I just wanted to say..

I wish everyone a happy and healthy 2008.

Feliz Año Nuevo!!!

2mi around the way

The second mile was definitely harder than the first. I actually jogged around the neighborhood today. The way back was full of hilly streets. Yep, the park ain't got nothing on running through the 'hood. Oh and today's run puts me at 60mi for the month. Go me:) Anyway, here are the numbers.

Stats:
2.00mi/19:46min
Avg pace: 9:53/mi
Heart Rate: 95 Avg/144 Max <- This must be wrong.
Calories: 234

1mi @ 9:46
2mi @ 10:00

Breakfast: PB&J w/hot tea
Lunch: Chickpea leftovers w/steamed broccoli
Snack: Smoothie w/strawberry, banana, blueberry, hemp protein, and unsweetened soymilk
Dinner: Baked bbq tofu w/baked potato and mixed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower and carrots)
Snack: Sugar cookies (the perfect NYE food)

7 Miles Easy...

Yeah, no. I don't think so. Believe me, the run was a lot harder than what my average heart rate suggests. My heart rate was way low, but I just wasn't feeling it. I spent a good portion of the run talking myself out of stopping. It's funny because miles 1-3 were identical. Then after that, I had a battle with myself not to end the run at the next mile. The splits after mile 3 are a reflection of this. Good thing is, I stuck with it. I still don't understand the low heart rate though. When I was running up an incline in mile 7, it was at 98 bpm. Mind you, I always speed up on the inclines. Weird. I'm not sure what that means. But when I was done, I felt like I couldn't run another step. Or maybe I just didn't want to run another step. According to my heart rate, I should have run faster. But I couldn't run any faster than I did (not like I was trying to run fast). I was just not feeling it today. Anyway, here are the numbers...

Music: House Nation America, Disk 2 by Ministry of Sound

Stats:
7.00mi/1:18:01
Avg pace: 11:08/mi
Heart Rate: 126 Avg/179 Max
Calories: 843

1mi @ 11:00
2mi @ 11:00
3mi @ 11:00
4mi @ 11:13
5mi @ 11:18
6mi @ 11:25
7mi @ 11:02

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/the usual fixings
Pre-run: Half Clif Builder's bar, mint chocolate
Lunch: Apple and PB&J
Dinner: Curried chickpeas and tomatoes w/basmati rice
Snack: Finished the Clif bar
Late night snack: Edamame

Pace Yourself

Neo-soul was today's distraction of choice. I picked music that I like to sing to. You know, music with lyrics that I actually pay attention to. That should slow me down a bit. I set out for 6mi at 11:00/mi. I figured that should be about right given my progress these days. That's kinda what I did without trying. The last time I ran 6mi I was a lot slower. It's amazing to see how quickly I've improved now that I've been running some decent mileage. Hmm, I just checked the Smart Coach training schedule. Apparently, today was supposed to be a 6mi tempo run with 4mi @ 11:00. Go figure. I nixed the tempo runs and speed work in the beginning. It's just good to see my speed improving without it.

Music: Who is Jill Scott? Words and Sounds, Vol. 1 by Jill Scott

Stats:
6.00mi/1:05:16
Avg pace: 10:53/mi
Heart Rate: 178 Avg/189 Max
Calories: 719

1mi @ 11:06
2mi @ 10:42
3mi @ 10:58
4mi @ 10:55
5mi @ 10:52
6mi @ 10:41

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/the usual (raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, flaxseed, unsweetened soymilk and maple syrup)
Lunch: Smoothie w/banana, strawberry, blueberry, hemp protein, and unsweetened soymilk
Dinner: Pakistani dahl w/basmati rice
Snack: Apple w/peanut butter
Late night snack: Edamame

Quick Christmas Run

I was scheduled for a short one today. I don't know how but it was the shortest run ever. It was a sub 10:00 pace. What in the world? Merry Christmas to me, I guess. I'm scheduled for 6mi on Thursday. Best believe I will take it a lot slower.

In other news, Nancy, a wonderful race director, is planning another race. We're going to do the 9 on the 9th virtual race. I'm really excited about this one. I'm actually scheduled for a 10mi long run that weekend. Feel free to join us.

Anyway, so far I've had some oatmeal and part of a not-so-sweet apple. Yeah, I couldn't finish it it was so bad. I really need to make a smoothie. I'll leave you all with my numbers. Oh and Happy Christmahanakwanzaka! And if you're not celebrating anything, just have a good day :)

Music: Future Listening by Towa Tei

Stats:
2.00mi/19:24min
Avg pace: 9:42/mi
Heart Rate: 180 Avg/194 Max
Calories: 234

1mi @ 9:44
2mi @ 9:40

Well that explains it

I spent the whole run telling myself to slow down. I hadn't checked Garmin til about mile 3. So I didn't see what I did until the run was over. Turns out that mile 1 was the fastest mile. That's odd. I always start out slow. At least I try to. I didn't try hard enough today though.

So I went to the park again. I was actually supposed to run tomorrow. But we're expecting thunder showers with temps around 58*. That's not normal for this time of year, but I'll take it. My training schedule is set up for long runs on Sunday. I haven't run on a Sunday since I started the program. Maybe I should just give up on that. I'm always changing my schedule for one reason or another. I'm just glad that this week was a light one. Running two days in a row isn't an issue when there's no major mileage involved. Mileage is going back up next week, so I'll definitely need my rest days. Anyway, here are my broke down numbers...

Music: Blowout Comb by Digable Planets (I wore this album out in college)

Stats:
4.00mi/41:28min
Avg pace: 10:22/mi
Heart Rate: 179 Avg/191 Max
Calories: 478

1mi @ 10:04
2mi @ 10:21
3mi @ 10:33
4mi @ 10:28

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/cinnamon, raisins, vanilla, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Snack: Apple w/peanut butter
Post-run: Chocolate soymilk diluted w/unsweetened soymilk
Lunch: PB&J
Dinner: VWAV Italian marinated tofu w/steamed collards and baked potato w/S&P and olive oil

Fueled By Cookies

Check out this video: Family Guy - Cookie Monster Rehab



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I didn't sleep well Wednesday night. That turned into yesterday's headache for a good portion of the day. So I put off the run til today. But I did feel well enough to make a healthy batch of sugar cookies, lighted dusted with Ghirardelli sweetened cocoa. And I ate LOTS of them. I can't blame it on the holiday season. I'm not a fan of the holidays anyway. I just wanted some cookies.

Today's run was done in a new hoodie/jacket and injinji socks from REI. I love, LOVE the jacket. There are pockets everywhere to carry whatever I want. I would post a link, but it's no longer available (probably due to the awesome sale). The socks took some getting used to. My feet were fine by the time I started running though. No, I'm not trying to be an uppity runner now. I'm actually getting blisters between my toes and I figured the socks would help. The run wasn't as comfortable as I wanted it to be but I got it done. Not too shabby considering the amount of cookies I ate last night.

Stats:
3.00mi/31:09min
Avg pace: 10:23/mi
Heart Rate: 179 Avg/191 Max
Calories: 356

1mi @ 10:33
2mi @ 10:26
3mi @ 10:10

Breakfast: Hot chocolate soymilk and oatmeal w/cinnamon, raisins, vanilla, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk
Pre-run: Cashews
Post-run: More hot chocolate
Lunch: Quinoa w/steamed broccoli sprinkled w/braggs and garlic powder

Doing it in the park

I went to the park today. I can't help but to notice cars in the various parking lots, but no one is out IN the park. I'm convinced people are having a midday rendezvous. I mean, why come to the park and not get out of the car. But hey, that's not my business.

Anyway, it's that special time all women hate, and all their partners hate even more. So I wasn't in the mood. I'm surprised I had negative splits. Mile 3 didn't feel as smooth as mile 2. So I figured I'd slow down a bit. I guess I didn't. I wasn't really checking Garmin, just going by how I felt. Oh well. I'm happy with the numbers.

Stats:
3.00mi/30:57min
Avg pace: 10:19/mi
Heart Rate: 178 Avg/191 Max
Calories: 357

1mi @ 10:29
2mi @ 10:18
3mi @ 10:09

Breakfast: Hot chocolate soymilk w/unsweetened soymilk mixed to cut the sweetness. Then I had some TJ's Toasted Oatmeal flakes w/raisins a lil later.
Pre-run: OJ
Lunch: More hot chocolate and cinnamon toast
Dinner: Veg*Triathlete's Greenie Tahini bowl w/collard greens, broccoli, tempeh and quinoa
Snack: Smoothie w/banana, strawberry, blueberry, hemp protein, unsweetened soymilk and OJ

I was craving the Greenie Tahini bowl yesterday. I really wanted to use swiss chard. I went to two stores and they were all out. So collards it was. It turned out pretty good.

I need some rest

Okay, so no snow tomorrow, but we're expecting LOTS of rain. So I ran again today. The run was harder than it needed to be. That's because I could have used a rest day after the 5miler. Mind you, I ran yesterday around 1pm, then again today at 7:20am. So, yeah, definitely not enough rest time there.

Miles 1 and 2 were fine. It didn't take me long to warm up. Potty break in mile 3. I felt a little weird after the break. I wasn't exactly dizzy, but I'm thinking I was lightheaded. Stopped at the car for a water break in mile 4. In mile 5, I started to feel soreness in the bone below my right knee (head of the fibula). I've had that before, but only after a run. But I'm always good to go after a day of rest. Mile 6 was a blur. Finally mile 7, I couldn't wait for the run to be over. I finished the last mile on the path around the pond.

So now that I'm done, both fibula heads are sore. I think I'll do some yoga later. But I need to rest first. No runs til Tuesday.

Music: Lazy Dog by Jay Hannan and Ben Watt

Stats:
7.00mi/1:19:15
Avg pace: 11:19/mi
Heart Rate: 172 Avg/183 Max
Calories: 828

1mi @ 11:54
2mi @ 11:09
3mi @ 11:12
4mi @ 11:12
5mi @ 11:30
6mi @ 11:24
7mi @ 10:54

Pre-run: OJ
Breakfast: Oatmeal w/raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, maple syrup, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk (only made 1/4 cup worth of oatmeal this time)
Brunch: Last piece of pizza from yesterday
Lunch: PB&J and an orange
Early Dinner: Tofu cacciatore w/garlic toast
Snack: Chocolate mint Clif Builder's bar
Late Dinner: Tempeh burger w/broccoli (because I just can't stop eating today)

I'm Getting Better

Wow. I did 5mi at a sub 11:00 pace. What is going on with the world? It's weird because I didn't set out to pick up the pace today. I just did. I am taking more deep breaths through my mouth. I guess that's what I need to get my lungs to catch up with my legs. When I run, my muscles aren't burning or anything. But I couldn't really speed up because my lungs weren't ready for it. Well, I'm glad they're starting to cooperate now.

I was supposed to run yesterday, but it was raining hard. So I took myself to the park today. I started out on the path through the woods, but had to nix that. The path was slick with wet leaves and I almost slipped on a branch that was hidden under the leaves. In mile 2, I had to stop for a potty break. Good thing there are plenty of porta-potties throughout the park. AND, it was fully stocked with tissue and hand sanitizer. Thank you, God. I ended up jogging on the road through the park in the opposite direction this time (facing traffic). Let me just say, it was a lot more challenging. The parts that I thought were flat definitely were not. There were a whole lot more inclines going on. And is it just me? But I run the inclines faster then slow down (to rest) on the downslope. Not sure if it's supposed to be done like that, but it works for me.

Well, I'm scheduled for 7mi on Sunday. But we're expecting snow, so I'm thinking I'll try to get it in tomorrow. Depends on how my legs are feeling. We'll see.

Music: Nude Dimensions: Naked Music Vol. I mixed by Miguel 'Migs'

Stats:
5.00mi/54:24min
Avg pace: 10:53/mi
Calories: 595
Forgot the heart rate monitor today.

1mi @ 11:25
2mi @ 10:36
3mi @ 11:01
4mi @ 10:52
5mi @ 10:29

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/cinnamon, raisins, vanilla and flaxseed
Pre-run: Chocolate hemp milk
Post-run More hemp milk
Late lunch/dinner Bertucci's pizza w/lots of veggies, no cheese, dinner rolls, glass of Cabernet, lots of water
Snack: Smoothie w/banana, strawberry, blueberry, OJ, unsweetened soymilk, and hemp protein

A Quick One

I was only scheduled for 2mi today. It was chilly and damp, and I just wanted to get it over with as soon as possible. So I ran faster than usual. I figured my heart rate would be through the roof since I was breathing through my mouth the whole time. But it was kinda low. I still don't get the heart rate thing. Anyway, here goes...

Music: Electric Soul mixed by DJ Lil Dave

Stats:
2.00mi/20:58min
Avg pace: 10:29/mi
Heart Rate: 120 Avg/167 Max
Calories: 237

1mi @ 10:47
2mi @ 10:11

Nothing much to report on food. I've only had a granola bar today. I really need to jump on that. I'm starving.

8 on the 8th

Today, I participated in the 8 on the 8th run. My plan was to run 2mi yesterday then 6mi today. But I just didn't feel like running yesterday. It was cold, and I had somewhere to be (2hr drive). So I decided to suck it up and do 8mi today instead. I gave myself 1hr 45min to do it. That should be plenty of time. And if I ran 8mi today, that gives me permission to not do anything productive for 2 days.

Instead of the track, I went to the park. Oddly enough, the park usually bores me. I'm not too sure why. But today, the cars didn't have access to the road through the park. So I jogged on that instead of the path through the woods. It was nice and clear with blue skies. Beautiful day, about 48*. Perfect running weather.

I must say that running 8mi doesn't feel any different than running 5 or 6mi. For the most part, I just have to find something to do with my mind for the time that I'm out there. Today's distraction was some tribal house music. Okay, so here are the numbers...

Music: Global Underground: NuBreed by Steve Lawler

Stats
8.00mi/1:33:44
Avg pace: 11:43/mi
Heart Rate: 167 Avg/188 Max
Calories: 901

1mi @ 12:41
2mi @ 12:36
3mi @ 12:18
4mi @ 11:36
5mi @ 11:37
6mi @ 11:22
7mi @ 11:24
8mi @ 10:08

After mile 5, I was ready to wrap it up. In mile 8, I had to pick up the pace. Lately I try making the last mile my best mile. And as you can see, it was significantly better than the rest. I must give a shout out to track 8, HiFi Freaks, for having a tight bass line. I must give another shout out to the little hills and slight inclines along the way. I ran those faster than when the road was flat. Go figure.

Alright, so today's fuel consisted of oatmeal with raisins, cinnamon, flaxseed, maple syrup and unsweetened soymilk. I had a couple of cold french fries from last night. Then right before I left, I had a lil bit of OJ. Now that it's over, I've had half a banana and a lil bit of water. And on that note, I'm off to do some yoga before something locks up on me.

Have a great weekend, everyone :)

P.S. Race results can be found here.

Change of Plans

I was supposed to do some speed work today, 2x1600 @ 10:24/mi. Well, I was pretty close on the first go round in Mile 2 @ 10:26/mi. But after the recovery jog, my body wasn't up for speeding up again. Oh well. I haven't been running long enough to incorporate tempo and speed work yet. So I'm going to nix that idea for now and just run the scheduled mileage easy. If anything, I'll use the short runs to work on speed.

Music: Dummy by Portishead

Jog Stats
5mi/58:35min
Avg Pace: 11:43/mi
Heart Rate: 162 Avg/185 Max
Calories: 550

1mi @ 12:29
2mi @ 10:26
3mi @ 11:59
4mi @ 12:01
5mi @ 11:38

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

Breakfast: Tofu scramble w/breakfast potatoes and hemp toast w/Earth Balance
Pre-run: OJ
Lunch: The healthiest sugar cookies ever and hot tea w/turbinado sugar and unsweetened soymilk
Dinner: Stir fry veggies in miso tahini sauce and brown rice sprinkled w/sesame seeds
Snack: An apple and a smoothie w/banana, strawberry, blueberry, flaxseed and unsweetened soymilk

6 Miles...Sorta

First off, let me just say that I am feeling so much better. Solid food and I actually became friends again late Saturday night :)

I postponed Sunday's long run until today. I would have run yesterday, but I was out Saturday night. And well, the party doesn't end until 4am. I went to bed around 6:30am Sunday morning. When I did get up to eat (you know you have to wait a couple hours before running), it was too late to be outside, and the Y was closing. So why bother?

I set my alarm for the crack of dawn today (5:30am). I got up, ate oatmeal, then set my alarm again and went back to bed. I wanted to make sure I had a decent meal before attempting 6 miles. When I got up for good, I decided to run at the Y. It was really, REALLY windy. Not cold, just windy. I didn't want to take the chance of being blown off the track or into a tree if I went to the park. And I didn't want my first attempt at 6 miles harder than it needed to be.

I ran on the treadmill. Little did I know that although I didn't set the timer, it automatically starts the cool down after 60min. So I extended the cool down as long as I could and ran through that. I only got in 5.97 miles. I couldn't get in the extra .03 because the YMCA cops wanted to get me off the treadmill. Yeah, I understand. I'd been on there long enough.

Music: Collected by Massive Attack

I really enjoyed listening to this. I will run with this again.

Jog Stats
5.97mi/70min
Avg pace: 11:44/mi
Incline: 1.0
Calories: 705

1mi @ 13:25
2mi @ 12:35
3mi @ 11:38
4mi @ 11:07
5mi @ 11:04
.97mi @ 10:11

I did a bad thing and didn't cool down or stretch. I didn't do yoga either. I didn't have time. I had somewhere to be. Good thing is, my legs feel like I didn't run today at all. I guess it was just a good running day for me.

Breakfast: Oatmeal w/raisins, cinnamon, vanilla, flaxseed, maple syrup and unsweetened soymilk
Pre-run: OJ
Post-run: Chocolate mint Clif Builder's bar
I inhaled this. I was starving when I got done.
Lunch: Broccoli in garlic sauce w/fried tofu and white rice @ The Dragon House in Wildwood
Drinks: Two glasses of Cabernet @ Flip Flops
Dinner: Finished lunch
Snack: Apple