I Eat, Therefore I Run

Austin inspires me to run, I guess. Lots of food will do that to you ;). After a late night complete with IHOP pancakes, I cracked out another 6 miles today!

Pretty cloudy, but still nice and breezy

Unsure if I was going to run around Town Lake, but decided to go ahead and tried...

Soooo tired!

In retrospect, I probably shouldn't have run 6 miles two days after I ran 6 miles. It's a little much, considering I haven't really been running. But I went to a yoga class on the inbetween day, so that's the best I could have done.

I've had the best time in Austin so far - it hasn't rained and the weather has been pretty mild!

We don't want to leave!

After I ran, I treated myself to sangria and quinoa (not pictured - but it was AMAZING) with Sam, who left Austin today.

Getting photobombed at lunch with sangria

<3

 I'll miss you, Sam!

We're only about halfway through our trip- can't wait to see what else Austin has to eat ;)

I Love Austin

Helloooo, Austin!

We're staying at the Hilton near the Convention Center, which is right next to beautiful Town Lake. I got in on Saturday night and man the weather has been just beautiful so far. There was talk of rain but I haven't seen any yet!

We took a walk around Town Lake on Sunday and people watched, which is always fun.

Then we walked around a little downtown and found a fun mural.

:P

As I was watching all the people who were running around and biking - and I thought to myself, I really want to run. So on Monday, I did! The weather was AWESOME.

Near the halfway point

Sooo happy to be running in 70 degrees!!

It's true that I had a set number of miles to reach in my head, but I was trying to listen to my body and not push it too much. I got near where I felt like it was a good place to turn around, checked my mileage, and I had gone 2.6 miles. Well.. I couldn't just go 5.2 miles. I had to round it out! So I reached my goal of 6 miles!

You can see I was getting much more tired around the last two miles. I hadn't run that far since January 31st! As I was running I just kept thinking how nice it'll be when Seattle starts to be 70 and sunny all the time, until almost October. I miss summer so much!

My hip didn't really bother me that much, and I think running more regularly will help it strengthen and ultimately heal. As long as I keep doing yoga and pull back when I feel it really start to hurt, I think it'll be okay.

I rewarded myself later in the day with these Austin staples:

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Tiny Ice Cream at Amy's (the perfect size)

Mexican Martini at Trudy's... How I've missed you!

Austin is really a food-centric town, so there's not much to do that doesn't involved eating. So far, I've eaten at these restaurants: Pappasitos, Magnolia Cafe, La Condesa, Crave, Amy's Ice Cream, Whole Foods (the original!), The Tiniest Bar in Texas, Trudy's, and Double Dave's. (Links are there to just provide you with info on the restaurants, in case you're ever in Austin. I'm not being compensated for telling you about them.) And we've really only been here two and a half days. Whew! We really are eating machines. That's okay.. I'm on vacation, and having a great time.

I'd still like to go to Hula Hut, Salt Lick, La Barbecue, The Rainey Street Bars, Hyde Park Bar and Grill, Moonshine Patio Bar & Grill, and of course, Ken's Donuts.

I'm off to a yoga class at Wanderlust Yoga here in downtown - I'm excited to try it out!

10 Miles: Surprisingly Easy

I started this week fresh and anew.

Our engagement party on Friday night proved to be a little too much fun, and I was struggling all day on Saturday, feeling the lasting effects. I was supposed to run 10 miles, but the morning passed, the day went on, and I kept actively replacing the run in my mind throughout the day: after JW's concert, after dinner with friends, after we got home, that I would do it on the treadmill... I finally had to accept that running had officially left Saturday's agenda, and I would have to put it off for Sunday.

Even after my post yesterday, telling myself that it was okay if my plans changed, I still struggled with the feeling of being disappointed in myself for not just sucking it up and doing it. I was still struggling with allowing myself to recognize that I needed another rest day.

So, this morning, I set my alarm for 5:30, and reset it for an hour later. I work up at 6:30 feeling refreshed and ready. But I'm not gonna lie, I was nervous.

My fuel: a Think Thin Crunch bar, chocolate dipped mixed nuts. Yum! I also ate two Clif Shot Bloks: one at mile 3, and one at mile 6.

I got to the park a little before 7, and started my run slowly. I wasn't sure what my goal was - when I started, it was definitely just to finish. As I ran, I started to slowly speed up - my average speed, which I'm told every hour by my Nike Running app, was slowly decreasing. I decided to try and see if I could get the time to get smaller and smaller by every mile, but not to push it too much.

I ended up succeeding! Though it doesn't necessarily mean negative splits, I got pretty damn close. I can officially say that my body is used to conserving energy for the last couple of miles- hoorah!

During the run, I kept being surprised at how fast the miles were going by. I swear I would think that I'd have at least another .25 miles to go, but then my app would come on and tell me that I'd completed yet another mile. I love that feeling! I don't know what kind of mental state I was in, but I hope to duplicate it on the even longer runs. (Next week is 12 miles...ack!)

I felt good after the run - strong, and motivated. It was a beautiful morning, with the sun peeking out over the mountains behind me, and when I turned around, it hid behind the clouds to give me shade. The breeze was amazing, and I got to see a lot of people coming out for their Sunday morning walks. I really do like the mornings and need to remember that!

The rest of today was spent being lazy and attempting to eat not crap foods... even though I still ended up eating two halves of a Cupcake Royale cupcake. And Chipotle. OH WELL. C'est la vie! I ended today with rehearsal that got cut short, a FaceTime call with the future in-laws, and a short marathon of Friends episodes.

I'd say it's been a good day. :)

JW's starting Insanity today: ever tried it?

8 Miles Before a 5K, Because I'm Smart

I'm being pretty crazy today.

On a whim, I signed up for the Color Me Rad 5K here in Seattle, a few months ago before I knew I would be training for a marathon. Well, the day is here, and I'm supposed to run 8 miles today, as well. What's a girl to do? Run the 5K, and then run 8 miles afterwards? Run 5K, attribute that as part of my 8 mile quota for the day, and then run 5 miles sometime later in the day?

Nope. I decided to run 8 miles before the 5K. It remains to be seen if I'm very smart or actually just really, really, stupid.

Last night we went to Lot 3 to say goodbye to JW's sister, who had completed her internship and was leaving that night. I had two vodka punches with berry and mint in them (yum!), and some sliders, so I can't exactly say my dinner was healthy. I was a little worried that I didn't really fuel properly for my two runs today.

I ate a Luna Nutz Over Chocolate Bar, which was probably the most sugary bar I've eaten before a run.

This is actually MY picture! I know, you're shocked.

I also had a Shot Blok around the halfway point, my last one of the pack.

I did a little better than Monday's 8 miles, but not by much. At least I ended on a good note? I have this habit of starting runs on a downhill, so when I come back uphill it's usually around either the halfway point or the end mark. Yeah... probably not smart.

One thing I hate about running around a neighborhood is all the smokers I pass. I'm like... it's 6:30 in the morning and you're having a cigarette for breakfast?? Gross.

How can you help avoiding smokers on runs?

Wish me luck on the Color Run!!

7 Early Miles and the Longest Day Ever

Friday was KILLER.

My day started at 5:15am, waking up early so I could conquer a 7 mile run before I had to teach a tap workshop at 9am. I didn't eat anything beforehand, but I brought the Clif Shot Blok's with me to eat during the run. I got to the park so early that the police car was still parked doing overnight duty...! I passed a lot of bikers, so I wasn't alone, but it felt a little surreal that I was doing physical activity at 5:57am.

I saw exactly 4 cottontail bunnies and like, 20 geese. I'm actually getting kind of scared now that the geese will start to charge at me as I run towards them - they're known to be not very nice animals. I didn't see any deer today, and was a little disappointed but accepted it as a rare occurrence.

Of course, it started raining about 2 minutes into my run. I quickly shoved my iPhone holder under my sleeve so it wouldn't get wet - it was pure luck that I had decided to wear long sleeves. It soon started pouring, and really didn't let up until about Mile 4. Being in Seattle, I'm used to the rain- but lately we've had the most gorgeous weather, so I was a little bitter. I don't think I'm ready for summer to end just yet!

Obviously I didn't burn 1 Nike Fuel point. Fail, Nike.

I decided to run 2 miles out, 2 miles back one way; and 1.5 miles out, 1.5 miles back the other way. I did this to further split the 7 miles into something a little more manageable so early in the morning. After I ran 2 miles and turned around, I was feeling so unmotivated - I still saw, in my mind's eye, how far I still had to run (plus I knew I ruined my chances of all negative splits) and wanted to stop as soon as I passed my car, around Mile 4. But I didn't - I ate some Shot Bok's and kept going, looking for more wildlife (this is why I love running outside- so much to see!) and making up choreography to go with the music I was listening to (something else I do to keep my mind off of the running itself).

Other than that, the run was quite uneventful- just wet. It was a bittersweet end- I was happy that it was done with, but the run being finished with just meant that my day had just begun.

Damn 3rd mile.

I got home at 7:15, hopped in the shower, and was out by 7:30. I did about 30 minutes of work, and then started gathering my materials and food to pack for my day. I’d be out of our apartment and busy until late that night, so I needed to be prepared so I wouldn't be starving all day.

I packed: 1 banana, a cup of Fage 0% Greek Yogurt, 4 Belvita Apple Cinnamon Biscuits, 40g of pitted prunes, and 1 Power Crunch Bar (Vanilla flavor).

My tried-and-true breakfast!

The most delicious protein bar I've ever tasted. Source.

While I packed, I fixed myself some breakfast: a fried egg in between a toasted whole wheat English muffin that was spread with Laughing Cow Light White Cheddar cheese. I suppose I made my own little Egg McMuffin, minus the meat, and about 70 less calories.

YUM.

I was out the door by 8:45, and arrived at my tap workshop 15 minutes later. I taught three one hour classes to ages 5-10, and ate everything I packed except for the Power Crunch Bar.

Four hours later, I left to go to After Care. I set up everything and ate my Power Crunch Bar while I waited for the kids to show up. Four hours later, I was leaving again.

I left camp, driving home in the rain, and came home and ate the last of the homemade pizza (264 calories a slice) we had made the previous night- delicious! We quickly left our apartment to go to downtown Seattle to see Pirates of Penzance at 5^th Avenue Theatre.

We got there earlier than expected, and JW hadn't eaten yet, so we decided to go to Qdoba. Even though I had already eaten, everything smelled too good to pass up. 

I ended up getting a Naked Taco Salad (45 calories) and 2 Tacos (430 calories), along with a few bites of chips, queso, and guacamole. FINALLY feeling full, we went back to the theatre and thoroughly enjoyed the show! We've had a great time subscribing to the 5th and will definitely do so next season.

We got back to our apartment around 11, and I was about ready to DIE from exhaustion. I slept so good that night! I thought I certainly deserved a restful weekend. :)

Training Week #2

Hello again! I had a GREAT two rest days, spending some time at the mall primarily looking for a new sports bra. Unfortunately I ended up having to get it shipped (I will post a review later!) since they didn't have my size in store. I was also shopping for our upcoming NYC trip on Wednesday! More on that later!

Week #2 of training has officially started! I LOVE getting in my workout before noon. It just opens my whole day up.

I also love that I went running with the intention to not waste any time on laundry so it wouldn't turn into a Chandler-esque LAUNDRY ALL NIGHT - ALL NIGHT LAUNDRY! (I've been watching a lot of Friends recently, don't judge) and lo and behold, when I got back, the clothes were still turning in the washer! Yesss!! Now my sweaty self gets to handle freshly cleaned clothes. ...I may not have thought this all the way through.

Sorry I wore two different but very similar shades of green (you can see it peeking out in the picture above) - usually my sports bra and shirt color are much more coordinated. But it's laundry day! On top of that, blue sunglasses... and blue sneakers. Some days I just don't have it together, y'all.

Pre-workout fuel: My standard -

• 1 cup 0% Fage Greek Yogurt
• 4 Cinnamon Sugar Belvita Breakfast Biscuits
• 1 80g banana
• 60g Oatmeal

I ate this a little over 2 hours before my run, though, so can it even count as running fuel?

73 degrees felt nice, but in the sun it was waaaay too hot.

This was a decidedly easy run - even though that first 8'25'' does NOT look it. Most of the beginning was downhill, and I've said before that I have a big problem with starting out way too fast. I'm working on it! Also, the portion of the road that I was trying out ended up not having sidewalks on it, PLUS it was uphill, so I was silently cursing my planning.

Sooooo hot - but I did it! 

Post-workout: I drank this Lucerne "protein fortified dairy beverage" that has like 20g of protein. Granted, it also has 44g of SUGAR (yikes), but I mean, after running is the best time to drink this type of stuff anyways, right?? So there.

This is my last run in Washington, because on Wednesday we're going to NYC!! I plan to run in Central Park while I'm there, hopefully it won't be too terribly hot! But that's okay, since I'm from Texas, I can withstand the heat... right?

Can't wait to run in Central Park!

Do you like Friends? I find that people are in two different categories: Those Who Watch Friends, and Those Who Have No Interest In Friends. If you are in the latter, we probably won't be, ahem, friends.

Do you have a favorite POST-workout meal?

Chipotle is the Best Motivator

BOOM!

Perfect weather!

I got this close to getting those negative splits I've been aiming for. Alas - had I been 9 seconds faster, I would have nailed it! I really need to work on not going out too fast. Now, I know all those 8's may seem super slow to you speedy racers, but damn, that's fast for me. When I first started running, I started out at barely an 11 minute pace, and I yes yes I know you have to start somewhere, but usually anything under 9 min/mile is pushing it for me.

Knowing that a 5K is .1 miles longer, and basing it off the average time of 8'33" (fastest this week!!), my 5K time would have been about 26:34, which is faster than my very first Turkey Trot! And this wasn't even a race! And it was mostly uphill! This is how I felt afterwards:

Another picture of my sweaty face (and sweat stains) - again, you're welcome.

I'm definitely going to try to incorporate more hills into my runs to get ready for San Francisco. I'm eager for Nike to release the course map so I can adequately gauge how intensely I need to train on hills, but until then, I can just make it my goal to add as many hills as I can. Although, it must be said that this run didn't have many flats runs on it - mostly either uphill or downhill.

Before my run, I ate this:

http://www.larabar.com/products/chocolate-chip-cookie-dough

I'm not even sure if I can count that as my fuel source for my run, because I ate it about 3 hours before I went outside. I really wanted to go run earlier, but I kept pushing the time back because I felt tired and unmotivated.

Motivation is really becoming a problem for me - even just getting up out of my chair! Sometimes people say you just need to get dressed in your work out clothes and then it's automatic, but for me I just got dressed and then sat right back down and procrastinated some more.

By the time my boyfriend got home, I had migrated to lying on the couch in a lazy Friday afternoon haze. The only way he could coax me off the couch was by promising we would go to Chipotle when I got back from my run- boy did that get me out the door! What a great guy :). So, I could say it was the Larabar that made me run so fast... but it also might have been the promise of delicious Chipotle in my belly.

Well deserved and delicious chicken/steak salad! YUM.

So ends Week 1 of training! I have 2 rest days ahead of me that I'll be using to stretch and clean my damn apartment - I'll feel so much better after all of that is done!

Do you have a magic, pre-run bar/meal that you eat to ensure an awesome workout? 

First Marathon Training Run!

Finished my first official run of my marathon training this afternoon!

Fueling before the run:

• 1 cup Fage 0% Greek Yogurt
• 4 Belvita Breakfast Biscuits
• 40g pitted prunes (about 4 prunes)
• 1 Banana

Not pictured: Starbucks Venti Dark Roast, with Lucerne Sugar Free French Vanilla Coffee Creamer (about 5 tbsp).

I think the coffee was a bad idea – for one thing, I haven’t drank it in a little over a week, let alone have that much creamer. Usually I use only 2 tbsp, but because it was a venti and I was down to the bottom of the bottle, I decided it was a good idea to use all of it. NOPE. Just as I was getting ready to run, my stomach started gargling and I had to delay until I felt better. I also could have done without the banana or the prunes, not both – with the Belvita, it’s just too many carbs. My eyes were a little bigger than my stomach this morning. But that’s what this is about – trial and error!

Another mistake – I didn't have any water this morning. BIG no-no. I definitely need to remember to hydrate!

Ready to run!

My gear:

Sunglasses: I was trying out these Pugs Sunglasses and I decided that I absolutely love them. They're tight enough against my temple to not slide down the bridge of my nose, but not so tight that they give me a headache.

Arm Band: Rocketfish Mobile - Arm Band with Molded Case. I need to find a new case - I have tiny arms, and I'm always afraid it's going to slide down my arm.

Tank Top: 4Paix. I typically tend to favor cotton when I'm running.

Sports Bras: Yeah, I have to wear 2. That's a whoooole other post topic. I'm wearing a Champion Style N9500 compression bra (purple) underneath a Wacoal Sport Underwire Encapsulation bra (black), which seems to work pretty well. I need to find a new sports bra, though.

Pants: Reversible Champion Fitted Pant, no longer on their website - I'm sure I purchased it YEARS ago. I wouldn't be surprised if it was meant for yoga instead of running, but they're great running pants!

Socks: Fitsok CF2, lime green. I love these socks!

Shoes: Nike AirPegasus+ 29

These babies have about 220 miles on them!

This afternoon it was a BEAUTIFUL 65 degrees with a slight breeze. PERFECT running weather, so I was determined to run outside. (If I wait too long, I usually feel like I have to run on the treadmill). I didn’t want to run where I normally run – a small half-mile loop in the park – so I decided to just start running and see where I could go without being stopped by a light.

Where I usually run - 6 times around is 3 miles.

I decided to run towards the park but go right past it, and see where my legs carried me. I knew there was one long road that ran along Meydenbauer Bay (the area of water pictured) and sure enough, I found myself running along and getting wonderful views of the bay.

I really surprised myself with a 08:27 pace that first mile – usually I’m more of a 09:30 pace. Elevation (according to Nike) changed from 128 ft to 18 ft, and those downhills really helped. It definitely gave me a boost of confidence.

Even better surprise – about 14 seconds faster! At a 08:13 pace, I knew I couldn’t keep that up through the end, because I knew I had for all the downhills I was cruising on, I would eventually have to run uphill. I was mentally prepared for it, though. At the halfway mark, after watching police pull a car over (for some reason I love witnessing that), I turned around to head back.  

I was ready for this change – at 09:41, this is my typical pace. There was a killer hill at 2.5 miles that I had to stop to walk up, since I wasn’t going any faster running, and another slope uphill from 2.6-2.8 miles. Plus I had tired myself out from running so fast at the beginning that I knew I was bound to slow down at some point.

Total time: 26:31 at 8’41’’ average pace

After my run! Hook 'em!

Overall, I’m very happy with my first run! Of course I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t keep up my pace for the third mile, but because it was a new course and because I started out way too fast, it was inevitable. One of my goals for this training, in addition to simply mileage, is to always finish my runs strong. Gotta start early!