Food I'm Eating

Thought it would be fun to put a little collection of some foods that I'm having a good time eating.

Lunch is really hard for me.  I'm ok eating the same thing nearly every day, but its the planning ahead and making sure I can quickly grab something on my way out the door at 5 AM.  And make sure it is enough to fill me up.  Somedays, I think the latter issue is worse than the former.  I always have some sort of protein and lately (since buying the books Well Fed and Well Fed 2), I'm trying to add more in the way of veggie side dishes.  I'm also trying to figure out how to boost the calories of my lunches (so I don't want to eat my desk 2 hrs later) but to do that in a healthy (but nutritionally dense) way.

I'm also trying to make more things from scratch.  My latest kitchen triumph is making homemade mayo.  It sounds scary but it is really, amazingly easy.  The first batch, I ignored the warnings and used EVOO and yep, it was very olivey tasting.  I added a bunch of roasted garlic to it to mask the olive flavor, but it was a bit too much for me.  The second batch I used "light" olive oil.  (random side note: I'm irritated that Sprouts didn't carry this and I had to go to the big box grocery store that I really don't like and only go there when I'm desperate)  This batch had approximately zero flavor.  My most recent batch used a 1/2 cup of EVOO and the rest "light" olive oil and seemed to have a good balance.    Mayo recipe

I am addicted to the Todd Munn Chicken cakes in Well Fed 2, only I give them more of a meatloaf treatment instead of pan frying individual patties.  Less time on my feet and its less messy.  No recipe online (you need to buy the book) but they're little asian-curry-ginger chicken meatloafs of tastiness.

I've been experimenting with making my own "sausage".  Some have been good, some have been really, really dry.  I may go back to just getting the chicken brats from Sprouts.  They're $2.99/lb and already mixed up.  I can't make them for any cheaper on my own.

For sides, I've been doing a lot of cucumber things.  Asian cucumber salad (cukes, red onion, cilantro, rice vinegar, sesame oil, salt).  Well Fed also has a nice cucumber/vinegar/mayo salad.  I'm also trying to incorporate fresh fruit and avocado.

And this week I made a killer chicken salad that hits all the comfort food needs.  Its rotisserie chicken (Sprouts), celery, apple, salt/pepper, and mayo.  That's it.  And its super good.

I finally remembered how to swim!

My swimming this winter has been really, really, REALLY sucky.  Like "frustratingly what the hell happened?" sucky.

I think part of it was that I had a REALLY long tri season last year.  I was pretty focused from February to November, with the exception of a break in July after CDA.  Lots of yards, lots of fast sets, lots of swimming.  Probably the most swimming I've ever done in a year.

And then after my race in November I kept swimming but it was VERY lackluster.  The month after my race I just was putting time in the pool and not really trying to go fast.  December - February was spent trying to swim at my old pace but I was having issues with speed and more importantly, consistency.  I was hitting 1:50/100 meters swimming HARD and no matter what I did, my pace kept slipping slower and slower through sets.  Last year 1:50 was my cruise pace.  WTF?!?!

I've been trying to be very zen about this.  Just keep putting in the yards knowing that sooner or later, I'll remember how to swim.  Just play along, get the yard done and everything will be ok.  These are the things I'd tell myself when I would see a 1:55 on the clock.  I really was pretty good about not beating myself up over this, which is amazing, because a 1:55 is stupid slow for the efforts I was putting in.

I think in the beginning a good deal of this had to do with the fact that I was deeply fatigued from a long season of hard training.  It took me probably a good 2.5 months to get past that.  What's weird is that my run and bike were cruising along really well - I was improving.  But my swimming was going terribly.  Again, I was determined to be zen and just let things be.  (who am I?)  In all honestly, I probably checked out a bit mentally on swimming because I've been doing it for so long (10 years on a masters team) and I was maybe just a tiny bit burned out.

On Friday while I was in the pool, I finally had a bit of an epiphany.  I think that during my down time in November I quit kicking, probably because I was really tired and I just didn't feel like kicking.  Then that became a (very bad) habit and I simply forgot that I needed to kick.  Or I'd kick and get tired.  I was literally wearing my arms out with every 100.  No wonder I was getting slower with every 100 repeat!  I have strong legs - I should use them for swimming.  Duh!

Today was a really good test to see if I've solved my swimming issues.

500 warm up
25 x 100 free pace, broken up into 5 x 100 with 1 minute rest between each 5.
#1 and 2 were on a 2:05
#3 was on a 2:00
#4 was on a 1:55
#5 had the first 2 on a 2:10 (so a bit of a recovery swim) and then 3x100 at the fastest interval you can make

I'm really happy to report that I swam sets 1-4 on a very consistent 1:47/8 pace.  I kinda crashed and burned on the last one, hitting 1:50 on the 3 fast ones.  But I was really tired and had zero recovery time between each 100.  The super cool part is that I'm on week 3 of pretty hard (early season) workouts and yesterday's workouts (weights and a really hard bike) were killer.  And yet I killed this swim.  I nailed it to the wall and finally swam like my usual self.

What did I do differently?

• KICK.  A nice, strong, steady 6 beat kick.  No just dragging my feet behind me, a real kick.
• PAY ATTENTION.  I noticed that I'd forget what I was doing once in a while and almost frantically wave my arms trying to take strokes.  Those kind of strokes are worthless because you're just moving your arms and not actually grabbing any water.  I'd catch myself doing that (usually off the wall) and remind myself to chill out, stretch each stroke and grab the water.
• ROTATE.  I knew I was swimming flat and my coach confirmed it.  I think I have a harder time rotating on my non-breathing side (who doesn't?) and I really focused on driving from my hips, reaching with my arm, and feeling the water/air on each side as I rotated.

My new favorite commuter mug

Will and I have been a bit cheap this year (or smart, depending on how you look at it) and are taking breakfast with us on our ski trips instead of stopping somewhere along the way.  This usually consists of either a protein bar or if I really am organized, a breakfast sandwich.  And coffee.  Definitely coffee.

Our commuter mugs are all at least 5 years old.  Will has poached been using the best in our collection leaving me with the remaining mugs, which all leak to varying degrees.  Leaky mugs are annoying.  I was getting frustrated and was even thinking of getting a new mug this year.  I mean, its no fun showing up anywhere with coffee dribbles on you!

Lo and behold, Gone for a Run offered up a commuter mug as part of my Ambassadorship!  Bingo!  I selected the 140.6 theme, so I can be a triathlon snob, even when I'm heading to the slopes.  (I'm not quite a tri-snob on the slopes but do keep meaning to get an M-Dot sticker for my helmet.)

I used my new mug last Friday on our way up to the slopes.  We left at 6:30 and coffee was *definitely* required.

somewhere along I-70....

Thoughts:

• I really like the size.  We have a Subaru which has *terrible* cupholders - they're tiny.  This mug fits no problem!
• I like my coffee to stay HOT.  The mug seems to be well insulated.  The outside stayed nice and cool, which tells me that the heat is staying with my coffee, where it belongs!
• The lid has a flip cap which seals really well.  So well that I had sealed it up on the mountain when I was done and it was pressurized when we returned to town.  I haven't actually done a proper seal test (ie hold it upside down) but I think it would do well.
• The lid is a rubberized threaded gasket. NO LEAKS!  Yay!  I can drink coffee without fear of getting dribbles on me.  Hurray!

a little nicer photo.  Source: Gone for a Run

Specs:

• 15.2 ounces capacity
• stainless steel
• available in black, red, or blue

I think this mug would work really well in the summer with some frozen recovery drink as well.

I also thought about getting this design.  I like the trees.
Source: Gone for a Run

Price: $17.99

Website link: http://www.goneforarun.com/Commuter_Cups_s/1487.htm

There are 30 designs, so odds are pretty good that you'll find a commuter mug that you'll love!

*disclaimer* Gone for a Run provided this commuter mug for me to use and review.  All opinions remain my own.

Snowman Stampede 10 Mile Race Report

This won't be a typical race report, mainly because I didn't really race it.

This was the 3rd race of the Winter Distance Series and the second 10 mile race I'd done in a month.  My training was going *awesome* and I was really hoping for a PR.  And then we went to New Orleans to see family, and my husband was sick the whole time, and then he gave me his cold.  Or rather, my body resisted pretty good until the day after I "raced" a 10 mile race.

I knew when I got to the race site that this wouldn't be a "race-race" as my lungs didn't feel great.  I scrapped the warm-up, as I usually have asthma issues when I stop running, even between a warm up and a longer run.  I just decided to treat this as a training run with a bunch of people. Instead I hung out with friends, which was nice.  Among the usual group of tri dorks, two of my high school friends were also racing. I found one, and then lost her at the start when I went to drop my gear bag.  I was a bit bummed but I normally don't run with people, so I was fine with running alone.

I ate SunRype during the run (strawberry Fruit Source).  So good!

It was pretty nice out so I wore shorts and a short-sleeved shirt (in February!  in Colorado!).  The race started and we went down a hill and around a corner and suddenly I was right behind my two friends.  Its so funny how that worked out.

We ran pretty easy and chatted the miles away, catching up on life.  It was actually really, really fun.  

Sadly, the photographer didn't realize we were friends and we didn't get a group shot...

At mile 8 I just gradually pulled away.  I don't know if I was in race mode or if they were getting tired, but I just somehow ended up going faster than they were.  I pushed a bit to the end, but nothing crazy.  

Finish time: 1:43:47
This was only 42 sec or 4 sec/mile than last month, which included an epic asthma attack at the finish and a really icky last 3 miles.  And the best part - this race felt EASY.  Confirmation that my training is heading in the right direction.

And then I got pretty sick for the next 5 days and didn't really train.  Oops.  But hey, at least I had a fun Saturday :)

February 2014 Training Totals

January was full of training.  February was full of skiing, trips, and then being sick.  

But the skiing was incredible.  Knee deep powder and face-wide smiles.  I also had a really awesome run in NOLA and a pretty good 10 mile race.  Since I was coming down with a cold, I didn't "race-race" it.  Instead, I ran with 2 of my friends from high school and chatted away 8 miles.  Then I upped the pace a bit for the last 2.  I ended up being only 42 sec slower overall (4 sec/mile) and I felt GREAT afterwards.  Unlike the last 10 mile race where I was dying for the last 3 miles and had an epic asthma attack at the finish.  Progress!

February 2014
Swim: 6h 35m - 17607.18 Yd
Bike: 12h 12m - 154 Mi
Run: 9h 11m 59s - 51.13 Mi
Skiing: 12h
Yoga: 1h


January 2014
Swim: 9h 15m - 26137.36 Yd
Bike: 10h 03m 11s - 131.59 Mi
Run: 14h 20m 35s - 75.87 Mi
Skiing: 7h
Yoga: 1h

Running high at sea level

Runners highs are one of those things that are mythical and elusive.  I can count on one hand the number of times that I've experienced this.  Probably just 3 times and really, the first one probably didn't count.

1. during my first half marathon.  Probably not endophin related - more like, "wow, this is FUN, I get it now".  It was the first time I'd had fun while running.  (it made training for that half marathon a fairly long and not-so-fun process)
2. a ~6 mile run while at the family ranch in Southern Idaho.  I remember this run and the huge endorphin high vividly, even though this was a good 2+ years ago.
3. my run on Sunday.  I remember being mid-run and thinking to myself "wow, endorphin highs are awesome"

Endorphin highs are what keeps me running (among other things).  You never know when you'll experience it, but when you do, wow.  Amazing.

This past weekend, we were in New Orleans visiting our super cute 3.5 month old nephew.  Because I have a 10 mile race coming up, I had to get in a 1:40 run on Sunday.  In New Orleans.  Pros: sea level!  Cons: I may get shot or run over while running!

I posted on a forum I like for suggestions on where to run.  They suggested Lakeshore Drive or City Park.  The family we were visiting looked at me a bit crazy but also thought City Park would be good.  Although they suggested I drive there because it was "kind of far".  (It was 2 miles away).  I decided, since they're night people and likely wouldn't be up to drive me (we didn't rent a car) that I would just run from the house.  Besides, it was 8 AM on a Sunday morning, the morning after the local Mardi Gras parade.  No one was going to be out.

I had 20 min of warmup, then 1 hour at my half marathon pace (10:30), and a 20 min cool down.  City Park was ~2.25 miles away, so my tempo run started a bit before I got to the park.  I really didn't know what to expect.  I looked at the park on a map on my phone but didn't really register anything.  I was just hoping I'd find roads or maybe a bike path to run on for about 6-7 miles.  Along the east side of the park was a really nice bike path that followed a bayou, so I headed south on that for a bit.  Then a encountered a highway that ran east-west and I didn't feel like taking the path under the highway (it looked sketchy) so I took a road west that paralleled the highway but was within park boundaries (is it just me, or is it weird to have a park be bisected by a highway?).  I ran along that for a while and took a road called "diagonal" where I encountered a bunch of frisbee-golfers.  I think by this point I'd only seen 2 other runners (wearing M-dot visors) and a cyclist.  

It was a bit strange but also fun to not know exactly where I was.  I knew I was in a park, but I really didn't know where the roads went.  I was just exploring and having a fun time.  I hit a traffic circle at some point, took a road west and encountered a group of ~6 runners.  My people!  I asked if I could run with them for a bit and they said no problem.  I ended up running with two other women on a really, really nice trail.  It was very soft, which my legs appreciated after running on icky concrete for 4.5 miles.  These women were a bit faster than the pace I was supposed to do, but it was fun to run with people and the trail was really confusing.  I didn't want to get lost so I just kept up.  It was SO MUCH FUN.  Leave it to me to find not only runners but runners ON A TRAIL during a random run while travelling.  

We did 2 loops (about 1.25 miles each?) of the trail before we parted ways.  They were really nice ladies and they even gave me a tip about a beignet place inside the park.  I did a quick out and back to take some photos and then I started heading back home.  I was about a mile over my distance, but that was ok. I was riding my running high and really having a good time.

On my way home, I just enjoyed things and really absorbed the feeling of joy and luck.  I really lucked out with this run, in so many ways.  Its like the running universe knows when you need a good run and delivers it when you least expect it.  I plan on holding on to that endorphin high for quite a while and use it as motivation to keep running towards the next one.

I didn't realize it until this weekend, but I miss live oaks.  They're just so big and old and awesome.

City Park

Auntie E and Clark

tasty golden fried pillows of sugary happiness.....

Exercise "Challenge"

Our work wellness program has set up an exercise challenge.  You win it by having the highest team average for weekly exercise minutes (or steps or % weight loss)  One of my friends in another business group asked me to join his team, (correctly) figuring that I was already training and logging minutes.  He's a marathoner, I invited another one of my friends (a Colfax Ambassador who also works here).  I was hoping he'd invite other big numbers people.

I'm thinking he's glad he sucked me in.  I'm carrying my team.

Yes, I'm logging more than double the majority of my teammates.

I admit, I exercise a lot.  In fact, this past week has been an ass kicker.  My coach had ACL surgery a week ago and I'm guessing she wrote my plan when she was all doped up on percoset.  This week is HARD.  And I'm hungry all the time.  Holy cow.  I was not prepared to be this hungry this early in the season.

While I'm posting good numbers, I do wonder what my totals would be if I was in peak IM training.  I usually have 18-20 hrs a week of training when I'm peaking.  That's 154 - 171 minutes/day.  Which is a ridiculous volume of exercise.  So what I'm doing now is just sort-of ridiculous and I was hoping I would place amongst the top individual exercisers.  But I'm not.

WTF?  Who is this Kim person and why is SHE working out nearly 19 hours a week.  The challenge website also posts the people with the most steps/day.  When I checked last week, Kim had 20,000 steps/day.  So, my theory:  she was counting all of her steps (as in daily activity + possible exercise) in her total minutes.  Also: she's walking (or walking + running) 6-10 miles a day.  And exercising 3-4 hours a day.  I just don't see it, but who knows.

Also entertaining are the motivational emails that end up in my email box.  I understand this program is directed at new people or people who don't sign up for insane races.  But they're funny.

It never fails, my Friday morning email reads:

Don't even think about giving up -- there's still plenty of time to hit your weekly Achieve a Better You goals.

You have through Sunday to complete those minutes of exercise, so use the next three days to finish off your remaining XXX minutes of exercise.

Yes, its called the weekend.  When I do my longer workouts.

I also remember getting an email encouraging me to get in 30 min of exercise a day.  I'm pretty sure I am well over that on a recovery week.

And the Monday email:

Time to take a victory lap: you hit your 590 minutes of exercise goal in Achieve a Better You! Awesome job!

Want a tougher challenge? Adjust your goals to increase your exercise minutes.

Thus, the crux of the problem with the challenge (I think).  I think it makes things more fair if you're graded against how you fare against your self-assigned goal.  That would equalize the field.  Right now, I'm literally carrying my team to make us look like we're doing ok when in reality, we have several people who are failing to log in their minutes.  You make the ranking based on % of goal met, and that takes people like me out of the equation.

Its been silly and I was really hoping we'd do better as a team.  Oh well.

January 2014 Training Totals

Man, I've done a lot of running in January...

January 2014
Swim: 9h 15m - 26137.36 Yd
Bike: 10h 03m 11s - 131.59 Mi
Run: 14h 20m 35s - 75.87 Mi
Skiing: 7h
Yoga: 1h

This was my 3rd biggest run volume month in 2013.  Bummer is that many of these runs have been done on the treadmill.  Winter running in Colorado has been challenging.

Swim/bike/yoga totals are a bit low, due to travel and being sick right after new years.  Yeah, 1 stinking yoga class in January.  Not good.

I'd say I'm steadily in base building mode.  The main difference is that my runs are quite a bit faster than last year.  My weekday runs in early 2013 were progressive pace runs (3 x 15 min, and you get progressively faster each 5 min within the 15 min block).  This time, my coach has me doing 4 x 2k (1.24 mi) somewhere between my 10k and 10 mi pace or doing some stuff at my half marathon pace, or doing stuff at my 10k pace.  Much longer and faster tempo intervals.  The good news is that my body is handling it pretty well.

She's also having me swim 1:15 for each masters practice, which typically works to 3400 m.  Last year it was 1 hr but I'd go to 1:10 to get my 3000 m done.  For some reason, it doesn't seem like I'm riding a whole lot, but I just think that's because my weekend rides are only 1.5-2 hrs long.  I somehow always think that weekend rides need to be 3+ hrs.

I imagine that Feb will be about the same as January and March will end up being a bit more.  Thinking the real work starts in April.

Gear Review - PR//SOLES Recovery Sandals

I got these shoes in November and I've been meaning to review these guys for a LONG time.  I broke my toe in early December and it has been really, really cold here.  Both of these conditions aren't all that friendly for sandal wearing.  I also keep wanting to wear them after skiing, but I haven't figured out how to do that and not freeze.

We had a BEAUTIFUL weekend last weekend and I finally broke out the sandals for some extended wearing.  It was in the 60's both days.  I had a 10 mi race on Saturday and a 43 mile bike ride on Sunday - both of which were good opportunities to wear the sandals afterwards and see how they did.

post-cycling fashion statement.  Also: SHORTS IN JANUARY!

You can get these sandals from Gone for a Run and they come in pink/navy and orange/navy.  I got the pink because I did not want Broncos colors on my feet....

Blurb from the website:

PR SOLES are specifically designed for runners to provide the most comfortable post-run footwear option and promote recovery of sore and tired feet. Just step into these super comfortable sandals featuring ACUPOINT soles to have your feet massaged as you walk. PR SOLES are lightweight, breathable, waterproof and feature our unique foam cushioned acupoint soles for ultimate massaging comfort that both refresh and energize your feet. 

How do PR SOLES work? The unique raised ‘triggers’ on the acupoint soles activate nerve endings in the feet that send healing relief through the entire body. These triggers are specially designed to massage your feet improving circulation and breaking up painful lactic acid and uric acid that accumulate in the feet after a run or any extended time on your feet. 

Recover Faster and Smarter By slipping on PR||SOLES after a run or activity, the triggers will immediately engage your feet to increase circulation and nerve stimulation which benefits the entire body. Here are just a few of the benefits of applying massaging action to the feet: 
1. Improves circulation by stimulating blood flow, which will refresh the feet and legs. 
2. Breaks up accumulated wastes such as lactic and uric acid in the feet. 
3. Alleviates foot, leg and lower back pain 
4. Reduces swelling and tension 
5. Stimulates nerve endings benefiting the entire body 
6. Feet and legs recover faster

My plantar fascia have been pretty crabby with me, mainly because its off season, and in my dumb little head, off season means I can also take a break on restorative practices, such as massaging my feet daily to keep my PF happy.  I knew that after running 10 miles hard on Saturday my feet would be sore and tired and slipping on some nice sandals would feel REALLY good.  Post finish asthma attack, I put the sandals on and walked to the car and kept them on for pretty much the afternoon.  Then on Sunday, I wore them after my bike ride, around the house, and to the grocery store.  

Thoughts on the shoes:

• You really can feel the "triggers" (they look like those old eggfoam mattress pads) when you walk and they feel GOOD.
• The sole beds are firm enough for the trigger points some oomph but they're soft enough to be comfy.  In other words, the cushioning was just right, at least for me
• I like wearing sandals like this after cycling, mainly because I can keep my socks on.
• They are ugly (sorry).  They are a big and bulky (but also VERY light weight).  I'm not sure how you could improve on the looks though, since it seems these sandals are more function over form.
• The sizing on the website is a bit wonky.  I wear a size 9 in running shoes and 8.5 in most other shoes. I took the footbed out of my running shoes and compared that to the size chart and found that I should order a large in the sandals.  They arrived and were HUGE.  I sent them back and got mediums.  Still a bit big (they run wide and I have skinny feet) but with socks they fit just fine.
• I got to test out the Gone for a Run exchange process.  Super smooth and easy!

All in all, I think I'm going to get a lot of use out of these once the weather warms up.  They were really comfy and seemed to make my feet a little less crabby.

Cost: $29.99
Website link: http://www.goneforarun.com/PR_SOLES_Recovery_Sandals_s/1375.htm

*disclaimer* Gone for a Run provided these shoes to me to wear and review.  All opinions remain my own.

Frosty's Frozen 10 Mile Race Report

This is the second (or third, if you count both 10 mile races I did last year) time I've done this race, so I don't have a whole lot to write about.  I went into it wanting to improve on last year's races and hoping for a 10:15/mile split.  The goal was based upon my half marathon PR of 10:30 (from November's half ironman) and my 10k race last month. So that meant a race time of 1:41:30.  Hmmm.

Will actually wanted to run the 5 mile race (which is awesome and amazing) so we got to the race site at 8:30.  We found other AMC'ers, hung out, pinned on bibs and got them off to the start line.

I went back inside the lodge and messed around for a while until I saw some friends to briefly hang out with.  At 9:45 I got my stuff ready and headed out with a friend for a warm up - a full 30 min before the race start!  A first for me!  My plan was to run around to the last part of the run (the evil hill) and run to the finish with Will, but my timing was poor and I missed him.  I ended up doing 18 minutes of warming up, which is a new record and the closest I've come to doing my full 20-minute warm-up.

I managed to find Will when I was waiting for the start, say goodbye to him (he would have to wait nearly 2 hrs for me), and stand in the start area with my friends.  The plan was to do an easy build for the first 5 miles and hang on for the last 5 miles.  I had 10 oz of Osmo in my handled and 2 packets of Honey Stinger chews to eat during the race.  I also had my inhaler.  Good times!

I ended up running the first 4 or so miles with a friend, which was fun, except we ran WAY too fast.  My HR was really high but my effort didn't feel fast so I just went with it.  I felt rock star awesome up until mile 6, when things got hard.  I ran the first 5 miles straight then went to my 0.05 mi nutrition walk break every mile.

Mile 7 is when things started to get ugly.  I was having a hard time breathing so I had to use my inhaler.  It got caught in my tiny pocket so I had to walk a bit more than I had hoped.  Then running just became not super.  I sucked it up, mainly because I was also running to order #MegsMiles, a woman who was hit and killed Monday by a drunk driver during her morning run.  Those miles weren't fun, but I kept pushing because I was able to and Meg no longer could.

Around mile 8 I had my usual mile 20 Ironman thought, where nothing seemed better than curling up under a tree and taking a nap right then and there.

Mile 9 was another inhaler break.  I don't know what the deal was, I just could not get a real breath.  It sucked.  Then the final mile I just told myself to suck it up.  I was definitely running slower, but I told myself that slow running was faster than fast walking.

I hit the finish mat at 1:43:05, 1:30 slower than my goal.  According to my garmin, the course was long (10.09) which actually put me at a 10:12 pace.  So really, I should be happy.  But I'm not really.  This course is a slight downhill going out and slight uphill coming back, which makes it hard to negative split.  So I try to even split it.  Not even close.  My last 5 miles was 0:22/mile slower than my first.  Laaaame.

But I learned something. Don't run with friends in races!  And run slower!

I need to learn how to do cute poses while displaying my sponsor logos.  Bad athlete!

Post race I had to suck on my inhaler some more, which sent me into a really awesome multi-hour trembling fit from all the albuterol.  Will was napping in the car which meant I had to haul myself and all my crap (and my cramping legs) to the car solo.  And then we went to 5 Guys for burgers.  I was shaking so much that I had to brace my hands/burger on the table and eat like a little kid.  Not cool!

Not the best race, not the worst one either.  Definitely leaves room for improvement for the next 10 mile race in February.

Treadmill duty

The weather here has not been fabulous.  Its been stupid windy (Evergreen clocked a 100 mph gust last night - craziness!).  We've had really cold temps, or warmer but still cool enough for icy condition temps.

In a nutshell, I've been having to do most of my running on the treadmill because its either too cold, too windy, or too slippery to be outside.

ugh

My coach is a smartie (or really in tune with the weather) and has been writing my workouts with notes "this would be good for the tready".  Also: I think she's trying to kill me again. Or make me faster.  Either way, it feels like I might die when I'm running fast on a treadmill.

Last week I was trapped on the hampster wheel twice.  Twice!  Tuesday I had 2 x 6 min 10k pace intervals.  I decided to get it done at the gym in my office.  It's convenient.  But, as I learned, the thermostat is set on "office environment" and is way to warm for a gym.  I normally don't sweat a ton, but I was drenched after my hour run. Not a problem when I'm anonymous in a gym, but this was done in front of coworkers, including a senior executive who actually knows me.  Lovely.  Since I normally don't sweat much, I didn't have a towel for a shower.  I just wiped myself down with baby wipes and went back to my desk.  I think it was at least an hour before I stopped sweating.  I was so sweaty, my little hair-gripper headband was soaked.  Gross!

Friday was a workout which had 2 x 2.5 mi @ 10:00 pace (which is pretty fast for me).  I opted to use my gym membership (well, one of my memberships.  I belong to both Lifetime and 24 hr.  I prefer Lifetime and only have the 24 hr b/c its dirt cheap and good when I travel).  Let me tell you, Lifetime at 6 PM on a Friday night is party city....  I did my warmup and got down to business with my 2.5 mi repeats.  My MP3 player promptly died, leaving me without music and ~50 minutes of hard running.  I could kinda hear the gym music over my pounding (why am I so loud on the treadmill?) and I planted myself in front of the tv with the music videos.  I counted this as mental training.  Also: music videos are really, truly terrible.  Maybe that's my MTV doesn't play videos anymore.  They're awful.

I got home and my feet felt terrible.  My planar fascia was crazy tight.

Is it just me, or does your body react differently to treadmills?  Its like I run differently.  I don't think my body likes it.

Sunday was an easy run, so I did it on the trail by my house with Will.  Yay - outside!  The only tricky part was the ice.  Sure, it was 60 degrees the day before, but that water left puddles which were then ice puddles at 10 AM the next day.  Fortunately, we were running slow.  The weather was interesting... Sunny.  Then cloudy.  Then corn snow (the stuff that looks like little bits of styrofoam).  The snow was welcome because it stuck to the ice puddles, making them easier to see.  Going back to the house, things looked ominous.  Dark, low clouds.  Will made a comment about how the area west of us was getting hammered.  I thought it was just a low cloud.  Then we made a final turn back home and was hit upside the face with a wall of wind and HUGE snowflakes.  Will laughed because he was headed home.  I whimpered because I still had 30 minutes.  I turned around and did my harder intervals.  The cool thing about the trail is that is sits a bit lower than the rest of the area and there's a bunch of trees, so its protected.  The result was huge, puffy flakes (my favorite kind) swirling around me like a snow globe.  Seriously.  It was magical.  And then my last 10 minutes were in sunshine.  I think Colorado was on crack Sunday.

Today is another high wind today, so I'm back over at Lifetime after work for more treadmill fun.  I forgot my MP3 player on the charger at home.....  Hopefully I remember to bring my phone with me and headphones from work.

The funniest part: I'm thinking about doing the Dopey Challenge in 2015, which potentially means 20+ mile runs on the treadmill next winter.  What the hell is wrong with me?

New Years Day Run

My friends and I went on a fun little trail run for New Years Day.  It had snowed about 1" at my house and I was hopeful that the park would be coated in fresh snow.  But sadly (and weirdly) they didn't get any fresh snow.  That meant the trail consisted of mud, packed snow, and ice.  That made for an interesting time.

We did both loops, about 5.3 miles and 900 ft climbing.  Footing was a bit tricky - the mud made for heavy shoes (my foot nearly popped out a few times) and the ice was well, icy.  Add single track trail and a pretty good drop off....  I wish I had more photos but I had to focus so I wouldn't fall to my doom.

detour to a scenic outlook.  We're so color coordinated

Ryan on single track snowpacked trail

scenic outlook from the South Rim loop trail, about 6,480 ft looking north

I love trail running :)

2014 Race Schedule

2014 Races

January 18 - Frosty's Frozen 5 and 10 mile  
February 15 - Snowman Stampede 10 mile 
May 18 - Colfax Half Marathon
June 7 - Ironman Boise 70.3
July 13 - Boulder Peak Olympic (maybe)
August 3 - Ironman Boulder

2013 Race Schedule

2013 Races

January 19 - Frosty's Frozen 5 and 10 mile  
February 16 - Snowman Stampede 10 mile 
May 4 - Ironman St George 70.3
June 2 - Elephant Rock Century Ride
June 23 - Ironman Couer de'Alene
August 17 - Rattlesnake Oly
August 18 - Rattlesnake Sprint(yes, the Crazy Back to Back)
September 6-7 - Ragnar Colorado Relay
November 3 - Oilman Texas 70.3

2013 stats wrap up

2013, by all accounts was a HUGE year.  I PR'd in pretty much every race I did and had my largest training numbers ever.  More importantly, I had FUN doing it.

(now, if only my job would follow suit and be more fun... ugh)

In 2013, I learned to love hills.  Ok, maybe love is a strong word here....  Maybe I love what hills do for me and how they make me stronger.  I got an incredible custom TT bike and I still can't believe I spent that much on a BIKE, I do love him.  And I think I've figured out what it means to push myself and see what I'm capable of.  I've got a great base to build on and I'm looking forward to even more training and racing in 2014.

2013

Swim: 144h 33m 49s - 411,035.22 Yd 
Bike: 237h 30m 38s - 3,232.67 Mi 
Run: 138h 07m 54s - 717.35 Mi
Strength: 2h  
Skiing: 39h 00m 
Yoga: 7h 00m

2012

Swim: 82h 53m - 231,174.3 Yd 
Bike: 117h 34m 39s - 1,624.36 Mi 
Run: 57h 04m 47s - 289.09 Mi 
Strength: 3h 20m 
Aqua Jogging: 20m 
Elliptical Training: 40m 
Skiing: 60h 00m 
Walking: 2h 15m 
Yoga: 6h 00m

Also, its interesting to note that these are annual distance records for me, since I started keeping track of this sort of stuff.  What's most impressive is my swim distance.  I really didn't think I swam this much in 2013...

Santa Stampede 2013 Race Report

I did this race series last year.  In fact, last year, the 10k was my first race since breaking my heel.  I had been running for maybe 2 months, but never fast and never that far.  So I was excited but apprehensive.  And I was going to be happy with whatever time I finished with.

Fast forward to 2013, which friends have nicknamed "the year of PRs" for me.  And honestly, it has been one PR after another this year.  Really, freaking cool.

I sat down with my race result spreadsheet (yes, I am a nerd) and went through my paces at that distance.  Last year I ran the 10k in 1:04:37 (10:26 pace).  I did a trail 12k in October at a 10:09 pace, and that included hills and uneven footing.  So... if I did this 10k at the 10:09 pace, that would put me around a 1:01:30 (give or take).  Why not round down to sub-60 (9:40 pace) and make it a goal?  I'm pretty sure I've never ran that fast in even a 5k before.  Sure!  No problem!

Temps were in the 20's when we got there at 8:30 AM.  I was smart and wore sweat pants AND ski pants over my running outfit (capris and socks) and I also wore a hoodie and jacket/scarf (over my t-shirt).  I was toasty warm.  Yay!  (related funny: no one recognized me with all my layers)  I saw Will off for the 5k and went inside the lodge to warm up - I found some friends there, so it was nice to hang out with them during the 5k.  After 15 minutes, I went outside to cheer on Will and some other people from my tri club.  While I was waiting, some poor girl (HS cross country?) turned the corner and started puking.  Couldn't even move out of the way.  Her coach or someone finally helped her to the side and to the finish.  I felt her pain, it is uphill to the finish and it hurts.

Once Will finished, I needed to strip down to my run clothes and do a 20 minute warmup.  I always mis-judge the time and never get my full warm up in (sorry Michelle!).  I did get in 15 minutes and included some strides.  I got to the race start with minutes to spare and made a last minute decision to ditch my arm sleeves.  I was pretty cold at the start of my warmup (I think it was low-30 temps by this point?) but by the end I was pretty warm.  I knew that with pushing my pace, I'd only get warmer and I'd end up rolling the sleeves down.  Better to just get rid of them.  And running cold always gives me more motivation to run faster.

sporting my Colfax Ambassador gear and my
festive elf socks

The race plan was to start out semi-conservative for the first mile, keep my pace around 10:00 and HR around 160.  Then start pushing and after 2 miles, ignore my watch and just run fast.

And that's pretty much what I did.  I ran and found a few people I wanted to chase.  I was trying to stay in control for the first mile but I probably did a bad job.  I just wanted to RUN.

Miles 2-4 were basically "lets see how fast I can run but still breathe".  There were two girls (also in elf socks) with their moms and we kept leapfrogging each other.  They eventually got in front of me but were running at my target pace, so I just used them as pacers.  It turns out it was their first 10k and they were shooting for a 11:00 pace.  Oh, and a podium in their age group.  They provided a nice little distraction for me, which was much appreciated it.

after winning 1st and 2nd in their age group

This year they changed the course a bit, and had us do an out and back on a side trail.  Most of the run was in one direction on the Platte trail, which was great.  You had room to move and could (mostly) avoid the patches of packed snow and ice .  But on this side trail, traffic was in both directions, AND there was packed snow on both sides of the trail so you had no where to go.  To make it even more crowded, they put a water aid station (to service both sides of the trail), which was a terrible decision.  You had people walking through the aid station and other people trying to run past, all very crowded with patches of ice/snow and no room to move.  I think we had ~1 or 1.5 miles of this crap.  Not cool.

Once we finally got to the main trail again, we had 2 miles left and I decided it was really go time.  I left my 9-year old pacers and just focused on running and not dying.  The not dying part is hard because the last 2 miles are a gradual uphill and as a bonus, we had a headwind.  Yay!

I don't remember too much about those last two miles except just trying to run fast enough to hit my goal and not die.  With about a mile or so left, I came across one of my friends (who is speedy) and I passed her.  I was expecting her to pick it up and hang on, but she never did.

this is apparently what I look like when I'm dying

Then more running, trying not to die, running, running faster.  Finally I hit the hill up into Hudson Gardens (who was hosting the race) and I knew I only had 0.25 mi left, mostly uphill.  I saw Will in about the same spot I saw him, he asked me to smile and I was borederline-pukey and all I could manage was to shake my hand "no".  I couldn't even shake my head.  ha!  Then up to the finish (don't die had been replaced by don't puke) and I was happy to see the race clock was under 1:00, meaning I had hit my goal.

game face

Right after the line, some volunteers were cutting the timing chip off my shoe and I was having a pretty lively internal debate about puking there on the spot or if I should find a bush to puke in or if I should try and walk it off.  Lucky for everyone, I really hate puking, so I just walked it off.   And used my inhaler about 20 times because I really couldn't breathe.  But yay - PR!

Time: 59:25, 9:35/mile pace
Place: 33/56 age group, 298/509 overall

Gear Review - Yakety Yak Knee High Running Socks

I got these socks specifically to wear at my local Santa's Stampede 10k.  Race organizers give you a santa hat to wear, but I get warm easily and the fit on the hat is always wonky, so I end up holding the hat as I run. Not festive!  But now that I had these socks, I was festive and ready to run.

as modeled in my dining room, pre-race

Socks can be a bit risky for me, mainly because my feet hate me.  Really, my feet are very picky and its rare when I can pick something off the shelf and have it work for me.  (see: my collection of rarely worn but very cute running socks.  Honestly, there's only 2 or 3 brands out there that I can wear comfortably).  To add to the challenge, my right pinky toe was possibly broken.  I refuse to get it xrayed and it usually feels fine when I'm running.  Just don't ask me how it feels when I'm not running.  *sigh*  I haven't been able to wear most shoes (other than some old runners) and I had to be selective on my socks because anything too tight would hurt.  And here I was, going for a big PR in a 10k in strange socks.  No worries!

ready to run

These socks are very thin and lightweight.  I had plenty of room in my toes (they didn't bother my broken* toe).  They are a bit tight in the calf (see how stretched they are in the first photo), but the tightness wasn't uncomfortable.  In fact, it probably helped the socks stay up. There isn't any cushion to these, but I normally don't like cushion in my socks. These may look like compression socks, but they really aren't.  They're more like a fun lightweight tall sock.  So keep that in mind when you're buying and wearing them.  They come in a variety of colors and designs.  I definitely see myself getting these St Patrick's Day themed socks or these cute pink/green argyle ones in the future.  They cost $9.99 - very affordable for something "fun" to wear during races, on festive training runs, or when you need something cute or spunky as extra motivation to get out the door and run.

My race went really well, in fact I had a 5 minute PR and beat my goal by 35 seconds.  Along the course (and before and after the race) I got plenty comments about my socks.  They were definitely festive and easy to see!  As for performance, I didn't even notice them as I was running, which to me, is high praise.  My legs and feet felt awesome the entire race.  My toes had room to move and I never developed any hot spots or foot discomfort.  Hurray!

sprinting to the finish - all my husband had to do was look for the socks

Buy them at Gone for a Run, an online store for $9.99

Get 10% off through Dec 20, 2013 with the coupon code "GOTRIERIN10"

*disclaimer* Gone for a Run provided these socks to me to wear and review.  All opinions remain my own.

Paleo Chocolate "Pudding"

Recipe Wednesday!  (not that this ever was a thing, or that I plan on doing this regularly, or on Wednesday)

I've been eating paleo/clean for nearly two years now and breakfast is probably one of the things I struggle with most.  I saw a few different "pudding" recipes on the interwebs and decided to give it a go.  Its a bit weird, but holy cow, it really tastes like pudding.  And its crammed full of tasty and good for you things.

But the best part - I ate a half serving on Sunday before my 1 hr long treadmill run.  Usually I can't eat anything other than a little fruit snack before a run because my stomach gets crabby.  I ate this about an hour before my run and I had zero issues.  Like "my stomach didn't even act like there was food in there" kind of zero issues.  Sweet.

As with most of my recipes, measurements are dynamic and approximate.  I rarely ever make this the same way twice.

Chocolate Coconut Paleo Pudding
Makes ~4 servings
Ingredients:
1 can coconut milk (I use the full fat kind.  mmmm, fat)
coffee (I don't always add this, and when I do, its left over stuff from that morning and I don't measure.)
1/4 c cocoa powder
1/4-1/2 flax seeds
1/4 cup honey
pinch salt
1/4 c almond flour (I go back and forth on including this one)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup chia seeds

Directions:
In a blender, mix up the coconut milk through almond flour until you feel that the flax seeds are broken up.  (I've read that you don't get any of the nutritional benefits of flax if they're whole, so I blend them).

Pour into large bowl or storage container.  Mix in chia seeds and shredded coconut.

Pour into eating receptacles (ie divide into 4 for servings or you can leave it in a big container and scoop out what you want later on)

Put in the fridge and let it chill overnight.  The chia seeds gel up and turn this into a pudding-like consistency.

Trying to stay inside as much as possible

Winter has finally arrived to Denver.  We got hit with a cold spell Tues night and we've been hoovering around 0 degrees (F) ever since.  Its beautiful with fresh snow and blue skies, but it is COLD.

To complicate my life, I whacked my right pinky toe on the coffee table Sunday night.  I didn't think I hit it that hard - it really didn't hurt that night.  But Monday morning when I was getting ready for swim practice, I put on my work shoes (as opposed to old running shoes) and couldn't take 3 steps.  Crapola.  Probably broken.  And I've got a 10k in a week (that I still need to register for) and ski season.  Right now, I can't fathom putting this toe in a ski boot.

toes are so ugly.  its hard to tell, but I had a DARK purple bruise.  Probably worse
than my CDA toe. also: you can still see my surgery scars

I ended up swapping my Tues and Thurs workouts around so I could put off my run until Thursday and give my toe a chance to de-swell.  I've also been wearing my bright pink Brooks PureFlows to work because they're the only shoes that have a wide enough toe box.  Not exactly classy with work clothes - or warm.  But it was either that or no shoes.

Yesterday my toe felt good enough to try running.  I ended up hitting the gym treadmill because it was maybe 5 degrees out and I didn't want to freeze-burn my lungs.  I ran last year in ~10 deg temps, and while it was AWESOME at the time, the next day I was hacking and wheezing like I was a lifetime smoker.  So this year, I'm going to try and be a bit smarter and run inside when its cold.  I also didn't think it was a good idea to run on slick surfaces with a potentially broken toe.  See, I'm trying to get smarter.

I am completely out of my routine for going to the gym for non swim practice type things.  I put my clothes on at home, grabbed a water bottle, got my gym ID out of my gym bag and headed out the door.  When I got to the gym, I realized I forgot my MP3 player at home and that my headband (to control hair whisps) was in my gym bag, which was also at home.  I didn't feel like driving home for these 2 important but non-essential things so I toughed it out and ran without them.

Fortunately, Thursday's run was intervals.  Intervals make the treadmill SO MUCH BETTER.  20 min warmup, 10 [ 2 min hard / 2 min easy], 10 min cool down.  Having something to do every 2 minutes made things so much better.

Surprisingly, my toe felt fine - like nothing was wrong.  This was only when I was running (weird, right?) and when I got off it was sore.  I hate icing body parts when its freezing out.  Sure, I'm inside on the couch, but mentally, I do not want to put ice of my foot in the winter.  Random aside: Zipper really likes bags of ice.  She'll lick the bag and I even caught her biting the thing.  Not cool because then ice cold water leaks out of the bag and onto me.  She's a weird cat.

Today, my toe was more sore than yesterday.  I went to swim practice, where my coach tried to drown us (9x100 with 6 underwater dolphin kicks off of each wall. that crap is HARD).  I had another 30 min run on my schedule today, so I just put my run stuff (this time with music and headband!) and ran right after swimming.  I knew that if I had to go back to the gym for a 30 min run in the afternoon, then I'd just skip the run.  So I got some mental toughness bonus points and got it done.  And my toe is a bit more sore, so I get to spend more time with an ice packet (and Zipper) today.

Running easy is pretty boring on the treadmill.  I try to make it a bit better by increasing the speed by 0.1 mph every 5 minutes.  Really, its just a trick to break the run up into 5 min increments instead of 30 life-sucking-minutes on a hamster wheel.

Sunday I've got a 1 hr run and I'm pretty sure it will have to be inside as well.  I am not very excited about it.