the train During my track and cross country careers it always seemed like once you fell of the lead pack it was over and you were to die a slow death fading to the back, but like in the 10k, there will always be peaks and valleys throughout the marathon and it is always possible to get things back on track after a bad patch.  I realized this once I began to pick it up much more than I thought I’d be able to and felt better after feeling worse.  It is like they say in the 10k, “ride the wave,” which basically refers to the random points in a long race when your body suddenly and unexpectedly recovers after a low and you feel great.  You’ve got to just ride that feeling (on pace, not faster) and make it as far as it will push you before another dip of still water comes and starts to drown you.

Once it was all said and done Kamran and I crossed the line at 3:02:44 and I ended up being 4th for the women.  Too bad I didn’t win some toilet paper ; )

That leads me to our goodie bags.  Oh what a joy and freak-fest these little bags became as I emptied the contents later that night.  When the women handed us our bags they gave us another little bag that was all brightly patterned and seemed like it must house something quite amazing inside.  This really could not be further from the truth.  As I opened the bag the true nature of its contents slowly dawned on me before even taking them out of their place.  We had recieved a package of fluorescent tampons and pads.  Both Kamran and I were probably thinking the same thing at this point, “Hmm.  Well, everything else in the bag will be much better by default”.  Wrong again my friends.  Opening the female bladder control products was almost not surprising at this point and put a damper on my goodie bag opening frenzy.  There were some pluses awaiting though, such as a nice stainless water bottle, some Huggies wipes (always good for sweaty run clean-up), packets of Kleenex, and a Cottonelle brand stuffed dog.  F-yeah!  If you really need me to point out the fact that the marathon was sponsored by a paper product company (Kimberly Clark), then I am sorry, but I will not.

This trip ranks extremely high on my list of “trips I have taken back to Wisconsin and the cold since leaving as quickly as I possibly could once I graduated from high school”.  Without a doubt : )

Cottonelle puppy, weird

Mom and me posing at the inn

Yesss!

Kamrasia has arrived

24 miles & it’s allll good : )

This past Saturday marked my longest long run to date, and I am feeling good and strong looking forward to Fox Cities, CIM, and eventually Boston.  The last three long runs have looked like this:  22.5, 22, 24.  I was definitely shocked at how good I felt throughout the whole 24 miler and the fact that I didn’t feel run down the next day when we did 11 and then a gym workout.  It seems to me that my body has finally began to adapt to the redistribution of miles that I’ve been throwing at it since my days of high intensity track and cross-country workouts.  Even though my mileage is still up in the mid-80′s, it is much heavier on long run day and medium long run day.  Along with this, I don’t think I’ve run less than ten miles for a run in quite some time.

This past week saw us begin our quality work with a soft entry of a 7 mile steady run.  Keeping it relaxed and comfortable on the way out we (Chris and I ran together for most of it) were able to notch a 6:09 pace overall with a ten second negative split on the second half of the out-and-back run.  Not bad!  I cannot describe how much I LOVE doing steady runs, tempos, and track work.  It is my preferred bread-n-butter, so it is a little sad that it is not such a huge component of marathon training as compared to 5k and 10k.  That’s ok though, because I have been enjoying the long runs and workouts so much as I’ve come to feel better and better each week.  Hopefully these adaptations continue and my body can find a balance that helps me crush these races!

Heading into CIM I plan to hold at a max of 85 miles per week, whereas during this past year I hit 90 and above quite frequently, I am going to wait until my Boston build-up to fiddle with 90-ish instead of adding more at this point.  Being my first marathon and race of such a prolonged distance, I want to maintain something doable and comfortable so that I can really learn the training and race distance and adjust from there.  With a lot of years ahead of me to perfect how I train and race and to optimize my personal strengths and improve on my weaknesses I feel absolutely no pressure to rush through this phase of discovery.  Being that I know my body is capable of handling 90+ miles without injury (while I’m icing, stretching, and listening to my body that is) I think I will be able to focus in the next few years on pace and overall strength without having to keep adding miles and worrying about their effects.

This coming Sunday is going to be a blast.  Kamran and I are headed up to Wisconsin to run the Fox Cities Marathon in Appleton (near Green Bay).  The only real reason for this race entry is because my “A” marathon race is in December, which is too late to qualify and sign-up for Boston 2011.  It works out perfectly with our macro cycle of training too because this weekend is when our first race-prep (long, hard marathon simulation) is scheduled.  Our “race” will look something like this:  4-6 mile warm-up, 3×5 miles at MGP (marathon goal pace) w/ 3-5 min (or 1 mile for simplicity) recovery, and then cool-down the 4 or so miles remaining in the marathon.  At this point we have been targeting a 2:45 as our goal time, which puts each mile right around 6:18.  Being that it is early, this may change a bit between now and the race as we reflect on our workouts and fitness levels.  I think more of a 6:30 is realistic for my first race, but then again, I will definitely not limit myself if a 6:18 is looking doable come race day.

The other fun aspect of our trip (and one of the main reasons that we chose this particular race) is that it is less than two hours from my hometown.  We will be able to stay at my house, see my family and have some of them come to cheer us on and witness the longest run of my life thus far!  My brother lives in Green Bay, so a meal and catch-up with him is on the books as well.  Should be a great time to show Kamran what the midwest is all about as well, minus the cold, snow, and complete discomfort that will show up about a month after we leave.  Lucky us!

When Plants Attack!

If you are of the outdoorsy persuasion, have been forced on a family camping trip, or simply have been near woods and plants in your lifetime, then you probably have heard this mantra, “leaves of three, leave it be,” but you may not have been shown how insufficient this bit of rhyme really is.  In the past year, I have been shown the wrath of poison foliage on three lovely occasions in which I went out for a run and returned contaminated with the oils of one of mother nature’s most uselessly horrendous creations.  Now I am pretty sure that no where in Dante’s Inferno was there official mention of poison ivy, oak, or sumac attacking the body and causing one to writhe in pain and itching like needles piercing the body, but I am sure that it was simply overlooked and that it lines the entire circumference of the ninth circle of hell.  I may need to do some fact-checking on this, but I am pretty certain ; )

Why rant about poison ivy?  Well, several reasons actually.  The first being that it has bred thousands of wives tales, myths, rumors, and home remedies over the years and spawned an entire offshoot of the first-aid/beauty care industry.  It seems every company wants a hand in making “Special Cocoa Butter Poison Ivy Soap” and “Anti-Itch Serum made of Poppy and Aloe” and any other variation of random plants, herbs, and pretty smells to blind you to the fact that they do not work.  This has vexed me time and again when in my panic I purchase five different products only to question my sanity by the time I arrive home from CVS.  Blasted advertising and pretty labels filled with lies!

Second, and I think most importantly, each doctor that I have seen regarding the quarter-sized boils of pus protruding from my body have given me differing “facts”, advice, and medication (or lack there of) to combat the problem.  Being that science as well as medicine are not exact and research on such topics is constant, I won’t be too hard on them, but it is frustrating when popular culture and rumors cloud what science has proven (or dis-proven).  Here are some of the things that doctors have told me about treating and dealing with poison ivy:

• It is spread easily by contact with the rash, so washing everything you own and touching it to nothing is best.
• Steroids (shots, pills, and creams) will make it respond immediately and not itch
• Popping the pus blisters will spread it immediately to wherever the liquid touches

Competing advice/facts by other doctors:

• Once you have poison ivy nothing will stop the reaction because it is an allergic reaction that will run its course
• Steroids will not cause it to heal faster or make you feel better sooner
• Blisters, touching, itching cannot spread the poison because once you’ve gotten the oils off of you the areas that are affected or become affected were touched by the original oils and just reacting later (thin skin reacts first, thicker skin takes a bit to react)

Obviously, there are many opinions being thrown around even by health professionals about what the best treatment is for contact dermatitis due to poison ivy.  I don’t think there is necessarily one way to go about it and the fact that everyone reacts to a different degree doesn’t make generalizing the treatment any easier.  Knowing that I have a particularly severe reaction to the plant makes me lean a bit towards throwing everything at it and seeing what sticks, but I think most people can get away with being smart about reacting to the contact quickly and seriously so that they don’t end up being a giant puss bubble with one eye like me.

After all of my experiences with severe reactions and discomfort for two weeks getting over the rash, itch, and medication cloud, I have come out the other end with advice for the average person who just doesn’t want to suffer from the effects of the toxic oils covering this (and other) plants.  So, here are some things that you should do to minimize the effects of the contact made to these plants.

• First of all, I hate when people say “oh, you have up to 20 minutes to wash thoroughly with soap and water before the oils sink in and can cause the reaction later”.  Why?  Because who in the world actually realizes they’ve touched the plant when they do?  Not me.  In fact, I usually don’t know until a day or two later.  So, if you are lucky enough to spot it as it happens or suspect it within that time period, wash all affected areas with soap and water and hope that does it.
• For those of you like me who simply run through it, take a potty break near it during a long run, or have no freaking clue how you contacted it, here are some tips…
• 1)  As soon as you know/think you have it…take a shower.  Wash your sheets, clothes you were wearing that day and when you think it got on you (if you have a clue).  Wipe shoes or possessions with lysol wipes or alcohol.  Don’t go crazy wiping everything in sight, just the things you truly believe were with/on you at the time.  No time for paranoia or that is another thing you will need to treat.
• 2)  Take Benadryl if you don’t need to drive.  This can ease the histamine reaction.  It definitely will not fix anything or prevent what is inevitable, but it can aid with itching and swelling to some degree and grant you time in case a doctor’s visit is needed.
• 3)  If you are home and won’t traumatize those around you, wear nothing but a towel (depending on where it is located, mine was everywhere, so it was necessary).  If you wrap a towel tightly around your torso, the pressure against the aggravated skin actually helps it to not itch.  If you don’t have it tight, loose clothing and air hitting your body is enough to send you into an itching storm.  Keeping the towel tightly wrapped while sleeping (or attempting to) was a lifesaver for me.
• 4)  Take hot baths.  To my knowledge, this is supposed to bring things to the surface of your skin as your pores open up and flush some of the toxins out as well as aid (temporarily) with the itching.  Not a fix, just a way to survive for a while.
• 5)  If possible, get a prescription for a steroid cream to apply up to 5x daily to the affected locations.  It doesn’t stop the itch, but it helps to dry out the rash quicker and promote healing.  Definitely annoying if you have a large area affected (I’d say 40% or more of my body was covered at one point) but worth it.
• 6)  Finally, look pathetic enough for your significant other, mom, dad, roommate or friends to feel the need to bring you food, coffee, and other pleasantries.  It won’t make it itch less or go away quicker, but it may make you smile for about a minute throughout the day.

Obviously, I am as far from a doctor as one can get, but I think the above suggestions are worth trying if you get poison ivy and either don’t get medication or the medication is not enough (which it never is).  With this experience, the past time that I got the rash it lasted maybe two days and was not even worth whining about, which is a far cry from the boils I’ve had in the past.  This can be attributed to acting fast and knowing what to take the time doing and what to consider simply a waste of time.

Austin parks, trails, and even roadsides are COVERED in poison ivy and its relatives (sumac, oak, etc), so if you are allergic or don’t know if you are…BEWARE!

Asia Apple-Seed

Today is the official start of the “Asia eats 100 apples by 2011 challenge” and I’m still not sure how this came about.  The good thing is, it really won’t be a huge lifestyle change for me as I tend to eat at least one apple per day as is.  The real difficulty will be choosing an apple over some of the other amazing fall fruits that are ripening at this time.  Lately, nectarines, peaches, and blueberries have been pretty yummy and fresh, so I will have to be strong and allow for the apple to prevail in all fruit snacking choices.  Then again, I will probably just eat both.

How did I get myself into such a random and ridiculous challenge you ask?  Well, a friend of mine has been chipping away at his own challenge of consuming 100 milkshakes in the year 2010.  He is well on his way and seems to be making a great pace to complete with no issues, if he doesn’t become lactose intolerant before then due to milk overload.  I suggested to him that even though he is extremely active, he may want to pick a more health-promoting challenge for the year of 2011, such as smoothies.  He pointed out that he likes smoothies, so it would not be much of a challenge for him, but that maybe eating 300 apples would be more appropriate.  Quick to dismiss this idea I mentioned that I eat at least 300 apples a year, and this is where things spiraled into my own challenge of eating 100 apples in the remainder of 2010.  Being that I have over 100 days to complete this challenge, I figure I will aim for an apple a day and exceed the goal.  That would be pretty respectable I think.  Then again, I know there are times when certain foods don’t strike my fancy, so it may be more of a challenge than I think at times.  Who knows, and who really cares.  It is all for random, weird, oddball fun anyhow.

I did have the idea of one day combining this type of personal challenge with my training and somehow making it a fundraising opportunity for those who follow to give to a certain local charity.  Seems like it could motivate people to give to a good cause if I commit to doing something worth seeing for a year.  Not sure how that will work out, but I will think on it until 2011 and keep you posted!

Until then, look for my apples with pictures and descriptions on FB/Twitter and see how sick of them I am by the end of December.  Hopefully my overdosing doesn’t cause my future children to be deathly allergic or have an irrational fear of apples : )

Dinner in the RAW

Last night we had some friends over for dinner (and rockband of course) and ended up cooking an entirely raw meal.  My friend Sydney is experimenting with one month of straight, strictly raw eating.  I wasn’t going to let her eat salad all night, so I decided to make a recipe that I found in the August edition of Edible Austin.  Zucchini Raw Fredo is the name of what I made, and man was it good!  By now I have probably lost around 86% of those who began reading this post, but that is ok because those with open minds and non-discriminating bellies are my audience anyhow ; )

Sydney brought a great big salad with fresh Fredericksburg mini tomatoes, sugar snap peas, and cucumber.  She made a great gazpacho with Brazil nuts, dates, and beautiful heirloom tomatoes.  Both were amazing!  Muz surprised us by bringing one of my faves, curried kale chips mmmm.  Everything was delicious, fresh, and healthy.  What’s not to love?

Here are some pics of the food and preparations…

Syd's gazpacho & salad in the making

Curry kale chips & cashew sauce

Syd's gazpacho, so yummy!

All put together, bon appetit!

During dinner we decided to put on the Godfather Part II, which didn’t last long because we were in a much more feisty mood, one that included some rockin’ out.  We started up the PS3 and raged our hearts out, yeah man yeah \m/

If you have never tried any raw recipes or think that it must taste somewhat like tree bark seasoned with dirt, then you should really look into at least trying it…after stepping off your pedestal made of meat and cooked food, of course.  I did, and I don’t regret it.