RuntoNamaste

Sh*t Runners Say

2012-01-26T10:35:00.000-05:00

Oh em gee, this is spot on! I've definitely said and done all of this shit. I mean, if you've never fired up 'Eye of the Tiger' at some point during your run, then oh my! You're missing out on one hell of an adrenaline rush, Grasshopper. Get on it! [Says she who hasn't run in over 6 months.]

Soon There Will Be a Wedding, and I Need to Fit into This Damn Dress

2012-01-24T16:58:00.000-05:00

First of all, haaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiii and Happy New Year!

I know, its been a while. All my fault, Sugar. See my love/hate running relationship turned into pure hate. Like 'ughhh, gah, blaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhh, shut up, fuck running!' kind of hate. Burnout sure is a bitch, innit? So after many failed attempts to get the momentum going, I said eff it and ate my way back to college weight. Surely there were many other varying life factors that contributed to my slump back into Pleasantly Plump Girl Nation, but that's soooooo 2011. Let's focus on 2012, shall we?

2012 is the year I dance my ass off doing Zumba in the comfort (and warmth. Eff you Winter!) of my apartment.
2012 is the year I dusted off my kettlebells and FINALLY did some weight training.
2012 is the year I stopped eating for a small army. (Note to self: Pad Thai is NOT a vegetable!)
2012 is the year --more specifically, today-- that I renewed my New York Road Runner membership.

Yea yea, I lambasted NYRR for their boring and repetitive races, but I need some fire under my ass and committing to local races with my running peeps is just the thing I need to get me going. Plus, I'm considering completing the qualification requirements for NYCM 2013. THAT race fee is definitely too damn high, but I'm a sucker for all things NYCM. Besides, it would be great to do a comeback marathon on my home turf!

Oh and about that wedding dress. Ya, I'm totally marching down the aisle in June...front and center with my BFF bride! I'm a Maid of Honor, y'alls! [that there y'alls is a direct result of me watching way to much Cooking with Paula Deen. Thankfully I'm entirely too lazy to cook any of her recipes.] I'm sure I'll rock the hell out of any dress regardless of my current weight/size because I'm fierce like that. However, this is a summer DESTINATION wedding, NEAR A BEACH and I'm simply not into wearing spanx during beach season. Oh gawd no!

And with that, I'm off to get my shit together. Mission: Fit and Healthy IS HAPPENING!

*Cues fierce music. Exits to the left*

Runnerisms: To Run or Not to Run?

2011-09-16T10:29:00.000-04:00

If running is important to you, then your mind-set shifts from Can I find time for it? to When can I find time for it? You think in terms not of Will I run today? but When will I run today? - Scott Douglas

Word and duly noted. Time to get out there and WORK IT! .

Humans 1 - Robots 0

2011-09-15T11:18:00.001-04:00

A robot. A robot and his oblivious quest for glory is what it took to get this here 'blogger' blogging again. But how could one resist sharing a story about a robot gearing up to compete in Ironman Kona? Have a look:

First thoughts that came to mind is that he is going to 1) get kicked to the bottom of the ocean during the swim frenzy 2) get squished to death by bigger, faster moving bike tires and 3) get kicked off a cliff during the run.

Turns out, Dude Man Robo is expected to finish the Ironman in "one week or 168 hours, which is ten times longer than it would take a sportsman." Dear Robotics, the human race is not impressed. But at least he's ah-dorable so congrats on that there one accomplishment!

In other news, summer is ovah and I has a sad. I didn't abandon my blog, but merely took a little hiatus -- a digital diet of some sorts. Perhaps I should have posted a little notice but, meh, the last thing I wanted to do with my free time during this GLORIOUS SUMMER was waste my hours away on the Internets. Don't get me wrong, I missed you all, but OMGSUMMER!

Now that the mercury is taking its inevitable dip, and I'm losing a little steam [because I'm not 21 anymore - le cry!], I'll be a bit more settled to do things like blog, tweet, workout and such. Oh and run! I did manage to put my gin and tonic down long enough to run three half marathons, but more on that later.

So hi, again. I'm off to take care of the 682 unread items in my Google Reader. [Clicks 'Mark all items as Read.' There, I fixed it!] Hope you all had a wonderful summer. See ya soon-ish ;)

No Bikini, You Cannot Come out to Play.

2011-06-24T15:45:00.000-04:00

Summertime, and the living is good. Maybe a little too good! So.much.food.EVERYWHERE!

But this is why I run. As a matter of fact, I'm prepping for my road trip -albeit a short one- to Connecticut for the Fairfield Half Marathon on Sunday. I haven't really figured out the race day logistics, but I got the restaurant situation on lock. And that's what we call priorities, my friends!

Have a wonderful weekend and happy running!

Photo Friday: Running on Bridges and Castles

2011-06-10T10:57:00.003-04:00

Running across the George Washington Bridge into Manhattan's historic Fort Tryon Park - home of The Cloisters - is one of my favorite long run routes. The GWB's pedestrian path is relatively hassle free with unobstructed traffic flow, compared to some of NY's popular bridges, like the Brooklyn and Williamsburg Bridge. Perhaps its location way north, in the outer reaches of Manhattan has something to do with the low pedestrian traffic. Pfft, no complaints here.

The scenery alone makes running seem like less of a chore, and more like a way to discover the hidden beauty that is demurely tucked away in a land not so far away. Tomorrow I am due for 8 miles and this will be my stomping grounds.

I'm hella excited.

Happy running all!

What are your running plans this weekend?

Three Things Thursday

2011-06-09T15:21:00.000-04:00

Thing 1:

After 3 failed fittings, the running gods finally blessed me with a knowledgeable sales associate who was able to help me get my hamhocks in a pair of Vibrams. [Shout out to Silas from The Running Company] Holy hell, getting my hooves into these bad boys was a workout within itself, but once in, I was beyond elated. I didn't think I'd ever be able to own a pair --ever!

I've had them for a week and have only used them for walking around the house and cross training. I absolutely love these as cross trainers since I prefer to kickbox, weight train and the like barefoot. It adds an extra layer of protection for the sole of my feet.Hopefully I'm reaping the foot strengthening benefits. Yesterday I used them for plyometrics and my movements were so much more fluid, my foot fall lighter. It'll be a while before I actually run in them and when I do, my mileage will be low and increased conservatively.

Thing 2:

I tried P90x Kenpo [kickboxing] and was bored to death. It'll work up a sweat, but some of the sequences are a bit awkward and it's not as challenging as I thought it would be. Maybe that's the objective, but meh. Is it just me?

Thing 3:

It's incredibly hot outside today. 100 degrees to be exact. Hi Summer! Running outside today is nothing short of asinine, but if you must, equip yourself with some tips for running in the heat. Some of my faves are: decreasing your speed, lowering your expectations and bagging it if it's too hot. My not so favorite is the early morning thing, but I sacrifice a couple extra hours of z's on the weekend for my long run. Because nobody wants to do a long run on the treadmill. Ugh! So in a nutshell, be smart and live to run another day.

White Vinegar + Baking Soda: Better than Sport Wash

2011-06-08T09:51:00.001-04:00

Recently, Tide Sport detergent has been failing to get the stink out of my workout gear. Sure it smells oh so fresh and so clean-clean straight out of the washer, but the minute one drop of sweat hits the fabric, it's over. And I sweat like a pig so holy stankonia! [Do pigs even sweat?]

Granted my workout gear is old, but it's still in tact so replacing them isn't necessary and will certainly break the bank. So I did what every undomesticated, grown ass adult should do - I called my mother!

And thus ensued a bunch of incoherent whining on my end:

2 yr old Me: But maaaaaaa, I tried this and that, and it failed, whyyyyy, I stink, Pepe Le Pew, blah blah blah waaaa'
Super Mom: Just add 1/4 cup white vinegar and 1/4 cup baking soda to your detergent. If that doesn't work, add more the next time around until you get the magic measurement that works for your stinky clothes.
Clueless Me: Really?!
Awesome Mom: Yes, really.
Surprised Me: Huh, who would have thunk it.
Yenta Mom: So when are you getting marri..."
Avoidant Me: Thanks, love you, byeeee *click*.

I tried it - with cheap ass detergent too - and it worked like a charm. Duh, that easy. And cheap! White vinegar and baking soda. There were minute traces of baking soda residue my black apparel, but nothing to scream about. I just dusted it off! And if you're concerned about smelling like vinegar - ugh that awful, awful smell - don't be. The scent dissipates as your clothes dries. I still can't believe it was THAT EASY to get the stink out. Thanks Mom!

What do you use to get your workout clothes so fresh and so clean-clean?!

Flirting with P90X

2011-06-02T09:07:00.003-04:00

Last night, equipped with a laptop and flash drive, the BFF and I used our gym’s studio to do P90X plyometrics. This workout can definitely be done at home, but I’m an apartment dweller and I don’t think my downstairs neighbor would take too kindly to 60 minutes of non-stop thumping over their heads. I wouldn’t. Besides, doing this with a workout buddy is much more interesting.

What is Plyometrics? [source]
Plyometrics (also known as "plyos") is a type of exercise training designed to produce fast, powerful movements, and improve the functions of the nervous system, generally for the purpose of improving performance in sports.

What are the benefits? [source]
Benefits range from injury prevention, power development and sprint performance amongst others

This video summarized P90x’s hour long plyo routine. After actually doing the routine myself, these guys look like friggin superstars in my eyes and I want their autographs.

While the intensity is high, these exercises are not impossible. However, just when you start thinking ‘Hey this is easy, I could do this all day”, the burn comes out of nowhere and kicks you in the throat. It will hurt, but the sets are perfectly timed to let up before your body stages a revolt. The recovery break between sets are quick but most welcomed. There are modifiers for beginners and advanced levels, so you can really adjust the workout to match your current fitness. I think anyone in ‘just ok’ shape can do this entire routine to the best of their ability.

I cussed throughout the entire workout, but in the end I was doing cartwheels internally. I freaking love this workout. A+, hells yes, I’m a fan. What I love about plyometrics is that it can be done anywhere. This is definitely going to be my go-to work out when I’m on business trips. I might even take my laptop to the park one day for some outdoor action now that the weather is nice(ish). Surprisingly, I am mobile today with minimal soreness, so I should be good for a quick 3 miler during lunch.

Since there is zero desire on my part to have a regimented workout schedule, I am not doing the P90X program. I really enjoy running, spinning, kettlebells and Bikram yoga, and there isn’t much wiggly room to fit any of that in to the program. However, I will definitely add Plyometrics to the mix and maybe Kempo. I’ll know more about the Kempo after I try it tonight.

Have you tried/completed P90X? Were you able to continue running and training for races?

Run Nation, Run.

2011-06-01T22:37:00.002-04:00

Hola peeps. Happy National Running Day!!! I'm late night blogging again, and the day is almost over, but in case you're STILL wondering what to do - other than, you know, run- HuffPo created a slideshow from the creator's list of ways to celebrate National Running Day. [These organizations created National Running Day in case you're wondering.]

Thank goodness for that list because I didn't run today. Oh heavens no, it was entirely too hot outside and I didn't feel like pounding my life away on the treadmill. Instead I consulted the list of approved things to do on this high holy day o'running and did #4:

Choose a resolution : Yesterday I signed up for RnR Vegas. Today I signed up for RnR Providence. [Hi, I'm Fool and I'm addicted to running races.] My goal is to re-gain my distance running base and average half marathon finishing time of 2:15. However my ultimate goal is to stay injury free and run happy.

And in case you're wondering why I run, well...

So shame on me for not running today, but I didn't just sit on my ass and spend money. On the workout front I did P90X plyometrics. More on that tomorrow. I have to go lay down now. Ya, now! My legs are straight up J-e-ll-o. And so is my brain.

How did you celebrate National Running Day?

2011 - the year of Operation No Burnout

2011-05-31T15:00:00.000-04:00

Tempted as I may be to register for a fall marathon, the reality is that I am in no shape - physically and mentally - to train for that beast just yet. So far I am enjoying my laissez-faire approach to running and training for races. I do what I want, when I want - training schedules be damned! Just the thought of running a 20 miler gives me hives, so ya, definitely not ready.

That being said, I'm sticking to half marathons this year. It is the perfect distance for rebuilding my endurance and training base, all while maintaining an active social life where I get to enjoy summer to the max.

No doubt about it, come fall, I will be a bit bummed [read:jealous] that I am not running a marathon, especially since I need to redeem myself for last year's marathonFAIL. But I'll deal and stand on the sidelines to cheer the masses on. Besides, today I gave myself a little treat to pacify my impending disappointment:

Awwww yeaaaa, a night run in Vegas baby! Me = stupid excited!

What race are you most excited for this year?

Photo Friday: New Mantra

2011-05-27T21:06:00.000-04:00

Summer's here. Woo-hoo, I said, WOO-HOO! I am beyond happy to see Old Man Winter pack his shit and GO. I love me some summer! Lazy beach days, flip flops, frolicking at parks, long nights out, outdoor dining, road trips, fresh cold fruit - omg FUN!

Everything about summer is pure bliss, until the sun starts pms-ing and bitchingly takes her frustrations out on us by heating up to 100 degrees, with a humidity index of a bagillion percent!!! That's a no bueno for overall comfort and definitely a no bueno for running. So now, I have to wake up at the butt crack of dawn - which I absolutely abhor, especially on the weekend fercrissakes- to bang out a run before the be-yotch Sun wakes up. Ugh, the trials [and kvetching] of a four seasons runner. Oh well, through it all, I will remember...

This is hands down my favorite rewards system. What's yours?

Have a wonderful weekend and Memorial Day.

To our vets and troops, thank you. Thank you very much! xo.

Three Things Thursday

2011-05-26T23:42:00.001-04:00

Oh snap, it's 11p on a Thursday, and for the first time ever I have these things that I need to blog about. Yea, just a couple of things. Well, three to be exact. So before the clock strikes 12...

Thing 1: My next race - Fairfield Half Marathon. June 25th. Allegedly, this race was recognized by Runner's World as June's Race of the Month...back in 2008. Oh yes girlfriends, right there on that pin-up calendar of notable monthly races [circa 2008] is a picture of Mr. Fairfield Half looking all fine and sexy. I'm excited to meet him ;)

Thing 2: An amazing race that I'd like to run - Las Vegas Half Marathon. December 4th. A night run in Vegas? YES PLEASE! I've always wanted to do a night run but the only one I know of is in Luxembourg [I'll take Random Piece of Awesome Knowledge for $200 please], but that race is just a bit to fab for my budget right now. Not like Vegas is the most budget friendly option, especially with the already too-damn-high $130 race registration fee. [Ugh, iCringe]

Thing 3: New favorite kitchen tool - a milk frother. Thanks to this baby, I can now reallocate the $3 that I used to spend everyday on lattes to my Run Vegas fund. Oh Thing 3, how I love thee!

Recession friendly way to display your bibs and medals

2011-05-25T11:11:00.009-04:00

Oh mercy me, what oh what, am I going to do with these precious things?

My hard earned bling dangled and jingled annoyingly from a door knob. My race bibs - from every single race that I have participated in - hid in the haphazard paper graveyard that is my filing cabinet. Surely I planned to eventually organize and display the fruit of my labor, but that 'plan' often sat on the back burner. Some day though, some day. [Read: probably never]

Recently, at the New Jersey Marathon expo, I came across a rather creative flip book for bibs and easy to install hangers for medals. I was completely enamored with these items...that is, until I looked at the price tags. The total cost was an astronomical $75. Yea, ummm, NO. Right then and there, my creative juices started flowing, and thus a DIY project was born. 'Some day' was fiiiiiinally here!

This installation is by no means genius, or even original. However, it is simple, blends well with my apartment's decor and most important, affordable.

Hardware:
Wall rack for bling: $9.99 [Ikea]
Loose-leaf book ring for bibs. $4.29/12pk [Office Max]

Total cost: $14.28

Savings : $60.72

The cherry on top - the item that really adds meaning to this display for me - is a souvenir that I purchased in Costa Rica. It reads 'Pura Vida', a common phase used in Costa Rica that indirectly translates to - "plenty of life", "full of life", "this is living!", "going great", "real living", or "cool!" [Source] I'd say the phrase is quite fitting for all experiences - both good and bad - that running has brought into my life, and for that I will always be grateful.

How do you display your bibs and medals?

Email pics to runtonamaste at gmail dot com if you have a bib/medal display that you'd like to share on this blog. Thanks :)

It's the end of the world - and we don't quite know it - but I feel FINE!!!

2011-05-21T13:59:00.001-04:00

Happy Rapture Day peeps!

I should be heading out now to do my last run on earth, but I am so not in the mood to run just yet. I think I'll head out for a speed work session around 6p, you know, the time when shit is allegedly about to get real. I bet it'll be the best speedwork session from dodging fire and brimestone and such.

Until then, I'll be drinking a lot of this:

And this:

Me thinks that combination yields a glorified Four Loko, no?

All snark aside, I highly doubt that anything is going to happen today [duh!]. But in the grand equation of right and wrong, should skeptics like myself be the latter variable, then, OPA! It's been real, and I'll see ya'll on the flip side.

Or tomorrow!

Photo Friday

2011-05-20T12:14:00.003-04:00

Paris Marathon Weekend

Seine River, Paris 2009

Photographer: Me

Most of my favorite photos are accidental, like this one. I was focusing intently on getting a perfect composition of boats in the river, when this guy photo-bombed my shot. I didn't see him coming, but there he was, in my now awesome photo of a runner along the Seine River. He was definitely a much more interesting subject. Screw the boats!

Trifecta Finale: Bay to Breakers

2011-05-19T07:50:00.002-04:00

Sunday, May 15th

Oh San Francisco, you're really something special. What a perfect way to end the racing trifecta. To put it simply, I arrived in San Fran on a Thursday and didn't sober up until the following Tuesday. How else is one supposed to celebrate the 100th running of Bay to Breakers?

I blame Sonoma.

Rain was expected to put a damper on the day, but the running/party-gods had mercy on us. [You were right, Mr. Left Coast] Save for a passing drizzle, the entire day was gorgeous. For those of you unfamiliar with Bay To Breaker's notoriety, it's pretty much a 7.5 mile street party. It's Halloween in May. Clothing optional.

[Censored for your viewing 'pleasure'. You're welcome.]

50,000 + runners and walkers shared a course that was lined with musicians, house parties and revelers succumbing to overall booze-induced good times. And this all started at 7 a.m! Well, actually, my corral - which was for the people who planned on running the race unobstructed - left at 7. I was entirely too hungover to get there on time, so I left with the [fun] slackers around 8a. Besides, I probably would have missed getting smacked in the face with a tortilla at 7. It took a while for me to find my running buddies in the clusterfuck at the start village [except for Mr. Left Coast :(] When we finally found each other, we were off to what I consider, the best 7.5 miles I have run to date. Even though the walkers outnumbered the runners on the course, we were still able to maintain an 11-12 minute mile pace - which was heavenly given my fragile state.

As with all races that I run, I didn't look at the course map, but figured I'd probably run into some ridiculous hills at some point. That ridiculous hill would be the Hayes Hill, which surprisingly I ran 3/4 of the way up rather comfortably, until I was blocked by a sea of walkers. Naturally, I didn't care and used the time to record a janky video clip.

[Yea. Sure.]

With so much going on, the miles came up quickly and before we knew it, the bay was ahead of us - a sign that the finish line was near. Never before have I been so sad to finish a race. I wanted more but settled for the BFF and I singing 'We are the Champions' all the way to finish. It was the second race that we finished together - her longest distance to date - and I was just brimming with joy and adoration for her. Talk about a runner's high.

To add to that moment, came the sudden appearance of bubbles. The source?

Mr. Bubble Butt. Perfect timing.

Later on, we met up with the rest of the East Coast crew for a glorious afternoon of people watching at the park.

There was a zero tolerance intoxication policy in effect which the masses pretty much ignored and got away with. However, I was told by some natives that compared to previous years, the threats did indeed tame the debauchery down a notch or two. Either way, Bay to Breakers and sobriety aren't exactly synonymous. I was entirely too dehydrated to get caught up in that nonsense, so strapped to my back was a hydration pack...filled with white wi...err, recovery drink. The time was 11 a.m.

After strolling and relaxing [me - sleeping] in Gold Gate Park we grabbed a bite the eat on the famous Haight St. [us = tourist] and followed that up with some dancing and more drinking. I was still going strong with my hydration pack. The time was 2 p.m.

The rest of the day was a blur.

We set out for a good time and certainly a good time was had. I can't think of any race or street party in NYC that holds a candle to B2B. My retinas are still a bit burned from the sight of shriveled peckers everywhere, but such is the nature of this West Coast Freaknik. And I love it!

I'll see you crazy mofo's in 2012. Can't wait!

Trifecta pt.2: North Face Endurance Challenge

2011-05-18T08:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday, May 7th

Last year I vowed to never run this event again because it was becoming too popular and thus too crowed. Yea, well, I lied. I really love this race and of the four years that I have participated in this event, this year was the best. I ran the marathon relay with a team of 4 peeps [approx 6.5 miles per runner].

What was forecasted to be a rainy day, turned out to be a gorgeous day full of radiant sunshine with a few intermittent clouds and short pesky drizzles here and there. Feeling pretty confident and wanting to get running out of the way, I chose to run the first leg.

This race never gets any easier - hence the 'challenge' part - but the technicality of the terrain makes it super fun! What sorta-kinda wasn't fun, was a new section on the course - that I assume the organizers threw in for shits and giggles - where one had to carefully negotiate their way through a bed of boulders... on the edge of a cliff. Below was a lovely, rapid flowing river just waiting for you to fuck up and fall! Awesome-town! [not really].

Thankfully I survived and made my way to transition to leg #2. Of course I didn't tell my teammates shit about 'Boulder City' because that section threw me for a loop and and I figured it would only be fair for them to have the same experience.

One of my teammates aptly captioned this photo of me on Facebook:

"What does that smirk mean? It means "I know you're going to have to fly over some huge ass wall of rock and not fall into a waterfall but I'm not saying anything and spoil the surprise"

Exactly!

After I finished my leg, I got to laze around, people watch and cheer my teammates on for the rest of the day. [Totally zen!] It was really inspiring to watch the 50M, 50K and marathon runners finish strong, like they just came from an easy jog around the block. [Pfft, I would have been on a stretcher!] Even more admirable was watching some of the runners cross the finish line with their kids, caring less about shaving seconds off their finish time and more about making an indelible, picture perfect moment. iSwoon!

This race has become a yearly tradition for me, and every year I am reminded of why I keep coming back...trail runners are an incredible sect of runners. Even in competitions, there is still the spirit of camaraderie and mutual respect.

And every year, I find a new quality that differentiates trail runners from road runners. This year, I noticed how runners from one group filled what should have been peaceful, morning silence, with ear-piercing chatter about splits, pace, PR's [from fucking high school track, way way back in the day. *eyeroll*] and goal times. However runners from the other group laid motionless on the grass, taking deep breaths, drowning themselves with the fresh, crisp morning air. I'm sure you figured out which group of runners did what. I fully appreciated the latter.

At the end of the day we got our asses handed to us, finishing a respectable 4th...to last. Whatevs, we were up against a bunch of hardcore trail runners, so our egos didn't take a hit considering we're a bunch of slacker road runners in unfamiliar territory.

What a day! I didn't think anything could top this race. But then something did, and that something is called Bay to Breakers...

Trifecta pt.1: Long Branch Half Marathon

2011-05-18T06:41:00.000-04:00

Sunday, May 1

And just like that, I broke out of my rut and had a Forrest Gump moment, where I just felt like runningggg. Perhaps signing up for back to back races was the motivating factor to get my lard ass back on le asphalt. Typically, I kick start my running season in May, by 'racing' two weekends in a row. However, this year, I upped the ante and tacked on a third weekend. I had no training plan, or goal times, or any of that technical shit in place. All I planned on doing was simply putting one foot in front of the other. Interesting plan, eh?!

And thus ensued an epic trifecta of awesome running!

First up: Long Branch Half Marathon

My longest run before this race was 7 miles, and I'm using the word 'run' here loosely. It was more like moving, or staying on my feet for upwards of two hours. My running mojo wasn't in full swing [and still is not], so that was the best I could do to prep for this half marathon. Besides, some running is certainly better than none at all, amiright?!

The weather on race day was absolutely perfect, unlike last year's heat wave. Despite my trepidation of flaring up my ITBS, the perfect running conditions did lots to boost my confidence. Not to mention, I was happy to be back in the thrill and excitement of the racing scene for the first time since last October.

[Happiness calls for jazz hands!]

From miles 1 - 10, I was fully immersed by the energy of the spectators and well-manned fluid/aid stations. Exhaustion set in around mile 11, but with only 2 miles left, the adrenaline rush kicked in and flushed the tiredness away.

This race reminded me of my very first half marathon 3 years ago, where I was too caught up in the moment to care about my performance, and as a result, I ran a strong race that got me hooked on distance running. While my running isn't as strong as it used to be, LB Half was the return of the Running Fool and as I crossed the finished line, I couldn't help but say to myself "Hot damn, I still got it".

I still got it!

And then the hurt set it, and it felt good. I'm back baby, I'm back!

[Finish time: 2:39]

After the race, I rewarded myself with an ice bath, courtesy nature. Perhaps this is why I wasn't sore the next day. [#winning]

Despite my grumbling about paying $90 for a damn half marathon, the experience was worth it and amped me up for the following week's race: The North Face Endurance Challenge.

Fool needs a bicycle

2011-03-29T13:54:00.000-04:00

Hey there peeps, I need your help...again. You've never steered me wrong in the past so I know you'll be able to help a Fool out.

I need a bicycle. When spring gets over its identify crisis and the weather finally warms up, I'd like to do less driving and more riding.

Budget: Under $1000. Way, way under $1000, if you know what I mean.

This bike doesn't need to be a high performing speed demon, but it should be ok-ish enough for me to use if I ever decide to delve in the world of triathlons. For now, I just need to get from A to Z.

So, is there a bike for me?

Eating to Live and Living to Eat

2011-03-22T16:32:00.005-04:00

Part of the secret of success in life is to eat what you like and let the food fight it out inside. ~Mark Twain

I never met a cupcake that I didn’t love. Same goes for ice-cream and anything with cheese, noodles/pasta and bread! Oh and rice. Ohmigosh I love rice! And thus, a conundrum emerges whenever I embark on my never ending journey to lose weight and get back in fighting shape for the running season. See, I am quite the faux-socialite who resides in Restaurant Mecca, so I eat out a lot. Add to that the throngs of dinner parties and bbq’s hosted by stir-crazy Northeasterners because ‘It’s sunny and above 50 degrees outside, let’s effin party. Wooooooo!’ So yea, shaking off the winter weight is not an easy feat if you’re a food whore like moi.

Enter attempt number ilostcount to temper my insatiable appetite: Weight Watchers Online. My bff swears by it and I’ve watch her bomb-diggity-bomb body transform before my eyes. She is a living testimonial and all the convincing I needed, so I figured, what the hey!

For those of you not familiar with Weight Watchers, here’s the quick deelio. Food carries points instead of calories. Each personalized plan is given a daily points allowance. If you exceed your daily allowance, you can tap into your weekly [extra points for ‘cheat days’] and activity [earned from exercise] allowances. It’s a pretty realistic system, that I found to be both educational and effective. Weight Watchers helped keep me on the straight and narrow and I definitely would have been on the fast track to success however…

…I was miserable. Cue orchestra:

I hate keeping daily logs, much less updating one 3-6 times a day. Case in point: my sporadic blog updates and tweets. Oh and the ghost town that is my Daily Mile profile. Ugh, I am the worst. Also, I’m not a numbers person. I hate all numbers: equations, calculations, dates, phone numbers, student loan debt, bank statement balances, and most recently, Weight Watcher points. Despite the simplicity of the points system, my disdain stems mainly from the fact that food - the one thing that I will probably love a teeny weeny bit more than my first born child - was no longer just food to me. The delicious, uh-mazing, incredible food that I salivate for was now just points, and tasted like points. Sounds weird, I know, but this obsession - similar to that of meticulous calorie counting and weighing every singly food item- fostered immense trepidation and took the joy out of eating.

And so I quit WW. Clearly all of my issues are personal. I lack the interest and discipline to track my food consumption and regrettably it cost me $60 to find that out. [*%&#!]

Whatevs, my diet is roughly 80% clean anyway, so I really need to cut myself some slack and stop stressing the gluttonous 20%. That being said, what works for me is banging out at least 2 days of intense cardio. We’re taking 90 – 120 minutes of cardio. This has worked for me in the past and now that I’m running again, I’m sure it’ll work for me now. In the end, whether meeting a weight goal means eating less or working out more, the objective is to do what works best for you and more importantly, what makes you happy-ish. I certainly am not always happy to workout, much less for 2+ hours, but it is my preferred and happy medium.

What’s yours?

Resolutions Check

2011-03-16T16:08:00.002-04:00

So, how ‘bout them resolutions? You know, that list of ‘goals’ we made at the beginning of the New Year? Heaven knows I forgot that I even had one or that I even blogged about it. Guess it’s time to check in on my progress…or lack thereof:

Purchase a scale and weigh myself once a week – Done. Based on the rave reviews that I received from my fellow bloggies, I went ahead and purchased a Tarnita scale. Peeps, you were right, [thank you very much] it is a great scale, but, I HATE THE MOTHER-EFFER! The scale itself is perfectly functional but when I diligently step on that bastard every week he tells me the same shit. I mean, W-T-F?! I’ve ramped up my workouts and tempered my ravenous appetite but this asshole absolutely refuses to give a favorable reading. Surely it could be strength training. I am doing much more of it, but still, shouldn’t I be building muscle and losing fat? Is the muscle weight simply replacing the fat weight? Ugh, I don’t know how this nonsense works, but for what it’s worth, at least my fat face is getting slimmer. Woot!
Get my running mojo back – Oh hells yea baby, I am bizzack! My knee is still on the mend but I am able to run 5 pain free miles now. Oh how I missed my endorphin fixes! It’s incredible how much my mood has improved now that I am able to run regularly. Everything is just peaches, rainbows and unicorns! The down side to my happy, go-lucky-ness is that I need to control my burning desire to impulsively sign up for every race on planet earth. For example, the other day I was flirting with the idea of signing up for the Marine Corp Marathon. [iknowright? I’m in marathon mode already!] So I went to the website just to get some deets [also known as registering] only to see that it sold out in 28 hours! What the h-e-double hockey sticks?!
Do a 30-day Bikram Yoga Challenge – Err, no. Maybe when my work/travel schedule eases up.

Other personal goals are to:

Get in to a grad school that won't bankrupt me FOR LIFE – Umm no.
Spend less – Ha! LOL. LMFAO. ROFLMAO.
Travel to either Columbia or Argentina. [So much for spending less!] – Work in progress
Read more books [I'm loving my Kindle so this won't be a problema] – Yes-ish. I was going strong but then I got Netflix. Honestly, how on earth did I survive this long without Netflix? Right now, I’m obsessed with Weeds. There are 6 seasons and I’m only on season 1. Needless to say, there’s no time for reading. Sworry!

So how 'bout your resolutions?

Weeeeeeeeee!!!

2011-03-05T15:19:00.001-05:00

Did a 4 mile run this morning. Outdoors. First outdoor run in 5 MONTHS!

Just call me Maxell.

Clearing I am riding on an incredible high that I haven't felt in months. Now 'scuse me, I have to go take over the world now.

Here Comes the Sun

2011-03-03T14:48:00.001-05:00

Little Darlin, it’s been a long cold and lonely winter/ little darlin it feels like years since you've been here

Well the silence sure is deafening on this blog. . Blame it on the winter blues – I caught a severe case of it. Everything was stuck on repeat.

*cue violin*
The weather. The daily grind. The weather again.
In a rut. Out of rut. Back in rut again.
Out of bed. To the gym. Meh, go home. Back in bed again.
Out of bed. Look at kettlebells. Walk pass kettlebells. Back in bed again.
Weight up. Weight down. Weight up again. Fuck, I give up!

Little darlin the smiles have returned to the faces now/ little darlin it seems like years since you've been here

The weather is starting the change slowly, but surely. Old man winter is losing steam and spring is fighting a good fight to oust the old geezer. The once foreign sunlight now forces its way through the tightly shut blinds, making its way directly to my retina. It urges me to endure and join the fight against the winter blues. Endure. Yes, endurance. I know a thing or two about that.

Here comes the sun, aren’t you glad to see it, I say it’s all right

So to the corner I went, dusted off my running shoes and gave the bum knee a little test on the treadmill. Within a week I was running pain free for a mile. The next week I was able to run 2 miles. Two weeks later, I was up to 3 PAIN FREE miles. Perhaps it’s the endorphins talking, but there are very few things in this world that can bring me joy like running does.

Little darlin here comes the sun, it’s all right/ You can come on out

And with that, I started working out more at the gym, renewed my Runner’s World subscription, purchased new running shoes and, at long last, replaced my lost Garmin Forerunner. Oh, and registered for Bay to Breakers, The North Face Endurance Challenge and the Long Branch Half Marathon. This Saturday, I have a date with running in the great outdoors. It will be my first outdoor run since October 2010.

Here comes the sun…

Injured Runner Registers for a Race

2011-01-20T15:11:00.000-05:00

My knee is a worthless bum and I can barely run a mile. So, naturally, it is only logical that I register for a race...on the other side of the country.

Brilliant. Just brilliant!

Surviving the Gym Stampede

2011-01-10T14:07:00.003-05:00

It's January, and the Resolutionaries have embarked on the great migration to gyms across the nation. Good for them I say. Everyone is entitled to hop on the fitness bandwagon. Besides, this is how many of us now hardcore gym rats/runners/yogis etcetera got our start, so go for glory, Resolutionaries. Do your thing and make that life change!

That is not to say that I particularly enjoy going to the gym and cheering the Resolutionaries on. For that matter, I hate the gym around this time of the year and avoid it like a plague! See, instead of paying a therapist, I pay a gym membership. For atleast two hours a day, I am in my domain, decompressing from the daily grind. The gym is usually empty enough, allowing me to blatantly disregard the 30 minute treadmill policy, or go to spin class on a whim without having to reserve a bike hours in advance. I have no problem finding an empty locker and I can literally do laps -albeit ridiculously short ones...or just ridiculous in general- in the empty whirlpool. I can even lay down and take a nap on the single bench in the steam room undisturbed. To expect this kind of tranquility around this time of the year will be just as lofty as the weight loss goal of 20lbs/week set by the unrealistic Resolutionary. As a result, I avoid the madness altogether - since the frenzy will certainly guarantee me a nervous breakdown - and work out at home.

Usually I'd brave the elements, and go for a frosty run before or after work, but since I'm on the injury list, workout DVD's have been my saving grace. [Plus I really have no desire to freeze my ass off any more than I already do.] Admittedly I do miss spin, kickboxing and the social aspect of my gym, but I'll lay low until the masses taper off a bit. Until then, I can be found in my apartment working off the holiday lard to my tried and true TaeBo Cardio followed by a 15 or 45 minute kettlebell session.

Because I like to keep things fresh, I purchased a new TaeBo [if you haven't already noticed, I swear by TaeBo] and kettlebell dvd during a recent trip to Target. Both items were very affordable, but I'll know whether there's any bang for the buck when I try them out tonight. Stay tuned for a review.

What's your gym situation like and what are some of your favorite workouts to do at home?

The Race Fees are too Damn High!

2011-01-05T20:28:00.013-05:00

What.the.hell? Why can't I afford to run races any more? The fee increase, especially for popular races, is astronomical.

Perhaps I could sell my first born, but I want to race now and the 9 month gestation period doesn't fit into my racing schedule [or budget, or lifestyle, or anything for that matter!]. I could drain my life savings but that's non-existent, so I guess I'll resort to selling my personal possessions on ebay. I am also not above cashing in bottles. If my math serves me right - and it probably isn't because I am the absolute worst with Math - I need to cash in 1700 bottles, at 5c per bottle, to pay for the $85 Long Branch Half Marathon fee. Amiright?! I don't know why I'm sitting here bloggin' because I need to start collecting bottles like yester-year.

See, last year, I paid $70 + $6.50 online processing fee to run LBHM. This year, as mentioned before they are calling for $85 + possible processing fee. I don't know of the latter because I am yet to whip out my credit card to pay for this race. But I probably will soon enough, and I will do this without the race director holding a gun to my head. And I suspect thousands will do the same, as they have faithfully done in the past, and ultimately this race will sell out.

But that doesn't demerit the fact that race fees are too damn high. [and so is the rent, gotdammit!]. The experience at most popular races is largely pleasant, which results in a loyal fan base who look forward to returning the following year. But are these races now getting too big to fail? They continue to sell out even though they don't really offer anything more spectacular than last year's event, where the registration fee was less. But that seems to be the common theme for just about every thing these days - pay more, get less.

I haven't the slightest clue what goes into planning a race logistically and financially, but what I do know is that I'm getting poorer paying for this 'hobby' of mine. My spending is the only thing that I have control of in this entire equation so sadly, I am going to have to sit out most races that I favored in years past because, yep, you said it, the fees are too damn high.

So here are my 2011 running 'budget' cuts:

I will not renew my $40 [I think] NYRR membership. Sure membership gets me a considerable discount on races, but really, I am so OVER paying to run in Central Park. And their bling-less half marathons, puh-lease, I am over those too! It would have been a different story if I was vying for guaranteed entry to NYCM, but I've been there, done that so...
I will run smaller, and often times, cheaper races in New Jersey, Long Island and upstate New York. The Yonkers Half Marathon is hands down one of the best races in the area and registration starts at $40. That there fee really tickles my fancy. [There better not be a ridiculous 2011 fee increase, Yonkers planning people. hmmph!]
I am still a fan of some popular races, the Long Branch Half Marathon being one of them. And ofcourse there are the nation's top marathons like Chicago, MCM et all. So I will allow myself no more than 5 'ridiculous entry fee' splurges. I will probably cash in my splurge allowance at The North Face Endurance Challenge [yea I said I wasn't going to run this again. I lied], LBHM, Bay to Breakers and maybe, a big MAYBE, MCM.

So how are ya'll dealing with the entry fees?

Weighing my Options. Help Needed.

2011-01-03T10:23:00.000-05:00

As per my resolutions, I'm in the market for a scale ::shudder:: So to the interwebs I went for reviews and recommendations only to be inundated by the litany of options. Oy! Ofcourse the biggest conflict is whether I should go for a digital or mechanical scale.

I like the ease of reading on digital scales, however I'd rather not deal with changing batteries, software glitches, calibrating and potential inaccuracies. I'd go old school with a mechanical scale, but goodness gracious those scales are fugly! See:

Ugh. I'm a sucker for the sleek design of digital scales, but I guess I should go for function over aesthetic right?

[But...but...look at these beauties!]

So, I need some help picking my el diablo and who better to ask than my blog peeps.

What's your digital or mechanical scale of choice?

Resolutions and Anniversaries

2011-01-02T11:22:00.000-05:00

What a brazen bitch!

I am not a big fan of resolutions but it is always good to have something to look forward to for the year. That being said, here are my some what attainable goals.

Purchase a scale and weigh myself once a week - I haven't owned a scale in ages because I absolutely hate the damn thing. But I guess if I am to keep track of my weight it is only obvious that I'll need to face the music and step on el diablo once a week.
Get my running mojo back - I haven't the slightest clue what I want to do with myself running wise. So far, I am flirting with the idea of registering for Bay to Breakers and the Marine Corp Marathon. I also want to run a sub 2 hr half marathon, which has been a goal of mine for a very long time now. However, I am not committing to anything yet. First, I need to keep my injuries at bay and slowly get back into the running game.
Do a 30-day Bikram Yoga Challenge - Probably the loftiest of all my goals as I am not sure whether or not I will have the time to commit to such a challenge. However I've always wanted to take my practice to the next level and a challenge of this caliber will surely get me there.

Other personal goals are to:

Get in to a grad school that won't bankrupt me FOR LIFE
Spend less
Travel to either Columbia or Argentina. [So much for spending less!]
Read more books [I'm loving my Kindle so this won't be a problema]

On Jan 1, I celebrated my 1 year Veggie-versary and Psychobbles of a Running Fool turned 3. [Hoo-ray, confetti and glitter everywhere!]

What are your goals for 2011?

2010 Happenings: The Yearly Psychobabbling Recap

2010-12-31T12:42:00.004-05:00

2010 Resolution Check:

Purge impurities via a 3-day cleanse: Success. [Cleansed 3 times this year]
Become a vegetarian: Great success. [Tried veganism and failed miserably. I am too much of a cheese whore]
Maintain a mileage log: Pfft, outside of this blog, I can't keep a log for shit!
Pick a race, set a goal, meet goal. Nish :(
Run free and 'naked': No Garmin [most times I ran without but needed it for long runs. I have since lost my Garmin and need a new one. This one.] and purchase a pair of VFF's. [I would have if I could get fitted properly for the got-damn thing]
Prepare my mind and body for the level up - Ultramarathoner in training: Ummm no, absolutely NOT!

Notable Happenings

Mid race injury and 11 mile walk to the most beautiful bling in my collection at the Miami Marathon.

Triumphant return to running after Miami marathon disaster at the Coogan's 5K . It was my second favorite race of the year, after my all time favorite: The Scotland Run 10K

OMG! Snowmageddon a.k.a.The Great Freak Out, because you know, the North East never ever gets blasted with snow.

Annoying freakish weather = no work and MEN IN TIGHTS! Mommy like!

Adios snow, hola Costa Rica!

Good-bye winter, hello spring. Opened the running season at the North Face Endurance Challenge.

Survived summer's first heat wave at the Long Branch Half Marathon.

Did some more ri-dic-u-lous running in the brutal heat at the Brooklyn and Queens Half Marathon. [p.s. Shirtless dudes, I heart you!]

Chicago Marathon DNS. [My heart still bleeds.] However, I continued to raise money for the American Cancer Society and successfully passed my goal of $950. [Thank you all for your support, it meant a lot to me]

Very slow march up the road to recovery post CM. Shook off disappointment and got Down and Dirty at a mud run.

Had a birthday, fell in love with D.C and rallied to Restore Sanity and/or Fear.[#TeamSanityAndFear]

Great Discoveries:

Vegan ice-cream

Kettlebells

Green Monster Shake [thanks Mari]

Shit that I can't believe exist: The Shake Weight

I haven't put much thought into my goals for 2011, but I will as soon as I get this bottle of wine out of my system. Until then, you're awesome, thanks for reading, Happy New Year and I'll see ya in 2011. xoxo

The Inevitable Holiday Bulge

2010-12-29T07:18:00.003-05:00

Before the holidays, I did a 3 day cleanse in hopes of beating my sugar cravings and binge eating. It worked - as it always does- and I was successfully back on the fast track to clean, healthy eating. Then the holidays came. And with the holidays comes the annual trip to my parents house and with that comes delicious home cooked food that I have not had the pleasure of eating all year long. So naturally, I eat my heart's desire. Besides my mother wouldn't have it any other way.She'd probably disown me if I came into her castle with this healthy-smealthy, low fat, low sugar, moderate eating crap. It's bad enough that I'm vegetarian. [I must admit, it hurts to not have a slice of her succulent turkey.] And heaven forbid I suggest that her signature sauce does not need a stick of butter. Or that we should cut down on the fried foods. Or that her home made juices need not a bucket of sugar. Or her curry dishes a gallon of salt. But who the hell am I to tell the Master Homemade Chef what to do in her domain because Jeebus, it is all so very scrumptious and I cannot.stop.eating.

So yes, the holiday bulge is inevitable in my world [and the worlds of many] but this year, I am determined to not let my weight balloon during this time of overindulgence as it did in recent years. I may not lose weight, or even maintain my current weight but I will probably only gain, say, 5 as opposed to 10. I'll take that!

Here's my plan:

Do Tae-bo 6x/week and Kettle Bells 3x/week. Simple. No temporary gym membership needed and no time constraints. I am am free to do these home workout whenever I choose to, in non-technical gear, barefooted on a yoga mat in my parent's backyard. [No Snowpocalypse for me. Yaaaaaaaay!]

The DVDs:

Unfortunately my shipped Kettlebell is yet to arrive at my parent's house, but there are enough resistance and strength training exercises in Taebo to hold me over. And if I really want to shoot my heart rate up, I jump rope.

When I return to my habitat, I plan on doing another cleanse, but for the time being, some workout is better than no workout, and YES I will be eating my mother's to-die-for holiday cake.

How are you dealing with the holidays, fitness and food consumption wise?

POM Wonderful Review

2010-12-28T08:54:00.005-05:00

POM Wonderful is an all natural, 100% pomegranate juice. Pomegranates are all the rave now and seem to be having the best year ever. With it being dubbed the new power antioxidant, it's no wonder.

According to their website, all of POM Wonderful Juices:
contain no added sugars, preservatives or colors
are a good source of potassium
are gluten-free
are flash pasteurized to retain both flavor and nutrients
are certified kosher

Personally, I do not keep juice in the house and rarely drink it. Whenever my palate calls for a sweet, fruity beverage, I run fruits through a juicer for a refreshing, au natural drink. I always wheeled pass POM Wonderful with its rather interesting bottle design at the supermarket [re :no juice in the house policy], but when the good folks of POM offered to send me a box of 'wonderfulness' I couldn't resist the offer.

POM tastes like a super concentrated version of Cranberry Juice. It is both tart and sweet and can be quite overpowering. I didn't like the taste out of the bottle, so I diluted it with water and poured it over ice which made for quite and enjoyable and refreshing beverage. Other ways I used POM Wonderful were:

Vodka + POM - Being that POM and Cranberry juice share a similar flavor, I figured this would pair well with vodka. Well, I figured wrong. My cocktail was nothing short of medicinal - think Robitussin. To balance out the flavors I added a splash of pineapple juice to the cocktail and was drunk within the hour. It was de-licious! However, I am almost certain that my fermented concoction cancelled out all of pomegranate's antioxidant fighting powers.

Green Monster Shake - I added a 1/4 cup of POM to my breakfast smoothie [almond/soy milk + spinach + blueberries + strawberries + banana + cherries + 1 tbps peanut butter + hemp/chia seeds]. The addition of POM certainly heightened the shake's sweetness but it compromised the shake's rich, creamy texture. Honestly if I were to ever get a hold of frozen pomegranate seeds, I would prefer to use that in my shakes over POM Wonderful.

Seltzer Water + POM - As a former soda junkie, I get cravings for that fizzy, sugary stuff once in a while. This mixture is a refreshing, healthier alternative to soda and is definitely my favorite way to enjoy POM.

In conclusion, I don't see myself buying POM on a regular basis. That isn't to say there there aren't many great uses for POM Wonderful. They have tons of rather enticing recipes on their website, however I am entirely too lazy and very challenged in the culinary department, so I'll simply recommend that you try POM Wonderful and judge for yourself.

Do you have any interesting uses for POM Wonderful?

Time out for the Overwhelmed

2010-12-27T16:13:00.001-05:00

A bed. My bed. It was my kryptonite, the great immobilizer of this running fool. With blinds drawn and sheets pulled over my head, I spent every spare moment in my plush paradise, rolling out only for obligatory bathroom and work duties. Winter's gloom did not help my case much either. I checked out when the sun checked out. Early. When I wasn't working or sleeping, I was eating. Junk. Lots of junk. [Cupcakes? Yes please!] Call it a rut, the doldrums, or a mild chemical imbalance, whatever it was, day in day out it left me with no motivation, no willpower, no interest whatsoever in doing anything at all [Hence the lack of blog entries].

Consequently my fitness was affected. Once in a while I would muster some energy and desire to get back on the wagon. I sought out the help of a running coach for guidance, inspiration and most important, motivation. My first goal was small and attainable - to run a sub 28 min 5k. Coach was very active and encouraging during my training program and I went balls to the wall with gut wrenching interval and tempo runs. A new 5k PR was mine for the taking had I not gone and done something incredibly stupid like, oh I dunno, register for a race on a hilly, cross country course. With bursting lungs midway through the race, I realized that a PR for this here road runner, with an added 10lbs of lard ass was not in the cards. I slowed my pace and crossed in a respectable 30:52. Coach urged me to continue training to run another 5k race two weeks later, but then my ITBS flared up [how rude] and put a halt to my training. And so, I crawled back into bed and slept off the pain and disappointment. The destructive, lethargic pattern repeated itself and I felt trapped.

Sometimes we can't explain why a certain emotional wave hits us upside the head which makes it all the more difficult to deal with. Perhaps I still haven't gotten over the disappointment of the Chicago Marathon FAIL. Or maybe it is life's usual trials, who knows. More time was spent trying to figure out the unknown, which in my case was dreadfully exhausting. Whatever the case may be, I am on the mend and need to take baby steps towards full recovery. Before I can get back in to fighting shape, or take on the rigors of training to topple my PR's, or even attempt to run happy again, a mental and physical decompression is in order for my priority is me.

Running and I are temporarily separated, but we've been down this path before many times. A reunion is imminent, restoring a bond that will be sweeter and stronger than the last. But for now, I'm in time out. It is necessary, or rather, mandatory for the overwhelmed. I am breathing easier, feeling better and, I am out of bed. That's a start!

Sleepless in New York City

2010-11-06T17:40:00.002-04:00

Oh yes, Marathon Sunday celebrations starts tonight.

Well, not for you marathoners. You should be getting your carb fix and going beddy bye bye in a couple of hours. You got lots of running to do manana! [So says Captain Obvious]

You guys are about to have your world rocked. I am sooooooooo jeals but best believe I'll be out there [with little to no sleep] cheering you all on like a stark raving lunatic. Run to bling, baby, you got this in the bag!

Thanks to all for your feedback on my NYCM sign ideas. I love 'em all so I think I'll just make them all. Why not? Besides, at tonight's pot luck dinner party, I will be rolling in with wine [because I am entirely too lazy to cook], poster board and Sharpies. Everyone up in that mo-fo is going to make a sign for tomorrow's uh-mazing marathon, so I have enough hands to make marathon spectating magic. [Truth is, I am artistically challenged. I don't even trust myself with lettering.]

If you have any more sign idea, send 'em my way. You guys are giving me some great stuff like:

FINISHIN' IS YA ONLY F#CKIN' OPTION!!! [from Pengo]

That's so f#cking New York! Me lovies. Anywhos marathoners, I leave you with this:

Goodnight and good luck!

Oh gosh, NYC Marathon is almost here and I don't have a sign!

2010-11-04T11:44:00.000-04:00

The levels of NYCM madness is rising and I am just bubbling with excitement. Never mind that I am a teeny weeny bit jealous, but that's normal for anyone who has ever run New York City Marathon. Memories of my own NYCM experience are racing through my thoughts all day long. Why? Well to put it simply:

This year, I will assume the role of spectator. And because NYCM is one giant block party, I have a perfect excuse to start drinking at 9 a.m., because you know, that would render me an alcoholic on any other day. While runners are currently prepping for the expo and anxiously waiting to get-this-shit-over-with-already on Sunday, I am busy clicking my two surviving brain cells to devise a somewhat 'clever' marathon sign(s). So far, my trusted Frick and Frack conjured up the following:

Hello stranger, I love you
This is still a great idea, and you look amazing-ish
Keep calm and embrace the suck
I'll punch whoever yells 'Almost there' in the face for you
I trained for months to just stand here and hold this sign
Well, honestly, you are NOT almost there. You look good though.

Pretty clever, eh? Right? Hello? Are you still reading this?!

Anywho, this process took too much brain power, and now I am entirely too tired to make any sort of decision. So please help me. Which one do you like best? Or maybe you have a sign idea, you genius reader, you!

To the comments…

Kettle bell/running update

2010-11-03T11:03:00.003-04:00

Hi di ho folks. My bad for being the worst blogista/reader ever, but that's only because I'm busy being the best fitness buff EVER! [not really, but kind of]

Here's the deelio:

Added new Race Results tab on blog. Right up there. ^^^
Realized how much of a fantastically, awful runner I was [am] in 2010. No regrets, but obviously I am capable of better. So...
I got a running coach.
Did Lactate Threshold test to determine max, min and average heart rate. [whatchyu say, huh?! More 'splaining later on this lactate threshold thinger...or you can look it up on the internets]
Currently training to run a sub 28 minute 5K. Training plan consists of gut wrenching speed work, with recovery runs in between each session and an optional long run on the weekend. Tough, but doable and less mind numbing than marathon training. I like!
On the strength training side: Did Lauren Brooks' 12 minute Fat Blasting Kettle bell workout with a 15lb kettle bell.
Died.
Resurrected the next day with very sore muscles. Everywhere hurt, in a good way.
Continued doing Kettle Bell workout 2x/week.
Two weeks later: upgraded to a 20lb kettle bell and can run through the 12 minute routine twice in one session. This is in preparation for the murderous 40 minute routine that I tried to do, but keeled over within the first 2 minutes.
Lauren Brooks Kettle bell DVD verdict: WIN WIN WIN!
FYI: The New York City Half Marathon 2011 lottery closes on Nov 15th. Get on it if you're interested. I hated this race with a passion last year and vowed to never run it again. So, it is only natural that I entered the lottery. ~~idiot~~
Double FYI - IT'S NEW YORK CITY MARATHON WEEK! Wooooooooooooooooooo!

Who's running NYCM this year?

Strength training with kettle bells

2010-10-20T14:04:00.005-04:00

Here's a little background on my history with strength training: I hate it. I don't do it. It bores me to tears. Fin!

[And yet, I will happily run upwards of 60 mins on the treadmill.]

This is a problem and I know it. So as fate would have it, during one of my rare bouts of insomnia, I happened to channel surf right into the Kettleworx infomercial - a kettle bell fitness program. [I am one to watch infomercials over and over and never buy. Like P90X. Love watching, not interested in doing!] Almost immediately I remembered the kettle bell training session that I had and thoroughly enjoyed last year with a RKC [Kettle bell certification] trainer. I never continued because sessions are expensive, so imagine my delight when I discovered that there was an instructional kettle bell DVD available.

The next day I had my credit card in hand, ready to buy Kettleworx. That is, until I read online reviews. Most, if not all reviews, both positive and negative, was sure to point out that the instructor does uneven reps, like 3 reps on one side and 10 on the other. Errr, no, that's a deal breaker. Wompers! However, there was one name that appeared in just about every kb DVD recommendation and that name was Lauren Brooks.

She is an RKC Level II (advanced level) instructor and creator of The Ultimate Body Sculpt and Conditioning with Kettlebells DVD. From my research on the interwebs, it seems like kettle bell enthusiast swear by this woman. I looked at almost all of her videos on YouTube and the comments were mostly positive and full of praise for her form and execution. It was all the convincing that I needed to drop $39.99 for her DVD.

Last night, I watched the DVD in its entirety and I gotta say, I can't wait to buy a Kettle bell and get started. Her routines look doable, which means it is hard and will probably make me cry. As with every type of exercise, poor form is dangerous and can lead to serious injury. Kettle bells are no exception, so I really appreciated the DVD chapter dedicated to demonstrating all KB exercises featured in her workouts along with thorough explanations on maintaining proper form. I also love the recovery time that she allows between sets.

She definitely gave me the preliminary knowledge and confidence that is muy importante to get started with kettle bell exercises. Now all I need to do is not drop the ball and eff up my hardwood floors, or accidentally launch it into any furniture/glass/windows. Me gots butter fingers so, ummm, yea, this is going to be interesting.

This little piggy went "Wee wee wee" all the way home

2010-10-12T13:45:00.001-04:00

Me at the Down and Dirty Mud Run, sans shoe.

[White socks? Brilliant!]

Lemme tell ya, running with a shoe full o'mud is not comfortable or cool. But none of that matters when you're having fun. What a great race. Just in case you missed it, my race report is over here.

Since I've taken a liking to this mud run thinger, I perused the inter-webs for similar races and came across the alleged Grand Daddy of all mud runs: The Tough Mudder.

Check it!

This race looks nucking futs!!!

Where do I sign up?

My first marathon DNS sucked a lot less than anticipated

2010-10-11T17:53:00.011-04:00

“Celebrate when things don't go the way u want 'em too. The Uni-verse is abt to hook u up with something even better!” @TheDailyLove [via Twitter]

Wow, I’ll say that’s quite a timely and fitting affirmation.

First and foremost I would like to extend mega congratulations to M, Scott, Karena, Marty, FWR and the throngs of bad ass runners, who gutted it out and dodged, dipped, ducked, dived and dodged the punishing weather conditions at the Chicago Marathon. Just getting to the starting line alone is a testament of your unwavering determination and dedication to the sport of distance running. Getting to finish, in such unfavorable conditions is a picture perfect display of your resilience and tenacity. You made me very proud and honored to be a runner and more importantly, you inspired me to remain a marathoner and for that I thank you!

Initially, I thought my seething envy and profound disappointment of not being able to run Chicago would have made it too difficult for me to even think of anything running related on race day. However, I spent the better part of yesterday morning and mid afternoon incessantly ~~stalking~~ checking the incremental 5k splits of my CM peeps. Loud outburst of woo-hoo’s and yeaaah’s echoed throughout my apartment when a time appeared next to the word ‘FINISH’. A flood of marathon memories rushed through my mind and I became emotionally overwhelmed with an indescribable high, similar to that euphoric feeling a runner gets when they cross the finish line at a marathon. That feeling almost immediately canceled my plan to take a marathon hiatus in 2011. Almost.

The spirit of the marathon evoked the dormant competitive beast, that at my own doing, has been subdued for my entire running career. [All 3 years of it!] I remain motivated to continue running but I am no longer satisfied with running to ‘just finish’. Don’t get me wrong, finishing a race regardless of time is a major accomplishment within itself, but this has become quite a bore for me now. I want to challenge myself, set a goal time and push it all the way to the finish line. Of course this will be done within the confines of my physical limitations and certainly not at the expense of developing a deep-seated disdain for the sport.

Having said all that, I am hitting the reset button and going back to the running basics. For starters, when I enter a race, it is to do just that – race! Registering for a race, be it a 5k or a marathon, means that I will train hard with the intention of running hard. Naturally because of the cruel, injury plagued nature of this sport, there will be instances when I will have to deviate from this plan and ‘take it easy’ during a race. And then there are fun runs! Those are definitely necessary once in a while to ward off burn-out. Either way, I will be registering for less races from here on out. More importantly, I will not register for another marathon until I respectably beat my current 5k [28:05], 10k [58:11] and half marathon [2:10:] times.

And because I want to run another marathon like yesterday, I am determined to smash those PR’s. Hopefully I can accomplish these goals by mid-2011, because there's some unfinished business that I'd like to take care of in the great city of Chicago.

Here’s to new beginnings. YAY!

Psst, Chicago marathoners, over here!

2010-10-09T10:08:00.004-04:00

010001110110111101101111011001000010000001101100011101010
110001101101011001011000010000001000011011010000110100101
100011011000010110011101101111001000000100110101100001011
100100110000101110100011010000110111101101110011001010111
001001110011

That's binary code for "Good luck, Chicago Marathoners". [See what I did there? You see that?! Sorry, the nerd in me couldn't resist.]

Today you get to do whatever the hell you want because this is YOUR moment. And tomorrow, you are going to get out there and run to bling. Show this marathon who is boss! Own it, it's yours! [No really, it's yours. You paid $135 for it!]. Here's an advance virtual toast to you, CM 2010 Finisher!

Signed,

Your #1 fan

Down and Dirty Mud Run NYC Race Report

2010-10-06T16:28:00.001-04:00

What: First Annual Down and Dirty Mud Run
When: Sunday, October 3rd
Where: Orchard Beach, Bronx NY
Distance: 5k with military style obstacles
Time: 41:36
Temperature: Winter in October

What does day break on a charming beach, demurely located in the Bronx look like?

Like this

Behind this beauty, in all its morning glory and serenity, laid an earthy beast, patiently waiting to devour 4000 unsuspecting fools.

Every 4 minutes, the blast from an ear-piercing cannon ball would send of a wave of mud thirsty runners in to the undulating, obstacle littered course. I took off with the 5th wave, down a narrow dirt path that opened up to the alluring tranquility of the Orchard beach boardwalk. With the brisk weather came a surge of crisp breeze that bounced off the ocean and slapped our faces. Talk about rejuvenating! I got completely lost in the moment, but quickly snapped out of it when I caught sight of the first obstacle. It was time to put on my game face and do work. Here we go yo!

Obstacle #1: Trio of Marine Hurdles - The first hurdle stood about 5'10 tall. Since I am just 2 inches shy of that I figured clearing this obstacle would be easy peasy. Right. Sure. Unfortunately gravity had a thing or two to say about my ambitious attempt to propel my lard ass over the hurdle. I could not clear that thing for shit! My laughable antics earned the sympathy of a woman who offered her assistance, which I gladly accepted. She asked 'Where do you want me to touch you?' and I replied 'I don't care just get me over this effin thing'. Without hesitation, she firmly planted the palms of her hands on my butt cheeks and shot put all x-lbs of this here porker over the first hurdle. How I love her! Many thank you's later, I was off to clear the 2 shorter hurdles, which my 5'8 frame cleared with ease. I owned those bad boys!

Obstacle #2: Low Crawl - Ok, so I didn't exactly own those last two hurdles. It still took some effort to clear and said effort shot my heart rate up to chest bursting bpms. I caught my breath just in time to get down on all fours and crawl under a net. It was simple and fun, unlike those Hurdles from Hell.

Obstacle #3: Cargo Climb - To clear this obstacle one must climb up and over a rope ladder, and then crawl through a mud pit. The pit's perimeter was accessorized with screaming drill sergeants armed with water hoses. This was my first time EVER climbing a rope so I attacked it with much trepidation. Thankfully I cleared it and grand charged into the deep and hungry mud pit. It enveloped my arms and legs, reducing my movement to a snail-like crawl. Of course being sprayed in the back with a hose didn't exactly expedite the process. Upon existing, the mud pit just had to have the last word and yanked my left shoe off. Faaaaaaaaaaaaaaan-tastic! I think that 'mud' was actually quick sand because I couldn't pull my shoe out. Jeebus! A volunteer quickly came over and together we successfully freed my captive shoe. I couldn’t even untie the laces because they were glued together with mud! GAH! I damn the mud removal project to heck, slid my ham hock back into my mud-filled shoe and ventured into the trails.

Obstacle #4: Low Wall - I got into a zone, which wasn't necessarily the best thing do on a trail but no worries, I quickly snapped out it when my right foot came in contact with a slippery rock. I fought to maintain my balance and ended up twisting my ankle in the process. [Insert Tarzan-like scream here.] Despite the pain I kept on running, albeit at a much slower pace, to 'shake it off'. Thankfully, all system recalibrated after a couple minutes and I was able to jump over the Low Wall. My ankle grumbled a bit from the landing, but I shushed it and kept pressing on. I was elated when I heard the mum of activity buzzing in the distance. The finish was near! Well. Kinda. I was right about the finish line, which was now clearly visible in the distance, but it was thataway and we were running thisaway…towards the mother-bleeping ocean?!

Obstacle #shitsandgiggles - Yep, surprise, surprise! On this very tropical 50 degree morning, we were waist deep in the ocean, ‘water x-ing’ around a guide net. Fortunately, the water was relatively warm so it wasn't quite as torturous as anticipated. The real torture came when an arctic head wind blasted us upon exiting the water. Even worse was running in waterlogged everything. Talk about resistance training! [And evil race directors. Thanks guys. Thanks!]

Obstacle #5: Slippery Mountain

This bad boy required one to run up a slanted wall and grab a piece of rope to pull oneself up and over the wall. Oh, and this 'wall' was lovingly tended to military personnel, who were steadfastly using a broom to evenly apply soapy water on the wall’s surface. Greeeeeeeeeeeat! I studied the wall for a while and learned what not to do from the face plants of other participants. One successful attempt later and I was well on my way to the grand puba of all obstacles...

The MUD PIT:

This isn't the baby pit we experience back in obstacle #3. Nope, this pit definitely puts the 'mud' in The Mud Run. One must clear this obstacle by crawling under the horizontal swim lanes dividers, that rose only a few inches above the murky, muddy water. All efforts to save yer pretty face from getting diiirty during the race were nullified in this pit. There was no escaping it - your destiny was a full body mud masque.

I crawled though on my hands and knees, which was 'cheating' according to a shouting drill sergeant. Apparently I was supposed to lay flat and slither through the pit. Any other action earned me - and just about everyone else - a tongue lashing. [Yea. Right. Whatever. Bite me.] Alas, I cleared the final obstacle and was well on my way to finish. [Finally! Longest.5k.EVER!] Turns out, my 'cheating' would catch up to me when I literally became the last obstacle on the course. That's right, I slipped and royally busted my ass while running full speed down the empty, finish chute. As I laid on my back like a turtle flipped over on its shell, I stared helplessly at the shoe soles of runners jumping over me. At that point, I was so heavy, so tired, and sooooooo embarrassed that I just wanted to lay there and fall asleep. Who knew mud could be so comfortable? I finally mustered the wherewithal to flip my turtle ass over and run all of 5 feet to finish.

With mud filled eyes, I blindly limped to the nearest support post and keeled over in exhaustion. While trying to catch my breath and come back to my senses, I said to myself: "I am totally upgrading to the 10k next year".

This race is an all around win. I had so much fun and I think going in to the race with zero knowledge of the course definitely heightened my experience. Everything from start to finish was well planned and executed. There isn't one logistical flaw that I can think of. The only thing that I will do differently next year is wear clothes that I can throw away. Holy unrelenting mud! Trying to rinse the mud out of my gear was almost as exhausting as the race. No bueno.

The next morning I woke up with a swollen ankle and sore muscles. Very sore muscles. Days later, my ankle is a-ok, but I am still finding trails of crusted mud in my car and apartment. It'll probably take a while to get rid of the sneaky mud remnants, but lasting even longer than that is the memory of a freaking, awesome race!

Done, done and done.

2010-10-05T12:08:00.004-04:00

Le sigh, le huff and le puff constantly because someone isn't tapering and preparing to run a certain race on a very fast approaching date ...done.

Eat, sleep, eat, watch TV, eat some more, sleep, FML, sleep and sleep ...done.

Slap myself, get over it [for the 9 trillionth effin' time], roll my lard ass out of bed, and have one hell of a time getting some much needed physical activity at the Down and Dirty Mud Run...done.

Awwww yeaaa, stay tuned, race report is a'coming.

When a girl needs a cupcake

2010-09-23T16:30:00.004-04:00

This came in the mail yesterday.

C’mon Mr. Mailman, didn’t you get the memo? It’s bad enough that you already flood my mailbox with depressing shit, like bills, every.damn.day. But this! You cut me real deep with this, man. You took great care not to shove this all important booklet into my mailbox like you do with all of the other useless shit you always shove in there. I mean, I always thought it was normal to receive mail crumpled before receiving this perfectly intact booklet. You probably said to yourself, ‘Wow, a marathon runner. How cool! She really needs to read this’ or ‘A marathon?!Pfft what an idiot! Hope she changes her mind after reading this shit.’ ~~Or you probably could care less.~~ I know, I know, it’s not your fault, you’re just the messenger. See if Chicago Marathon had a deferment option, then they would have known to not send me this guide, so I blame them and their suck ass no deferment policy. Here’s my open wound yer bastards, rub salt on it!

Sorry.

I’m just a little bitter. Just a little.

But no worries [because I know everyone is losing soooo much sleep over this!], I am going to let it all out at tonight’s sport conditioning training session. Then, I am going to undo that session with a to-bleeping-die-for red velvet cupcake. I anxiously await the nirvana of eating myself into a sugar induced stupor. And if I am still awake at 10 p.m., I am going to use whatever energy I have left from my sugar rush to keep my heavy eyelids open, turn on the tele, and watch Jersey Shore. This activity will probably result in strained eyes and fried brain cells. Needless to say, tonight is going to be a good night. A mind numbing, waistline expanding one, but a good one nonetheless.

Thank You!

2010-09-21T09:56:00.000-04:00

You guys are the best-est!

Chicago marathoners, it's taper time! [Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay] You busted your ass all summer long and now it's time to take it easy and resist the urge to do anything stoopid during the onset of taper madness. Everything will be ok and come 10.10.10, this here Fool will be your #1 fan!

In other news:

- People are constantly complimenting me on my alleged weight loss even though I am eating ~~and drinking~~ more and running less. I don't see it and at the end of the day I often feel like this guy.

What gives? I could easily step on a scale to validate the claim, but I hate those things.

- What was supposed to be a delicious egg white sammie with onions and tomatoes, turned out to be an egg white sammie with onions, tomatoes and itty-bitty chunks of mystery meat. Guess which vegetarian discovered that with only one bite left to go? Ya, FML.

- Do you guys get fitted for cross training shoes like you do for your running shoes? I've always wondered since I convert my old running shoes into cross trainers. Should I invest in a good pair? If yes, any recommendations?

Chicago Marathon: The Final Decision

2010-09-15T11:34:00.001-04:00

Ok, here goes…

Exactly one week ago I made the decision to not run Chicago Marathon. I needed some time to decompress and absorb the finality of my decision before blogging about it. Undoubtedly, this was an incredibly difficult process. For whatever reason, my body doesn’t want to go the distance, and the effects of forcing my body to perform at a level that is seemingly unattainable at this point in time, has been detrimental to my health.

Confession: I should have waved my white flag when I fainted during one of my many failed long runs a month ago. I blamed it on the heat, but that wasn’t the culprit and I knew it. It was marginally warm that day. That said, it was foolish of me to continue training. Very foolish, but I did it all in the name of determination, after all, I successfully did this 3 times before, I can certainly do it again, right?

Wrong, so very wrong. My ‘determination’ was really camouflaged, egotistical stubbornness. It’s interesting how we can offer prudent advice to others, but are royal fuck ups when it’s our turn to face the music. Bottom line, this isn’t the last running of the Chicago Marathon nor is this the last marathon that I will ever run. The all important factor is that I need to live to run another day, so health first. Naturally I am very disappointed, but whimpering about this will only make me a miserable, no-marathon running fool. So instead, I have made peace with my decision and shifted focus on the advantages of not training for a marathon. Ejemplo:

Sleeping in: Best.perk.ever. I’m an early bird, but would rather laze around the house than bang out a run/workout at some god forsaken hour. Now I roll out of bed whenever, to run whatever distance in whatever time. [I will be adding a little more structure to my running at a later date because this lackadaisical approach will certainly drive me crazy eventually]
More time: Not to be confused with more ‘free’ time because that simply does not exist. However, I can finally do all important things like tend to my apartment, starting with the scores of unpacked boxes from my move in JULY.
Staying out late: I am the oldest, young person on the planet – up by 5:30a, in bed by 10p for the latest, earlier if I have a long run scheduled. Training can be a total buzz kill when you live in close proximity to the city that never sleeps. I’ve reclaimed my faux-socialite status and thoroughly enjoy not having to plan everything around my next training run.
Eating whatever I want, when I want: Well, ok, I still do this in moderation because the drastic decrease in mileage can cause the scale to rapidly tip in the wrong direction. I used to meticulously plan my meals the week of a long run, because as we know nutrition plays a vital role in performance [Right! That didn’t quite work out for me this time around. Go figure!] Now, meticulous planning be damned and yes, I will have a second [third, fourth and fifth] serving of dessert. Oh and yes, I’ll have wine too…the entire bottle, por favor. Gracias!

So some of the items in my post marathoner-in-training lifestyle aren’t exactly the healthiest, but c’est la vie, it is what makes me happy right now. Workout wise, I am doing more cross training than running, but in the near future I will be back on a training schedule, this time focusing on shorter distances. My goal within the next year is set new PR’s for distances from 5K [sub 25 mins] to the half marathon [sub 2 hrs]. Then, whenever the time is right, I will tackle and topple that beast of a marathon.

Softlips giveaway winner!

2010-09-12T18:35:00.000-04:00

Random.org likes is a fan of entry #5. That'll be you, Nicole! CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Drop me a line to claim your fab prize.

Sorry for the silence but I'm in time-out mode right now, so updates and such will come at a later time. Hope all is well with you, peeps. Toodles!

Zenzation-al Yoga Goodies

2010-09-07T20:05:00.002-04:00

Second to my love for running is Bikram Yoga, which is 26 hatha yoga postures [asanas] done in a ridiculously hot ass room. Many people, including myself think that it is good idea to confine ourselves to a 110 degree room for 90 minutes. Then we leave class rejuvenated and continue complaining about the summer's brutal heat wave the second we step foot out of the studio! [Damn North-easterners!]

Truth be told, I rarely practice Bikram during the summer because hydration becomes a bit of a challenge. I can never rehydrate in time to do important things like, run! However, when the cool peeps over at America’s Nutrition offered to send me some great yoga gear, I could resist sneaking in a class or two to test out the goodies. Check it:

Zenzation hot yoga towel

Why I luuuurve and not just love this towel:

Reasons 1- 100: Designed to cover the entire yoga mat.
Reasons 101 – 1000: It does.not.move. I never realized how much time I spent fixing my towel between postures, which sometimes interferes with the stillness and smooth flow of my practice.
It is super absorbent and mitigated any concerns I had about the mat absorbing most of the sweat. It’s like the Sham-Woww of hot yoga towels.
The towel’s texture is a bit abrasive which I was a bit concerned about, but soon realized that it felt great against my skin and caused no irritation whatsoever.

Zenzation Pur Earth Eco Mat

The mat is thicker, sturdier and super comfortable. The latter makes it a bit difficult for me to get out of savasanas between postures, because all I want to do is fall into a deep slumber…in 110 degrees. [It is possible. I fall asleep after every class without fail]
The thickness adds bulk and weight [especially after the sweat fest] but is a non-issue if you have a car or yoga bag. [I’m not a fan of the carry cord that came with the mat.]
It is slightly more expensive @ $29.99 but worth it for the environmental factors. [Contains no PVC, latex or chloride and is 100% biodegradable.]
The mat’s packaging doubles as an instructional poster, which I am yet to use because I don’t trust myself enough to practice yoga without an Instructor.

Overall I am extremely happy with these products and would highly recommend them to any hot yoga enthusiast. Many thanks again to America's Nutrition. Check out their website and blog for more information on these ah-mazing products and an extensive catalog of health and fitness products.

I've been traveling a bit hence the lack of blogage on this blog, but I'm back and got some decisions to make. About this. GAH! [Thanks for being the voice of reason peeps. Much appreciated] Alrighty, off to yoga I go.

Namaste!

Running in Circles: Chicago Training Update

2010-08-29T22:48:00.001-04:00

Erykah Badu’s On and On is playing in the background. “To much to see, the world keeps turnin'/Oh what a day, what a day, what a day."

My piping hot cup of peppermint tea, miraculously turned into a glass of perfectly chilled Pinot Grigio. I do not protest, nor am I perplexed. Sip sip, ahhhh! What a refreshing cure for the common FAIL.

Yesterday I set out to run 16 miles. I succumbed to the recurring onset of unexplainable fatigue around mile 10. For the umpteenth time, I left my stomping grounds with my head hung low, lifting it only to drive home while my mind played a dangerous game of self-deprecation. WTF is wrong with me? Am I not pushing hard enough? 10 miles? Really? That’s pathetic! I’m no runner and I sure as hell ain’t no marathoner. Poser. Fake. Failure. Go home and stay home. I know that none of this is true, but of course that realization came only after taking time to breathe and recalibrate my emotions. I eventually bid adieu to my melodramatic, self pity party and bee-lined to the nearest reality check.

Reality: Likelihood of Chicago Marathon is now down to 20%. A very low chance, but a chance nonetheless. Perhaps I am fighting a losing battle but there is still time to try, and try is what I will continue to do. However my overall objective is to live to run another day. Sure I’ve done long runs before and finished 3 marathons but that is not my present reality. Yesterday’s success is great motivation for today, but not a guarantee that similar victories will be repeated. And, if the issue is forced and warnings are not heeded – i.e. failure to listen to my body - then there is a possibility that there will be no tomorrow.

My iTunes shuffle now favors Nina Simone’s To Love Somebody. How fitting! Today I ran 4 miles and left with my head held high and pearly whites exposed. I am not the runner that I want to be right now, but I am still a runner. Be it 1 mile or 26.2 miles, as long as I am able to lace up my sexy kicks and do what I love to do, for as long and far as my body is willing to take me, then that's all that matters because “I want my whole life to be lived with you… What good does it bring/If I ain't got you /If I ain't got you.”

Softlips Review and GIVEAWAY!!!

2010-08-27T16:56:00.000-04:00

Much to the chagrin of relatives who would like to marry me off like yesteryear, I rarely wear makeup. I have gone to many social settings where the opportunity was golden for me to meet my future husband, without any makeup on. That’s just how I roll. However, I am never, ever without a lip moisturizer. My home, car, and pocket books are littered with sticks of lip moisturizers. There's a back up for the backup, for the backup to infinity. Much like chafing between the thighs, nothing drives me crazier than cracked, ashy lips.

Recently, I embarked on a mission to make more eco-friendly purchases from food, to household cleaning agents to cosmetics. This is a slow process since not all green alternatives are economically feasible but I do what I can, when I can. I already swapped out my hair and skin products, but am yet to find suitable alternatives for my beloved lip moisturizers. Enter Softlips PURE lip conditioners into the equation. .

Softlips claim on being "a line of premium organic conditioners” is backed up by the prominent USDA Organic stamp of approval on its package. Said package is recyclable and the printing is done with vegetable ink. The PURE product line is free of synthetic chemicals, uses only pure organic oils., does not test on animals and does not contain any animal products.

That all sounds fantastic and surely earns Softlips a merit badge from Captian Planet. But is it all just a bunch of kumbaya or does this au natural product really keep my kissables moisturized?

The answer is a resounding yes!

The conditioning effects are incredibly long lasting and keep my lips luxuriously soft and smooth. The flavors that I tried were peppermint, papaya and acai berry [by the way 'acai' is pronounced ah-sah-ee . Just thought I'd mention it since I've been butchering that word for the longest time now]. Each flavor is delicious yet subtle. My favorite is peppermint.

Another win is their lip conditioners with SPF 20. Each packet contains a duo of exotic flavors. I tried cherry, coconut cream, vanilla and peach mango. [Is it just me or do you feel like eating ice-cream after reading that sentence?] Although not as eco-friendly as the PURE product line, it has the same conditioning effects with added protection from the sun. I wish there was an unscented version since I am very sensitive to scents during physical activity. [Does this happen to anyone else or is this just another me’ being weird’ thing?] Needless to say I reserve these for summer beach days and long days of sun-filled frolicking. Only downside is that these are limited edition flavors that are only available during summer - as in the summer that is about to be OVER [waaaaaaaaa]. So if you happen to take a liking to these, stock up now.

Of course the proof is always in the pudding so you can score these lovelies at mass retail and drug stores [like CVS and Target to name a few] or win it here on ma bloggie blog. Many thanks to the good folk of Softlips for sponsoring this giveaway.

To enter:

Follow my blog.
Check out Softlips on the interwebs, Facebook and Twitter.
Tell me which flavor would really tickle your fancy.

Bonus:

Tweet this giveaway.
Blog this giveaway.
Smoke signal/pigeon mail/message in a bottle this giveaway.

Contest is open to US residents only [we still love you, rest of the world] and ends on September 10th.

Good luck peeps and have a wonderful weekend.

Guest Post - Permanent Sweets

2010-08-26T14:18:00.000-04:00

by Rad Runner

Dear Vegetarian ways, where did this relationship begin?

We all know it had nothing to do with my good ol' American/ good ol' ethnic Hispanic upbringing. Nope, the burgers and the chicken nuggets and carne asada were always present. I loved, loved, loved, loved chicken as a kid, but that’s about it, and when it came down to the details I never ever ever ever ever wanted to touch the bone. Just the thought was so offensive I'd lose my appetite. I always ate my veggies, and loved my rice and beans so I guess it was meant to be.

Fast forward 15 years after birth, there I was sitting in some all girls aerobic P.E. class in high school. I distinctively remember "Ms. Anderson," our crazy, skinny Barbie faced, Hawaiian tan, over-energetic teacher slapping a VHS in the VCR. Little did I know this movie was going to impact my eating habits HEAVYLY? The movie was all about the torture and horrid acts taken on animals. I had never seen anything like it and I think some of the girls among me even shed a tear or two. Later that night I told my parents I had decided to become a "vegetarian." I guess every single other girl in my aerobics class did the same exact thing. Rumor has it that the Ms. Anderson was pulled to the principal’s office. Anyways that’s where it all officially began.

Here it is 10 years later, and I stand taller, leaner, and happier. Alright, not all that has to do with the decision to be vegetarian, but I am quite happy with the way I eat. When I started running as a serious sport (running half’s, and signing up for races like a lunatic and recently registering for 2 fulls!) that’s when I really zeroed in on my eating habits, I began to read everything, ask more questions, and really watched what I put in my body. I look at my body now as a well oiled machine. It’s a tool, and if I want it to work hard and keep me happy, I need to treat it well. (That why I adorned it with a permanent sleeve of sweets).

So as you can see, when vegetarianism and I started dating, we just ran into the relationship like kids do, but as the years have passed, I have really begun to appreciate the decision as one that I am comfortable and have chosen to stick with. It makes me happy, it makes me feel good. And yea, sometimes it’s hard, and sometimes I get crap for it "being the inconvenient one" but it's my choice, my body, I say what goes in it.

7 + 1 things

2010-08-25T17:44:00.004-04:00

Yesterday I was all up in Jen's business when she indirectly tagged me to share 7 things about myself. [Guess what's going to happen at the end of this entry? Oh, you just wait!].

Here's my random 7:

I do not like morning runs. I do it willingly to beat the summer heat, but other than that waking up at an ungodly hour to run is like Monday mornings at a 9-5. [bleeeeeeeeh!]
I am artistically challenged. Drawing a stick figure it the extent of my creative genius.
I suffer from a severe case of wanderlust and am notorious for taking vacations on a whim. No, I am not rich [I get paid in peanuts]. No I am not a trust fund baby [WTF Mom and Dad?!?!]. And no I don’t have a sugar daddy [Currently accepting applications].
I watch entirely too much ‘reality’ tv – and by too much I mean just Top Chef, Real Housewives and Jersey Shore. I watch repeat episode every single time it comes on. Then, I will scour the internet for satirical episode synopses and laugh myself silly [Thanks Gawker]. I am not ashamed.
Top Chef makes me want to go to culinary school. After graduation, I will continue to eat other people’s food like I did before culinary school thus rendering my newly acquired education useless.
I do not like complicated, thought provoking films. A twist and turn here and there is ok, but asking me to figure shit out is annoying. For this reason, I will never forgive Martin Scorsese for Shutter Island. And yes, I engaged in many deep conversations about this mind fuck of a movie because it was impossible not to. Damn you Scorsese!
Make up = chapstick. I don't like the other stuff and will only wear it on special occasions.

Here's the +1 - I am too lazy to individually tag people. Honestly I don't even think people bother to tag anymore. So if your creative juices aren't flowing and you need something to blog about, then TAG YOU'RE IT!

Tune in manana for a special guest post from one of the raddest runners in the blogospehere.

p.s.here's one more thing - a very beautiful thing.

Danny & Annie from StoryCorps on Vimeo.

Bisoux!

things that are sexy. so sexy.

2010-08-23T22:28:00.006-04:00

My new running shoes. And by new I mean Saucony Hurricane 11's, pair #5, that I bought online for $63. I'm on the hunt for pair #6 before these babies go bye-bye forever. By then, the 12's should be on sale.

Silk Very Vanilla Soy Milk, 'cuz not-very vanilla isn't sexy enough. Very Vanilla makes milkshakes that brings the boy to the yard.

Free music mixes from Deekron the Fitness DJ on Motion Traxx.

Yes, F-R-E-E. And if this doesn't make you climax, then I got something that'll definitely take you there.

And by you, I meant me. Sorry. ::end smug:: I need app recommendations, por favor. Any Droid-ers out there?...errr, hello?!

I'd love to end this entry on a high note, but my inability to maintain any plant species, more specifically, cilantro, is just too un-sexy to ignore.

R.I.P.

I gave it water, exposed it to sunlight - what the hell else did this thing want from me? Did I need to take it out for a walk or something? Clean its 'litter tray'? And no, I don't have pets or children, so you please disconnect your call to Child Protective Services/ASPCA. Theeenks!

Until next time, stay sexy, bloggies!

Guest Post - The Married Life: When a vegetarian weds a meatarian"

2010-08-20T09:24:00.001-04:00

by Toni and Kris Carey

“Toni and Kris, kissing in the tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G. First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes figuring out how a vegetarian and meatarian live together.”

It’s been two full months since we tied the knot. As expected, we’ve had to make adjustments and a few compromises in all aspects of our lives. To our surprise, the biggest adjustment has been what to eat. Yes, that’s right. Not who does the laundry or dishes. Not deciding what color to paint the bedroom. Not finances, but what to eat. See this is the tale of a vegetarian falling in love with a meatarian.

The vegetarian: I remember meeting my husband and telling him I was a vegetarian. He seemed intrigued by it, but expressed his love for all things meat. Now granted, I’ve been a vegetarian for almost 1 year longer than I’ve known my husband. I love all things healthy and soy. But we both believe that eating healthy and saving money is important so we decided that developing weekly meals plans would be a way to accomplish both goals. The problem? I was the only one meal planning and, of course, it was mostly vegetarian. He complained that there were too many vegetables on the menu and that I wasn’t being considerate to his meatarian needs. My thought? Vegetables are good for you.

The meatarian: Do opposites really attract? Can a vegetarian and a meatarian be married? As my wife and I begin our long journey together down the road of marriage, we are learning to merge and intertwine our lifestyles. We’re a normal couple and encounter the normal compromises in life. One of which is meal planning, a typical area of friction in a marriage, right? Typical no, but for the Carey household things are a little different. As we made our first trip to the grocery store and I scanned the meal plan for the week and shopping list, I quickly realized that there was no meat. I quickly asked, “What, no meat?” She didn’t reply verbally, she simply laughed. I quickly protested and realized that, Houston, we have a problem.

We obviously needed to nip this in the bud as quickly was possible. And this is how….

THE VEGETARIA-MEATARIAN COMPROMISE

Respect each others eating habits: The first thing we had to learn was to stop trying to convince each other that our respective eating habits were the way to go. Instead we embraced, and most of all respected, each others perspective on eating.
Alternate weekly meal planning: We actually started doing a weekly meal plan to help save money. However, we found that it actually helped us to both enjoy what we really like to eat, however we still have to keep each others likes and dislikes in mind.
Be open (and honest): There’s some things that we each vow not to eat. End of story. There’s some vegetarian dishes I make that he absolutely hates. As long as we’re honest, it pretty much works out. Withholding that important information just makes people bitter and the last thing you want is for food grudges to come up during an argument.
Fend for yourself: We have to admit, sometimes we simply say, “Make your own food.” Of course, we say it a lot nicer, but the point is, it’s okay to cook your own meals from time to time.
Choose recipes that can be eaten with faux meat: He says faux meat is tolerable. So I run with it. Faux meat and tofu can be used as a meat substitute for many dishes. Seasoned right and he can’t even tell the difference.

New Food Faves

2010-08-19T14:35:00.007-04:00

Here are some new items that I’ve added to my grocery list:

Turtle Mountain Purely Decadent Ice – Cream: Mocha Almond Fudge

This might sound like blasphemy, but this ice-cream is dairy free. Yes, I said dairy free as in its VEGAN! [Huh?!] And the ingredients are all recognizable and organic! [What?!?!] However at first bite, none of these details matter because you’ll be mmmm-ing and nom-ing your way into desert nirvana. Careful though, it is easy to devour a pint without even realizing it and while I think a pint isn’t nearly enough ice-cream for one person, the scale will suggest otherwise. Needless to say this will be a once a month purchase.

Blue Diamond Almond Breeze milk

Compared to soy milk, Almond Milk is significantly lower in protein [1 g vs. 7g] but it packs much more flavor. I can’t stand the taste of soy milk unless it is masked with tons of fruits in the form of a shake. On the contrary, Almond Milk’s palatable flavor is stand alone. You will never catch me drinking a glass of milk – be it dairy or soy. Now go check all of the dirty glasses in my kitchen sink. They’re all stained with almond milk.

Marie’s Greek Vinaigrette salad dressing

I love Greek salad. Sans olives though, which I guess makes it a garden salad with Feta cheese? Whatevs, a lush Greek salad begs to be topped with an enticing vinaigrette - Marie’s Greek Vinaigrette. Nuff said!

Nasoya Cubed Tofu

...because I’m so got-damn lazy and incapable of cutting perfect little cubes. Cubed, whole or silken, what really matters most is that Nasoya tofu isn’t made from genetically modified [GMO] soybeans. Score!

Amy’s Burritos

I love me some Mexican food but I'm too lazy to make it on my own [re: cubed tofu]. There are tons of to-die for authentic Mexican restaurants in my hood but eating there all the time isn’t very recession friendly. And eating burritos/small children from Chipotle isn’t physique friendly either. So imagine my elation when I discovered Amy’s Organic Burritos. [I know, I’m tardy to the party]. $3 for less than 300 calories of deliciousness? Pffft! I usually pair my burrito with a large garden salad and guacamole, prepared by yours truly. [I’m not that lazy].

What are some of your ‘must have’ specialty food items?

Tune in manana for a special guest post from a vegetarian blogista and her meat-arian husband. Oh my, what I would give to be a fly on their kitchen wall!

road to recovery and glory

2010-08-17T12:01:00.001-04:00

My stint in 'rehab' is over. Peep the sweet 'facilities':

My time there was used to clear my head [woo-sah], and separate myself from the toxicity known as reality. I'm feeling good, real good and anyone or anything brave enough to threaten my newly attained level of zen, will be served with a ninja chop to the neck. [That statement wasn't zen, but I'm just sayin'. Wooooo-sah!]

Hopefully my body functions and systems are all in check and ready to do work. As planned, I didn't do a damn thing in rehab so this week I will ease back into training with a series of short, comfortable runs before attempting a long run [attempt #4] next weekend. I'm going for glory ya'll because this here fool cannot miss out on Chicago. Nope, nope and nope. Seems like training is a PITA for many others as well, which sucks, but makes me feel good in a misery-loves-company kinda way, that we're all in this fight together. Seriously, why oh why do we do this shit? Oh well the point remains...

We can do this.

We can do this.

We will do this.

And after [insert your marathon here], let's all get piss drunk and damn marathon training to hell.

And the winner of Rock Tape, the Wonder Tape is...

2010-08-15T08:25:00.002-04:00

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Suzy from Countdown to 26.2. Congratulations chica!

I hope you guys took advantage of Rock Tape's free sample offer. If you did, I'd love to hear about your experience.

What are your tried and true injury treatment/prevention methods?

In rehab. brb.

2010-08-12T18:39:00.000-04:00

Fight or flight?

I chose flight. Literally. This here fool was in serious need of a breakey-break, so I boarded a jet plane to destination Safe Haven a.k.a Maison de Parents. It's been 2 days and I'm already 5lbs heavier. Thanks Mom!

My inter-webbing is limited in 'rehab', so I'm stealing a quick minute to thank you guys for your kind and supportive messages in my training FAIL post. Gosh, you guys are the best blog buddies that a Running Fool could ask for. Seriously!

p.s. Don't forget to enter my Rock Tape giveaway. One lucky winner will be selected manana.

Ttyl

Chicago Marathon Training update: go or no go?

2010-08-09T11:07:00.000-04:00

If at first you don’t succeed, you can dust it off and try again - Aaliyah’s adaptation

Great, now all I need to do it repeat that to myself continuously and maybe, just maybe, I’ll believe it.

See, short runs of 10 miles or less have been absolutely fan-tabulous. Easy peasy, nothing to it. Anything over that, not so much. With only 9 weeks left to go, I have failed 3 times – 3 freaking times - to push past 12 miles. What gives? I’d be running at a comfortable pace until my body stiffens and I feel as if I am holding my breath. All defenses issue a red alert and my legs come to a screeching halt. Game over! I know what a rough patch feels like and how to push through it, but this is more than just a ‘rough patch’.

Something is wrong. Terribly wrong. Needless to say this marathoner-in-training is in trouble. Actually, I’m in deep shit!

There are a litany of reason why this is happening, none of which I care to acknowledge which is truly the problem. Perhaps the main culprit was my failure to allow sufficient recovery time from the nasty cold virus that knocked me off my feet for a week. My doctor strongly advised that I take it easy for a month, but what the hell does she know? I mean, she only went to school for 10 years and is the subject matter expert on all things related to the human body. Me, I’m a stubborn running fool who laced up and ran an imprudent 13 miler at the first sign of improvement from said cold virus.

Bottom line: I am frustrated, disappointed, and dejected. Why, oh why can’t I ever train in peace? And why can’t people cover their got-damn mouths when they cough or sneeze? [Sorry, just had to get that pet peeve off my chest]

Reality: There is a great chance that I might have to pull the plug on Chicago.

Keyword: might. Despite my frustration, I remain motivated and determined to beat this setback. To do that, I have to work with and not against my body. Without a doubt my health takes precedence so I plan on taking it easy for the next two weeks and will attempt another long run at the end of this month. That long run will determine my Chicago Marathon fate. I remain optimistic but what is to be will be. We’ll see.

We’ll see…

Dear Sports Conditioning, where have you been all my life?

2010-08-06T11:30:00.004-04:00

Yesterday the BFF and I had our first personal training session at NYSC. Personal training was BFF's idea, which was met with a bit of hesitation from me because my running/cross schedule is already jam packed and I don't want to risk overtraining. However there's no denying that I'm a cardio junkie with a serious aversion to strength training of any kind. [hate it hate it hate it hate it] This is a problem! I won't lift a weight unless I am 'forced' to so personal training would definitely fill that all important element in my fitness regimen. As a result, I dropped kickboxing and spinning to fit in this 1x/week personal training session. [All other times, I'm running. That's priority!]

Since BFF is a strength freak and I'm a cardio whore, we decided that a sports conditioning specialist would be the happy medium; and boy oh boy were we right! For starters, our trainer is ~~hot~~ awesome! He assessed our needs, understood our goals, and most important, was extremely attentive to our form. He made sure to ask if we felt any injury threatening pain during and after each exercise and didn't hesitate to make modifications if our form was compromised.

Our routine consisted of core stability exercises, cardio drills, with sets of strength training via free weights or cables sneakily interspersed throughout. We're talking upside down Bosu squats [I was shaking like a leaf], jumping jacks with dumbbells, one legged tricep/bicep/shoulder/back lifts, shuffles/jacks on the bench and my new favorite - ladders! Check it [not us in videos]:

Ladder Drills:

Icky Shuffle

Double Ladder Run

It was a fantastic workout and doing it with a friend made it all the better. We fed off of each other's energy especially in areas where one was stronger than the other.

Tomorrow I have 15 miles on tap, and I am very nervous for reasons that I'll disclose in my next entry. The 'negative' report will have to wait because I have to keep throwing positive thoughts in to the universe. [I think I can I think I can I think I can...choo choo!]

Have a wonderful weekend and run happy!

Today, I felt like shit...

2010-08-05T16:18:00.002-04:00

Then I went for a 5 mile run during my lunch hour.
My world got much brighter and there isn't a damn thing that could break me down right now. *fa la la la la la*

<3 running!

[Technorati Claim Token:WGQYH3RRTHXS]

Breaking news: Tide Sport gets the stank out!

2010-08-04T16:55:00.000-04:00

I babbled here and here about trying Tide Sport. Tried it, love it, love it and love it.

Tide Sport is now the official laundry detergent of Casa de Fool. I use it to wash everything because seriously, who can afford to pay 1 million dollars for sport detergent and another million for 'regular' detergent? Not me. If it's good enough to de-skunkify my workout gear, then it is good enough for everything else.

Tide Sport for the WIN!

Rock Tape Review + Giveaway

2010-08-03T08:46:00.011-04:00

Hi. I’m a runner. An injury prone runner. My injuries run the gamut from a stress fracture [right shin], to a calf strain [left calf], to the most problematic of them all, IT Band Syndrome [both legs. FML!]. Rehabilitating the latter means taking time off from running - often in the middle of marathon training [read: #@%^], incessant foam rolling and adding to my massage therapists’ net worth. Even with all that I do to pamper Mr. ITBS, he does ungrateful things like, flare up in the middle of a marathon, resulting in an 11.2 mile walk to finish. Needless to say, I have tried everything under the sun to remedy this problem – everything but Rock Tape.

Rock what? Rock Tape - a modified version of the famed Kinesio tape. It is used to enhance performance, prevent fatigue, promote circulation and remove lactic acid - this according to their website. So why is Rock Tape a modified version of Kinesio Tape? If it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right?

Right, so thought Greg van den Dries – Rock Tape’s head honcho – until he sought out to buy and sell this miracle adhesive. “No one wanted to sell me tape unless I became “certified” in their specific taping methods. It was their way of making the tape more exclusive and expensive. I decided there had to be a better way to get this great product into the hands of those who needed it..."

Way to stick it to the man, Greg [high five] but does Rock Tape work?

I did my first taping on the morning of the Queens Half Marathon - 4am to be exact [bleeehhh!]. Coherence and comprehension doesn't exactly come easy at that god-forsaken hour. At first glance, the various taping methods look intricate, but Rock Tape begs to differ. “If you can apply tape, you can apply ROCKTAPE. There are instructions in every box and more than a dozen HD instructional videos”. [Watch the videos. They are easy to follow and helps big time!] As promised, I was able to quickly apply the simple t-shaped pattern described in the instruction booklet on both IT Bands. Whether or not I did the taping correctly would be determined during and after the race.

Aesthetically, the tape begs for someone to ask “Er, should you be running?” But we’re here for function, not looks – just like that fugly pair of running shoes you hate but love so much. As for the feel, what feel? Rock Tape is incredibly breathable and flexible that I forgot I even had it on. The tape’s elasticity allows for fluid and comfortable movements. This was a major win for me because I hate the restrictive feel of straps/bandages that cut of circulation because it is either too tight, or needs constant readjustment because it is too loose. Additionally, the tape held up well and didn't budge when my body became fully saturated in a grimey mix of water, sweat n' sun block. [Waterproof WIN].

Truth be told, I was quite skeptical of this product, because, c'mon, its tape fer chissakes! I was just waiting for the pain. Waiting...waiting...waiting...umm is that the finish line? When I crossed the finish line, there was no urgency to immediately reach for pain meds, ice or a foam roller [I have a mini roller in the trunk of my car. Yes, I am the weirdo foam rolling in the parking lot. What?!] Naturally my legs were fatigued, but the annoying, pinching pain in my knees that eventually snowballs into debilitating pain was MIA. I don't know how else to say this other than this shit works. I don’t understand the science behind it, and quite frankly I don’t care. It works and I want to mummify myself with this tape. The end! I could go on and on about this 8th wonder of the world, but eh, you’ll just have to try it for yourself. And try it you can for FREE with two wonderful offers from Rock Tape [theeeenks!]

Giveaway
One lucky reader will receive a roll of Rock Tape.

To enter (required):

Follow my blog
Leave a comment. Tell us how you plan on using Rock Tape.

Bonus entries (optional)

Check out Rock Tape’s website, Facebook and Twitter pages.
Tweet my giveaway : “Go stronger longer with @runtonamaste Rock Tape giveaway! http://nomoporker.blogspot.com/2010/08/rock-tape-review.html”
Blog about this giveaway on your bloggie blog.

Winner will be announced on Friday, August 13.

Sch-weet offer!
20 free samples are waiting for the first 20 readers to email rocktape.samples@gmail.com . Or, you can pick up free samples at your nearest Road Runner Sports and Running Room stores while supplies last.

Get on it peeps!

Queen’s Half Marathon Race Report

2010-07-26T15:28:00.008-04:00

Race night: Didn’t sleep well. Broke sleep just about every hour, on the hour.

4a: Alarm went off. Nerves frazzled. [Grrr!] Got dressed and applied Kinesio tape on both IT bands [review + giveaway in next entry *wink wink*].

4:45a: Short, sweaty walk to car confirmed trepidation that caused my restless, sleepless night. Holy high humidity!

6:00a: At start village. Sitting quietly with the masses, trying to stay cool and conserve every ounce of energy. Temperature was already in the low 80’s.

6:30a: Picked up jaw from ground after gawking at some shirtless dudes doing their warm up drills. [Thanks guys!] Damned my Garmin to heck, lined up in coral, looked up to the heavens and air-high five’d Jesus. [I think he high five’d back. Not sure]

7a: RUN FOOLS!

Mile 1: Yep, this was definitely a bad idea.

Mile 1.somthing-ish : What the?! Are the front runners about to hit mile 5 already? Like, am I running backwards or something?

[P.s shirtless triathlete-build dudes, thank you. Thank you very much!]

Mile 4: Gel time!

Mile 4.01: Barfed gel. LOL’d. Accepted reality of my fast approaching demise.

Mile 5: Hello demise! Succumbed to heat. With 8 miles left, surely I wanted to freak the freak out, but I prepped mentally for this FAIL moment. It was all about taking it one step at a time.

Mile 6: Most difficult part of the race – staring longingly at my parked car in the distance. Serious fork in the road decision: go hard or go home?

Mile 6.01: Went hard ~~idiot~~

Mile 7: Started singing out loud.

Mile 8: Gel attempt #2. No barf. Great success!

Mile 9: Did someone’s great-grandfather just speed walk past me? Why yes, yes he did. I LOL’d!

Mile 10: Ok, this isn’t funny anymore. [it never was]. Turned music up louder. [not advised, but necessary at that point]

Mile 11: Dear Park Patrol Officer, cruising past us lifeless runners on a Segway: at this point in time, I hate you with every aching bone in my body.

Mile 12.5: Walking [tough living!]. Course official yelled to me: “There’s a photographer right there. You know you gotta run past them girl” Me to him: “Ah, you’re so effing right and I hate you for that”

Mile 12.51: Ran past photographer, and figured eh, might as well run -or continue whatever 'movement' I was doing - to finish.

Mile 13.1: Crossed finish line and got water blasted with a fire hose, by a shirtless hottie. Thought I was hallucinating, but the water that flooded my nostrils proved otherwise.

Time: 2:43:28

It goes without saying that this race was truly a grueling endurance test and my goals going in was to get it done and not leave in a body bag. [Goals met!] The experience was terrible, but that was solely based on the weather. Otherwise the new course was beautiful and NYRR did a superb job logistically, especially with the placement and operation of fluid and cooling stations at every mile. Kudos and thank you a thousand times over to the race organizers and volunteers…

...and shirtless dudes. ::swoon::

Heat wave, sport wash, kinesio tape...but first, a WINNER!

2010-07-23T18:57:00.007-04:00

By process old school selection [write name on paper, throw in bag, shake and pick], the winners of the venerable booty saving, Anti Monkey Butt Powder are:

Allie and Shelbel

*hoo-ray, imaginary confetti and such* Congrats ladies! Drop me a line to claim your rumpalicious prize.

Ok, now on to other matters:

Who's racing tomorrow? Shout-out to peeps running San Francisco. Hope your weather is better than the 98 stifling degrees that I'll be running in tomorrow at the Queen's Half Marathon. Am I excited? Bleep no! Should I stay home? Hells yes! Will I? Nope. This heat wave isn't breaking any time soon and I need to train. That said, all I can do is run smart and hope for the best. Good luck to all this weekend.
I finally scored a bottle of Tide Sport with Febreze that I blogged about eon's ago. I washed some funky gear last night and while I can't immediately comment on the effectiveness of this product, I can say that the line-dried gear gave my entire apartment a Febreze fresh smell. I'm not sure if this is a good thing because I fear that the strong smell of fragrance will 1) make me nauseous and 2) is just masking the stank and not actually getting it out. More to come on this later when I actually work out in said gear. Do any of you use this detergent? What do you think?
And finally, I am going to test kinesio tape on both IT Band's tomorrow. What is kinesio tape you ask? Well, it's a tape [Captain Obvious to the rescue!] whose "adhesive has a lifting effect on the skin which can reduce swelling and inflammation by improving circulation and reduce pain by taking pressure off pain receptors" [Source: Wikipedia. See link for full details] Remember volleyball chick at the Beijing Olympics, with the deformed crustacean looking-thinger growing out of her shoulder?

Ya, that's kinesio tape. Professional athletes like Lance Armstrong and Tiger Woods swear by it. It has become so mainstream, that a plethora of online instructionals are available for Joe Schmoes like myself to get on the wonder tape bandwagon. Full review will come post race.

Okie, that's all folks. Off I go to prep for tomorrow's race before bee-ling to my bed. It isn't even 7 p.m. yet, and I am longing to go beddy bye bye. [I am the oldest-young person I know. ~~FML~~]

Have a wonderful weekend!

Guest Post: I’m a Vegetarian?

2010-07-22T10:24:00.000-04:00

by NamasteMari

Before I even begin, I want to thank Juliette for asking me to write a guest post on her blog. This girl is truly amazing and I hope that one day I can accomplish at least 1/2 the things she has done! Thanks chickie for this honor!!!

Hey everyone! My name is Mari and I am the lady behind Namaste Mari. I started my blog a little over a year ago but I started the health and fitness journey in 2005. I used to be very overweight and unhealthy (I weighed around 220 lbs) and one day I decided to make a change. With the help of Weight Watchers and my man Billy Blanks, I was able to shed 80 pounds in 8 months! I felt great and knew that I never wanted to go back. I even went as far as becoming a personal trainer at a national gym for a brief time.

Even though I was happy in my new body there was still something that I was struggling with; the thought of becoming a vegetarian and running my first race. I tried to run a couple of times and every time I would get injured and would put running on the back burner. I also knew that I wanted to give up meat but I didn’t think that I was strong enough. Now don’t get me wrong, I didn’t really eat meat THAT much but every so often, I would crave a piece of steak.

When 2010 rolled around, I promised myself that I would run my first 5K and with the help of the Couch To 5k App, I was finally able to do it! This was honestly one of the best days of my life; I was even “that girl” who cried when she crossed the finish line!

With the race off of my Bucket List (ran my 2nd one in May), the next thing I had to tackle was giving up meat. I decided that the best way to ease into this lifestyle was to make it a short term goal; and that is when I chose to give it up for Lent. Honestly it was not that hard since I never really bought meat to keep in the house and I am one of those strange people that loves tofu! Yes we do exist. I started to get creative and would replace meat with tofu, in some of my favorite recipes. When Lent was over, I was faced with the decision “do I keep going or do I stop?” I decided to keep going! This is when things became a little harder, like I mentioned earlier; sometimes I crave a piece of steak or a nice a juicy burger… I would sit here with the phone in one hand and the Diner Menu in the other. Then something changed, I saw Food Inc! and this movie shook me to the core. Not so much because of how gross some of things were (AND THEY WERE) but because of the animal cruelty. I am a huge animal lover and couldn’t bear to think that in order for me to enjoy this burger a poor helpless animal had to be slaughtered! After that, I never looked back.

I am not going to say that this journey has been an easy one because I would be lying. I still crave meat but now I am able to fight the urge. I also make the effort to find things to replace the food that I love. I don’t know about you, but I connect summer with grilling and burgers but now I make my own Black Bean Burgers and honestly they are getting me through the summer! (Check out my site for the recipe)

I refuse to say that I am a vegetarian (ironically, here I am writing a post about it) because I don’t know what the future holds but for now this is the best choice for me. I have struggled physically with certain things in this process, such as lack of nutrients but I found that once I started to take a multivitamin, things got better.

This new stage in my life is a work in progress and I will probably make mistakes along the way but you have to make mistakes in order to learn and I am okay with that.

Thank you for reading my guest post! And thanks again to the fabulous “fool” for letting me write it!

Namaste…

Vegetarianism and the Endurance Athlete

2010-07-22T10:23:00.002-04:00

On December 30th, 2009 I announced in my New Year's resolution post that I was going on a meat-free, trial diet. This trial was quite interesting to say the least, but seven months later I am both happy and proud to call myself a vegetarian. Naturally what works for one person may not necessarily work for another, so you won't find any preachy post in the blog on why eating meat is 'evil'. To be quite honest, meat is freaking delicious and I would still be nom-ing on it if the animal rearing process wasn't so shady, among other things but that's another blog post altogether.

Vegetarianism plays a major role in the lives of many endurance athletes and I have called upon some of these athletes to tell their story. Whether you're interested in becoming a vegetarian, or wondering why on earth anyone [much less an endurance athlete] would willing give up meat [protein, protein, protein!], the sole purpose of these guest entries is to provide some insight on our choice and how/why vegetarianism works for us. Simple! So, without further ado, here is Mari's story.

Enjoy!

Bye bye cold

2010-07-21T12:02:00.001-04:00

I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack!

Jebus, last week sucked so hard. I'd rather not lay in my bed all day long and do nothing but trip on narcotic strength cough syrup, thank you very much!

On Monday, I reintroduced my body to this thing called a 'workout' with a 60 minute spin class. I really wanted to run, but Instructor Sexy Dude teaches on Monday's, so running had to chillax for a little. After being couped up for a week, I really needed an eye candy fix. Man oh man, did I get my fix...and a workout too! ~~kinda~~

Yesterday my workout was damned to heck, thanks to a little binge session I had with a bag o' Oreos. I was in a coma by 6 p.m.

This morning I made amends and ran 4 miles.

So yea, I'm back on track and ready to take on the Queen's Half Marathon this weekend. It is going to be ridiculously hot on Saturday, but I think a couple sprinkles of Anti Monkey Butt Powder will help pacify my woes for a bit. [Don't forget to enter the giveaway. This stuff is good. Real good!]

Tune in tomorrow for a special guest post from my East Coast chica, Namaste Mari.

Anti Monkey Butt Powder Review and Giveaway

2010-07-19T14:12:00.018-04:00

Monkey Butt

Term used in the motorcycle world to define what your butt looks like after a long ride either on-road or off-road
A chafe received between the upper thighs and asscrack brought about by sweaty activities. Produces a Baboon-like rash on the buttocks.

If memory serves me right [a rare occurrence] the last rash I had on my rump was a diaper rash. [cuz you know, diaper rashes are THAT memorable]. Since then, I remained oblivious of the fact that adults fall prey to rosy cheeked maladies. My sympathies. Now I am in the know thanks to the phenomenon known as Anti-Monkey Butt Powder. [What I would give to be a fly on the wall at the brainstorm meeting where they seriously agreed to name this product, Anti-Monkey Butt Powder.]

The name and logo is indeed ROFLOL-worthy, but the powder itself is serious business. The founders - a health care professional and construction worker- are both dedicated dirt bike riders and racers. They decided to take matters into their own hands after trying numerous products that failed to remedy their monkey butt. However, this product goes beyond its booty saving perks. According to their website,

Anti Monkey Butt Powder is specially formulated to absorb excess sweat and reduce frictional skin irritation. It is ideal for butt busting activities such as truck driving, motorcycling, bicycling, horseback riding, and extreme sports. May also be applied inside footwear, under sports pads, and other areas prone to chafing.

From a workout standpoint, nothing but a shamwow can absorb my excess sweat. However, as promised, AMBP not only reduced, but prevented the usual chaffing that I get from my sports bra. [Yes M, this is the product for you!] However, I most fancy Anti-Monkey Butt for everyday use, especially on hot as balls summer days, which we've been having a lot of lately. Nothing irritates me more than the feel of sweat slithering down my breast and butt cracks. Somehow, AMBP miraculously acts a barrier between the skin and sweat. I can still see the sweat beads forming but I don't feel them. As a result, I feel dry and most important, I feel comfortable. I even found myself wishing that I had a travel size bottle in my purse while frolicking and sweating up a storm at an outdoor bar one day. Surely I would have politely excused myself for a quick bathroom break to get my sprinkle on.

There are a few minor cons, the biggest being the mess factor. Since I haven't mastered the art of powder sprinkling, I apply Anti Monkey Butt in my bath tub to avoid messing up the floors. [Caution: powder + hard wood floors = guaranteed ass bust. Benefits of Anti Monkey Butt on your broken hiney not applicable in this situation]. It also leaves a powdery residue on your under garments, clothes and body. No worries because a good washing will get the residue [and your sweaty stank] out. Anti-Monkey Butt is a fun but effective product and gets the Fool's stamp of approval.

The good folks of Anti-Monkey Butt have generously offered to give away TWO bottles o' butt powder: 1 original for the gents and 1 lady version for ma girls. [US & Canada only]

As usual, the giveaway entry is pretty simple:

Follow my blog
Leave a comment
Pay off my student loans
I kid about number 3, although if you do, by default you are the butt powder winner.

I highly recommend checking out their website and becoming a fan of Anti-Monkey Butt Powder's Facebook page. Their status updates are hil-arious!

One lucky lady and one lucky gent will be selected on Friday, July 23rd. Good luck!

Stay cool and hydrated, peeps. Bisoux!

a day in the life of a germy runner

2010-07-15T19:06:00.005-04:00

Water drinking + pill poppin' + eye drop droppin' + camphor rubbing + lozenge

dissolving + bed laying + mind numbing boredom = take me now Lord!

Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!! [I want my mommy!]

My doctor ordered strict bed rest and for once, I am listening to her. She's right [duh] and if I am to even attempt running the Queen's Half Marathon next weekend, I need to not impede my recovery by doing anything stupid. And so, I rest.

The good news is that my pink eye is clearing up and the virus seems to be letting up a bit. Hoo-ray!!! My appetitie is returning to normal which is a great indicator of improving health. This morning, I hooked myself up with a lovely breakfast spread:

egg whites [w/ red peppers and tomatoes] + home fries w/toast + 1/2 grapefruit

And now, I am about to nom nom on some cheap n' easy, Mexican goodness:

Amy's Burrito Especial topped with Cheddar cheese + chunky homemade guacamole.

'Tis the highlight of my day. Mmmmm mmm good!

How do you stay healthy during flu season?

the land of lemon and honey

2010-07-13T10:28:00.003-04:00

Nasal congestion.

Cough, cough, omg, barf, ewww.

Throbbing head.

Inflamed eyes. [Conjunctivitis?!]

Body pain.

Nausea.

All happening now. Yep, I must be marathon training! [FML]

I've been battling the sniffles all of last week, but still managed to get my workouts in. On Sunday, I was due for 12 miles but had to pull the plug at mile 10.5 because my heart was about to burst out of my chest. The combination of a stuffy nose + humidity + an incessant cough did not help my case. I've been bed ridden ever since.

And so, yet another training week is broken. I should be used to this because I have never had an uninterrupted, marathon training program. Seems like very few have, so I am by no means a special case. It's just annoying, that's all. Really annoying, but I am not about to board the Woe Is Me train. I know I need to go to the doctor [doing that today]. I know I'll be drugged up on some poisonous but effective meds. I know I need to rest. And, I know I'll be back in the game. That right there is enough to keep me motivated and even more ready to do the damn thing once I get back on my feet. J'yeah!!!

*cough* Ok back to bed I go!

got this in the mail today

2010-07-09T16:13:00.003-04:00

It's a powder. For your hiney...and other unmentionables.
Yes, I'm serious.
This product is serious.
Nevermind the fit of uncontrollable laughter that is happening right now as I type this.

Stay tuned. Product review and giveaway coming soon.

Have a wonderful weekend!

chicago marathon training update: weeks 1-3

2010-07-06T11:59:00.001-04:00

gray boxes = completed
red text = life happened and me FAILed so hard!

So weeks 1 + 2 of training really blew, but I'm not beating myself up about it because I had to take care of some business that demanded every waking hour of my time. C'est la vie. Thankfully things settled and week 3 was a great success. [high five!]. This morning I kicked off week 4 with a comfortable 4 mile run.

The mercury is on a steady rise in the Northeast. It's ridiculously caliente in this biz-nitch! The summer's heat is such an energy suck and often I am not in the mood to do anything after work. As a result, I beat the heat by banging out my workouts in the morning. [Go me!] Ofcourse I'd much rather sleep in and roll out of bed just 30 minutes before my slave shift begins, but that would only result in more red text boxes in my training spreadsheet. No bueno! I'm trying to do the damn thing in Chicago which means I need to train train train!

It just feels really good to be training for a marathon again.

Anyway, how's training going for the rest of you peeps? Hope you had a wonderful 4th of July weekend. For a 234 year old, 'Merica can still party hearty. I for one am worn out and partially deaf after this awesome b-day bash! Peep my janky recording from the Macy's July 4th fireworks show.

Happenings and such...

2010-06-22T14:26:00.010-04:00

I'm here, I'm here, haven't fallen off the face of the earth. I've just been lazy + busy + lazy again and then there's World Cup so...

Here are some of my life happenings:

Ran Brooklyn Half marathon on May 22 [Yea I'm slacking with the race reports. Meh!]. Used race to test long run pace of 12:22 - 12:52, which is 2 minutes slower than my planned marathon pace. End result - 2:30:21/11:28 pace. Me gots to slow down.
Ran Father's Day Race Against Prostate Cancer on June 20, which also doubled as the start of my Chicago Marathon training [WOOT!]. The day was hotter than hell and the 3 miles that I ran before the race was not the brightest of all ideas. By race time, I had nothing left in me and I thought about dropping out. But if a one legged man, hopping along on crutches, wearing a shirt that read 'Cancer Survivor' could keep pressing on, then...nuff said. It was a difficult run but overall a great race and a fantastic day! [Happy belated Father's Day by the way]
Did first speedwork session today: 4x800. Muy fantastico, despite waking up at some godforsaken hour to beat the heat. Endorphins are raging but soon I'll be needing my caffeine drip feed.
Running Achilles Possibility and Hope 5 miler this coming Sunday. Prince Harry will be there. I'm, like, blushing. I've always considered him to be the hotter Windsor.
Finally got a Chef's knife. I'm in dire need of a knife skills class because I'm tired of accidentally slicing my fingers. And I'd rather not have 'finger(s)' as the principle ingredient in any of my dishes. Other than my FAILcutting, me likes the knife. Review is over here.
Started seeing a 'therapist' once a week. She's awesome but a bit unconventional. She does all the talking. She doesn't have a soothing voice, nor is she soft spoken. She yells. A lot. And instead of a couch she has a heavy punching bag. I don't have to pay her but I did have to buy one of these:

So for 60 minutes, I shut the fuck up [because that's what I'm told to do, in those exact words] and punch, elbow, uppercut, kick, jump kick, roundhouse kick and body slam a heavy bag. Therapy rules!

And finally, I'm moving. Same state, same city, but to a building with an elevator, on-site laundry and a dishwasher. [I've made it in life, ya'll.] That said, bloggings will be sparse ~~what else is new~~ but no worries, I'll be lurking from time to time to check up on my bloggies.

Ok, I'm outta here again. Till next time, bisoux!

determination, baby!

2010-06-07T17:37:00.004-04:00

Hiya!

Peep this. I got my ACS DetermiNation tech tee in the mail this weekend and as you can tell, I am super stoked.

I gotta admit, some charity team shirts are downright unflattering and fugly, but this bad boy is mmm mmmmm sexy! So I guess this tee officially makes me an American Cancer Society Endurance Athlete? Hot damn, I feel so official. ::and end moment of narcissism::

Now time to put in the training to match that boss 'title'.

Shoutouts to all you fine bloggers and blogistas who donated to the cause thus far. I am truly humbled by your generosity. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Anywho, last week's cleanse went well and life's balance has been restored. I am making every effort to eat clean, exercise and rest, rest, rest. This is all in preparation for the hectic months ahead of marathon training. I am so ready to do this it's ridiculous. Speaking of ridiculous, I owe you peeps a race report from the Brooklyn Half Marathon. Yea, the one that happened two weeks ago. I'm slackin' on the blog front, I know, but bear with me. I'm trying to spend less time on the inter-webs and more time, well, doing everything else. Downtime from our technological thingers is muy importante. Just detach.

Detach.

And that's what I'm about to do right this minute. Gotta run. Literally!

stop the presses

2010-06-03T15:53:00.002-04:00

Like, stop. Just stop everything. Right now.

Haile Gebrselassie, as in THE Haile Gebrselassie announced yesterday that he will be running the New York City Marathon in November. Yes, this is indeed a big effin' deal. See, this is Geb's first NYCM [what?!?!?! I knooooow!] According to Geb, "If you are a marathoner and someone asks you if you have run New York and you say no, that’s unimaginable. My career would not be complete.” Truer words have never been spoken.

Bet your sweet ass I'll be parked up on some street corner, to see the Legend whiz past me for all of 2 seconds. Then I'll wait for the hipsters to crawl out of bed, so we can get it crunk and pass out free hugs [maybe even kisses] to the runners. Gosh, I love Marathon Sunday. I'm already stupid excited...and a tab bit jealous that I won't be running NYCM this year, but whatevs.

I'm in a 10.10.10 frame of mind, baby!

p.s. thanks for all your love and support peeps. I fell off the saddle for a bit, but with a little reflection and time out, your Fool is back on the saddle, riding that horsey cowgirl style. Yeeeeehaw!

Running, are you my silver lining?

2010-05-31T20:38:00.004-04:00

Happy Memorial Day! To those who fought, and continue to fight for our freedom, I salute, honor and remember you. Most of all, I thank you.

My weekend was somewhat bittersweet, which resulted in some serious reflection on my life's current path. Some things I am thrilled about, others not so much. Regardless, I am getting my mind right to not dwell on the things of yesterday, but rather to focus intently on the things of today, and wish blissfully for the things of tomorrow.

That said, I cannot wait to get back into a marathon training program.

Today, I committed to getting yesterday out of my system and start afresh. A detox is in order: physically and mentally with a weeklong cleanse and Bikram yoga. Ofcourse I’d love to get some running in, but I am waiting for my new kicks to be delivered. [Check the sick sales on ‘endangered’ shoes on roadrunnersports.com. Scored my beloved $140 Hurricanes 11's for $82. J’yeah]

Chicago Marathon training kicks off in 3 weeks, and I already have some key workouts with my running peeps penciled in. Some of them came out of the wood work and offered to pace my tempo runs, and clock my speed work.

Already, my blissful wishes for the things of tomorrow are coming true.

Thanks for my silver lining, Running. xoxo

i finally figured out why I like this running madness

2010-05-25T19:01:00.001-04:00

When asked why I run, specifically marathons, I never have a logical answer ready. Truth be told, I don't think that a logical answer exists. Regardless I train, I run, I hurt, I laugh, I cry, I triumphantly cross the finish line and want to do it all over again.

This time around though, I have a reason and a damn good one too. So go ahead, ask me again and I'll say, I'm running a marathon for my Dad's victory over prostate cancer. I'll tell you that he is here today because of the advances made in medical technology through research. I'll tell you that all the funding for cancer research is the reason why my brothers, uncles, future son(s) and future-future grandson(s) will stand a better chance at not only surviving this disease, but avoiding it altogether.

And so, come October 10, 2010, at the Chicago Marathon, I will be running 26.2 miles, not only for my father, but for you and for all the people we know who’ve been touched by this disease. Every mile I conquer will be more meaningful because I’m doing this for something greater – for a cause I truly believe in. For this reason, I joined the American Cancer Association's DeterminNation program. Check out my donation page to learn more information and support the cause. I know times are tough for many of us right now, but remember that a little can go a long way. I think my Dad would agree!

Running feels so much more purposeful now. This is my new, hot-diggity-damn mojo!

Love you Daddy!

North Face Endurance Challenge Race Report

2010-05-19T12:00:00.021-04:00

May 9th

You already know the whole spiel about me losing my mojo and not wanting to run blah blah blah, so on race day I was nothing short of a Negative Nancy. Laura had to sit this one out due to illness, which I used as an excuse for me to diss this race altogether. That's when I received a phone call from my friend AJ. In the last minute, he decided to register for the race, pack up his car and embark on a 6 hour journey to my apartment. Faaaan-freaking-tastic! Now I had no choice but to do this race. Fortunately, I had the presence of mind to downgrade from the half marathon to the 10k distance, which later proved to be one of the best decisions...ever.

I'll spare you the details of my race morning bitchin', which AJ quickly checked with some tough love [thanks Dude]. It was unseasonably cold and windy, which did nothing to lift my mood, but I just sat quietly by one of the fire pits in the start area, wishing for this thing to be over already. [Yes, there were fire pits. WTF weather gods?]

The course remained as challenging as ever but somehow, I managed to clock a 1:19, which is only 2 minutes slower than my PR. Whoa! Certainly my performance played a vital role with my attitude adjustment towards running, and for that reason I am VERY happy that I ran this race.

Unfortunately the popularity of this race is growing, and the event is starting to turn into a logistical nightmare/clusterfuck. That said, I think this was my third and final jaunt at the Endurance Challenge. Thanks for the good times though, it's been real.

On to the next adventure: Brooklyn Half Marathon here I come. My mojo's back and I'm so ready to do this! J'yeahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!

In other news, I talk about Panera's new pay-what-you-want system over at Happenings n' Things. Check it!

hey mojo, it's me, your fool!

2010-05-16T19:11:00.009-04:00

I'm slowly, but surely getting out of the doldrums ya'll. The last two races that I ran [race recap for one of them coming soon] was completely against my will. I would have totally dissed them had I not made commitments eons ago to run with other people. Truth be told, I actually considered deferring my Chicago Marathon registration to 2011. I cared not one iota!

Then last week, I stumbled across M's FB status update about the movie Spirit of the Marathon. Within 2 minutes of the film, I was a hot, slobbering mess. The movie itself isn't super emotional, or in my opinion, even that great, but it certainly touched a nerve. Just watching runners dig deep to make it to finish, was enough to bring on memories of my own marathon experience. Holy nostalgia! Crossing the finish line is a feeling like no other and I want that feeling again. That being said, if I am to get that feeling, I need to toe the line at Chicago. If I am to toe the line, I need to train. In order for me to train, I need to get my shit together and get my head back in the game.

And so today, I willingly ran 5 miles. It was beautiful and I was happy. Very happy. [whoa]. Then I made plans to run 5-7 miles on Tuesday with a friend. [double whoa] And, I'm actually excited [like stoooopid excited] to run the Brooklyn Half Marathon this Saturday. [for real?!]
And, I took the time to carefully draft this marathon training plan...in a spreadsheet. [erf?!] Like, I never put ANYTHING in a spreadsheet!

This is good.
Real good.
Stay tuned!

p.s. Stop by RunningLaur's blog and congratulate her on completing her first marathon. J'yeah girl, you rock! Mega congratulations.

l.o.v.e.

2010-05-12T20:24:00.004-04:00

That's all.
Well, actually...
I got updates and things are happening.
Things like eating Green and Blacks chocolate, and such.
Oh, and there was some running but more on that later.
Much later.
Toodles!

New Jersey Marathon Festival Weekend

2010-05-03T15:55:00.011-04:00

Oh em gee, I didn't FAIL.
Unofficial gun Time - 2:42:27

Holy crap, what a day! I survived and lived to tell, so you guys can call off the search. Thank you all so much for your unwavering support and encouragement, as always. Now let me briefly address my race morning pessimism for those of you wondering why the hell this marathoner was freaking out about a half marathon. Here's the deelio:

I ran a marathon in January, got injured, and took a month off to rehabilitate the injury. One month turned into two. Two months turn into three. Three into four...you get the idea. I did a handful of short distance training runs to prep for a 10K race on April 3rd. Ran 10k race, had fun. The End. Fast-forward one month later, I lost conditioning and am now due to run a half marathon with only 6 miles in the training bank. Greeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaat!!!

So the question begs, why on earth was I being such a lazy shit knowing that I had a race coming up? Well the answer is simple: I wanted to be a lazy shit. See, my current relationship with running is very strained and we're not liking each other very much these days. Blame it on my affair with spring’s resplendent allure. Surely this is perfect running weather, but I rather get my socialite on. Traipsing the city streets, basking in the sun's glory at an outdoor bistro, downing cheap drinks at an after work Happy Hour spot followed by dancing the night away until the break of dawn and sleeping in till whenever is super-duper appealing to me right now.

Having said all that, naturally when my alarm sounded at 5am [ugh], I was not at all interested in crawling out of bed to run this race for shiz! But I already had a friend pick up my packet, and arranged carpool plans last week just in case my mood shifted. Well, it didn't, but I decided that backing out in the last minute would be a chump move since other people were involved, so reluctantly, I dragged myself out of bed for 'the failing'.

It was during the hour long drive to the Jersey Shore, that I devised the following game plan:

Run with a friend: I prefer to run my races solo, but my friend Addy was running the marathon - her first marathon- so I figured I'd keep her company for the first half of her race.
Slow my roll: Addy's half marathon pace is slower than mine, which is exactly what my no- training ass needed. Letting her dictate the pace would increase my chances of actually finishing. If my body started to rebel, I would pull the plug and DNF!

As you already figured, my game plan worked. For that matter, even if I had trained for this race I would have had to slow my roll because the mercury rose to an unforgiving 90 degrees. You already know that this is kryptonite for us North-easterners. However the course support was amazing! The residents came out in numbers, armed with 'cooling stations' such as hoses, sprinklers and buckets of water. [thank you thank you thank you] Unfortunately, many runners succumbed to the heat and were dropping like flies. The scene got a bit unnerving and I was almost certain that they would cancel the race, but the show continued. Running with Addy was my lifeline and I can honestly say that I would not have finished this race without her. [thank you thank you thank you]

At mile 13 [yippee, I'm hooooome!] I bid Addy adieu and wished her luck. She was looking as good as the conditions allowed her to look so I was confident that she would continue to power through the grueling conditions. Internally I lamented that she and many others had to watch us half marathoners joyfully finish our race, as they continued running past the finish line for round two. [Cruel! God knows I hate double loops] A few of us couldn't wait for her to finish, myself included, but we were all nervous wrecks until we received a text message that she crossed the finish line just shy of 6 hours. What a got-damn champ! Congratulations girl!!!!

Mega congrats to all New Jersey Marathon Festival participants.

As for my relationship with running after this race, pfft, it's still a bit meh. I'll get my mojo back in due time so I'm not stressing it. Until then, I'll be on the dance floor.

probably about to fail...

2010-05-02T06:18:00.002-04:00

On my way to the Long Branch Half Marathon.

With zero training. Z-E-R-O.

Hmmmm. Brb. [Hopefully].

Day 2: San Jose to Playa Del Coco

2010-04-22T16:04:00.016-04:00

April 10th

6am. WTF. Am I not on vacation? What the hell ever happened to sleeping in?

Oh yea. Right. The beach! The one that was 5 freakin' hours away. GAH!

Needless to say, a satiating breakfast was in order, hence my early rising. [Ya'll know I don't play when it comes to my grub] Meet the traditional Costa Rican breakfast: Gallo Pinto [Eggs, fried plantains, rice and beans, cheese and corn tortillas]

Muy delicioso! What a way to start my day.

I can't tell you how ridiculously happy this breakfast made me. I'm a super fan of any culture that serves rice for breakfast. After bidding adios to my new amigos, I hailed a taxi to the bus station. Just so happens, unbeknownst to me, there are many bus stations spread throughout downtown San Jose. Even though I told the taxi driver which bus I was trying to catch, he dropped me off at the wrong station. Ofcourse, why wouldn't he? And he ripped me off by charging $10 USD instead of $3-5 USD but I figured this out way way way after the fact! [Estupido turista]

Tip: Taxis have meters. If the meter fare is lower than the butt-raping one quoted by your driver, pay the metered fare! [Of course if things get heated, choose life first]

So there I was, a solo-traveling female, in the heart of the sketchiest part of San Jose, with a heavy ass backpack, asking and receiving directions that all sound like "gargle gargle gargle". [Dammit, I really should have paid attention in Spanish class.] Mi conversational espanol is un piquito. Or non-existent.

Eventually a wonderful, non-English speaking Tico recognized my plight and offered to walk me over to the correct station. [Muchas gracias, Senor] When we arrived at the station, I offered him a tip, but he refused and looked almost insulted that I wanted to pay him for his kindness. [whaaaa?!?! What awesome breed of people are you?] I was relieved to see that my ride was a Coach-like bus and not a cheese-yellow school bus. Imagine sitting in that shit for 5+ hours, on less than optimal roads. Plus the ticket only cost 3000c [$6 USD]. What a WIN!

Well sorta...Lemme 'splain

Pros:

Most routes out of San Jose offer direct service which a gigantic WIN in Costa Rica. Things can get a little sketchy with transfers. [Read: SOL if you miss your connecting bus]
$6 ticket. It's worth mentioning again, because public transportation is about the cheapest thing in this muy expensivo country.

Cons:

Minimal legroom - or zero legroom if you have a day pack, which by the way, you are strongly advised to hold on to and not put in the overhead rack. Theft is rampant.
Leather seats - which is fine until the mercury rises and you start sticking to your seat.
No AC - again this isn't a problem, that is, until everyone's deodorant decides to bail as a result of the stiffing heat.
Dust! - Added to the pungent aromas of perspiration and hot breath, if you're in the drier regions during the dry season, prepare to inhale a sahara desert worth of dust. You can remedy this by closing your window but with no AC, that choice guarantees death.
No banos - Depending on the length of your journey, buses will do a few rest stops. Outside of that, you're SOL so go easy on the agua. And yes, you will get dehydrated like a mother.

Surely this sounds like a n-i-g-h-t-m-a-r-e, but it really wasn't. See?

Cool views

and bonita ninas [well, actually, she hated me!]

Travel tip: Public transportation will definitely stretch your dollar. However, if you're looking for a convenient and faster mode of transportation, consider booking shuttle service with Interbus or Grayline [my pick]. You can do this online, or at least one day in advance at your hotel/hostel. Of course, this comes at a cost.

Every experience is what you make of it so I wasn't miserable per se, but I sure as hell was glad to peel myself out of the seat, stretch my legs and inhale a lifetime's worth of refreshing sea breeze. Yes, at last, THE BEACH!

Bienvenido a Playa Del Coco

Day 1: Bienvenido a San Jose

2010-04-21T07:18:00.024-04:00

April 9th

Flight: EWR --> IHR --> SJO. It was the best, damn 7 hours of my life. It felt so good to just sit and do absolutely nothing. [BTW thanks for my vegetarian meal of either a chicken sandwich or beef burrito, Continental Airlines ::chin flip::]

San Jose in a nutshell: Part impressive, part grimmey, you know, like every other major city in the world. You either hate it or love it. Me, I remained indifferent but that's another blog entry. I was only staying in this bad boy for one night.

View of downtown San Jose

Importante: Before you book a ticket to Pura Vida, know that Costa Rica is Costa Costly. Muy expensivo!! You're going to have to sacrifice many luxuries - like hot water, AC, dining out, hailing a cab - and live uber modest like the locals if you're on a tight budget. Other than that, prepare to spend spend spend.

Importante dos: Do not flush toilet paper down the toilet. [Ya, strange I know!] Costa Rica's septic system is a bit fragile. This takes a little getting used to, even with notices posted in every bano. I finally got it after a few mindless slips and a flooded bathroom. [tourista FAIL].

Money Saver: Book airport shuttle service prior to arrival. Taxis from the airport to downtown San Jose can range anywhere between $25-$30 USD [yes dollars!]. Shuttle service with Interbus or Grayline start at $10 USD. Holla!

I spent the night at Costa Rica Backpackers Hostel, which was quite impressive for a hostel. And who can complain with a rate of $13/night?[Pfft, not my broke ass!]

The social scene was pretty mellow but at nights it got a bit loud with music blaring from the adjoining restaurant/bar. If you're a heavy sleeper like me, or jetting out the next morning for another destination like I did, then you'll fare well here!

My roommates [and new, future travel buddies] were muy fantastico, unlike some of the other socially inept residents. I found it both strange and annoying that most of them chose to spend countless hours on Facebook versus actual face time with real, live humans. Whatevs, the roomies and I didn't subscribe to that mess. Instead we talked for hours at length on how we were going to make Costa Rica the cure for the common life suck!

And by "cure", we mean "consuming copious amounts of cervezas". Muy bueno!

sabbatical over

2010-04-20T20:28:00.006-04:00

Hola bloggie amigos! I'm bizzack. Did ya'll miss me?

[errr, someone? anyone?]

I seriously considered going bamboo in Costa Rica, but remembered that I already paid for a whole bunch of races, so I reluctantly boarded the jet-plane back to 'Merica. Since absolutely nothing fitness related is happening in my life, the next couple of entries will be used to document my Costa Rica trip. I'll try my best not to bore ya'll to death, but I figured the details of my little adventure will come in handy for some wanderlust researcher.

And since this is a running blog, let me publicly state that I have 3 back to back half marathons coming up in May and I am not ready to run any of them. First up is the NJ Half Marathon on May 2nd. It's already April freakin' 20th and I am yet to bang out a run longer than 6 miles. I'm thinking deferment. That would be the sensible thing to do, right?

Ugh training FAIL!
brb

greetings from pura vida

2010-04-09T19:01:00.004-04:00

Buenas [insert time of day here, en espanol] blogisteros!

I'm taking a little breaky break from reality so bare with me while I get my vacaciones on. Life in Costa Rica thus far has been a gigantic question mark since I did absolutely no planning whatsoever. I'm so burned out that I could really care less about thinking. However, I am armed with a backpack, travel guide and tons of 'must see' recommendations so I'm just gonna go with the flow. Si!

Before I inebriate myself with cervezas, lemme answer a couple of questions that were left unanswered in my Green Monster Shake review.

What does it taste like? A banilla milkshake. Yes, banilla [banana + vanilla]. Either my palate is all kinds of messed up or some amazing chemistry happens in the blender to yield that incredible deliciousness. I highly recommend using soy milk [original or lightly sweetened] instead of regular milk. I tried with the latter and the shake lacked flavor and texture.
Can you post the amount of each ingredient you used? Oh boy this is a toughie since I literally throw ingredients in the blender and push a button. Any button. But just for ya'll, I did some measuring. Check it:

Fool's Green 'Banilla-ish' Shake

Handful of spinach
1 cup soy milk [orginal or lightly sweetened]
1/4 cup blueberries
1/4 cup [or 4 fresh strawberries]
1 banana
1 tbsp almond or cashew butter
1 scoop chia seed [mix in shake after]

Here's another shake recommendation from Kelly. Sorry, no exact measurements, but I think it's simple enough to wing. I haven't tried it yet, but it sounds mmmm mmmmm good. Check it:

Frozen cherries + plain yogurt + almond milk + spinach + chia seed + cocoa powder + a drop of almond extract

Adios and drink up amigos

spinach for breakfast is not equal to 'ewww'

2010-04-05T22:10:00.011-04:00

I've been steering clear of the Green Monster shake largely because of its main ingredient: spinach. Don't get me wrong, I love me some spinach but in its solid form. Liquid form is just a bit too gnarly for the kid. But NamasteMari swears by this liquid monstrosity and blogs about it every.single.day. Eventually curiosity got the best of me and I decided to give this gruel a shot. I didn't have some of the ingredients that she uses so I crawled the interwebs for a different recipe. Turns out, there are a trillion different recipes, but spinach ::shudder:: remained the common denominator so I decided to wing it.

Fool's ingredients: soy milk+ spinach + blueberries + strawberries + banana + cashew/almond butter + chia seeds

Step 1: prep

Step 2: blend

Step 3: WTF?!?!
[That weird looking thing on the top is chia, in case you're wondering...and barfing]

Now, I was scared as shit to drink this thing so my first sip was approached with heightened caution... near the bathroom... you know, just in case. The first sip was one of utter shock and disbelief. This thing tasted good. Real good. And there's no taste of spinach whatsoever! I swear to you, this shake is a WIN on so many levels. It's ridiculously delicious and is loaded with calcium, protein, potassium, and iron. Like I said, WIN!!!!

Do you guys know of any other vegetables that camouflages nicely in shakes?

Scotland Run Race Report

2010-04-04T21:24:00.008-04:00

Who the heck am I kidding, I don't have the time to bang out ~~bore you with~~ a mile-by-mile race report. Thankfully, NYRR already created a video with a report of this fantastic race:

Here are my tidbits:

Peep my race outfit. I think the afro-puffs added to the authentic, Scottish look that I was going for.

Thanks for the kilt, Mom!

Lots and lots of eye candy wearing kilts. Some went shirtless and were very, very sweaty. They made my day.

With my good friend AJ. He didn't go shirtless, but made my day anyway!

Ran every single hill, which is a rarity for me in Central Park. Apparently my head-down, hill running technique is working! *does happy dance*
Got lead legs in the final mile, which made it impossible for me to tear up some asphalt with a strong finishing kick. Regardless, I am extremely happy with my overall performance. I am feeling stronger and am slowly but surely getting back into fighting shape for Chicago Marathon training.
Finishing time - 1:03/Pace - 10:14

In closing, I'd like to say that running makes me ridiculously happy. Surely you can relate, right?

Have a wonderful week peeps!

de-veganized

2010-04-03T17:26:00.006-04:00

Two hours ago, I damned veganism to heck and devoured a vegetable egg white omlette with feta cheese. My world became a little brighter and I fell in love with food again. Needless to say, I failed my 21 day challenge and am back to being vegetarian, which is fine by me. This is quite possibly one failure that I welcomed with open arms, mouth and tummy! See, I was miserable with all the restrictions that honestly I was not willing to adhere to, but only did it for the sake of completing this challenge. Bottom line is I love eggs, love cheese and I hate being so uber meticulous about ingredients, especially when eating out.

However, this challenge wasn't all for naught. Veganism is really on to something when it comes to weight loss/control. In two weeks alone, I dropped a significant amount of weight, and this is with eating my usual 6 meals a day. So a few things are going to change in my diet from here on out:

Whenever possible, use soy milk and soy yogurt instead of their dairy counterparts.
Eat cheese sparingly. The block of cheese that I used to eat as a snack everyday is a nish nish.
Dessert, my weakness, is allowed but only once a week. I can have whatever the hell I want then but all other times, I will tap into my inner vegan, pretend that I can't have it and just.say. no!

Today I had a fabulous run at one of my favorite races, the Scotland Run 10k in Central Park. [I'm sad that I didn't get to see RoadBunner though]. I didn't PR, but I did have a very strong run and am extremely happy with my performance considering that I only recently got my running-mojo back. I'll post a race report with pictures of my event appropriate attire very soon so stay tuned. Enjoy the rest of your weekend peeps.

My life as a Vegan

2010-03-25T13:36:00.013-04:00

Hiya! I'm hitting ya'll up with a quick-ish update on my 21 day, vegan challenge.

The Good:

The transition from vegetarian to vegan was relatively easy. However, my biggest challenge was getting used to soy milk and soy yogurt, both of which I tried in the past and hated. This time around I was forced to deal, got creative and am a new convert. Surprisingly I actually prefer the rich texture of soy milk breakfast shakes. Take this uber delicious, and super satiating breakfast shake for example:

Recipe: Blend soy milk + soy yogurt + frozen blueberries + frozen banana + 1 tbsp almond butter. Stir in 1 scoop of chia seeds.

My eating is much cleaner and I am definitely more conscious and particular with my meals. Who the hell am I?

Pan fried tofu with avocado hummus topped and sauteed onions

No dairy makes it easier for me to say no to the evil pastries that are in my face all.day.every.day at the office. My waistline rejoices.
I'm cooking more [say wha?!?!] and experimenting with new ingredients, like amaranth. [ama-what?!]. Amaranth is a tiny grain that is a pain in the ass to prep and cook. But it is an excellent source of protein, calcium, B vitamins and fiber so I'd say it is worth the hassle. So far I've only made Apple-Walnut Amaranth for breakfast and it was absolutely delicious and satiating. [Thanks for the recipe, Mark Hyman]

The FML

Soy yogurt is cool but I sure do miss Oikos Vanilla Greek Yogurt.
Eggs. Goodness gracious I miss eggs! And feta cheese!!!!!!!!!! ::drools::
I hate how anal I have to be about ingredients when I dine out. No dairy really limits my options and sometimes traditional chefs aren't very happy about making modifications to their masterpieces. I can respect that and I don't like making chefs angry so to make life easier I just go to vegan restaurants...alone. Whatev!

The Workouts:

Lots of TaeBo with Billy Blanks at ungodly hours in the morning or night.
2 hr spin class [only because of the h-a-w-t instructor. Lordy lordy lord]
Some running. Burnout really is a bitch but I'm up to running 6 miles comfortably. The IT band is behaving and I'm getting my mojo back slowly but surely.

Alrighty then, that's all folks. Sorry if I'm a bit quiet on your blogs but I'm still reading...or rather skimming. This Fool still needs to get her daily dose of inspiration from ya'll :)

Until next time, stay sane America! o_O

she blogs she blogs

2010-03-18T12:49:00.012-04:00

Quick, what song comes to mind from this entry's title?
Yes it is stuck in my head and I want it to be stuck in yours too. Misery loves company. Anyway...

Work = my life

That being said, I won’t be blogging as much for the next couple of months. *sigh* Releasing new software is a b-i-a-t-c-h, but the jobs gotta get done so que cera. The madness is only temporary so things will eventually calm down before I permanently lose my mind.

Surely I’ll drop a line here and there but I can’t make any promises. And please forgive me, I won’t be reading your awesome blogs as much but I’ll try to steal a moment from time to time to crawl the blog feeds/Twitter/Facebook/e-mail.

Other things:

Not running much but still cross-training. Spring, the cure for cabin fever, is TWO DAYS AWAY, so I'll try to squeeze in a quick run here and there. God knows I need it!
Can no longer plan my life around running/workouts because of the insane hours that I go into and leave work. So I mostly workout at home with Mr. Billy Blanks. Tae-Bo is crazy fun and a fantastic stress reliever. Punching the hell out of air really helps me get through the day!
Starting Monday I am going on a 21 day trial vegan diet. W-T-F?!?! [I’m hoping that Laura will be part of my latest shenanigan. Ja?!]. I absolutely love being vegetarian, but vegetarianism is like running a half marathon, which by the way, is my favorite distance. Veganism however, is the big kahuna. ‘The’ 26.2. So I’m going the distance. If I like it, cool. If not, no biggie. At least I tried. Will drop a couple updates here and there on my 21 day life as a Vegan.
Need yoga DVD. Any recommendations?

Ok peeps, I’ll catch ya’ll on the flip side. Bisoux!

Welcome to WTF Airways

2010-03-11T10:11:00.009-05:00

This entry isn't running related but I am certain that some of you can relate.

Perhaps it is safe to assume that this is common knowledge, but I'll say it anyway. Do not, under any circumstance, and I stress, ANY circumstance, board an airplane without a functioning mp3 player and headsets. Failure to heed this vital advice will result in unexpected and unnecessary pain and suffering from some, and/or all of the following annoyances:

A chatty neighbor who just can't take the hint that you are not at all interested in engaging in their boring as fuck conversation.
Obnoxious cackling among a group of women, unabashedly trying to one-up each other with their childrens' accomplishments.
Sitting in close proximity to a mysteriously cursed row of hibernating bears, snoring thunderously. I mean, how is it even possible for every passenger in that row to suck so bad?

Drowning out these annoyances with audio devices can only do so much for you. Unfortunately, it does absolutely nothing to help your plight against the kid seated behind you who is incessantly kicking and pulling on your seat, as if they are on a mission to destroy the seat...and you! But your beef shouldn't be with the bad ass child. It should be with the absent minded parent(s), who shouldn't be - by law of the universe - a parent. And, by law of sweet fuck'n justice, said parent(s) should be punched square in the face...by every passenger on the plane.

On the bright side, I've made it to my destinations safely. I guess that negates all annoyances [kinda]. Besides, I'd rather be stuck on a plane with these asshats, than the other asshats, whose mission to destroy sometimes result in them accidentally setting their balls on fire. No thanks, I'll take a legion of babbling Fran Drescher's on a 22 hour direct flight any day! Any day!

What are your air travel survival essentials, and why?

a fool's triumphant return at Coogan's 5K

2010-03-10T13:34:00.007-05:00

I didn't get a chance to merrily shout this out for fear of being unnecessarily loud and obnoxious. Guess I'll just have to do it here:

I
LOVE
TO RUN

Whew. There. I said it and I feel so much better.

This past Sunday I ran the Coogan's Salsa and Blues 5K, my first race since the bitter, humble pie known as Miami. The race was a great success, with 5000+ cabin fever inflicted runners romping the hills of Washington Heights, New York in perfect, spring-like weather. The weather gods finally smiled on us, because heavens knows I've had it up to here with this shitty, arctic weather. Don't get me wrong, I prefer cold weather running, but certainly not when I'm knee deep in snow or getting a full body stabbing from ice showers. No bueno!

View of the Hudson River from the George Washington Bridge

Sunday was nothing short of perfect and to compliment the weather, I ran a near perfect race. No PR [30:52], but certainly the strongest, even paced run I've had in a very long time. My hill running has improved immensely and I credit the new, but ill-advised tactic that I've employed: keeping my head down. Surely every running expert is crying blasphemy and rightfully so because bio-mechanically it makes sense to keep your head and ultimately your body upright. However that does not work for me because I seriously lack patience with hills. When I see/know how much more of that effing hill is left, I get frustrated and reduce to a walk, all in the name of saving myself for the rest of the race [bullshit]. However, when I'm not looking my attitude shifts from '#@$%^ this hill' to 'It's over when it's over. Just keep running'. Whatever works right?

Crossing borders via the George Washington Bridge

Congrats to Mari who ran the hell outta this race. It was her first, and I neglected to tell her that she picked a relatively hard 5K to pop her racing cherry.[oops] Based on her race report, it is safe to say that we have a new running convert. And then there's Scott, fellow Chicago Marathon trainee, who eats Central Park hills for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Naturally, he PR'd at Coogan's. [Woot woot].

Overall a stellar performance in my books and I'm just ridiculously happy to be back in the game. Like, riiiiiiiiiiidiculously happy. [Endorphins much?!?!]

Quickie avec shoutouts

2010-03-06T10:30:00.013-05:00

At home, working. On a Saturday. This is necessary if my team is to meet a December deadline. Yes, December. Ah software development, you suck so hard sometimes! But here's the deelio with this here Fool outside of work, work and work.

Got another 2 mile run in yesterday and my knee behaved. Woo-hoo!
'Ramping' up my mileage tomorrow at the Coogan's Salsa and Blues 5k race. There are few things that can keep me away from this race, including the flight that I'll be boarding a few short hours after the race to California...for MORE work!
I'll have time to take a shower after the race so that's good news for everyone on my flight. *the aviation world breathes...literally*
Ms. Namaste Mari will also be at Coogan's, running her first race ever. Drop by her fab bloggy blog and wish her well.
While I was busy pencil pushing, the blogosphere was flooded with a lot of great race reports. Here are a few of my faves from some of the finest runners in the game:

Laura @ Williamsburg Half Marathon - This self-proclaimed Pied Piper of running virgins strikes again. Watch out now!
Marty @ Tokyo Marathon - Not even fire and brimstone could stop this man from getting to the finish line. If anything, it got him there faster!
Fierce Redhead @ Gasparilla Marathon - This Redhead's feet barely touched the ground and as a result she smashed her PR. True story, there's picture of her running on air! Go see...
Jen rocks Austin, and invites us all to 'do it in 2011'. [Sold!]

If I missed your race report, drop a comment and I'll be sure check it out when time permits. I love me some race reports. It really helps to keep me motivated! Okie folks, have fun reading. Back to work I go. *whip*

p.s. The dark circles under my eyes triggered this impulsive purchase:

For 9 days in April, work can suck it because there's a plane ticket to go with that travel guide.

J'yea!