Sometimes there’s no one to talk to
Don’t you love it when you are telling a story to a friend, and they supplement your story with details you’ve told them in the past? Basically, when they demonstrate what a good listener they are to you by recalling little tidbits that relate to the new story?
Don’t you hate it when you remember that that good friend, one of the only two you feel like you can talk to at work, is leaving for maternity leave in a month and won’t come back for at least six months?
Hopefully you can only relate to the first two questions.
I’ve noticed that my work day is significantly better if I feel like I have had some level of personal interaction with someone.
That doesn’t happen everyday. I could reach out more. I just don’t want to overshare.
Yoga fail
Steven has been encouraging me to try yoga for quite some time. He follows the P90X yoga workout, and really enjoys how relaxed and flexible it makes him feel. He thinks I could use a little calm in my life. I think I could use some flexibility. So I gave it a try yesterday.
Kim = yoga FAIL
I made it 20 minutes into the 90 minute workout and decided I had had one too many downward dogs. I gave it a rest for another 25 minutes until the “pose” section started, and tried some of those stretches. I couldn’t do all of them – it still kicked my butt.
Now, I realize a 90 minute yoga workout is not the best place to start. Maybe someday I can move up to that! For now, does anyone have advice on beginner’s yoga? Any good books, DVD’s, websites? Please keep in mind, my cash is muchos limited.
I really want to get into yoga so I CAN use it as another means to relax and focus, and also gain some flexibility.
Marathon Training Week 1
Welcome to week 1 of marathon training! If you click on the activity links after the dates, it will take you to the Garmin connect website for full stats.
Day 1 | Monday, June 15: Cross-train for 30 minutes
I had my mind set on doing the 30 Day Shred and walking for 30 minutes, but I just wasn’t feeling it when I got home. I felt sad and worn out. So Steven and I walked two miles together, made dinner, watched Bride Wars, and went to bed “early” (10:00 PM).
Distance: 2.00 miles | Time: 29:48 | 1: 14:36 | 2: 15:09 | 3: 00:02
Day 2 | Tuesday, June 16: Run 3 Miles
Oops. This was supposed to be a “comfortable” pace, with specific instructions not to “push the pace.” Well. I think Erin and I were just having too much fun! We took off, and started chatting, and I knew I was going faster than I should, but I didn’t want to slow down (even though my body did). I will work on going slower. And wow. It was SO FUN to do this midday lunch run with Erin. It totally made my day! I noticed I was super hungry the entire day though, even after dinner. I will have to handle that better in the future.
Distance: 3.07 miles | Time: 26:42 | 1: 8:26 | 2: 9:11 | 3: 8:27 | 4: 00:36
Day 3 | Wednesday, June 17: Run 5 miles
Ugh. This was not my run. I felt exhausted from only getting 5 hours of sleep, and was also crazy hungry all day, even though I brought more than enough food to work. To try to pep myself up for my run, I read Runner’s World articles on their website on the train ride, and ate some pomegranate Luna Moons when I got home.
My goal was to start out slow then speed up in the end. As you can see in my splits below, that didn’t happen. I felt lethargic, somewhat dizzy and thirsty (even though I drank A TON of water during the day) the entire time I was running. I felt like my muscles never “warmed up,” despite the sun being out and a 70°F temperature. Boy, was I a sweaty mess. I. Just. Felt. Awful.
FAIL run.
So what did I learn? Start out super, super, SUPER slow if you plan on speeding up in the end, and especially if it is hot outside. And maybe I even need to bring water with me on a run of this distance when it is so hot. Oh yeah, and make sure I have food in my stomach, because running when you are hungry like that SUCKS.
Even though I felt like I was running slower than I wanted, when I looked at my heart rate on the Garmin website, I realized I probably shouldn’t have pushed it any further. I was at my maximum heart rate for most of the run.
Now, if I could only figure out why I felt like I was going to puke after I tried to eat my taco salad at dinner time. Hey, at least feeling sick got me in bed at 9:00!
Distance: 5.00 miles | Time: 47:57 | 1: 9:28 | 2: 9:18 | 3: 9:29 | 4: 10:09 | 5: 9:29 | 6: 00:01
Day 4 | Thursday, June 18: Run 3 miles
I was determined to make this a better, slower run – “comfortable” like the training said. The sun was shining and the temperature was in the mid 70’s (although, like Wednesday, it was supposed to be raining), so I took my Ice Mountain water bottle with me. And I got to run with Steven! He hasn’t been running much lately because he is still recovering a hip injury from the half marathon. He ran the first mile with me, and the first half of the third mile.
So, how did it go? I felt almost as crappy as on Wednesday’s run. The sloshing water bottle annoyed me. I felt like I was going too fast, even though nothing was in pain. I just felt uncomfortably hot. I felt like the sun was melting me, I was so sweaty again. The humidity must have been 2000%. Okay, not really, but Steven brought up a good point – that the humidity probably WAS high since it was supposed to rain. I checked when we got home – humidity at 73%, dew point at 67°F.
I’ve gotta learn how to run in the heat, since I usually run in the evening on weekdays.
I was supposed to do strength training after this run. Um yeah. No.
Data likes to rub up against my sweaty legs when I get home and try to get me to take him outside. Nice try, cat. The first thing mommy has to do is take a shower…
Where ever did Data learn such language? Has he been hanging around that bird?!
… after she eats half of a vegan banana muffin, that is!
Steven made these! Recipe here.
Distance: 3.01 miles | Time: 28:10 | 1: 9:23 | 2: 9:27 | 3: 9:17 | 4: 00:02
Day 5 | Friday, June 19: Rest
Day 6 | Saturday, June 20: Run 5 miles at marathon pace
This was my first run at race pace – the pace I plan to run during the marathon. Since we ran 9-minute miles at our half marathon, I am really hoping to run the same at the full and keep the race under 4 hours. I realize this is incredibly ambitious though, so I may have to adjust my goal as I progress through training.
I was nervous about this run since my last two had been so hard. I made sure I was out of the house by 6:00 am. It was already bright and sunny (it was the longest day of the year!) and halfway through, I had to stop and drink some water, and pour some down my front and back. I could tell the temperature was rising just in the hour I was outside! It was 69°F, with a 67°F dew point and 90% humidity. Can someone please explain what all of this means to me?
Overall, I stayed within my goal of finishing in 45 minutes, but as you can see, I need to work on my pacing.
During the last mile, I felt a blister starting to form on the outside of my left foot. I think I jinxed myself! I was just commenting on Beth’s post about shoes and blisters that I NEVER get blisters. Darn darn darn.
Distance: 5.00 miles | Time: 44:10 | 1: 8:39 | 2: 8:44 | 3: 8:45 | 4: 9:02 | 5: 8:58
Day 7 | Sunday, June 21: Run 8 miles
The training program advises the runner to do their long runs “anywhere from 45 to 90 seconds per mile slower than their marathon pace,” which would be 9:45-10:30 minute miles for me. Phew. I felt reassured knowing that I was supposed to take this run nice and slow. And I was successful in doing that.
I got up early (6:30 am) and went to the Nippersink Forest Preserve, which is less than a 5-minute drive from our house! I felt like I needed a change of scenery from running in our neighborhood.
The shrubs were not this high when I was here a month ago!
This forest preserve has an inner and outer loop, both about 1.25 miles in distance.
Quite a few people showed up to fish while I was there.
Again, the heat caught up with me by the end. I wore our hydration belt, and was still dehydrated when I stopped running. I think I need to stop at the car and rehydrate with even more water during these longer runs.
This is what I like to do after I get up so early to run:
I love to nap with Data!
Data is tired from, uh… sleeping all day on Saturday?
Distance: 8.00 miles | Time: 1:18:38 | 1: 9:59 | 2: 9:44 | 3: 9:58 | 4: 10:06 | 5: 9:49 | 6: 9:52 | 7: 9:44 | 8: 9:22
Week Summary: 24 Miles
The heat made this a tough week for me. I felt like it just came out of nowhere. Even though I diligently keep myself hydrated throughout the day, I still found myself fighting symptoms of dehydration during my runs. So, I am going to continue to wake up early to run on the weekends, and bring lots of water with me.
I realized I really need to focus on my pacing and follow the program. If I am supposed to run “comfortably,” I need to run comfortably! Otherwise, I could potentially mess up the rest of the weeks runs and risk overtraining.
Writing about running is addictive! I now understand why people have blogs solely devoted to it! Please let me know if you have any suggestions on what would make my weekly recaps better!
P.S. Happy Father’s Day, Dad! I know you’ll read to the very bottom of this. Thanks for sending me emails each week with the typos you found on this website! You’re always watching my back, ha ha. Seriously though, thanks for putting up with all of my craziness and supporting my “interesting” hobbies over the years. I love you!
Vegan Saturday I | Meal planning with my vegetarian spouse
I started following a vegan lifestyle (diet-wise) this Monday, June 15th. I am going to do a series of “Vegan Saturdays” posts to answer all of your questions, rather than create one super long post. Thanks all for your thoughtful questions! If you think of any other questions, you can ask them here, or on the original Q&A post.
I know some people could probably care less about veganism (understandable), so I chose Saturdays for these posts since readership is usually lower anyway. Along with my marathon training posts on Sundays, you can just skip over the entire weekend if neither is of interest to you. Easy peasy!
I was going to begin by addressing CournteyInControl’s “What made you decide to go vegan?” but I thought I could better answer Erin’s question, after our dinner tonight. So I will probably save Courtney’s question for next week.
First though, I must say, it is my goal to permanently follow a vegan lifestyle, but if I find my health is negatively affected, I will have to re-evaluate my diet. On to the first question…
Erin asked, “Will Steven become vegan also? How will this affect meal planning/cooking?”
Steven will not be becoming vegan, at least today. But he is on board with helping me eat vegan.
Most of the meals we eat on a day-to-day basis at home already are vegan – boca sandwiches with fresh veggies, salads, pasta, beans and rice, etc. Where the problem comes in at home is with pre-packaged foods. A lot of items we didn’t think would have eggs or dairy in them do. Last night we wanted to make a homemade pizza, but all of our pizza crust mixes had milk in them, so we couldn’t. However, I picked up a dairy and egg free mix today, and it worked out wonderfully!
Homemade pizza made with Namaste pizza crust, red pizza sauce, zucchini, onion, tomato, spinach, olives, and…
…cheese on one half.
The finished pizza
My dinner and…
…Steven’s dinner!
Which plate would you take?
I think eating out will be an issue AT FIRST. We usually visit one of three places – El Famous Burrito (his favorite), Red Robin (my favorite) and Subway (our healthy favorite). Okay, and let’s throw Sweet Tomatoes in there too. At El Famous, I get the Chilles Rellenos (cheese). At Red Robin, it’s the Royal Red Robin Burger (cheese and egg). At Subway, my sandwich is pretty much vegan, but I need to check and see what’s in the bread.
I don’t want to ruin the eating out experience for him (or anyone), so I need to do some research and figure out what I CAN order before we go out. I can get a burrito instead of Chilles Rellenos, and ask for my burger without cheese and egg. Hopefully it won’t be too big of a deal. We don’t eat out often, but when we do, I don’t want it to be stressful for him or me!
I think making this change means that meal planning requires actual planning. It’s won’t be as easy to throw things together anymore, at least at first. But, we will figure it out, together.
Friday Question #71
What foods are on your “will not eat” list?
I don’t want to encourage picky eating (says the vegetarian/vegan), but I am curious to find out what foods do not appeal to other people.
Besides not eating meat, dairy and eggs, I also do not eat tree nuts (almonds, cashews, walnuts, etc.). They give me severe headaches, so I avoid them altogether. Sometimes even the smell of them is enough to make me sick.
I avoid olives, mushrooms, and seeds, because I do not care for their taste. I will still try dishes that have these foods in them, but I am probably not going to like it if they are the main ingredient!
And brussel sprouts. We tried. We really did. I think this requires another go-around.
Side Note: Why are all of my Friday Questions about FOOD? I had two other questions in mind that were NOT food related. Hmm.
Focus on a solution, not the problem
The other day, I was trying to describe a characteristic of someone who was (is) driving me nuts to Steven. But I couldn’t quite get it right. Of course, when listening to Jillian Michael’s 6/14 podcast yesterday, she explained it precisely. She said:
Surround yourself with positive people. Hang out with people that are focusing on a solution, not a problem. Hang out with people that are proactive, NOT victims.
Jillian was talking about this in the context of health, how hanging around people like this can discourage you from reaching your own health goals, but it is amazing how it applies to so many other aspects of life.
It’s the whole “focusing on a solution, not a problem” part. I am totally one for bitching and letting out steam, but it seems some people have a hard time getting past that point and getting things DONE. These people tend to dwell in how “bad” things are, and just get themselves more and more worked up, making it harder to get closer to a solution.
From time to time, we all dwell in a problem, for maybe a bit longer than we should. We wallow in it, and let the frustration/anger/sadness/what have you build up until we’ve reached a point of mental exhaustion, and either do something about it, or let it go.
But what I am learning is that some people approach every issue/challenge/problem this way. Yikes. That amount of daily stress cannot be healthy! Do you know anyone like this?
“What the heck?!” Wednesday
This lady took up an entire seat on a crowded train, for food for her and her friends. What the heck?!
I saw this chair during one of the NeoCon classes I attended on Monday. What the heck?!
Dato Potato was meowing outside at a turtle on Sunday, but when I took him outside to see him, he got all scared. What the heck?!*
My sunburn is barely visible anymore but it still hurts big time. What the heck?!
This “June” weather. Seriously. What the heck?!
Have you said, “what the heck?!” about anything lately?
*Grow a pair Data! LOL, just kidding, mean joke.
Not-lame lunch run!
Yay yay yay – my marathon training started yesterday! I will be following Hal Higdon’s Intermediate I training schedule. It’s an 18-week long program that has you running 5 days a week, and cross training one day (Monday). It starts with a 24 mile week and builds up to a 43 mile week in the 13th and 15th weeks. Woo hoo!
Can you tell I am pumped?
I created a new category, “Marathon Training,” to keep track of all posts marathon training (duh) related. My plan is to write a weekly recap of my training on Sundays, but knowing me, a few details may slip in to other posts before I get to the end of the week… like today!
I got to do my first training run with Erin today during lunch. It was 1000x better than my lame-o lunch run last week. We met up in the loop, in front of her office, then started running when we got to Michigan and Jackson. We ran a fast pace to Navy Pier and looped back – 3.07 miles in 26:42 (I will provide a link to the Garmin stats on Sunday’s recap). According to my training plan, I was actually supposed to make this a “comfortable” run and not “push the pace.” Oops. I’ll work on that. I think we just got so caught up in talking that we didn’t realize how fast we were going until it was too late… then I didn’t really want to slow down, of course, even though I knew I should.
This was actually my first time meeting Erin. I was super excited to meet her and was not disappointed. She is fun to talk to, an interesting person and a good listener. I can’t wait to run with her more! Because I had someone to talk to, I didn’t stress out about work or getting back in time at all. It actually helped me relax during the middle of the day, and I felt great when I got back to my office. I was a bit hungrier than I expected to be though!
Since I got my run done during lunch, I have a free evening. I never have a free evening. I am so excited to go home and relax! Okay, I do have to review my second quarterly panel report, but I can easily do that on the couch. Maybe I can even go to bed early. Yay!
Sunburned, again
Fresh out of the shower. Scary!!!
I said I wouldn’t let it happen again, but it did. We went on an hour or so walk with Steven’s parents right after noon. I didn’t have my sunscreen with me, and thought, “what the hell, I’ll get a nice tan.”
Uh, no. I’ll get a nice burn.
I now know. I don’t tan. I burn. No one else is red like me.
Does anyone else immediately burn? This sucks.
(Lame-o post, I know. But what I really wanted to write about is how much I wanted to be running while we were at the park, and we all know there are more than enough running posts here, with more to come…)
New turtle friend
My neighbor (Fritz) and I saw this HUGE turtle during our 5-mile run this morning!
When we were doing our warm-up walk we saw him hear the wooded “swamp” area, but when we were nearing the end, he had moved across the street to a tree in front of a house.
I’ve never seen a turtle that big in our neighborhood, so I was pretty excited. Does that make me a huge dork?
Scary half-asleep photo!
I got up at 5:45 today so I could met Fritz at 6:00 for our run. Steven’s parents are in town, and I wanted to get it done before everyone woke up so I wouldn’t have to disappear in the middle of the day to go running. I don’t want to miss out on the fun!
I LOVE running first thing in the morning. But wow, the night before a morning run, I cannot sleep AT ALL. I am too excited to get up and run, and I’ll actually have dreams about my morning run. And of course, last night, I was awake all night worrying about the rain (it stopped raining for one hour during our run – yay!).
I haven’t been getting quality sleep lately, at all. I keep waking up around 3:00 each night. And since I get up at 4:30, that is really messing with my sleep cycle during the week. Maybe I can fit a nap in this weekend!
Hi! I’m Kim, a 40-something-year-old living in northeastern Illinois with my husband Steven, and our cats, Khaleesi, Apollo, Starbuck, and Eddard aka Ned. My current main hobbies are running, painting rocks, flying, reading, and eating. I follow a vegan lifestyle and work in an account management role. I write about a variety of topics and consider this a “life” blog – a place I can share anything that’s on my mind. Please visit the “About” page to get a better idea of who I am! 🙂
