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Two-a-days

December 10, 2010 by 2 Comments

First up, Emily had an awesome post about the marathon that the contestants on The Biggest Loser run at the end of the season. Emily has run five marathons and has a major complaint that the show portrays marathons as the ultimate example of fitness, when you can be fit and healthy without running a marathon. And they train for it all wrong. Read her post here. I love it.

Two a day yoga:

You would think that in the week post half marathon, a two-a-day would not be smart. But two yoga classes in one day sounded like a good idea.

I did one class in the early morning, and I knew it would be a gentle stretchy class and not a sweaty flowy one. And the second one was a Candlelight Yoga class at the Lululemon store at night. That one had over 100 people and we were squished in like sardines, feet in face style. I also knew that one wouldn’t be too hard to cater to every style in an open class. Both were great to stretch my muscles and gently let me move around.

I also did a Crossfit class but used lighter weights than usual. My right outer knee is a little twingy, not because of the class. Hopefully it will go away soon. I did two quarter mile laps in the class, and definitely still sore and not ready to run, not that I was expecting much more.

Upcoming goals:

I decided on the Dallas race at the beginning of December because I thought it would be a great time to do the race before the holidays, since December is a good time to take a break and rest your body. I am definitely glad the race is over and I can give my body a rest.

However, there are two half marathons on January 30, and I have my eye on signing up but I haven’t done it yet. I also haven’t tried a short run, but it’s a little too early for that.

I really want to do the Chevron Aramco Houston Half Marathon on that day, but registration is full. I also heard that it’s not a great spectator half marathon, and that was one part I really liked about Dallas.

If you hear of anyone selling their entry, I’m looking to buy!

The other one that day is in Austin, but I’d rather stay in Houston if I can get in.

I am also going to keep doing more yoga because I really think it helps with leg pains, and CrossFit to build strong muscles is important too! During the race when my feet got tired, I was thankful that other parts were still working hard, including my arms to keep swinging and my core to hold me up.

So that is my plan for the next two months, assuming a half marathon is added to the calendar.

What are your goals for the holidays?

Filed Under: Exercise, Half Marathon, Houston, Yoga · Tagged With: , , , , ,

Dallas White Rock Half Marathon Recap

December 5, 2010 by 28 Comments

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Well friends, I did it! I am a half marathoner!

Thank you so much for the kind tweets, Facebook messages, emails, and well wishes. I thought about all the people I’d have to report back to when I finished and the people thinking about me as I ran. I love having a blog to connect with such caring people.

2010 was a big year for me and running, starting with watching the Houston Marathon last January, running my first 10K at the end of February, another 10K in May, signing up for this race in June, thinking I could start to train in crazy heat, and then finally getting my groove with increasing mileage.

I am really proud of myself and had a great race. I finished in 2 hours, 46 minutes, but here’s the story of why I also count 2:26 as a personal time for this race too.

The beginning:

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The morning started off as usual with two pieces of toast, peanut butter, and half a banana. I actually slept pretty well and woke up around 5:30 a.m. The weather was COLD — the coldest I have felt this season. I have probably never run in these temperatures ever. It was about 38 when we got to the start and maybe 48 by the end of the race. I wore three layers at the start, shed one before the gun, and a second around Mile 10.

At the expo, I bought Zensah calf sleeves and a thicker headband that covers my ears. Both were awesome, even though I tried them out on race day and you aren’t supposed to do that. The calf sleeves helped keep my legs warm, and I had no shin pain while running. Love those. And the headband never moved under my hat. Great purchases. I also used KT Tape on my left IT Band, but I don’t know if it did anything.

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The beginning started fine, the crowds were awesome, the race was well organized, and it was fun. I couldn’t feel my toes for about 1/2 mile, but it came back! Jeffrey was the race photographer and he got some great shots!

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Around mile 2.5, my left knee got stiff like it used to when my IT Band would rebel, so I stopped for a second and shook it, bent it, and then kept going. Then I had a little talk with it telling it I was the boss and it would not screw me up and mess up my day. For the whole rest of the race, it was like a dull pain or no pain. I told it who the boss was. There were some choice words toward that muscle too. Dull pain has nothing on me. I also liked the sign I saw saying “Pain is weakness leaving the body.”

Spectators:

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I saw my parents and Jeffrey at Mile 3.5, 7, 8 and then the finish. So fun to see familiar faces because I didn’t recognize any other racers or spectators! The spectator strangers who read names on bibs and cheered for me by name were so nice. Lots of High 5′s. I learned a lot about how to be great spectators, like the homeowner who let a girl inside to use their bathroom or the little girl who had a sign that said “I hope you win.” Loved the Kleenex people too. Another great sign was “Way to be the best at exercising” and a girl had this on her back: “Dear Gd, I hope someone is behind me to read this.”

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I actually felt great the whole time. I loved the Turtle Creek, Uptown, and Beverly Drive parts of the course. So many people out, pretty houses, pretty ponds and trees. Wide, well-paved roads. My legs got heavy near the last 5K, but my Garmin said my pace was still not slowing, meaning I was just feeling slower than I was. I took 3 Shot Bloks through the second half of the race, and also drank a lot of water and some Gatorade. Also one orange slice around Mile 11.

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Stats:

The only annoying part about the race was that my Garmin said I was way ahead of the mile markers even from the beginning. I honestly don’t know how it happened, because by the end, it said I ran 14.88 miles! It really messed up the race pace reported and how fast it said I was. Here are my Garmin stats:

  • 1,00:10:06 (talk about coming out a little too fast!)
  • 2,00:10:58
  • 3,00:11:09
  • 4,00:11:16
  • 5,00:11:01
  • 6,00:11:12
  • 7,00:11:16
  • 8,00:11:24
  • 9,00:11:24
  • 10,00:11:17
  • 11,00:11:15
  • 12,00:11:18
  • 13,00:11:25
  • 14,00:11:27
  • 15,00:09:56

Summary:

  • time: 02:46:31
  • mileage: 14.88
  • avg pace: 11:11
  • heart rate: 161-189
  • calories: 1,625 !!

My pace was awesome! I haven’t continuously run this steady in the 11′s during the whole training cycle. I was so happy and surprised I was maintaining a pace under 11:30/mile. But the race pace says I was 12:42. My primary goal was to finish, and secondary was to finish under 2:30. My Garmin said I did that at 2:26, so for comparison purposes to other runs done with this Garmin, I was so happy about that.

I really don’t know how I took so many extra steps. I know the rules about running the tangents, not weaving, etc. I bought the Garmin at Luke’s Locker and will probably go there and ask what they think.

The End:

The end was awesome. The last mile coincided with the marathon, so we ran side by side with marathoners finishing a sub-3 hour marathon. That was pretty cool. And the finish line crowds were way bigger than I expected. I got my heat blanket, finisher t-shirt, race medal, took my picture, ate another banana, and found my family.

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My legs hurt SO BAD right now, but that’s ok! I really pushed it the whole time. Very little walking, probably less than 0.1 mile total. I have one little blister on my right middle toe (?!), and a lot of pains on my shins, outer knees, outer hips, and the tops of my feet (?!). It’s too bad our house has a lot of stairs. I can barely walk on flat surfaces, much less up and down steps.

I will do another post about some things I learned from this training process, but for now, I’m enjoying my accomplishment. And one more thing–I loved spectators saying “Go runner!” I really felt like a runner. They were talking to me!

P.S. I finally met Dorry, a blog friend in Dallas who also ran the half with her husband. Go check out her site for her race recap! She is far more speedy than me! So fun to meet blog friends in real life and run the same race together. Now we are real life friends.

Filed Under: Dallas, Half Marathon, Running · Tagged With: , ,

It’s Half Marathon Week!

November 28, 2010 by 12 Comments

Welcome back from Thanksgiving. I wrote about our trip to San Antonio here and here. It was nice to spend part of the weekend with my family and part with Jeffrey’s back in Houston. And see friends and shop too!

This week is very busy–there’s another holiday! We have Hanukkah, then we’re driving to Dallas for the Dallas Run the Rock Half Marathon! I can’t believe the week is here, and I hope my legs are rested and ready. I am still exercising but not really running. I know my legs can handle it, I just want to keep them happy. Maybe a short 2 miles, we’ll see. I will do two days of Crossfit like normal, then cross training of elliptical and maybe yoga one day. And nothing on Friday and Saturday.

I haven’t been checking the weather forecast yet. It’s too crazy around here between 40s and back to 70s.

I have a new article in CultureMap about local grocery store Rice Epicurean Markets. Check it out:

Rice Epicurean Markets Succeeds by Staying Small and Thinking Big


Squash with Farro and Dried Cranberries

This year I wanted to make something to bring to our family Thanksgiving. I saw a recipe in Everyday With Rachael Ray magazine using squash and farro and wanted to try my own variation on it. I was intrigued by farro, which is a grain that looks like barley and cooks in about 15 minutes on the stove. I heard it’s hard to find in regular groceries, or expensive if you can find it. But I found a large bag for $8 at Costco. I guess you’ll be seeing a lot of farro if we like it!

This dish makes a lot because squash are so big, and is a beautiful side dish, or would be great on top of a bed of spinach. It also is easy to transport because you can put it in a bowl, refrigerate, transport, and serve in the same bowl.

Mixed Squash with Farro and Dried Cranberries

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Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 C farro
  • 1 butternut squash, cut in half and seeds scooped out (save them)
  • 1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeds scooped out (save them)
  • 3/4 C craisins
  • Parsley

Instructions:

  • For squash: In two oven safe baking dishes, place squash cut side down in 1/4 inch water. Bake on 400* for 40 minutes. They should be fork tender when you take them out.

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  • Rinse and drain the squash seeds then place them on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 10 minutes at 400*. Watch them carefully so they don’t burn. Remove from oven, place in bowl to cool.

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  • For farro: Rinse farro in strainer with water. Add to pot with 4.5 C water (ratio is 1 part grain to 3 parts water). Bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes. Should have a little bite. Strain and set aside.
  • To combine: When everything has cooked and cooled, add squash to a large mixing bowl. Add farro, craisins, squash seeds, and parsley. Stir to combine. Add in salt and pepper (about 1 tsp each).

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What’s your favorite song to run to?

Filed Under: Half Marathon, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian · Tagged With: , , ,

My Pesky IT Band

November 21, 2010 by 4 Comments

It’s the week of Thanksgiving, hooray! Lots of cooking, baking, and crowded grocery stores now through December 31. I really liked the comments from Friday’s post about what we’re thankful for. Read it here and leave a comment.

CultureMap story:

I had another piece published over the weekend on CultureMap. If you’re in Houston and not cooking for Thanksgiving, check out the story to see who you can call to make your meal for you.

On the blog:

I played with my blog pages and made the text easier to read. On my About Me page, view my completed published work. The Exercise/Race Recap page has a link to some of my favorite fitness related posts. The Houston page has reviews separated by food or fitness, and the Recipes page has links to all of my all star meals.

Cupping and the Pesky IT Band:


Back story: Two Sundays ago, I ran 10 miles as my last long run for the Dallas Half Marathon in two weeks. My left IT Band was aggravated at Mile 9, and then I took a lot of days off from running and trying to rest the muscle.

The same weekend, Caitlin at Healthy Tipping Point hurt her IT Band too. Her husband owns a holistic wellness center and is a doctor of oriental medicine and  recommended cupping on her leg. See her posts here and here to read her explanation of cupping. It’s much more detailed.

Cupping is not a practice by TSA security employees at large airports…it is an ancient practice of placing bulbs on irritated areas on the body to break up the “junk” under the skin. I went to a normal day spa in Houston where they do facials, massages, etc. and also offer cupping as an added service. It was not painful at all, did not involve fire or bruising. The bulbs looked like glass candle votives, and they were moved around my left knee area, above and below the area that it hurt. It felt like a small vacuum was pulling on my skin. It lasted for about 30 minutes.

I won’t say that it didn’t work, because I didn’t think it would be a quick fix, but I was hoping to feel a little release or relaxed muscle. I didn’t feel any different at all. It definitely didn’t hurt anything, but I think the pressure from a deep tissue massage would have felt better and more intense.

A Saturday jog:

Last week I was excited to run for two hours, this weekend I was excited to run for 20 minutes. It is amazing how views change! On Saturday morning, I ran on the treadmill for 20 minutes and didn’t have any pain. Then I did a 60 minute wonderful yoga stretch class with the same instructor that I wrote about here. It was 60 minutes of stretching with a lot of focus on hips, hamstrings and other leg muscles that had no vinyasas or warriors. It’s been really nice to get a great stretch in a different type of class than I’m used to. And I love it when the focus is on leg muscles.

I was very happy for a 20 minute pain free jog, but I am not optimistic that the pain won’t come back. :/ It has been a real bummer.

However, I have realized that the IT Band is not the worst injury you can have. Well it is when you want to run your first half marathon in two weeks that has been on the calendar for 6 months and is something I never thought I’d be able to do…But I can walk, lift weights, do yoga and move without a limp or pain. I promised my legs that I will be nicer to them after the half marathon, but I really want to run this thing.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving week ritual?

We decorate cookies on Wednesday night with the whole family and I can’t wait!

Filed Under: Exercise, Half Marathon, Injuries, Running, Thanksgiving, Thoughts · Tagged With: , , , , ,

An Unperfect 10

November 14, 2010 by 15 Comments

Tyler Florence Talks Turkey

On Saturday, I did one of the coolest things I’ve gotten to do as a food blogger/writer. Food Network chef and super cute cookbook author Tyler Florence came to Houston to do a cooking demo and cookbook signing, and I got to do a short interview with him for CultureMap. I asked one question and he talked for five minutes about how to cook a turkey, and then time was up, so that is what my story was about.

My story on him is linked here. I’m really proud of it! It was fun to research, interivew, and write in a very short period of time.

I need your help!

This morning, I went out for 10 miles, my new longest distance! The Dallas White Rock Half Marathon is three weeks away, and I decided to do my longest run today. Before this one, my longest was 9.3 two weeks ago. The goal was 10 miles, the A+ goal if I was feeling great was 10.5 or 11.

First, I started with a usual breakfast of toast with peanut butter and banana. I forgot I had these cute plates, they’re fun, huh?

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The morning was chilly and cloudy. I was happy about that because I need some practice in cold weather. I wore leggings on the bottom, and a tank top with long sleeved shirt over it, and a hat. At mile 3, I circled back to my car to drop off the hat and long sleeved shirt. It was still chilly without the long sleeved shirt, but I just didn’t want it anymore.

I also wore my SpiBelt which is very handy, but still dorky, in my opinion. I had 3 Shot Bloks in it, $5 and Kleenex. I also wore my Garmin gear and iPod.

None of the miles felt easy, my legs felt heavy, but not painful…until Mile 9.

Other than the last mile, my pace was actually a tad faster than previous long runs. I was trying to stay faster than 12 min/mile, and besides mile 9, I only slowed below it once. So that’s good. And I’m very happy for going 10.1 miles! It was really hard, but I did it.

Now to the really bad last mile…my outer left knee started hurting, and it was a familiar pain from six months ago. When I felt it before, it was during the Bagel Run 10K and it stayed with me the whole race, but I ran through it. After, I realized it was the bottom of my IT Band where it hits the knee. I started foam rolling more, running outside more (because I trained for that race mostly inside), and the pain stayed away until today. I don’t know why it came back, and I don’t know if it will go away.

That is my sad mile 9 story, but the pace wasn’t too slow for a mix of run, walk, and stretch. Right now I’m icing, foam rolling, and will not run for a few days. I guess I’ll see what happens when I start up again and if it comes back. Say a little prayer that it was a one-time flare up and it will go away.

Here are my splits:

Mile 1: 11:29
Mile 2: 11:48
Mile 3: 11:47
Mile 4: 11:50
Mile 5: 12:07
Mile 6: 11:50
Mile 7: 11:52
Mile 8: 11:45
Mile 9: 11:53
Mile 10:12:19
Mile 10-10.11: 01:21

Total time: 2 hrs, Average heart rate 152, Burned 1060 calories

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At the end, I came home, iced and foam rolled, and then got some lunch. Today was a turkey sandwich and fruit from Brown Bag Deli. Anything tastes good after 10 miles, but I really like Brown Bag.
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If you have tips or encouragement about my annoying misbehaving stubborn left leg, leave a comment!
I will be really sad if it stays around until the Dallas Half and messes up the race.
Filed Under: Breakfast, Exercise, Half Marathon, Injuries, Lunch, Restaurants, Running · Tagged With: , , , ,

Training Update

November 10, 2010 by 7 Comments

My first half marathon is less than one month away, and I feel like I’m almost ready. I made a very rough training plan where I planned to run two days per week plus cross training of CrossFit that sometimes includes short runs, and I’m mixing in yoga, elliptical machine, and swimming. I take 1-2 days off per week, usually one. I still have hip pains, but my shin pain is less than it used to be, and I’m just hoping nothing else comes up.

I watched the movie The Spirit of the Marathon on the plane ride back from San Francisco, and it’s a great story of different types of runners as they train for and run the 2005 Chicago Marathon. I highly recommend it for some running inspiration for newbies or people trying to qualify for Boston.

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With a few weeks left, here is my plan:

I will run one more long run of new distance, hopefully 10.5 miles or maybe 11 if I get there and can keep going. My longest to date is 9.3. On all of my long runs, I have been amazed that I can increase the mileage and it’s uncomfortable but not painful. However, I’m not sure when I will do it. I’m still deciding if it should be two or three weeks before race day. After that, I will taper for two or three weeks with longer runs of maybe 8 and then 6. I think that once I do the last long run, I will feel most ready for the big day.

And I will continue to do CrossFit two days per week (click the link to see why I love it), and make myself do yoga. I bought a Groupon for 5 classes to use within one month, and I used one already. I wrote about why yoga is not always my exercise of choice here and here.

Gear, Food and Clothes:

I love my Garmin and it has made a huge difference of being aware of my pace, speed, and mile markers. I also really like the heart rate feature, which I have written about before.


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I recently bought a SpiBelt, and have worn it on one shorter run and think it’s fine. A little dorky. I will most likely use it on race day to hold Clif Shot Bloks. What else do you carry with you during a race? For everyday running, it is great for key, cash, etc.


I love the Clif Shot Bloks. Easy to chew, tasty, and not messy. A win in my book. I bought Sport Beans but haven’t tried them because I like what I’ve used and it works.

I am not sure exactly what I’ll wear on race day. It hasn’t gotten so cold here where I need long sleeves yet, and I’m very happy in leggings and a tank top. I am unsure of how cold it needs to be for me to wear more clothes.

What other tips do you have for last minute training?

How long do you taper?

Filed Under: Exercise, Half Marathon · Tagged With:

9.3 Miles!

October 31, 2010 by 7 Comments

On Saturday, I had a crazy fun day. It was crazy because I ran a new personal distance record (15K/9.3 miles), and fun because the weather was great and we ate lunch outside and shopped around outside.

Let’s start at the beginning…

9.3 Miles:

I had a goal of about 9 miles for the day, and I went to a new route for me to keep things fresh. I started with breakfast of two pieces Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin toast with peanut butter, blueberries, coffee and water. A never fail win. For the run, I realized that having different routes for long runs is really helpful to not get bored. I drove to Rice University and did a little under one loop around the campus (under 3 miles), and then went into the West University neighborhoods for about 3.5 miles, and then ended up back at the Rice loop and did another 3 mile loop. It ended up around 9 miles and I kept going to make it 9.3. It was also smart to run around restaurants and not only residential so I could refill my water bottle around mile 5.

Here are my stats:

Mile 1--11:26
Mile 2--11:36
Mile 3--11:46
Mile 4--12:24 (traffic crossing streets)
Mile 5--12:01
Mile 6--12:24 (water stop, more traffic)
Mile 7--11:56
Mile 8--11:47
Mile 9--11:45
Mile 9-.3--03:32
 Summary,01:50:42, 978 calories burned, average heart rate: 84

Where did my heart go?

Now here is the strange part–my average heart rate was 84, and it dipped as low as 55. I thought my heart was slowly stopping while running my distance record! When I ran 8.6 miles, it was 153 beats per minute (bpm), and when I ran 8 miles, it was 157 bpm. I noticed the heart rate around Mile 2.5, and started to worry about why my heart rate was dropping and if the monitor was picking up an accurate reading. It never rose about 110 the whole time. I’ll have to see what happens next time, but it was the lowest I have ever seen it during any workout, even my boring spinning class.

Other than that, it was a great run with an average pace of 11:53/mile. It is definitely slower than I have hoped I would be, but I really just want to increase the distance steadily, not hurt my legs, and have a good steady pace the whole time. I took 3 shot bloks with me and had one at miles 5.5, 7, 8.5 and drank about 40 ounces of water and then more when I finished.

Ready for the big times:

After 3 long runs into distances I haven’t attempted before, I definitely feel prepared for increasing distance, proper ways for me to fuel while running, I know better about how much water I need, and I definitely feel more ready for December 5. I am planning one more longer run at 10.5 miles, and then two weeks shorter at 9 and 7 maybe, and then the race.

(after the run, but Jeffrey for the life of him cannot take a steady picture with iPhone. 4 tries)

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Lunch at Tiny Boxwoods:

When I got home, I was really shocked that I ran 9.3 miles. I really can’t believe that I am increasing my distances week after week with little hip pains but no really painful shin pains. I have never been able to do this before! It really amazes me and I’m still crossing my fingers that nothing comes up.

Anyway, after plugging in my Garmin to see how I did and letting my puppy lick sweat off of my face, it was time for lunch! Post run lunch is the best part of a long run. We went to Tiny Boxwoods for a great outdoor lunch of people watching and delicious food. It’s a favorite of ours.

Tiny Boxwoods is the cafe that is part of a gardening store called Thompson Hanson. It is a small space with great outdoor space on a beautifully manicured lawn. I had the Beet It Burger with fruit and we shared a Banana Nutella Scone. It was amaazzing.

Just look at the pictures:

The patio at Tiny Boxwoods

View of the gardening shop

Most amazing Banana Nutella Scone. Crispy outside, chewy and soft inside. Bits of banana like Banana bread. So delicious.

The Beet It Burger with beets, black beans, oats, and I don’t know what else! Served with jalapenos (yuck), pickles and lettuce. Wanted more lettuce or added tomatoes, thought the burger was perfect, bun was good, sauce was spicy. Jalapenos not necessary! And berries are seasonal. In the summer they serve watermelon.

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Happy Halloween:

Then it was time to watch The Rangers (a win!), and The Longhorns (stinkers this year!), and go to a Halloween party.

We went as Night and Day. It was a handmade Halloween this year. See Jeffrey’s sleepshade and pillow? I liked that part.

And on that note, the day ended and it was exhausting!

Filed Under: Exercise, Half Marathon, Houston, Lunch, Restaurants, Running, Vegetarian · Tagged With: , , , ,

5K + 5.5 = 8.6 miles!

October 24, 2010 by 6 Comments

(pictures courtesy of Lydia Baehr PR)

On Saturday morning, Jeffrey and I participated in Houston’s Health Museum Run for Your Life 5K race. I wrote about the race for CultureMap, link here with more pictures. This race is the only race I’m signed up for before the Dallas Run the Rock Half Marathon on December 5, so I used the morning as a dress rehearsal.

I started the usual way with laying out my clothes the night before and eating one piece of toast with peanut butter and raspberries in the morning, along with coffee and water.

The race had 450 people, and as most 5Ks are, it was very relaxed. But still, I wanted to push it and make it a good race. It’s also my first 5K since I’ve been blogging and tracking my times, so I had to do good to report back to the whole Internet!

Here are my splits for the 5K and then I’ll tell you what happened next…

(Marci’s note later–this splits are incorrect, I didn’t realize my Garmin was not calibrated. I completed the 5K in 33:37.)

Mile 1: 08:14
Mile 2: 09:28
Mile 3: 10:08
Mile .6: 00:05:46
Total: 33:37 for 3.59 miles 9:20 avg pace, avg heart rate 172, calories 382

I also wondered why my Garmin was ahead of the mile markers during the race, and it ended up that I showed the course as 3.59 miles instead of 3.1. I don’t think I took that many extra steps out of the way, and I don’t know how courses are measured, but .5 miles over is a lot for a 5K! Either way, I went much faster than I have ever gone, I kept a good pace the whole time, didn’t stop to walk at all, and really tried to be quick. Official time was 33:37 for 3.1, but I say 33:37 for 3.6.

So then I waited for Jeffrey to finish, and we were home before 9 a.m. I was feeling good and decided to go back outside and see if I could do more. I refilled my water bottle, grabbed 3 Shot Bloks for the road, and left. It was like my long run had a 30 minute pit stop in the middle.

I started running again and my shins were so sore. Then I knew I had gone too fast for the first 3.5 miles and actually thought I’d just walk around the block. It was very hot in the 80s too. I walked a little under one mile and decided to start running again, and my legs were fine. So I kept running and did all kinds of math in my head to calculate how far I needed to go to make this a true long run, when I could turn around, and exactly how far I had gone, since I restarted the Garmin at 0.

I ended up going 8.6 miles on Saturday, my new longest run! I felt great. Took Shot Bloks around miles 6, 7, 8 and finished my water. So I consumed about 45 ounces of water over the 8.6 miles. The break in the middle was a great time to refill.

Here are the next splits:

    
	
  • Mile 1: 13:10 (walking mostly)
    • 
	
  • Mile 2:11:07
    • 
	
  • Mile 3: 11:32
    • 
	
  • Mile 4:12:26
    • 
	
  • Mile 5:11:37
    • 
	
  • .04 00:27
    • 



Total: 1 hr for 5.04 miles, avg pace 11:57 (including mile 1 walking), avg heart rate 153, calories burned 517

For the whole morning, I went 8.63 miles in 1:33 time and burned 899 calories. That is pretty great! I really liked how I dropped to a more comfortable pace for the last 5 miles but still went faster than last week when I ran 8 miles.

There’s me in the front, blue shorts at the start.

 

Bring on 13.1!! Well, almost ready.

Filed Under: Exercise, Half Marathon, Houston, Running · Tagged With: , ,

8 Miles!

October 15, 2010 by 16 Comments

Hi friends,

This run has been a long time coming. I have been ready and wanting to break through my longest run for a long time. Last weekend in Dallas, I ran 6.5 outside and it was good. And realizing that I don’t have that many weekends left to increase my miles, I had a little “now or never” moment and decided that it’s time to pick it up for real!

This is also the first time ever that I have run long distances so close together (within a week). Legs are ok, so let’s keep it like that.

8 Mile Run:

On Thursday morning, I had two pieces of Ezekiel cinnamon raisin toast with peanut butter and raspberries, coffee, and water before I left.

I filled up my Camelbak water bottle and added 3 Shot Blocks to the pocket on the bottle wrapped in foil. I also didn’t know the best way to carry these (ziploc or saran or foil, but this worked.) Also had my new Garmin (love!) with heart rate monitor, iPod, hat, tape on my leg, plus clothing. I feel like I had a bomb on me or something with all the things I have to carry now.

I really wanted to hit 8 without walking but would settle for hitting 7 and adding some walking. But no need for that, I ran it all!

Here are my stats:

Split Time Distance Avg Pace
Summary 01:36:41 8.00 12:03
1 00:11:55 1.00 11:53
2 00:12:00 1.00 11:56
3 00:12:00 1.00 11:59
4 00:11:47 1.00 11:47
5 00:12:47 1.00 12:45
6 00:11:58 1.00 11:56
7 00:12:02 1.00 12:02
8 00:12:07 1.00 12:12

About the Garmin:

This was my first time using it for a run with the foot pod. The pod is amazing, it is extremely accurate, and you’ll never lose a signal because it’s not related to a satellite. I was a little worried about picking the right watch (there is one fancier one above this and then they get real fancy), but this is perfect for me. It has up to 5 screens and I use two on auto-rotation. One screen shows heart rate, calories, and miles per hour. The other shows time I’ve been going, distance I’ve gone, and pace. All are customizable.

It also auto-laps on each mile and beeps at me. I love that part. It’s like we’re friends. I don’t have to push “lap” when I hit a mile. When I came home, I plugged it in to the computer and got to see my splits and graphs of time, heart rate, and cadence. I like the heart rate monitor more than I thought I would. I maintained a HR around 160.

Anyone know what’s ideal or rules about heart rate while distance running?

To compare, I wore it to Crossfit on Wednesday and my max was 180 while we did the workout of the day. And the day before that, I wore it to the gym for crosstraining on the elliptical and Stairmaster, and my max was around 160 on Stairmaster and 120 on elliptical.

The Garmin also told me I burned 828 calories with an average pace or 12:04/mile. It’s not an ideal pace, but I’ll work on that when training for the next race. However, my pace was very steady which is good.

About the fuel/water:

I took my first Shot Block around mile 4.5 I think, and then had another about a mile later, and then another a mile later. I loved the flavor! I think it is Strawberry. I ate the first one walking and then the other two jogging. Those are a keeper. Taste like thick gummy bears.

I drank all my water (about 25 ounces) and needed more, but waited until I got home. I considered asking someone for water to fill my bottle from their hose but decided that would be sketchy. During the Half Marathon, I may count on Mommy to hand me a bottle halfway through. (Hi Mom.)

How do you manage water and food? Where do you put it?

About my clothing:

Hey, it’s important too. I wore a Dry Fit Nike hat and it was perfect. Never came off, felt great, and blocked the sun. Love that. Everything else worked fine. I am now wearing Lululemon cropped leggings on long runs because Nike shorts were getting in the way. And I taped up my right shin, which felt fine and didn’t come off. I now think this injury is superstitious. My right hip always hurts, but not while running.

There’s a little review of 8.0! I hope increasing in the future feels as great. I was ready to be done at 8, but we’ll worry about that next time.

For my celebratory lunch, I had the BEST sandwich in town from Stone Mill Bakers. I just wrote about how much I love them after a great run.

Turkey with Cheese, Sprouts, Avocado on Whole Wheat

They have the best and biggest samples. Cinnamon roll with Raisins! Not the Larabar flavor cinnamon roll, the real stuff.

And a ginger cookie. I only had a bite and took the rest home. The cinnamon roll sample became my dessert.

Filed Under: Exercise, Half Marathon, Houston, Lunch, Running · Tagged With: , ,

Weekend in Dallas Part 1

October 10, 2010 by 4 Comments

CultureMap Article: Please check out my latest article for Houston’s CultureMap called A few of my Favorite Things. All previous articles can be found on my About Me page at the bottom, or of course on CultureMap by searching for my name.

Weekend in Dallas

We spent the weekend in Dallas celebrating the wedding of our very good friends Sharon and Eric. Tomorrow I’ll post about the wedding, but today is about the non-wedding activities like exercising and eating!

If you are new to the blog, I’m from Dallas and we visit often to see my parents and get our fix of the city.

And thanks to our Dallas friends who told me they enjoy reading. It’s always nice to know there are people out there!

Exercise in Dallas

Since the Dallas Half Marathon is getting close—8 weeks I think?!—it’s training time. I ran 6.5 miles around the neighborhood one morning and walked about 4 maybe on the other morning. The run was my longest outdoor run to date, so I am very happy about that! I ate similar to last week, eating half of my breakfast before I went out and the other half when I got back. I ate one piece of whole wheat toast with peanut butter and half a banana twice.

I felt great the whole time, with minimal short walking breaks. A good run! Now if only I would listen to my own advice and wear a hat to block the sun.

I’m into new running mileage, so it’s going to get interesting. I am going to experiment with Clif Shot Blocks on my next long run. I have a few questions about eating and drinking while running.

  1. How do you carry your water/food?
  2. Do you eat while running or take a walk break?
  3. What mile do you start eating?
  4. What do you eat?

Eating in Dallas

One of my favorite lunch places is Snappy Salads. They started the green, healthy, fresh salad bar trend before everyone else, and I’ve been hooked since the beginning. I’m hoping they’ll expand to Houston one day. I went to their second location in Dallas at Northpark Mall and built my own salad with lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, oranges, gold raisins, water chestnuts, corn, and turkey on top. Their Maple Vinaigrette dressing is my favorite, and they have warm wheat rolls.

Dallas also recently got a Pinkberry yogurt shop! I had an afternoon snack one day of a small original yogurt with brownie bites and strawberries. Very light and tasty, and they make the cup look so pretty.

And then Lily and I had breakfast together. Kibbles and bits for her, yogurt and cereal for me. Lily started liking cottage cheese mixed into her kibbles. You see, even Lily understands the importance of pairing a carb and protein!!

And Lily got some kisses from Jeffrey too. Look at those cute little toes.

And here are me and Jeffrey with my parents at the wedding. Lots more wedding pictures tomorrow!

On the way back to Houston, we packed lunches to eat in the car. Everyone had their own bag, even Lily! She got salami and cheese, and we had sandwiches, carrots, chips, and cookies.

Since I didn’t get to go to Central Market, I had their turkey on my sandwich, which I love but rarely buy. Also lettuce, tomato, red pepper hummus, and swiss cheese on wheat.

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Filed Under: Dallas, Exercise, Half Marathon, Lunch, Travel · Tagged With: , ,
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