Housekeeping

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Week 2 - Recap

Miles: 33

My mileage didn't go up this week because of my 5K race. Packing on miles and competing don't really mix. But, I did increase the mileage of my long run, going up to 12 miles this week.

How do I feel? Good, so far. I'm really making an effort to keep my life organized, which seems to make my headspace a little more orderly as well. I'm trying to write my abs classes ahead of time instead of last minute. Keep the house, and the spaces I use frequently in it, clean. One thing that's still a struggle is trying to actually rest when I have time to rest. I still feel like I have to be doing something at all times, when what I really should be doing is regrouping for the next push. Yesterday, I think I did a really good job of that.

Physically, things are still holding up. I have the usual aches and pains from time to time. My knees start to hurt at the end of a long run, for instance, but I feel like that happens later and later into the run. What I'm trying to accept, however, is that this is the nature of what I'm trying to attempt. At such a distance, there will never be a "pain free" experience. My knees will hurt at some point. "The trick," as T.E. Lawrence says in my favorite film, Lawrence of Arabia, "is not minding that it hurts."

This week will be exciting, I hope. I am going to Madison on Thursday to compete in an aquathon: 1000m open water swim and 5k run. We might make a mini vacation out of it.

70 Days - Rest Day

Today was a rest day I didn't mind taking. By the time I got done with my shift, my feet and back were aching and all I wanted to do was lie on the couch and watch World Cup finals. I ended up passing out at about the 35 minute mark, slept through halftime, and woke up again with 15 minutes to go in the second half. All good, though, because no one had scored anyway!

I'm still feeling pretty dehydrated and have been drinking water all day, which has really been helping with muscle soreness and overall body function. By tomorrow, I think I'll be raring to go again.

I've also been making dinner for tonight and probably tomorrow. Cold soba noodles with bok choy in light seasame oil, rice wine vinegar, and tamari dressing and cole slaw with lime and peanuts. Tasty stuff. While I was washing dishes, though, I saw this centipede about as long as my pinky crawl across the counter (the window was open). Now, I'm too scared to finish the job. Real-life centipedes are no game...

71 Days - Long Run

12 miles today. Wish I had more to say, but right now, I'm drained and getting ready for bed. It was good. I can feel myself getting stronger mentally.

One cool thing about the run was being able to see the thunderstorm roll in from off the lake. Lightning and everything.

Take care.

Recipes To Keep You Running - Savory Oatmeal

Oh man. I should have taken a picture of this for y'all, but I ate it already! When we think "oatmeal," we usually think "breakfast food." Something dressed with a drizzle of honey, maple syrup, cinnamon, brown sugar, dried fruit, etc. But oatmeal doesn't have to be a sweet breakfast dish. Today was the first day I made my own batch of savory oatmeal. I loosely followed this recipe of Mark Bittman's, and by "loosely," I mean, I finely diced some celery (because I didn't have scallions) and added it to the freshly cooked steel cut oats. I then added a splash of low sodium tamari and a tiny drizzle of sesame oil. No extra cooking required.

Believe me: it was simple and tasty and "lunchy" and satisfying. The celery was just as good as the scallions because I still got the same crunch. The sesame oil and tamari complemented each other as well. The steel cut oats resembled sort of a soft rice in taste and texture.

Oatmeal for lunch and dinner. Try it.

Quick Savory Oatmeal


1 c. quick cooking steel cut oats
2 c. boiling water
2 tbs. finely diced celery or scallions
1 tbs. low sodium soy sauce or tamari
seasame oil for drizzling


Cook the oats according to directions on package. If using a stovetop, bring the oats and water to a boil on high heat, then lower the heat and stir frequently for five minutes. If using a microwave, add boiling water to the oats and microwave in a large bowl for 3 minutes, stir, then microwave for another two minutes. (Note: when microwaving, make sure the bowl is twice as big as you think you'll need. The oats and water will "puff up" during cooking, and if your bowl isn't big enough, you'll wind up cleaning up your lunch or dinner rather than eating it.)


Once the oats are cooked, quickly add the vegetables, a splash of tamari, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Stir to combine. Wait several minutes for the oats to cool.


Enjoy!

73 Days - A 5K and a PR

I'm posting a day later than usual, but by the time I got home last night, I was too tired to put anything together.

Yesterday was the "Storm the Bastille" 5K run. This was my second time doing the run, and I ran it with some of my best running buddies. The race started at 9pm, and I had a lot to do before that. I taught my class at 545p at the Y, then I picked my husband up from the airport, and went home to drop off luggage. We then headed to Bastille Days, and I had him drop my off at the Summerfest grounds so I could get some miles in before the race. (One thing I'm quickly learning about marathon training is that getting miles in becomes increasingly important. Even if I have a race, I still have to build miles into that event, whether before or after.) I ran from the lakefront to the festival and then it was time to watch Lebron's big announcement. We packed into a bar with other like-minded sports fans to watch it all go down. Sure enough, he chose the Heat. More on how I feel about that, later.

Now that the future of my favorite basketball player was determined, it was time to race. I met up with my friends and we headed to the starting line. I was glad we had all done the race before, because we gave ourselves plenty of time to line up. This race gets PACKED. Not only is the starting line on a city street - which means hundreds of us have to pack into a space the width of a city intersection - but the line is at one end of the festival, with bars on one side. If you're running late, you may not make it there because you have to navigate through hundreds of festival and bar-goers. But *smart girls* we made it in time, and soon enough, the race was underway.

My plan for this race was to relax and run hard and most importantly: don't go out too fast. I was happy with the results. During the crowded first half mile, I took it easy and talked with one of my friends, and then I gradually sped up. Mile 1 - 9:18. By the time, I got to mile 2, the course was looking familiar and I had more room to really stretch my legs out and get into my stride. Even though I was feeling good, I didn't want to burn up all my gas, though. Mile 2 - 7:30. By the beginning of mile 3, we were running through the Third Ward area of Milwaukee. Lots of twists and turns, but I knew that the end was an uphill finish from the Third Ward back to the festival grounds. I kept the pace peppy, but tried to save some for the hill, and when I saw it, I let whatever I had go. Mile 3 - 7:04.

My overall time for this event was a 23:58.12 - a new PR. I finally broke 24 minutes, and I'm really happy about that. By the end of the race, I was running 6:30 min miles - something I could never have done last year.

But like I always say, the best part of the race and the night was being able to share it with my friends. Even though my coach/husband goes to all of my events, there is something special about having friends that are doing the race with you. It's definitely something I missed during my 10 miler last month, and I know I'll miss it during my marathon. It's a good, almost unconscious, reassurance that I get from knowing that somewhere on the course, my friends running too.

Anyway. This turned into a long post. I had a great time in both senses of the word. It was just the motivation I needed to get through the rest of the week's miles.

74 Days - Rest Day

I finally got back to Body Pump (and weightlifting in general) after a week away. It looks like weekly lifting is all I'm going to be able to do for awhile, so I'd better settle in. Just too much other training to do.

My camelbak arrived today and I can't wait to take it out for a spin. It's light and built for a woman's torso. The color is cool and there's pockets for a cell phone and some fuel for long runs. I think I may even take it out tomorrow for the Bastille Days run, since I have to get some miles in before the 5K. I could run to the starting line and leave the pack with my husband when I'm racing. We'll see.

I'm excited about the 5K tomorrow! I finally get to run with my friends again.