Day 2

Day two, my life seems so blah... shake after shake after shake! I woke up with a pretty big headache... sometimes that happens because I have really low blood pressure and I tend to get them when the weather changes. Today, maybe it was the sugar detox. When the morning coffee didn't take care of it, a couple of Ibuprofen did.

I really wanted to get to the gym after work today... but instead of leaving at 5 pm like I had planned, I didn't get out of the office until 7:15. I still had a couple of hours of work ahead of me so I decided to go home, eat dinner (surprise, a shake! and chicken sausages), and get back to work.

But then I got home... and sat down, and lost all motivation. This week has been really tough and all of a sudden I just decided that the work would be there tomorrow morning, and nobody would die if I didn't get anything else done tonight. Sometimes that just happens, eventually you just need a break. So I watched The Office instead... my favorite show! Grey's Anatomy is getting TiVo'd so I can pack for tomorrow and get some sleep.

I realize that the shake thing seems pretty crazy. Four shakes a day with some protein at lunch and dinner. Truth is, I actually feel fuller longer now. I got to 4 pm today, normally a time when I'm ravenous and I had to make myself mix up a shake. I'm also noticing that I'm not experiencing the highs and lows that I got after eating sugar. It's amazing how even diet pop has that effect on my body. One other thing I'm noticing... is that the shake and the protein seems like just the right amount of food. I can't overeat, and I'm not starving. Unfortunately, there is something really comforting about eating warm food... and feeling full. There's also something comforting about coming home after a crappy day and having a glass of wine... oh the good old days.

To answer Jodi's question... I think I'm going to keep up the shake thing for 2 weeks and then start to reintroduce MODERATION, well balanced meals into my diet. Whole foods, staying away from the high sugar deserts that could set me off. These are the days I'm happy to be a whole wheat/whole grain lover.

To answer Michelle's question, the shakes are high protein shakes/powder that our gym sells. They have about 130 calories, and are (I believe), meant to help wean us off sugar. So far, so good. Side note, Michelle has run 3 marathons since October and has 5 on the loop through June! I'm in awe!!!

I want to report something exciting... I started the detox yesterday, and this morning I was down 4.4 lbs! Ok, I know... I'm such a cheater. I am obviously still losing retained water from the marathon, and (TMI) yesterday "Aunt Flo" came into town. But I'll take it... I'm feeling better already. :)

So Wes wanted to see pictures... and they aren't available yet. But, and I can't believe I'm sharing these, we have video! I'm on the left... Jess is on the right. I thought I was safe, but camera #2 caught the breakdown after the race. Now you can see what I'm like during Oprah and Grey's Anatomy. I shed a tear at the drop of a dime! Turn up your speakers!!!

Camera #1
Camera #2

Enjoy!

Keeping it short...

As promised, a short one. Today I started the detox, and today I stuck to the detox. Here's what it looked like:

Breakfast
Coffee with milk (milk is cheating, but I don't care... I get one treat a day, and this is it)
20/20 shake with 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1/2 cup berries

Lunch
20/20 shake with 1/2 cup berries
1 chicken breast

Afternoon Snack
20/20 shake with 1/2 cup berries
6 cashews (a tip from Regan, to compensate from the lack of fat in the extra lean chicken breast)

Dinner
2 Iserno's Basil and Tomato Chicken Sausages (Tosha's suggestion and I LOVE THESE... 100 cals each)
20/20 shake with 1/2 cup berries

In general, I felt pretty good. The hunger wasn't bad at all, I drank lots of water and a cup of green tea which helped keep the hunger in control. No significant headaches to report... I hear day 4 is the worst. It's nice to have structure, structure has always worked for me when trying to lose weight. However, I'm certain the shakes will get boring. We'll see if I'm still happy on Saturday.

The body is feeling a little better today but walking down stairs and sitting down isn't so nice. I still haven't made it to the gym after the marathon on Sunday, mostly because of the crappy weather (been working from home) and because... I really wanted the extra hours of sleep this week. I have decided to sleep in again tomorrow, so I pledge to hit the gym after work. Saying it just to make sure I stick to it.

Wes, I promise to post pics of the marathon when they're available online. :) Then I'll post some after pics to keep me honest over the next few weeks!

Fit but Fat

A few years ago, at the end of one of the U Waterloo soccer training camp sessions the Scottish coach went off on his team. He was angry about the lack of fitness in the veterans. He looked at one of the "rolly-polly" girls on the team, whose name happened to be Alex and said something along the lines of:

"You have all wasted a summer being lazy and come back to camp completely out of shape. All of you but Alex. Look at Alex. She's fit as a fiddle! She may not LOOK fit as a fiddle, but she IS fit as a fiddle."

Fit but fat... more on this later.

Just over 2 years ago while I was still in school, I lost about 12 lbs using Weight Watchers Online and was in the best "looking" shape of my life. I had run my first 10 km run, duathlon and never missed a workout in the weight room. I peeled off weight with the weight training and healthy eating, mostly because my roommates were all sticking to the WW points (except for our one roommate who had an eating disorder and it took all of our effort to help her eat at all).

When I moved here in May 2005 I gained about 7 lbs back. I played soccer a few times a week but I drank too much. The company I joined considered happy hour a daily recurring meeting request and we all know that alcohol is just empty calories. I lived alone at the time and ate really healthy at home, and didn't snack because I didn't keep bad food in the house.

Then I moved in with my roommates. :) And though we cook really healthy, we do have ice cream, peanut butter, wine, cashews and granola in the house. The hardest thing to do is eat dinner and then watch someone go for desert, or more snacks. We tend to get home after a long day, and graze through snacks and wine while making dinner. This is killing my diet. 9-5, I am rock solid... after 5, all hell can break loose. Marathon training has made things much worse, because my carb cravings are insane... I could eat all of the time, not just the day of a long run, but for days afterwards. The problem is, that even though I'm working out 6 days a week, I'm not burning as many calories as I'm taking in.

The result. I am officially 20 lbs heavier than my lightest weight 2 years ago. I can't even say the number, it hurts! I am fit but fat. Alright, maybe not fat but I hate the way I look. Pictures are hell... and I don't fit into my skinny jeans. I can make excuses and say that I have put on muscle, but not 20 lbs of it! And here's something even more scary but true that we all know. Being fit but fat can take years off your life... it's not great to be thin and out of shape either, but at least those people look good. ;-)

So I resolved to eat carbs as long as I was training for the marathon, and the 2 days post marathon. But Wednesday would be D day. Going into base building, I no longer need the amount of carbs and calories that I have over the last few months. That being said, I have some tools to help me get back on track with the weight loss.

1. Knowledge. I feel like I have learned a lot over the years about nutrition, but you can always learn more. 3 books on my to read list:
- The China Study - Recommended by Jodi... a book that contributed to her adopting a vegan lifestyle. I'm hoping this has a similar effect on me, at least help me eliminate some of the junk. I hope it doesn't backfire, Super Size Me made me run out and get a Big Mac, really.
- You: On a Diet (A follow up to You: The Owner's Manual) - As seen on Oprah.
- Binge No More - Recommended by the therapist that I met with for the first time last week.

2. Week 1 of 20/20. 20/20 is a weight loss program at the Pro Club. Week 1 is meant to kill the refined sugar cravings in the body (that's my take). The first week you're drinking mainly shakes with the following nutritional breakdown:

130 cals
1 g fat
17 g carbs
1 g dietary fiber
15 g sugar
14 g protein

And the daily food intake breaks down like this:

Breakfast
20/20 shake with 1 tbsp peanut butter and 1/2 cup berries

Lunch
20/20 shake with 1/2 cup berries
1 serving lean protein

Afternoon Snack
20/20 shake with 1/2 cup berries

Dinner
20/20 shake with 1/2 cup berries
1 serving lean protein

Note - A cup of cashews does not fall within the guidelines of the 20/20 program. Come to think of it, cherry jubilee ice cream with cashews doesn't either. Same for red wine. ;-)

3. The support of my friends!

Of course you can't expect to keep up the level of training that we're used to when you've cut out so many calories and carbs. So after I recover from the marathon, I will resume this schedule. At least until I figure out if I want to stick with the yoga. Also, cardio will be done at a much lower heart rate for a few weeks.

Monday - 60 minutes of cardio, weight training
Tuesday - Yoga
Wednesday - 60 minutes of cardio, weight training
Thursday - Yoga
Friday - Danielle's cycling class, weight training
Saturday - WHATEVER I WANT! Something active but fun!
Sunday - OFF

Wow, that was a long blog post! I promise to keep them lighter in the near future. I should have summed that one up with "I'm sick of no longer having the weight loss motivation, and I have a plan to get it back". Oh, if I seem a little grumpy tomorrow, please blame the sugar detox headaches...

Off to read your blogs... sitting by a nice fire, with one of my last glasses of red wine for a while...

The Day After

Yup, I woke up this morning with no intentions of running... for a while. Unlike my friends, I couldn't muster the strength to go to work today. In fact, I barely moved at all today... working from home and getting up just to eat and let the dog play in the snow. I pondered the following today:

1 - What is the perfect combination of Ibuprofen and wine that will take away this pain and still keep me conscious for my conference calls?

2 - How long can I delay a trip to the kitchen before I starve to death? How badly do I need to refuel after that marathon, is it worth moving from my current position? How much food can I carry back from a trip to the kitchen and how long will it last me before I have to move again?

3 - Was it worth the pain I felt in the race, and the pain I feel today? Heck YES!

4 - If delayed onset muscle soreness is supposed to be the worst 48-72 hours after an event, will I get out of bed at all tomorrow?

5 - I now have a baseball sized bruise below the big knot I had in my calf yesterday. It looks a little bit like the bruise I got one time after a soccer injury. The impact on my shin caused a bunch of swelling and the next day, all of the blood started draining down through my shin and ankle... sweet bruising. At that time, I was proud of the battle scars. Today, in combination with the bruising on my foot, I'm taking it as a sign to pay more attention to the pain early in a race.

6 - Yes, I have completed my first marathon... so why do I look chubbier in the post race photos than I have in the last 2 years? Swelling cannot account for all of that chubbiness!

7 - One more day of replenishing glycogen stores, and I will hit this crazy thing they call week 1 of the 20/20 diet. No matter what it takes, I will detox from this carb dependency that I have built up during marathon training.

One more thing... I am the WORST best friend in the world. I have been so completely engulfed in marathon training and the stress associated with marathon day, that I forgot my best friend's birthday last week! No joke... I can't believe I did that. I was talking to her today and when she mentioned something about presents I finally clued in. She EVEN sent me pictures of flowers her boyfriend had sent her last week! I didn't stop to think why she was getting flowers and a teddy bear. How awful am I? This leads me to #8.

8 - Back to priorities. I need to separate myself enough from training and work to remember my friends and family. Forgetting a best friend's birthday is unacceptable. How do you ever make up for forgetting your best friend's birthday?!?! :-(

Hope you all had wonderful post-Thanksgiving Mondays! I am so very proud of all of my friends that ran the 1/2 and full marathons this weekend!

Seattle Marathon Race Report

It’s Sunday night, the night of my first marathon, 8:13 pm. I am just getting myself to sit down and write a race report. I don’t know what it is, but I am never inspired to write a race report the day of the race. Whether it’s because I’m too tired to actually organize the millions of things that went through my head or because I need a good sleep to gain some perspective on the day, I can’t motivate myself to do it. But I am, because I can’t wait to tell all of you, that without your support, I wouldn’t have made it through the race today. I will try to make sense of the day, but I have to apologize in advance for this incredibly long post as things will just pour out of me. If only I could remember all of the details…

After a wonderful carbo load dinner last night at Jess’, I came home and blogged about the 26 reasons to run. At that time, I didn’t know what surprises were ahead of me today, but boy did those 26 reasons hit home during the race. More on that later!

I finally got to bed around 11 pm last night. I had packed anything and everything last night, and laid out 3 different clothing options based on the weather I would wake up to today. I woke up last night at 12:30, 3:30, 4:30 and finally to my alarm at 5 am. Think I was a little anxious? When I woke up, it looked cold outside and the streets were wet, but no rain or snow. I checked the forecast and it called for rain, but so far so good. I took a very hot shower to loosen up, got dressed and made some breakfast. Toasted sesame seed bagel (they were out of my favorite whole wheat sesame) with peanut butter and jam. I tied up my shoes, thinking I got them too tight with the orthodics in the wrong position, but also thinking I would readjust when I got to the race.

I stepped out the front door to… snow. Seriously? I have lived in Seattle now for a year and seven months, and in that ENTIRE time, I have seen snow ONCE. One hour of snow, that stuck to the ground for a whole 15 minutes. I gave it the old, please, I’m from Ontario, Canada! This is nothing… and got in my car. I picked up Jess at 6:45 am and we swung by Starbucks.

So two things to note. You know how they say don’t do anything new on marathon day? Well I did.

1 – I wore new running capris because it was too cold for shorts but I just didn’t want to wear full running tights. Though they were pretty good overall, they kept slipping off my waist throughout the race so I kept pulling them up. I did do ONE thing right… I cracked open a package of body glide that I have yet to use and lubed up… along my heart rate monitor, under my arms along the bra line and on the inside of my thighs in case the stitching on the capris bothered me. Greatest thing I did today, NO CHAFFING! I little redness under the heart rate monitor line but that is normal for me.

2 – I was getting really paranoid that the nerves hadn’t set in yet and that I hadn’t cleared the system. Despite knowing better, I decided to have a coffee to get things moving along before the race began. I’m debating whether this hurt or helped me more. Hopefully it’s not TMI but more on that later!

We got to the race and found $2 parking near the event. We walked up to the porta potties. The coffee did the trick. We decided to head inside to get warm since we still had 30 minutes to race time. We got warm and decided to make one last trip to the indoor bathrooms. Coffee did the trick, again. We popped a couple of Tylenol 8-Hour caplets and headed to the start line.

I had brought a couple of garbage bags for Jess and I and we were wearing them the entire time before the race. It was cold and rainy… and we didn’t part with the bags until the Star-Spangled Banner was being sung before the race. Finally the race got underway! I noticed right away that I was not feeling right. I had a big knot in my right calf muscle and shooting pain in the arch of my left foot. I forgot to readjust in my orthodics and loosen my laces. I didn’t want to stop though because it was early in the race and I was hoping that I was just tight.

We climbed our way up the long, slow uphill to the I-90 bridge. By the time you get to the bridge, you can see the leading male mararthoners finishing the out and back. Basically we’re at 4.5 miles and they’re already done 8. Wow are they ever moving, it gives you a lift in your step. It kept raining and it was cold all day… with only a short break in the rain for about an hour through Seward Park. I swear I even saw a few snowflakes out there. It was interesting to run the entire race with water logged shoes. “Interesting”.

We got to mile 7 in the race and Jess reaches into her pocket and pulls out a piece of paper… the first of a series of wonderful surprises today. Can I tell you how spoiled I felt today. First, I had Jess for every step of the 26.2 miles that we covered today. Secondly, every mile from mile 7 to 24, my wonderful friends left inspiring and funny words to keep me moving along the way. Not only did my roommates and running friends write, but also Wes, Kate and Jessi! What an amazing feeling, knowing that there are people near and far that care enough to want to support you on such a hard journey. And Jess, having run 3 marathons in 2 months, read each and every one to me along the way… even the long ones!

So we got to mile 6.5 and the coffee was starting to haunt me again! I knew that the overindulging over the holiday and the carbo load dinner would come back to get me! Sorry for the TMI… but if I can help anyone on their training, no matter how tempting it is, don’t overdo the eating before a marathon. I feel like all I have done in training for the marathon is eat, and eat, and eat carbs. I really should have been a little better these last few days as well. The next marathon, I am going to take the nutrition much more seriously.

Coming in the I-90 I got a call from Tosha! She had just passed us on the bridge and said we were looking strong! This meant so much to me, she has run 4 marathons and knows a thing or two about what it takes. This was her first time being a spectator, and she was there the entire way!

Finally around mile 9 we saw porta potties without lineups and I dashed in quickly. 2 minutes wasted but c’est la vie. At 10.5, we saw Tosha in her bright green toque (sorry, that’s Canadian for winter hat, beanie, not sure what Americans call them). She ran a few steps with us and just kept telling us how strong we looked! It meant so much to have her there! I was feeling good but there were a few things that were concerning me:

1 – I wasn’t able to get my heart rate below 165 and was spending most of the time in the 169-171 range.
2 – The pain in my calf was getting much worse, and it was stiffening my stride which always leads to groin pulls.
3 – The pain in the arch of my left foot was moving to the outside of the foot and getting much, much worse. I kept hoping it would go away, but to no avail.

We looped Seward Park, a nice flat part of the race and I was preparing for the hell to come. I took my last annoyed potty break at 15.5 all the while swearing off coffee before a race again. Just past that part, we saw Tosha again. I took a quick second to try to stretch my calf but I just couldn’t shake the feeling.

Jess swears she hates miles 14-18 the most because you’re running back from Seward Park along a road you’ve already come down. That is when she broke it out… an mp3 player with portable speakers! She had shown me earlier but thought she forgot the cord to hook up the player to the speakers. So at 10.5 she handed it off to Tosha instead of carrying for the race. However, in the Seward Park she found the cord and recovered the player with speakers in our second pass past Tosha. The mp3 player had my favorite music on it, plus some surprises from Jess and Danielle!

Oh, one more thing I wanted to mention… Jess and I wore our matching pink jackets today. It was nice to get a lot of support from the crowds, I can’t count how many times we heard “Go Pink Ladies!

So here comes the bad part… we get out of the park and start heading for the last 6 miles. The pain in my foot is pretty unbearable at this point and all I can think is one hour to go. I also know, that that hour is the worst hour of this marathon. It’s like a cruel joke really. The last 6 miles feel like a constant uphill climb. It starts with the famous Galer-Madison climb ending at the 21 mile marker. My goal today was to not succumb to this hill, to not let myself walk it. That’s a tough goal at the 20 mile mark but we did it! We did not get passed by anyone on that hill, and passed a number of people who were forced to walk. I could never blame them… it’s hell.

After the 21 mile marker, you get a tiny bit of relief before climbing again through the arboretum and Interlaken. At this point I just want to quit… I hate myself for not letting myself walk, and Jess who made sure I didn’t walk! I wonder why the F did I think that Seattle would be a good first marathon to run? No wait, why did I think that 26.2 miles was a distance that should be covered on foot? I think the only thing that kept me going was knowing that the fastest way to get back to my car was to carry myself there. So I kept channeling the good thoughts and support of my friends, and kept moving. I thought, one foot in front of the other… which backfired a little since it was my foot that hurt most! I counted down the miles and kept thinking… I have run this distance hundreds of times, I can do it today. I knew that 4:30 was out of reach, but it didn’t matter. I was in so much pain, my one remaining goal, was to finish without walking. I really didn’t know that I could finish at all.

With about 5km to go, we got a call from Wendy! She told us to keep up the great work and to remember that that was all… another 5 km and we would be home. We hit the dirtiest part of the course, looping around the I-5 with a painful downhill on Republican and then climb to the finish. On the downhill I said to Jess, “the downhill is so much worse, it hurts more than the uphill”. At this point we can see the stadium with of course, hills standing in our way. We get to the hill and I turn to Jess and say “I was wrong, the hills hurt more”. The best reply… she says “let’s face it, at this point, it all hurts a lot”. And this was so true… with under half a mile to go, I thought I had nothing left and I might not make it. This was the hardest thing I have done in my entire life. I knew, that if I made it to the end without walking, I would be able to tackle whatever life would throw at me next.

We finally made our way into the final 0.2 miles and (when I was sure there was nothing left in the tank), we broke into an all out sprint. Being a huge football fan, I was so pumped by running down a football turf to the finish line! I heard someone in the crowd (or maybe the announcer) say “Ladies in pink, finishing strong”! And with one last push, we turned it up one more massive notch and ran through the finish line. 4:39:19.

When we crossed the line all I wanted to do was cry. I tried to make it past the photographer so he wouldn’t catch me in the act, but didn’t make it… I bent over about 10 feet in front of him and broke down. I just sobbed. Somehow, through the pain and the cold, we made it… Jess never leaving my side. People rushed over asking Jess if I was ok and she just smiled and said “Oh yeah, she’s just really happy”. I hugged Jess and cried more and more… not being able to get a grip at all. It didn’t matter… I could hear complete strangers around us, moved by us finishing together, followed by the breakdown and our hug. I meant what I said that I wouldn’t have run a marathon this year if it weren’t for Jess, and today I can say, that I don’t know if I could have done it if it weren’t for her support. Another photographer came by and wanted to get a picture of us together after the finish, tears still streaming down my face with a huge smile, I was more than willing to capture that moment together.

Tosha joined us shortly afterwards! Along with her support, the notes from my friends, we had also received and placed a number of calls from/to Danielle, Nancy, Regan, Wendy, Sarah and… my mom and dad. After the race, we headed over to Wendy’s to celebrate with an amazing brunch that her and Eric organized. It was so nice to get warm and to eat some great food after the race. Wendy has this amazing ability to make you feel so great about what you have just accomplished… I was on cloud nine. Jess’ family was also there, Gabriel and Camille made the most precious “Go Aleks Go” signs for the race. How can I help but feel that I don’t have a family away from my family out here?

Tonight, I am feeling the effects of the race. My right groin is pretty sore, and my calf is still tight. What worries me most is the bruise I have on the outside of my left foot… leading me to believe that I might have a sprain in my foot/lower ankle. I can’t really walk on that foot, I’m hoping tomorrow will be a little better. In the off season, I will see the podiatrist again about my orthodics. Tonight I’ll take some Advil.

I will be honest, though I do want to run another marathon, I can honestly say I have no intention of doing it before next fall. I am so looking forward to sleeping in on weekends rather than planning for long runs. I can’t wait to spend more time in the pool and on the bike, in the weight room and in yoga. I can’t wait to focus on nutrition that isn’t carb based. But for now, at least until Tuesday, I will sleep. Rest, ice, soak in the hot tubs, and think about what 26.2 really means.

I can’t thank you all enough, from the bottom of my heart, for being here for me. Without you, I wouldn’t be able to say that I took down Galer-Madison and finished 26.2.

Time – 4:39:19
Average heart rate – 168 (so high!)
Maximum heart rate – 184 (Galer-Madison)
Calories burned – 2969 (not that this matters, but an interesting fact)
Gu consumed – 6 * 100 calories = 600 calories (Miles 4, 8, 12, 16, 20, 23)
Water consumed – One cup at every water station, plus 8 ounces with Nuun on my fuel belt. And a sip out of Jess’ bottle at mile 25… when I thought we weren’t getting another station after mile 23.5 and we couldn’t see the 25.5 mile aid station.
Time to write this post – 2 hours… almost half the time it took me to run the race today!

Aleks' Inspiration

Named after the word document which lists all of the encouraging words my friends left for me today, "Aleks' Inspiration" kept me moving when all I wanted to do was stop.

Mile 6:
Knock-Knock jokes: Pat – Pat me on the back, I’m running a marathon! Kenya – Kenya believe I’m running a marathon?- Jessica

Mile 7:
At Rex Kwan Do, we use the buddy system! No more flying solo! - Jessica

Mile 8: Why are gorilla's nostrils so big? Because they have big fingers! - Sarah

Mile 9: I'll be thinking of you as I run, inspired by your commitment to 26+ miles. You're getting me through my 13.1 and I hope that knowing how hard the Princesses are are rooting for you is helping you get through your 26.2." – Nancy

Mile 10: “The wind at your back, the sun in front of you, and your friends by your side.”
You have 9 or 10 miles under your belt. Settle into your pace and enjoy the miles, the company, and keep pushing along. - Latosha

Mile 11:
Having not known you for very long, you've packed quite a punch so far. You are so awesome and inspiring, knowing you came from where I am now, and seeing where you've taken yourself. Getting to know you these past few months has been so great and I can't wait to hang out with you more (even at 5:15 a.m.). Your journey helps me acheive my goal of finishing the half marathon and finishing the full one next year. You're doing awesome and you ARE AWESOME! - Sarah

Mile 12:
I keep this pass-it-on card in my wallet and try to keep the message close to me: "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, nothing will be impossible for you."
Have faith Aleks- in yourself, your training, your friends. There are people all over the world cheering for you today!Have fun, run strong! – Kate

Mile 13: It’s mile 13 and you’re 50% done. But you’re still 100% Canadian. Take off, hoser! - John

Mile 14:
Dear Aleks,I am sitting here trying to come up with something interesting, or at the very least amusing, to help you get through 26.2 miles of running.Something that would either enlighten or otherwise inspire you to continue on this journey today. Something that would make you think of yourself or the world in a slightly different way. At the very least something that would distract you. Hmmmmmm. I got nothin'. Sheet.Okay, so hear's what I would do if I were in your position: use the tools at hand. Eat all the food you're supposed to eat. Drink your water. Give yourself pep talks. Then, when things are at their direst, turn to that short brunnette running next to you and ask her for a "Pep" talk. Seriously.Don't give me that raised eyebrow. Hear me out. I've put a lot of thought into this.See, I know she thinks she has a reputation for pissing people off with her "Pep" talks. Balderdash in my opinion, but if you think about it, this is a Win-Win situation! There's only two things that could happen:Scenario A: She peps you up. Your adrenaline kicks in. You run faster. You bust through your marathon and kick it through the finish line with minutes to spare. You love Jessica! You swear to buy her a big Christmas present! She accepts, but swears you'll get a bigger one! A Win-Win situation!Scenario B: She pisses you off. Your adrenaline kicks in. You run faster to get away from her. You make it up that nasty hill and feel fabulous! So fabulous that you feel guilty about wanting to pull her hair and gouge out an eye or two. You love Jessica! You swear to buy her a big Christmas present. She accepts and swears to buy you an even bigger Christmas present! You do this over and over again, at each hill, and by the end of the marathon you're both buying each other pink Mercedes with sun-roofs! A Win-Win!See? No downside. Unless it's possibly the pink mercedes with the sun-roofs. I hear they're a bitch for upkeep. Lucky for you, you know a good mechanic! :)See you at the finish line! - Regan
Mile 15: Knock-knock joke: Icy – Icy no reason you won’t finish this marathon. - Jessica

Mile 16:
I’m so proud of you! Keep up all of the good work, I know you can do it. You are a strong woman and despite the fact that T-man makes you weak, you can do anything. - Kristina

Mile 17:
Are you enjoying your marathon? I sure hope so. You have trained so hard to get where you are!
Today, you will complete a journey that few people will ever dare to begin. You will enter an elite group of people that can look at their To-Do List of Life and check off the line: “Complete a marathon someday”. Yes, Alecks! Your “Someday” is today! Congratulate yourself for having that rare breath of courage in your heart to speak the words aloud, “I am going to complete a marathon.” Congratulate yourself for being so bold as to dare to dream that you too, could cross that finish line, no matter what! Take a look around you: all the people cheering you on the sidelines are watching you live out their hopes and dreams. They are cheering you because what you are accomplishing today is truly amazing! Smile at them, wave to them, and inspire them to be as brave as you are. Inspire them to speak the words, “I can do this!” That they might too be so bold as to imagine one day that they might overcome fear, overcome doubt and overcome pain, to arrive one step closer to being the very best person they can imagine being. Congratulations, Alecks. I am so very proud of you, and I am so very proud to be your friend. Love, Danielle

Mile 18:
Dear Aleks:
OK. Now you've gotten pretty far into the race. And I hope it's going really really well.
Remember - you've trained really hard for this - in rain, sun, monsoons, and everything in between.
Today you should run the race you can - run the best you can do today.
You've had the good fortune to train with a great group of women - all of whom are here supporting you today.
Draw on that experience if the going gets tough. You've helped all of us in our training and this is our time to give back to you. I remember the long run to the ProClub and back when you said you weren't feeling so well at the end - but to me you looked SO STRONG. You have that type of spirit - you can do this.
Enjoy today - it's your first marathon and you won't have another first one.
Enjoy the accomplishment. Only a small fraction of people can say they've been able to do this.
Finish strong.
Brunch and lots of good wishes are waiting for you at the end. We don't care about your finish time. We're proud of you for having the courage to take this on - and to succeed.
I'm glad we met and were able to become friends during all the hours of training that led up to this day. Hopefully there will be many more runs to come.
Congrats! -- Wendy

Mile 19:Just wanted to throw in my words of encouragement. You can definitely do this - I've been reading your blog since I met you at Danskin, and I know how hard you've trained and how strong you are. I can't wait to read all about your success. In the words of the overly cheerful but still inspiring Sally Edwards: YOU GO GIRL! :) – Jessi

Mile 20: Mile 20 in Boston is Heartbreak Hill. Keep kickin' ass for the East Coast! - Fritz

Mile 21: "Your toughness is made up of equal parts persistence and experience. You don't so much outrun your opponents as outlast and outsmart them, and the toughest opponent of all is the one inside your head." - Joe Henderson
Wow, the hard part is over now. Less than an hour of running to go and you have continued to push along. Keep looking fabulous and remember to keep a smile on your face because you’ll persevere. The finish line is around the corner. - Latosha

Mile 22: Aleks - you can do it :-) It doesn't matter how long or how short the run - the fact that you're out here running is what counts. YOU ARE A RUNNER!" - Nancy

Mile 23: Hey cool chicka! You are living our dream. Be strong. Finish strong!Know our thoughts and strength are with you till the end. - Wes

Mile 24:
"Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts." - Steve Prefontaine
"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse." - Ann Trason (courtesy of Latosha)

One more sleep... 26 reasons to run!

Wow, what an action packed pre-race weekend. It was filled with lots and lots of Thanksgiving and non-Thanksgiving food, pre-race events, some down time and quality time with close friends.

Friday Nancy, Wendy and I went to the race expo to pick up our race packets. I looked around at all of the people in the marathon line and couldn't help but feel like I just didn't fit in. I looked at these "real runners" with their "real runner bodies", in their "real runner" clothes and all I wanted to do was turn around and go home. But then I stopped and thought about all of the wonderful words of advice and inspiration and support that my friends, families and even strangers have been sending me over the last few days. If I'm not mistaken, I was the one that trained for months to prepare for this race! I was the one that ran a number of 16+ mile runs to get to this point! I was the one that killed more than one pair of running shoes along the way! I was the one that ran through lost toenails, blood blisters, achy muscles, cold, dark, and rain to make it here. I have earned my marathon bib!

I got my race packet, toured the expo which was great and headed home. The goody bag included one of those peel and stick bracelets in it that had the numbers 1-26 printed on it with space to write beside each number. The idea is to write something that inspires you or that makes you feel strong beside each number. This took mee back to the varsity soccer days where we would write a few words that inspired us on medical tape wrapped around our wrists. I couldn't resist... 26 reasons to run.

1 - Luigi - My ex boyfriend of six years, that I broke up with just a couple of months after moving here. I know it may seem strange to include him, but without him, I would never be here today.
2 - Seattle - The west coast. If I had never moved here, I would still be dreaming about running a half marathon, let alone be running a full marathon.
3 - Claudia - My best friend who lives in NY.
4 - Laura - A close friend of mine, and a single mom.
5 - The Roommates - A reason to come home after a long day, my family away from my family.
6 - Marek - My cousin, born on the same day as me. Closer than a brother.
7 - Weronika - My little cousin, who needs support more than anyone these days.
8 - Pawel - My brother who lives in England. The farthest from my family and friends, who I miss more than anyone.
9 - The Truemans- My cousin, her husband and their son.
10 - The Gaskells- My friends Ange, Kirk and their daughter. The type of friends and genuine people that I can say I'm blessed to know. Possibly the dressed athletes I know too! ;-)
11 - The Sinclairs - My boss and friend, his wife and their two children. Misplaced Canadians like myself, who always understand what it's like to live away from "home".
12 - Jen Kattula - A close friend of mine from MS, who reminds me that at the end of the day, there is more to life than work.
13 - Trevor - A great friend who reads me like a book. For all of the things I think I can't do, he knows that I can. A total hottie and classic drunk dialer! ;-)
The Princesses... who have stuck with me through the hardest of running and non-running times. Friends that have not judged me in my worst condition. Friends that I can call family. Each one with her own gifts and strengths and beauty.
14 - Nancy - At 50, running her first half marathon tomorrow! Really! And for those who don't know, the woman who got me running way back in February. Her warmth just told me that it was ok to approach her and ask her if I could join her run group. Without a second of hesitation, she said... the more the merrier. That is so Nancy.
15 - Wendy - Who ran NY 3 weeks ago, running the half tomorrow with bronchitis! And hosting the after party... as if she doesn't have enough to think about, Wendy asked me 3 times what she could get for me tomorrow. It's more than enough just to see her after the race tomorrow. :)
16 - Regan - Running her first half marathon tomorrow, having just moved, struggling with knee pain and now the flu. Her strength moves me.
17 - Tosha - A 4 time marathoner, close friend and completely unselfish individual. Tosha gives more to me in her friendship in one day than I can give back in my lifetime. She will be on the course to support us tomorrow... in the cold and the snow!
18 - Danielle - Who doesn't want to be Danielle? Her smile warms every room she walks into... and her voice makes you feel like you're just going to be ok. She was the last person to talk to me before my first triathlon, and I'll take those words with me to every event I do. Tomorrow included.
19 - The strangers and non-strangers that have followed my random posts, and have encouraged me to make it to tomorrow. It is amazing how much strength you can get from knowing that you're not alone in the race we call life.
20 - Jodi - Who I consider to be one of the strongest women I know. MD and PhD student, home owner (at 28!!!), genuinely kind and caring individual, and future Iron Woman.
21 - Wes and Dee Dee - Both incredible individuals, as a family they remind me that true love is still possible. Their 18 year partnership is to be admired and respected.
22 - My dad - The most important man in my life. All I can do when I think about my dad is smile.
23 - My mom - Seriously, who calls their mom EVERY DAY? I DO! Damn straight... besides the fact that I love my mom with all of my heart, she is like my morning coffee. I just can't live without talking to my mom in the morning. 5-10 minutes on my way to work is all it takes to shrink the 2500 mile distance between us to the mom next door. No matter how stressful things are at home, my mom puts the focus on me and making sure that I am alright. She is the classiest and most giving woman I know. I want to be just like mom. :)
24 - Jess - You thought I forgot her in the Princess list didn't you? I can sum up Jess' friendship in one fact... she ran the NY marathon just 3 weeks ago, and she's running the marathon tomorrow to support me. I can almost certainly say, that if it weren't for Jess, I would not be running my first marathon tomorrow. Her friendship, guidance, support, and determination kept me going when I thought I couldn't go any more. This may sound weird, but I really want to make her proud tomorrow.
25 - Myself - For the woman I am and the woman I want to be, I am running this race for me. Once and for all, I am going to shut down that little voice that says... you can't do it. YES I CAN!
26 - Living Legacy Foundation - The Seattle marathon is run in support of this organization, that saves lives through organ and tissue donation. I'm blessed to be healthy enough to make it to mile 26.2. What's better is that I have numbers 1-25 above to thank for it.

Weather forecast is calling for cold, rain and possibly snow. Bring... it... on!

5 days and counting...

This morning we got together for a nice, short 4 mile run. It was dark, cold and raining (you don't say!) and all I could think about was, please God, don't let it be like this on Sunday!

Now that it's officially out in the open, I can tell you that Jess is running the marathon with me on Sunday! In her post today, Jess mentions a few things that ring true and not so true.

1. I am afraid. I am afraid not that my friends won't like me if I don't meet a certain time goal, but that I will be disappointed with myself if I don't meet my time goal. TRUE.
2. That I have trained well for the marathon and that I am ready. 1/2 TRUE? A few of my friends (Tosha, Wendy and Danielle) have all said this, but for some reason I just don't feel ready. Maybe you just never feel ready for your first marathon? Any marathon? Any 1/2 ironman? Any ironman? Note to self, keep working on that confidence cause I'm not about to stop at the marathon!
3. That I am a stronger runner than she is. COMPLETELY FALSE. I am always the first person to be ready to turn back on a run... whether I say it out loud or not. Jess seems like she could stay out there forever!

Are you all sick of hearing out the marathon already? Me too, I'm going to psych myself out! The solution to keeping the nerves in check has been to do the right things for my body this week. Today I made enough trips to the water cooler to fill up the humps of a camel. I also had a deep tissue massage, I needed it but do I ever hurt now! Good thing I have 5 days to recover from the massage. :) I also picked up some Gatorade Endurance. Since I haven't been training with it and it's going to be provided on the course, I figured I better start sipping on it to get my body used to it. Oh, and I'm getting some good sleep!

That's it for now, I appreciate all of your support this last week! Just think, come next week you don't have to hear another word about the marathon... until next year!

6 days and counting...

For the last few months I’ve been obsessing about the marathon.

What is my training plan?
What is my longest run?
What weeks should I back down the distance?
How do I taper?
What do I wear?
What do I eat?
What if it’s cold and raining on race day?
What is my goal? My stretch goal?
What if I disappoint my friends?

In general, I set very high expectations for myself. I ran my first half marathon in June in 1:57, 9 minute miles over 13.1 miles. I had a goal of 2 hours, and though it was nice to beat that goal, I missed the experience of the run. My only focus was the time, and I didn’t enjoy the full experience. When I signed up for the marathon a few months ago, I set a goal of 4:22, 10 minute miles over 26.2 miles. Seriously? Why? Will anyone think less of me if I run 5:30? Will my friends think I’m less of an athlete if I don’t break the 4:30 barrier?

About a month ago I decided that my goal for the race would be to truly experience my FIRST MARATHON. I know it will be tough, and that it will hurt. But I refuse to let the run go by without having fun. I’m going to appreciate each step I am able to take on the 26.2 mile trip and all of the spectators that will be there supporting their friends, and complete strangers. Rather than focusing on time, I am going to reflect on all of the individuals that have gotten me here. My running partners, my friends, family and of course, the online community. You have supported me through a hectic travel and work schedule, my long runs, some painful recoveries and even the personal dramas. Without all of you, I wouldn’t be here today.

Saturday night we drove the marathon route and had dinner downtown. Jess described the painfully long stretches, areas where there would be lots of spectator support and where you can enjoy a nice breather. The route really is beautiful, and I just can’t wait for the full run… not just the finish line.

I’m enjoying a nice taper period, really taking it easy going into this last week. I am looking forward to switching my focus to the weight room and cross training… just ONE LONG RUN TO GO, 6 days and counting…

It's coming... the marathon...

Today officially begins the true taper period going into next weekend’s marathon. We ran our last “longish” run this morning to accommodate the early Michigan v OSU game on Saturday (M GO BLUE)!!! We ran about 8.5 miles, and my body was thanking me for taking the last two days off from training!

When I came into work I read an email on the SBR alias that seemed to have good timing. Someone had posted about what to eat before a 6 am marathon that they’ll be running in Vegas in December. The answer was somewhat surprising, and scared me a little. :) Disregarding the fluid intake part of the email, here is the gist of the food intake for the morning of the race.

3-4 hours before the race – 500-1000 calorie meal (200 grams of carbs)
2 hours before the race – High carb snack, bagel, bar, etc. (15-75 grams of carbs)
Race – 150-200 calories per hour

I have been having a bagel with either cream cheese or peanut butter before our long runs. It seems to be sufficient, and I normally start to feel hungry around the 3.5 hour mark in our runs. During the run I usually have one Gu every 40 minutes or so. I think what I have been doing generally lines up with the plan above, minus the 500-1000 calorie MEAL 3-4 hours prior to the race!!!

The marathon start time is 8:15 am so this should be the sequence of events on marathon morning. These are the days that getting up to run at 4:30 am really comes in handy!

4:30 am – Get up, and by some grace of God, try to down between 500 and 1000 calories (200 grams of carbs). Do any of you have suggestions on what this could be (other than a bagel that I plan to eat 2 hours before the race)? And what about caffeine (coffee/pop)?
6:15 am – Bagel. Any suggestions on best toppings… I do love peanut butter! :)
Race – Same plan, 1 Gu every 40 minutes.

Any suggestions for race day/prior to race day are greatly appreciated! Especially around the 4:30 am feast that I’m supposed to down. :)

Girl, Diva, Princess Power

I have to say, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my chest. In a life where there are so many priorities, it's nice to take one off the list and be able to focus on all of the other important things in life.

So now that I don't have to worry about "finding the one", I am happy to continue finding "the one" in me. Nothing gives me more pleasure than interacting with so many great women and men through training. Whether it's outdoors running and cycling, indoors at the gym or through the blogs, these connections just make me happy. We're all so different, different backgrounds, different stages in our training, different challenges, and yet we all relate.

Nothing represents this more than the 14 women that have already joined the Diva Dash team and the others than have committed to registering. The team roster brings together a very diverse group of women. Ranging from ages 3 to 50, kids size to plus size, iron women to walkers, single, married, mothers, daughters, sisters and grandmothers, we are coming together to just enjoy each other and the sport. One thing is for sure, all of these women are absolutely beautiful in their own unique way.

I'm counting down the days to the dash, stay tuned as I'll post lots of pictures!

Laying it out...

There are a few big priorities in my life these days. Here is the general order of importance in my mind:

1 - Family, friends and roommates
2 - Training and healthy living/eating
3 - Work
4 - Alone time for rest, relaxation and reflection
5 - Dating

Here is how I feel my weeks are filling up:

1 - Dating
2 - Training (and healthy living/eating - not really happening)
3 - Work
4 - Family, friends and roommates
5 - Alone time for rest, relaxation and reflection (what alone time?!?!?!)

There are a few things that have come out of this. For one, I am finding that I'm already tired of volume dating. I look at my friends that are so happy spending multiple days a week on dates with different men and I just don't get it. Why am I less than thrilled replying to match.com emails and going on dates? Why do I come home from a date and feel like it was just a big waste of time?

The answer is becoming clearer with each date. First, I'm just not ready. I thought that getting over "the ex" and pushing "the rebound" out of my mind meant that I could start dating. But it's not enough. At some point, you have to be at peace and love yourself before you can love someone else. I thought I had this nailed too but I'm still struggling. Struggling with body image and self confidence. I'm constantly putting myself down, and making comments about being "chubby". I'm 26 and have tried so many things to improve my self esteem. At some point you realize that losing weight alone will not fix your problems.

The other thing that is screaming "you're not ready" is that I'm much more interested in spending time with my friends and time training than I am dating. Don't get me wrong, there are so many nice things about being in a relationship. But honestly, I'm just not that interested these days. Tonight I actually said to my roommates "oh damn, I wish I could get out of my date tomorrow to have dinner at home with you guys". I'm also irritated when I waste calories eating out and drinking wine on bad dates. I know that may seem stupid, but the worse the date is, the more I drink! And this impacts everything... impacts how much I eat, what I eat, and the morning training. Oh, and none of the men understand the training! They just don't understand why I would like to get home at a certain time and why I like to get up and train early in the morning.

I really have to thank Jodi for giving me some perspective around all of this. For some strange reason, I was thinking that a few months *should* be enough time to get back on the dating train... when there really is no set timeline for this at all. One day, I'll be ready because I know I'm ready, not because a group of my friends thought it was time for me to get back on the wagon.

So I'm going on dating hiatus and refocusing my priorities a little. Here's the new plan:

1 - Family, friends and roommates
2 - Training and healthy living/eating
3 - Alone time for rest, relaxation and reflection
4 - Work

And I have done something that I have wanted to do for a long time... I booked an apt with a therapist. The girls have been very open about the benefits of seeing 20/20 therapists on their journeys. I figured, who would be better at helping me work through the body image and food issues that I have? I think this is the most I have opened up about this on my blog, and I have to admit that I'm feeling a little vulnerable. I'm lucky to have such supportive friends that won't judge me based on what I have said.

I'm really looking forward... forward to running the marathon, and refocusing some of the long training hours on myself and my friends. And of course, base building for the triathlon season to come...

Saturday, Sunday, Monday Recap

Where to start? :) Saturday morning we ran the Pineapple Classic. It was a 5 km run with 6 obstacles... Jess has a good recap of the race which I'm sure many of you have already checked out! :) It was a really fun day, I loved every minute of participating in the run. My team consisted of Regan, Danielle, Tosha and myself. Jess ran it with her husband John, Wendy and Wendy's husband Eric. It really reminded me of how thankful I am for having such a wonderful group of friends.

Sunday I began the official taper period before the marathon. Our run was down to 12 miles (ended up being about 12.8). I met Nancy at the carpool in Kirkland and drove down to Mercer Island where we joined Jess and Danielle. It was a very early (for a weekend run), cold and rainy morning. Nancy and I stopped at Starbucks because we were early and contemplated just staying there. I have to confess... part of what got me out the door was that I had downed a bagel with cream cheese and jam in preparation for the run and I wanted to burn off the calories.

So off we went. The Mercer Island route is fairly hilly. After running 18 and 20 miles the last couple of weekends, I was hoping it would be a walk in the park. Not so much. It had to have been one of the worst runs I have had in a long time. It was day 7 in a row of working out and my body was rebelling. Nothing felt right... Danielle read me like a book. She ran with me the last few miles, and typical of Danielle's completely unselfish nature, she talked me through making it to the end. We walked through the taper period, marathon day and recovery. Just a week ago she had done a marathon and was no doubt feeling her own pain, but was there keeping me positive as I entered the last two weeks prior to my marathon.

Needless to say, I was happy to find myself back in the car. I tucked away the crappy feeling I felt on the run to pull out when I'm feeling it on the marathon... a reminder that I can make it and that I have a wonderful group of friends cheering me along my way to my first marathon.

I woke up sore this morning and didn't work out in preparation for a soccer double header tonight. It was tough... my right hamstring, left quad and back were all acting up and I felt really slow. We were up in the first game and ended up losing 5-3 (to a team we should have dominated). We managed to squeak out a 7-3 victory in game two, but the team wasn't very strong. I pocketed a decent goal, and managed to play some good defense in the second game... despite feeling that out of shape, chubby jiggly feeling running up and down the field. I hate that feeling!

On my way home I called Nancy and told her I wouldn't make it to the run tomorrow morning. Tomorrow would be 9 days without rest and I need to start listening to my body if I'm going to taper properly. So I'm going to take tomorrow off, hydrate well and try to get some time in the hot tubs at the gym. Get back at it Wednesday morning.

Hope you're all doing well... looking forward to catching up on all of your blogs! :)

"Rest Day"

I can’t count how many times I have said that I would take it easy in Danielle’s Friday spinning class to allow myself to recover before a long run on the weekend. Well today, I really did it… it killed me, but I did it! I took Sunday off after the 20-miler last weekend but I won’t be able to take another day off until Wednesday of next week! That meant that if I wanted to be in class today, I really would have to take it easy.

It was HARD to do! Danielle makes indoor cycling so much fun! Yesterday I left a CD at the club for her to incorporate into class, so it also meant that a lot of my current favorite songs were played during today’s ride. And guess what, in an entire hour of a strength ride, I didn’t get out of the saddle once! The only times I stood up was to stretch my legs… I leisurely spun my legs for the entire 60 minutes… no drills, no real sprinting, nothing! To prove it, rather than burning the usual 500+ calories I only burned 389! I even resisted the temptation to keep up with the other male triathletes in the class.

I’m hoping this beginning of the marathon taper really pays off on the run! I want to feel rested, fresh and I don’t want one bit of a hamstring issue coming back to haunt me!

By the way, it’s raining again today. Are any of you surprised? This is date day… not as much fun in the rain… or maybe it is? ;)

Today’s data:

110 calorie Pria bar (110 cals)

60 minutes spinning (389 cals)

20/20 shake (290 cals)

Turkey burger (450 cals)

Total (850 cals)

Second Annual Diva Dash!

Hi everyone!

I am so happy to announce that we have registered a team for the 2006 Diva Dash! What is the Diva Dash?

The Diva Dash is a 5km walk/fun run and 1km little diva dash. It is held in Seattle on December 2nd and all proceeds from the event go to Girls on the Run! I participated in this wonderful event in it’s inaugural year last year, and had a great time! Women and girls of all fitness levels, shapes, sizes and ages participated in the event. The smiles were huge and the costumes were beautiful! I especially loved the young girls participating in the 1 km little diva dash… what a way to get girls involved in sports early in their lives.

Our team name is, what else, Princess Power! I invite all of the women in the area (whether or not you have ever walked/run 5 km) to sign up and if you’d like, join our team. The more the merrier, we will get “Queen Treatment” at the event for being part of a team. I can’t stress enough that this is a fun event! We will walk, run, skip and dance across the finish line in celebration of the wonderful friendships we have created through running.

I would love for anyone and everyone to join us on that day! If you’re interested, leave a comment on the blog and I will email you the team password to join. J

In other news, this morning was the first run we had in a long time where it didn’t pour on us. It’s sprinkled a little, but nothing to write home about. And it was a nice short one, 4 miles!

Data for today:

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Coffee in milk (30 cals)

20/20 southwest chicken salad (380 cals)

Non-fat latte (115 cals)
1/2 cup low fat yogurt (100 cals)

8 oz chicken noodle soup (100 cals)
20/20 chicken penne pasta (390 cals)
Side veggies (50 cals)

Total (1455 cals)

Blogging for motivation!

Since I wasn’t meeting anyone at the gym this morning (I know, gasp! Working out alone?!?!?), I stayed up late last night downloading music from iTunes for my iPod. I couldn’t stand the thought of riding a bike at the gym and doing weights without some good tunes to pump me up. So, I decided to sleep in this morning and fit my workout in later in the day.

What’s my point? I have the after lunch ZZZZZZZs and I know that if I blog about going to the gym at 3 pm (15 minutes from now), I will go to the gym at 3 pm! I’m working at my vendor’s office today and they have a small little gym downstairs (one treadmill, one elliptical trainer, one bike and some weights). Apparently it stays pretty empty so I’m looking forward to a quiet workout with my new tunes… very different from the busy Pro Club!

We went out for a team lunch today and I proposed sushi… people love sushi so it went over well. Went over well with me because it meant that I could easily control the calorie intake… sashimi! Here’s the data for today:

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

Sashimi (350 cals)

6 cashews (50 cals)

Made it to the gym... wanted to take it easy on the legs so I rode the bike for 30 minutes (200 cals) and then did upper body and core strenght training (125 cals)

low fat cottage cheese (75 cals)
2 low fat string cheese (120 cals)

Crackers with cheese (100 cals)

Brown rice with shrimp and pesto (450 cals)

Total (1465 cals)

When it rains, it pours...

Every morning I wake up to the dark, the cold and the rain. I bury my face in my pillow when the alarm goes off and think to myself, can I get out of getting up right now? I negotiate with myself, here’s how it usually goes:

If I go back to sleep now I can get an extra X hours of sleep.
After all, I only got X hours of sleep last night.
But if I don’t get up, I will miss my chance to work out today… or can I get in a workout after work?
Oh, but the ladies are waiting, it’s so much more fun working out with them.
Think of the feeling 20 minutes into your workout when you always say to yourself, I’m so happy I got up to workout.
Think of playing your music in the car on the way to work after exercising… singing and moving in the car, your workout done with a beautiful day ahead of you.

This is what went through my mind this morning. First, I have to admit that I skipped soccer last night, a 9:30 pm game so that I would get up to run this morning. I was going to go, but the late games are such a pain… you’ve gotten home from work, eaten dinner, watched the end of Monday night football and you just want to go to bed. But instead, you have to change into soccer clothes, go out in the cold, get home after 11 pm, shower and fight that “wide awake” feeling that you get after you exercise. And since I was introducing a new girl to our run group this morning, I knew that I couldn’t miss the 5:45 am run! So I flaked, totally skipped soccer.

But, that was an additional factor to the negotiation this morning.

I have to introduce Sarah to the group and this was the sole reason for skipping soccer last night!

So off I went. We ran about 5.5 miles today in the rain again. :) Have you heard about the insane amounts of rain we are getting? Yesterday we got more rain in 5 minutes than in the entire month of August! Yesterday we also beat our November average for rain only 6 days into the month! They are even trying to evacuate people from some areas!

I have to agree with Jess, the hardest part about running in November is not knowing what to wear. I was wearing shorts, a sleeveless shirt, a long sleeved shirt, a jacket, a running hat and gloves. Two minutes into the run, the gloves came off. 15 minutes into the run, the long sleeve shirt came off. Then it was just a lot of wetness to the finish line… but true to form, all I could think was how great the rain felt on my skin. For this I am thankful.

Data for today:

5.5 mile run (570 cals)

20/20 muffin (200 cals)
½ cup low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

1.5 cups veggies (150 cals)
¼ cabbage with tomato broth (75 cals)
2/3 of a chicken breast (150 cals)

Apple (75 cals)

Bread (60 cals)
20/20 Chicken Sausage Penne Pasta (390 cals)

Total (1230 cals)

A little busy! ;)

2 important notes first!

Jess, Wendy and Danielle completed the NYC marathon - Full report here!
Wes has created a 1/2 marathon virtual training team - Details available here! Smoe, I think you would love this virtual team! After all, you are now a 10ker and you're working up to the 30ker... the 1/2 marathon is the next logical step. :)

Where have I been?

Thursday - Team offsite ALL day!
Friday - Back to back meetings all day, followed by a date night!
Saturday - 20 mile run, followed by lunch, shopping and then out cold lounging and sleeping! Side note, this was the last long run before the taper, it's all downhill from here!
Sunday - Out of the house from 9:30 am to 11 pm!

Is today Monday? I believe it is. :) Regan and I met at the gym this morning for Josh's 6 am cycling class. It was tough! Set a new record for calories burned in a spinning class, 579 big ones! Then I changed my shorts and we went down to do some weights. Total burned for the day was 820 cals.

I'm starting my 3 week taper period, and someone please let me know if this is a bad idea... but what I want to do is really stick to the weights 3x per week during this period. I'm also going to really cut back the carbs since I won't need them so much for the running (except for the week of the race). Carbs (even the good 100% whole wheat kind) set off a long chain of eating for me. It leads to peanut butter and a lot of candy/wine. The protein really keeps me satisfied longer and I don't get the sugar highs and lows. Anyways, let me know if this seems like bad timing for the marathon.

Quick food data for today:

Powerbar (130 cals)

Spinning and weights (820 cals)

20/20 shake (290 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

Nancy's HOMEMADE Caribbean pumpkin soup... very delicious I have to add (250 cals)

Non-fat latte (115 cals)
Apple (75 cals)

Crackers (65 cals)
1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese (100 cals)

3/4 cup brown rice (165 cals)
1.5 cups pork vegetable stir fry (300 cals)

Total (1520 cals)

0°C... might as well be running in Ontario!

After telling all of these brave stories about running in -20°C weather, in face masks and 4 layers of clothing I wasembarrassedd that I had such a hard time getting out of bed for our run this morning.

Truth is, I was tired, it was freezing out and I had eaten too much junk and Halloween candy last night. More truth, it was the candy guilt that got me out of bed this morning... sorry ladies, for once it was not the thought of seeing your beautiful faces on the run this morning. :)

It took a while to warm up but by the end it was such a beautiful (but still cold) morning. The sun was shining so brightly it just made me appreciate meeting the ladies for the run, cause I wouldn't have been there without them! I went home and showered, and on my way to work was rockin' out to some great music. I had to smile because I know that if I hadn't gotten up to run, I wouldn't have felt nearly this great today!

Data for today:

Toast with cream cheese and jam (100 cals)

4 mile run (400 cals)

Egg beateromelete (50 cals)
1/2 piece of toast (70 cals)
1/2 cup cottage cheese (100 cals)
fruit (130 cals)
Milk in coffee (30 cals)

Salad (400 cals)

Asian pear (75 cals)

Cheesestick (60 cals)

Total (1015 cals)