Mardi Gras and Lent

Yep. It is that time of year again! Lent! I just ate a chocolate chip muffin to celebrate. Yes. I know. BAD. 40 days of being good to come, I swear! At the last minute, I have decided (finally) what I am giving up for Lent this year. I am giving up eating more than 2000 calories/day and I'm going to log it. By 'day' I mean from 12:00am to 11:59pm. Let the log begin! Wish me luck! Oh. I should probably mention that Sundays don't "count" as part of the 40 days, so it is either ~46 days or Sundays are "freebies", but I'll see how I feel on Sunday =)

Log for week of 2/19-2/25

Sunday: 148.5 (San Clemente)
12 miles: Ran with Katherine in Rancho Santa Fe, we started out fast and then I died on the hills. I was stiff to start out because of the hills and track workout yesterday and Katherine is in MUCH better shape. ugh. My butt hurts. I just couldn't hang on the hills. Pretty run and very peaceful. There were a ton of fast runners out there, wow! 98 minutes (which probably isn't 12 miles as I was probably running 9+ min/miles the last hour, but it felt like 20).

Gatorade Rain [150], Breakfast burrito [800], Endangered Species dark chocolate with raspberries (some of the best chocolate, yum! You can buy it at Whole Foods, but I found this in the Natural Section of Vons) [100], some bean chips and hummus [150], curry with rice [500], little penguin cabernet [150]

Monday:149.5 (San Clemente)
7 miles: Ran to middle school track along beach, 6 strides, back to apartment along El Camino

Rest of Gatorade [50], curry (for breakfast, I know)[200], Dreyers' chocolate chip cookie dough in a waffle cone [400], curry at a restaurant and pad thai [1000], non-fat decaf mocha [200], starbucks brownie [450]

Tuesday: 150.5
DNR sick.

Oatmeal with brown sugar [500], homemade noodle and veggie soup [600], chocolate [200]

Wednesday: forgot to weigh, I think
Jogged to track to meet Dave, probably 10 min miles (30 min wm), 2 strides, 1x800 at what felt like 5k pace but it wasn't =( (3:23)


==============
Well, I have been sick since that Monday. Didn't get any more log notes in and I don't really remember. I've been in a fog, but I'm feeling better. Unfortunately, it moved to my lungs and running has been a no-show. I tried during lunch today, but no luck. I'm going to try again tomorrow morning when my lungs are clearer.

Log for week of 2/12-2/18

Friday: 150.5 (149 after run)
9 miles: Stanford Dish Loop from house (80:54) saw David on the loop and ran with him for a bit.

BOM (Big 'ol Mocha) *lol* [200], cream of wheat with a truffle in it (yes, that was chocolate, yum! There wasn't any other good sugar around) [200], banana [100], curry lentils and veggies [300], salad [100], "cheesecake" w/ strawberry topping [200], TJ's chocolate square [70], fun-size crunch bar [100], fun-size mazing bar [100], gatorade bar [250], some scotch tastes (ick. puke.) [70], yogurt [140], cherrios and soy milk [200], oatmeal [200], cheese and pita chips [600], garden burger [350] = [3180]

Saturday: 154 before I left (at 4am), less (150 or so) when I got to San Clemente.
11.5 miles: 3.5 mile warmup, 5 strides, 4x1600 with about 500 jog because I had to run in lane 4 on the HS track. (7:11,7:03,6:59,6:46) 27 minute cool down uphill.

Went for an afternoon short hike to the top of the hills.

Nutri-Grain bar [140], crepe w/ potatoes, cheese, onions, and I don't remember but it was neat. [600?], Nature Valley soft granola bar [140], beans, rice, cheese and 3 corn tortillas [800?], margarita [250?] = [1950]

Urg. I fell apart.

Last week, I fell apart after Thursday. But, I weighed 148.5 on Monday. Probably a fluke though. This week my goal has been to not eat at my desk(s). I've been pretty successful so far, but I think it is just making me eat more in one sitting... Next week, I'll try a condensed version of my log. I'll put the foods in one line with commas, and I'll add to the same post throughout the week, republishing. I'm also going to try to drink at least 2 liters of water every day. In fact, I'll start tomorrow with the log.

Tonight for dinner I had spinach salad, cheerios w/ soy milk and 2 TJ's cookie dough frozen cookies.

Morning Weight: I don't remember. 152? 150? I forget.
Miles Today: None - it was cold outside and my bed was warm. It'll be colder tomorrow and I'm going to do the run I didn't do today... brr.
Other Exercise: None - went out to a birthday lunch.
Total Miles this Week: Urg. hold on... I'll add them up. 12+6+3+7.5+3+8.5+0=40 (planning to do 13 tomorrow and 10 on Sat.)

Thursday Log

9 miles: Stanford Dish Loop, 78:36, felt pretty good, a little hamstring tiredness, almost hit by a car... This was the closest I'd ever been to being hit. I was running on the right side of the road so I could cross and turn right at the end of the crosswalk. The street is two lanes in both directions. The green man says I can run across. One car sits at the red light in the closest lane, but the far lane is open. As I pass the stopped car, an SUV slows down for the light and stops in the far lane (California style). At this point I am right in front of the SUV. I hear the engine rev and I yell, "AAAAAAaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Holy S#$%!" with my right arm out in a running-back pose and I swing wide. She slams on the breaks. If she hadn't stopped, I would have been a dent in her hood. Good thing I leave a "safety cushion" from cars when I run. Motorcyclists do that too. Stupid SUVs.

oatmeal w/ cranberries and brown sugar
2 hard-boiled egg whites
strawberries and pineapple
latte - decaf
chocolate frenzy (5 hershey nuggets, 2 fun-size peanut m&ms, 2 TJs squares)

The sugar frenzy just got worse from here...

Morning Weight: 151.5
Miles Today: 9
Other Exercise: None
Total Miles this Week: 47.5

Wednesday Log

10 miles: 30 min warm up, 4 strides, 5 x (3min on/off) on Junipero and Stanford Ave, 22 min cool down
3.5 miles: easy second run around complex w/ co-workers(29:39)

oatmeal with cranberries and brown sugar
Powerade w/ soda
mocha
pineapple and cantelope
earl grey tea
2 hard-boiled egg whites
salad w/ beans
chinese veggie soup
veggies and broth
chocolate TJ's square
bite-size milky way caramel
egg-salad sandwich
mocha
bite-size krackel bar
gatorade bar - chocolate chip
bread with cheese
cheerios w/ soy milk

Morning Weight: 151.5
Miles Today: 13.5
Other Exercise: None
Total Miles this Week: 38.5

Tuesday Log

7.5 miles in morning around Stanford w/ David ~61 minutes, up part of dish loop and around the back to Alpine.

Oatmeal w/ brown sugar and cranberries
fresh pineapple
2 hard-boiled egg whites
Nestle hot chocolate w/ decaf coffee
bagel w/ cream cheese
curried veggies, rice, cabbage salad and half a pita
bread pudding w/ sauce
tomato lettuce and cheese sandwich on whole wheat
fun size mazing bar
square dark TJ's chocolate
Gatorade bar
Pitas with roasted veggies, misc mediterranean toppings

Morning Weight: 151.5
Miles Today: 7.5
Other Exercise: Weights
Total Miles this Week: 25

Monday Log

7 miles. ~58 minutes. Loop through Stanford, stiff right hammy. Tried one stride and ended up doing some walking drills.

Oatmeal with brown sugar and dried cranberries
fresh pineapple
2 hard-boiled egg whites
nestle hot-chocolate w/ decaf coffee
Nature Valley chewy granola bar
salad
spaghetti with roasted veggies
fun size mazing bar
dark chocolate square (TJs)
maple yogurt
bowl cold cereal
pria mint chocolate bar
spinach salad
pasta
bread w/ cheese

Morning Weight: 151.5
Miles Today: 7
Other Exercise: None
Total Miles this Week: 17.5

Sunday Log

10.5 miles: 3 mile warm up to/around Palo Alto HS track, 5 strides, 4x1600 w/ 400 jog recovery (6:51,7:04,7:00,6:53), 2 mile cool down

Cherrios w/ soy milk
chips and 7-layer dip
fuzzy navel wine cooler
veggies
2 vodka/sprites
garden burger and bun
2 mint milano cookies
2 chocolate chunk cookies
Cherrios w/ soy milk

Morning Weight: 151.5
Miles Today: 10.5
Other Exercise: Super Bowl Cheering?
Total Miles this Week: 10.5

What a procrastinator - New Week Resolutions

Oh man, it took me forever to catch up to my blog. I'm really going to try to post more often. At the end of the season, I weighed about 145. I got my cast off right after Thanksgiving and proceeded to make the same mistakes I did last year by not waking up early in the morning to go on my runs. It was dark and cold and wet. My bed was warm and dry. That decision-- "I'll run later,"-- seems SO appealing in the morning when you are groggy. Unfortunately, it was still dark and cold and wet when I got home from work and when you are exhausted from working all day, it is just as appealing to have dinner and crash as it is to stay in bed in the morning. Thus, I only ran about 4 days a week in December and the beginning of January. I did run every day when I had time off work though the week after Christmas.

If I weigh myself now, I'm probably 152 or something. =( It is the end of the day... hold on... 154.5 OUCH. Poop.

So, I'm terrible at New Year's Resolutions. I didn't make any this year. On the other hand, I have been making "New Week's Resolutions." Today is the end of the second week. I'm having a great deal of success. A week is so much less daunting than a year. Two weeks ago, my resolution was to wake up every morning and go running. I accomplished that and I'm so proud of myself. I even barely made it to work before 9 almost every morning. (They serve breakfast until 9 at work and then take it away). Last week my resolution was non-athletic related, so I won't post it here, but I still woke up 4 out of 5 days, and my excuse for the morning I didn't run was that I was really sore the day before, not that it was cold and wet. It has helped that the sun is finally rising earlier, the rain is only falling in the afternoon, and the cloud-cover has warmed the mornings. But I digress.

Next week's resolution:
Keep a running/food journal. I will post what I eat, drink and run this next week, Sun-Sat. I'd better behave, huh?

Nationals 2005 Rochester

Rochester was beautiful at the end of November. The air was crisp; the trees were naked; all the leaves were sitting on the hard ground waiting to be crunched. It was awesome. Goals for the race: 1) Run a faster pace than PA's. 2) Don't get last. 3) Break 26 minutes. My co-workers thought that my second goal was stupid. "You're not going to get last." they said. That's what they thought. This is Nationals, not a fun run. My race was at 1pm which is the same as 10am my time. I didn't try to acclimate to the new timezone because most of my races for the season were around 10, so it was perfect to go to bed at 12:30am and wake up at 8:30am every morning. (We had been there since Thursday and the race was on Saturday.)

The 6k course was 2.5 loops of flat and a few rolling hills on grass, with some muddy parts. It cut across an asphalt trail 4 times each loop. Despite that, I decided to wear spikes... cross-country spikes. I think they were over 1/2" long. I had never worn long spikes for a cross-country race before... They turned out GREAT! That was an awesome decision. Running across the asphalt wasn't a problem as the spikes seems to sink right into it, and my grip on the soggy grass was excellent. I took turns without even worrying about slipping. Ahhhhhh.... Next year, I just need to remember to buy Asics spikes... I felt a little guilty about wearing Nike while representing Asics. Well, maybe that's why I finished so far back.... ;) Speaking of finishing, I met my goals. My time was 25:52, my pace was 6:56, and I finished 9th from last, beating 8 people. Heh.

Next season, nationals is at Golden Gate, which is the same course as PA's. (see previous post).

PA's/Regionals 2005

Wheeee! My goal for this meet was to break 30 minutes and hopefully beat my time from the beginning of the season by at least a minute. And my guesses in this post were untrue about the second log. But really, I was just going to run hard because I didn't know how much my cast was going to affect me. From the start to the finish, this was an elbow-licious race. I really tried not to hurt anybodies elbows with my hard cast, so my swing was in constant adjustment. I'm way too nice. I should have just cracked their elbows for getting too close.

Well, the cool thing was that I achieved both my goals! And, I beat a Nike Farm Team gal. Those ladies are elite and it is nice to know that I'm getting closer to that level. I ended up 124th, and I'd love to finish in the top 100 next year. We'll see how track season goes.