I feel horrible

It all started when I woke up with a headache yesterday. I should have postponed the 5mi tempo run, but I didn't. I figured I'd make myself a smoothie and all would be okay. And I did feel a little better until I got to the track. The run was very labored. I guess I should have eaten something of more substance. I don't know. My shoulders and arms ended up sore. I could feel it during the run. It wasn't a good situation. I did yoga afterwards since it always helps. I was so tight. I'm not too sure why.

Later, I met up my friend, K, for dinner. I met at her place around 6ish. And up til that point, I only had a smoothie (before and after the run) and water. We went to Zen Palate in Princeton. I started with edamame, because I was seriously lacking in protein at that point. Then I had the Zen burger with yam fries. I needed something fried with calories since I hardly had any. A couple hours later, we ended up at Small World Coffee to pass the time (I helped her grade papers). We were going to meet a couple of her friends for drinks later. At this point, I still had a headache, so I ordered a soy latte hoping that the caffeine would help. Well, I ended up adding a bit too much sugar, so I only drank half.

So off to Winberries we go for drinks. This is when I get really, REALLY sick. Mind you, I didn't have a drink. K asked if I wanted something. But I felt like I was drunk on an empty stomach. Next thing you know, off to the bathroom I go because I couldn't take it anymore. Yes, people, I hurled. I threw up everything I ate. But I felt so much better afterwards.

We left and went to Yankee Doodle Tap Room because Winberries was way too crowded. I spent the evening drinking nothing but water. My stomach was hurting, probably from being empty. I don't know if it was the veggie burger or the sweet coffee, but whatever it was, it didn't agree with me.

I got home around 1am. I had a few pretzels before bed. They made my stomach hurt. Heck, my stomach still hurts now. I got in a good 4hrs of sleep. I woke up with a headache even worse than yesterday's. And I can't go back to sleep because it hurts that bad. I figured I'd spend today in bed being sore from running. But that's not the case. Or maybe I am sore, but I just can't tell because my head hurts that much worse in comparison.

So yeah, that was my day. And here are yesterday's numbers...

Music: Walking Wounded by Everything But The Girl

Jog Stats
1mi @ 13:21 (This was my warm up)
2-4mi @ 11:33 (I walked for about 30 sec in mile 4. I just wasn't feeling it.)
5mi @ 12:23
Avg Pace: 12:05/mi
Calories: 545

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility

Something Different

I decided to try a new yoga routine from a different dvd all together. I did the 16min vinyasa segment twice. There's no way I was ready to move on to the inversion segment. Yeah, that's not for me. Not just yet. Maybe never. Anyway, it definitely got my blood flowing. I should do this routine more. My arms definitely got a workout.

Yoga: 32min
Yoga Journal's Yoga for Strength & Energy

Breakfast: TJ's Toasted Oatmeal Flakes w/raisins and unsweetened soymilk
Lunch: PB&J w/hot tea
Snack: Smoothie w/strawberry, banana, blueberry, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Dinner: Black bean leftovers
Snack: Chocolate Mint Clif Builder's bar

When it's cold and windy...

You pick up the pace. Ain't no sense being outside longer than I have to be.

Music: Dewdrops in the Garden by Deee-Lite

Jog Stats
2mi/21:10
Avg Pace: 10:35/mi
Heart Rate: 176 Avg/192 Max
Calories: 239

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: General Practice: Floor

Lunch: PB&J and hot tea
Snack: Cinnamon sugar almonds and an apple
Dinner: Spicy black beans cooked w/tomatoes, corn and baby spinach w/brown rice
Snack: Chocolate Mint Clif Builder's bar

No breakfast today. I know. I'm bad. I got a late start.

Tag

I'm it. I was tagged by Dr. Stonielove.

The rules of the game are:
A). Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog...
B). Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself...
C). Tag 7 random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs...
D). Let each person know that they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1) My last name is British though I am not.
Actually, no one in my family is British.

2) I don't like grass.
I'm actually grossed out by it. I don't like how it feels under my feet, no matter how thick the soles of my shoes are.

3) I still have my wisdom teeth.
I don't think I'm any wiser.

4) I do not enjoy shopping at all.
It takes patience that I don't have. I only shop when I need to, like when my clothes start hanging off of me. Yeah, air in the back of your jeans is not flattering. Must rectify that situation. Otherwise, I'm not shopping. I wouldn't mind having a personal shopper though. Just take my measurements and bring back the clothes.

5) When I was a kid, I had 16 hamsters.
They would actually climb the stairs. They got into my dad's hamper (upstairs) and shred his pants into threads.

6) My grandmom, my mom and I all have the same beauty mark on the right cheek bone.
I guess Grandma has strong genes.

7) I became all health nutty when I turned 27.
The whole fitness thing is completely new to me though.

If you read this, you've been tagged too.

Week 10 Day 3 - Finished One Hour Runner

Yep, I skipped Day 2's 40min run. I felt like crap all week and I wasn't making anything up. AND I don't feel bad about it. The plan was to build up to 1hr worth of running and that's what I did. If I could run 54min last Friday, then I could run 60min today.

Anywho, it took a while for me to settle in and get comfortable, about 35min. That's a bit ridiculous. I couldn't get my breathing together. It's like I couldn't breathe deep enough, but then again I didn't feel like I needed to. I just would have been more comfortable if I had. I don't think I got that part together until I picked up the pace towards the end. Luckily for me, I was accompanied by Marvin Gaye. His voice and lyrics made my time on the track so much better. I was snapping my fingers. The people I passed must have thought I lost it. But hey, I dare you to listen to Come Get To This and see if you can keep from snapping your fingers or tapping your toes. And if it doesn't move you, well you just have no soul. That's right, I said it :P

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Flow Series

Music: The Master 1961-1984, Disk 3 by Marvin Gaye

I have a healthy obsession for Marvin Gaye. He had such a beautiful voice. It's a shame not too many people make music like that anymore.

Jog Stats
60min/5.16mi
Avg Pace: 11:38/mi
Heart Rate: 169 Avg/193 Max
Calories: 609

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility

Yep, more yoga. The hip mobility routine worked wonders after my long run last week. I had no soreness whatsoever. Hopefully I'll have the same results this time.

Breakfast: Tofu scramble w/breakfast potatoes and hemp toast w/soy marg
Pre-run: Little bit of Vitamin Water
Lunch: PB&J w/hot tea
Snack: Cinnamon sugar almonds and a smoothie w/strawberry, blueberry, banana, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Dinner: Walnut, white bean & spinach phyllo rolls from Eat, Drink and Be Vegan along w/steamed broccoli

These tasted really good. But I'm really sure that I jacked up the recipe. I had no idea what I was doing with the phyllo dough. I need some type of tutorial or a Phyllo Dough For Dummies book.

Yoga and Sleeplessness

I woke up tired with the same headache. I figured yoga would help, but it didn't. I was still tired. AND the worst part is I can't fall asleep. Well, I did dose off for about 20min during a horrible movie but that doesn't count. It's not like I'm feeling refreshed. I'm just hoping my high calorie dinner will make me pass out in the next half hour.

Yoga: 25min
Yoga For Every Body: Good Morning

Breakfast: Finished the other half of last night's dinner
Snack: Sugar cookies and a smoothie w/strawberry, banana, blueberry, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Lunch: Soba leftovers
Dinner: Same as last night w/Capri Sun

No, I'm not a juice drink drinker. For the most part I drink water all day everyday. But it was there, so I figured why not?

Week 10 Day 1

I've been feeling pretty lazy and crappy the past couple of days. I had a headache on Saturday and woke up with one today too. I was thinking about running yesterday just so I could get some energy. Well, that didn't happen. I stayed in and watched tv, and I'm not a big tv person. I was going to try a new recipe yesterday, but going to the store for the ingredients and actually cooking it was too much for me. Oh well. I wanted to stay in bed all day, but I didn't. I should have. I ended up getting my period. Yep, that explains it all.

Music: Electric Soul mixed by DJ Lil Dave

Jog Stats
30min/2.68mi
Avg Pace: 11:12/mi
Incline: 1.0

I ran on the uppity treadmill with the tv monitor at the Y. I had no idea how to use the damn thing. I'll figure it out one of these days. Also, I've come to realize that short runs are not for me. A 5min warm up is not enough. About time I get all loosened up, it's time for the cool down.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/cinnamon, raisins, vanilla, flaxseed, turbinado sugar, and unsweetened soymilk
Snack: Apple
Lunch: Soba noodles w/mixed veggies in miso tahini sauce
Dinner: Half tempeh burger w/spicy oven baked fries and steamed broccoli

Yeah, I'm such a light weight today. I may finish dinner if I don't pass out first.

Week 9 Day 3

It was cold and very windy. I'm surprised I didn't get blown off the track. Part of the run felt like I was running uphill. Yeah, that's a lot of wind.

I was amused when I checked my time and saw that I had 40min to go. I thought to myself.. Oh, I can do that. It takes me 15-20min to get warmed up anyway. I crack myself up. That would have never crossed my mind 4mos ago when I was checking the time during a 60sec running interval. By the way, I started running 4mos ago today. This is the longest I've stuck with anything. Boy have I changed.

Okay, so next week is the last week of One Hour Runner. Here's the plan..Week 10: Run 30 minutes, 40 minutes, 60 minutes Weekly total: 130 minutes. But before all that, I plan to rest up for a night of dancing aka cross-training:)

Music: Northern Exposure, Vol. 1, Disk 2 mixed by Sasha and John Digweed then switched to a mix by DJ Statik 22min into the run

Yeah, Disk 2 isn't good for running at all. Too much non-music going on. Not sure if that makes any sense. You'd have to listen for yourself to see what I mean. So I had to go with old faithful. I did sing a bit after I switched up the music.

Jog Stats
54min/4.78mi
Avg Pace: 11:18/mi
Heart Rate: 164 Avg/189 Max
Calories: 563

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility

This routine is perfect after a run. Hamstrings got a good stretch during Trikonasana. But is it just me? Or does that pose also strengthen your triceps? If it's not supposed to do that, Oh Well. My arms need the work anyway.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/raisins, cinnamon, turbinado sugar, vanilla, unsweetened soymilk
Snack: Bolthouse Farms Blue Goodness smoothie
Lunch: Finished the smoothie and also had baby carrots, hummus on hemp toast, and hot tea w/soy cream and sugar
Dinner: Tempeh, kale and sweet potato leftovers

Afro Puffs and Yoga

This is a birthday pic on my way to a party. Yes, I know, not party gear. But I'm serious when I go out to dance. No trying to look cute. Come comfortably dressed and wear a hole in the floor. That's how it's supposed to be done. I wish you could see my shoes. I wore Adidas. Running shoes make the best dancing shoes.


Yoga: 45min
Yoga For Every Body: General Practice Routine

Lots of good stretching today. I'm doing better on the Warrior III Pose.

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Snack: Bolthouse Blue Goodness smoothie
Lunch: Last of the tofu cacciatore w/sauteed baby spinach (I ate the whole bag)
Dinner: Smokey grilled tempeh from Veganomican w/kale and a baked sweet potato

Week 9 Day 2

I'm starting to wonder if Garmin is overestimating the calories I burn. But it was a good workout. I did a couple laps in the 9-10:00 range. It felt good. My cardio hasn't caught up to my legs yet though. Good thing is that I've improved since the last time I ran for 38min.

Music: Northern Exposure, Vol. 1, Disk 1 mixed by Sasha and John Digweed

Jog Stats
38min/3.38mi
Avg Pace: 11:14/mi
Heart Rate: 173 Avg/186 Max
Calories: 400

Lunch: Oatmeal
Early Dinner: Leftover tofu cacciatore

I got a late start today. I was up really late, or really early. Don't ask me why. I'm just hard headed. Don't worry. I'll eat more tonight. I just haven't decided what yet.

Week 9 Day 1

The sun was out today. I feel like I haven't seen the sun in weeks. It's been overcast and cold these days. But after the rain, it was sunny and about 60*. I ran with two shirts on. One would have been better. It's supposed to be warm again tomorrow. I must dress accordingly. Moisture wicking shirts to the rescue. Tomorrow, I'm scheduled for 38min, then 54min on Friday. I think it will be cold again by then. So if I don't get a case of the sniffles with the changing weather and all, it should be a good run.

Music: Thirteenth Step by A Perfect Circle

Decent album, but I prefer Mer de Noms to run to.

Jog Stats
30min/2.65mi
Avg Pace: 11:19/mi
Heart Rate: 171 Avg/187 Max
Calories: 313

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Flow Series

Mostly sun and moon salutations. It felt good.


Breakfast: Leftover chickpea cutlets, kale, mashed cauliflower and onion gravy (Wasn't in the mood for breakfast food)
Pre-run: Bolthouse Farms Blue Goodness smoothie
Post-run: Same
Lunch: PB&J (My favorite sandwich in the world)
Dinner: Tofu cacciatore w/artichokes (instead of mushrooms) over pasta, sauteed spinach, and garlic toast
Snack: Granola bar

The chickpea cutlets are from Veganomicon and the onion gravy was a variation of the Sweet Vidalia Onion Sauce recipe. Of course I didn't have vidalia onions and I'm a gravy girl, so I added more wine and mustard, along with water, Bragg's, black pepper and thickened with corn starch. It was very tasty.

Week 9 Day 1 Practice Run

Yeah, that's what I'm calling it because Garmin's foot pod accessory isn't that great indoors. I ran yesterday after 5pm. I ran on the indoor track at the Y since it's pitch black at that time now. Anyway, the thing was no good at calculating my speed. It said I was walking when I was jogging. And in the end, it was about a mile off from the distance had actually done. I ran for 30min, and I improve my distance just a tad every time I run it. Well, Garmin clocked me at 1.69mi. Yeah, that's way off. I actually ran faster than usual trying to get Garmin to stop yelling (beeping) at me. So once the rain clears up, I'm going to do it again outside. And if the rain doesn't clear up, I'll just be bored to death on a treadmill somewhere, but darn it, I want my numbers correct.

In other news, I've completely recovered from this weekend. I did lots of dancing and probably burned off more calories than I ate. I really wouldn't be surprised if I did. If I go out every weekend, I'll have 6-pack abs in no time. But it wasn't the dancing (or drinking) that got me, it was the lack of sleep Friday and Saturday nights. The worst part was I got in at 5:30am on Sunday and had to be at a TIPs seminar by 10am somewhere deep in Philly. I got home around 5pm. I'm really surprised I didn't lose my mind. I was running on a small cup of coffee and a protein bar. And I'm not the nicest person when I haven't eaten or slept. But I was on my best behavior because I actually had to learn stuff and take a test.

That's all for now. I'll report on my official run later.

Week 8 Day 3

Today was a good run. I started out smiling. I was thinking, I'm going to be 31 tomorrow, and I feel great. I've always been healthy, but I've never been fit. I've never had a weight issue, so people assumed that I was active when I was the furthest thing from it. I've never been athletic. Never played a sport in high school. I was in a million clubs and sang in a couple choirs instead. So being physically active was never me. Maybe things would have been different if I wasn't anemic. Who knows? All I know is that I'm more active than I've ever been and I like it. It just gets better from here. I can't wait to start half marathon training. I think it's time to rename my blog.

Yoga: 40min
Yoga For Every Body: Going With The Flow Of Life

I picked a routine from the intermediate section of the DVD. I just felt like doing a new sequence. It was all good. Nothing was too hard for me. If anything, I'm improving on a lot of things.

Jog Stats
49min/4.24mi
Avg Pace: 11:33/mi
Heart Rate: 172 Avg/184 Max
Calories: 501

Yoga: 25min
Yoga For Every Body: Hips, Knees, Ankles and Feet

Yep, I did more yoga after my run. I didn't stretch afterwards, so I figured I'd do yoga instead.

Breakfast: Oatmeal
Snack: Fruit & Nut granola bar
Lunch: PB&J and hot tea w/soy creamer
Snack: Bolthouse Green Goodness juice
Dinner: Amy's black bean enchiladas w/steamed kale

I never do tv dinners but I'm going out tonight and have no time to cook a full meal. I had such a hard time finding the most healthy packaged meal. Is that an oxymoron? Anyway, I'm a BIG label reader and it wasn't easy.

Just Yoga

I can't bring myself to do any strength training. Some members of the Live Journal Runners Club feel the same way. I get no pleasure out of strength training at all. Oh well. From now on, I will not feel bad for not doing something that I truly hate. Okay, hate is a strong word, but you get what I'm saying. I can't stick to something I don't particularly care for. It's like making myself eat a food that's good for me that I really dislike. But there are other good foods that I do like, so I eat them instead. Instead of strength training, I'll stick to yoga. I actually like it. And today's routine included some ab work. So there :P

Yoga: 50min
Yoga For Every Body: General Practice for the Spine

Breakfast: Same as yesterday
Snack: Chocolate mint Clif Builder's bar and a granola bar (I was on the road)
Lunch: The last of the black beans w/tempeh, brown rice and broccoli
Snack: Sugar cookies and Bolthouse Green Goodness juice
Dinner: The last of the soba noodles w/tofu in miso tahini sauce w/broccoli and swiss chard sprinkled with sesame seed (I could never get tired of this. I will definitely make it again.)

Week 8 Day 2

Slight change to the running schedule this week. I doubled up since I don't want to run on Saturday (my b-day). I'm saving my energy to dance the night away. Anyway, it was a good run, but still windy and cold, about 48*. My pace was better than yesterday. I'm guessing that I run faster to keep warm. I really, REALLY dislike cold weather. Other than that, the improvement of my pace doesn't make any sense. But I'll take it.

Music: Mer de Noms by A Perfect Circle

Good album, but luckily I didn't choose it for my long run. It ended in the middle of my cool down.

Jog Stats
36min/3.26mi
Avg Pace: 11:03/mi
Heart Rate: 175 Avg/190 Max
Calories: 394

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/maple syrup, raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, flaxseed, and unsweetened soy milk
Snack: Apple and sugar cookies
Lunch: PB&J (I had a craving after my run)
Snack: Bolthouse Green Goodness juice
Dinner: Leftover soba noodles w/tofu in miso tahini sauce w/broccoli and swiss chard sprinkled with sesame seeds
Late night snack: Apple and sugar cookies again

Week 8 Day 1

Yoga: 30min
Yoga For Every Body: Hip Mobility

My thighs welcomed this routine. They were tight and my right quad was sore from Sunday's run.

Music: The Michael Baisden Show on WDAS

I really wasn't in the mood for much music. Mike is entertaining and makes me laugh too. I found myself laughing on the track.

Jog Stats
30min/2.68mi
Avg Pace: 11:12/mi
Heart Rate: 116 Avg/146 Max
Calories: 320

This is my best pace yet. I'm surprised because it was 51* (cold in my book) and very windy. I had to run through the wind. So how my pace increased is beyond me. I felt like I was slower. I'm really not understanding the heart rate thing. I did concentrate on breathing. I guess that played a role, but it's still weird that my heart was barely beating. Oh well.

Here's today's grub...

Breakfast: Cereal w/raisins and unsweetened soy milk
Pre-run: Fruit & nut granola bar
Post-run: Chocolate soy milk diluted with unsweetened soy milk (It's just too sweet for me now)
Lunch: Leftover black beans w/tempeh, brown rice and broccoli
Dinner: Leftover soba noodles w/tofu in miso tahini sauce w/broccoli and swiss chard sprinkled with sesame seeds(Good eats)
Late night snack: Sugar cookies (I baked another batch tonight. I subbed half the oil for apple sauce. They seemed too oily the first time I made them.)

100th Post

I'm surprised it's my 100th post already. I really don't chit chat this much in person. I'm more of a listener. Anyway, I've been away from here for a bit. I've been out and about. My friend, Nisa, is in town from Minneapolis, and I've been running all over the place ever since her arrival. I've been all over Jersey, Philly, and I went to NYC. I had to put off Friday's run til today and didn't get a chance to blog Wednesday's run til now. So here goes...

Week 7 Day 2 on 10/31/07

Jog Stats
34min/2.95mi
Avg Pace: 11:30/mi
Heart Rate: 176 Avg/186 Max
Calories: 347

I sped up towards the very end. First I thought, what was I thinking? Then it started to feel better. My best pace was 6:22/mi. Of course that didn't last long.

Week 7 Day 3 on 11/4/07

Music: Nude Dimensions, Vol. 1 mixed by Miguel 'Migs'

Jog Stats
45min/3.93mi
Avg Pace: 11:26/mi
Heart Rate: 172 Avg/191 Max
Calories: 458

Today was the best run ever. My longer runs usually average around 12:00/mi. Well not today. I started out slow then picked the pace up. It took a bit to get warmed up. My pace in the first 18min ranged from about 11-14:00/mi. After that, my pace ranged from 10-12:00/mi. I'm just glad that my average pace is in line with a short run day. I guess that means I'm getting better at this. At least I hope I am. I got into a groove and I don't think it had anything to do with my choice in music. I don't know. I had a couple things on my mind, nothing major. But enough to keep my mind occupied. I'll ponder the meaning of life for my 60min run. Well, the best part about today's run is that at no point did I feel like I was overdoing it. I could have gone longer. I may run tomorrow. I really don't feel like extending my week through Saturday. We'll see.

On to Week 8...Run 30 minutes, 36 minutes , 49 minute Weekly total: 115 minutes