Sunday Short

Workout:
~Reservoir run, 3.5miles
~Marathon miles - 25

It's been a crazy week, hence lack of posts, but I have added in the running I did do earlier to my total. The hubs has departed for the next 2 months to Turkey. Had my pity party on Friday after he left. Thankfully I was on call this weekend, so that kept me somewhat busy. My parents and brother are coming to visit for the week tomorrow, so even more craziness. I was pretty proud of myself for getting up at 6:15 on a Sunday morning to run before I had to go in and round. I had hoped to go further, but the pager was already going off. I'm learning even if I only get a few miles in, it will do nothing but help. I also learned it is still muggy as hell at 6:45am and you will get awesome armpit sweat marks. And people would keep looking at your beet red face wondering if you're going to croak. Or maybe that's just me...

Battling the Bad Thoughts

Workout:
~Wednesday: Rest - My Birthday!
~Thursday: 4 miles
~Marathon Miles: 16.25

Wednesday was my birthday! I am officially old. Well, I guess not really, but I did celebrate my 3rd 27th birthday. I took the day off from running/working out, mostly because there truly was not any time in the day and I didn't think running on a full stomach of delicious gourmet Thai food and 2 glasses of wine sounded like the greatest idea known to man. I may also have been in a slight diabetic coma, since my office manager made me the greatest German chocolate cake in history. It was a good day.

My post-birthday present today was another 6:30am run with my ortho peeps in the books. Lindsay, Neil, and I are the unofficial ortho running club. I cannot tell you what a great motivator it is to know that someone is counting on you to show up and run. The run today was gorgeous. Bright blue skies, high-50's, and only 2 near-death experiences. Neil was almost run over by some jerk blowing through a stop sign; I nearly collided with a biker who thought jumping off of his bike right in front of me on the sidewalk seemed like a perfectly reasonable thing to do. I think if Lindsay had been chased by a dog, we would have had the trifecta. But despite the excitement, we ran 4 miles in about 40 minutes and  I didn't completely want to keel over. Not a bad start to the day.

I do love having people to run with, but I will confess, I get a lot of anxiety about it. Not so much now with these particular friends now that I've run with them a few times. However, in general, I have found I prefer to run by myself mainly because I get so stressed out and worried about my pace slowing down the people I'm running with. I also get into a bad cycle of comparing my abilities to their's and wondering "why can't I run as fast as them?" or "if I can't keep up with 3 miles, how will I ever run 26.2?" And, I have the fear of looking stupid. Yes, this is very bad. There was an article in  Runner's World that discussed the mental aspect of running. There are books written on this subject, but the article was a nice read and gave some good tips on how to combat this. I tried to use some positive mental speak with myself when I felt some of those thoughts creeping in today on our run. I think for me, the mental aspect is going to be the most difficult aspect of training. The article discussed having a mantra or words to say to yourself if you're feeling down. I thought maybe I could say "Beer is at the finish?"  Maybe I'll work on that one :)

 

Birthday Eve

Workout:
~3.25 mile run, approx 32 minutes
~Marathon Miles: 12.25

I DID NOT want to get out of bed this morning. At all. Not even a little. Not even with the sunshine. But I did. 95% of the reason I went is because I knew Lindsay and Neil were going to be there too. And they drive much further to get to work where we met to start than I do. So I sucked it up, threw on my gym clothes, and off to work I went. The weather was perfect and I'm really beginning to love running around Cambridge. There are so many little things I've never noticed while driving through that you get to see while running. I love reading all of the plaquards on the buildings telling me why it was important or what famous person did that it's named after.

The only major bummer of the run was the fact that about at mile 1.4, my left hamstring felt like a rubberband about to snap. I had my running pals go on without me so I could stretch. After a few minutes of stretching, it felt better. It didn't start to act up again until the very end. I polled some of my coworkers on some hamstring stretches. I need to spend more time stretching, especially after my runs. The physical therapists I talked to while I was rounding also mentioned that. This will be a must-do.

After a horrendous day at actual work, it's always nice to come home to a nice, home-cooked, lobster dinner. Wicked awesome benefit of living in the Northeast: cheap lobster. Even better: husband who knows how to cook it! Our friend Alexia is visiting for a few days, so we decided to bust out the lobster pot. Our little friends were so tasty, we ate them too quickly for me to snap a picture. But trust me, they were delicious! Paired with a salad, pretty healthy too! (I declined the drawn butter for dipping...trying to be healthy here!)

And for dessert...as I previewed in yesterday's post...Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp! I found this recipe in my usual way, searching blogs and stumbled upon this great, somewhat healthier version. Honey is used to sweeten up the rhubarb and strawberry mix. I didn't have cornstarch, so I substituted in brown rice flour. It was the perfect mix of sweet and tart, but not overly sweet like a lot of crisps tend to be. It also had just the right amount of topping to give it a little crunch, but not bog down the fruit. And it's perfect for breakfast with some greek yogurt :)

Monday, Monday...

Workouts:
~Friday: Racquetball - 1 hour
~Saturday: Elliptical - 45 minutes
~Sunday: Rest
~Monday: Rest
~Marathon Miles: 9

I would like to know where my weekend went. It was so full of fun that it literally flew by! Lot's of friend time: lunch with Lindsey and her beautiful baby girl, celebrating Lindsay's 30th birthday, and an early birthday dinner for me with our friends Megan and Nick at the amazing Myers and Chang (pretty much freaking amazing...I'll have to do a little blurb in another post. With pics. Because I forgot to take them. Again.)

It was whirlwind, but so much fun! And I did manage to get my workouts in. On Friday, the hubs and I played racquetball. A great sprint-type cardio workout. I was a sweat ball. Aside from losing and getting hit in the ear with the ball and losing my hearing for a few minutes, it was a good time. Saturday, I REALLY didn't want to work out. I was a lazy ass for all intensive purposes. And my back hurt from sleeping funny (add to workout needs - core strengthening). But I went. And it felt GREAT. I'm finding how much I look forward to my workouts. I just feel like such a nicer human being afterwards. I know the hubs appreciates that.

I am sorry for the lack of pictures or interesting things on this post. I am trying a strawberry-rhubarb crisp this evening, so look forward to hearing about that tomorrow! AND I have another fun run in the morning with Lindsay. I know you are all on the edge of your seats.  But until then, GO BRUINS!

Long Day, Short Post

Workout:
~3 mile fun run with Lindsay
~Marathon miles: 9

Sorry folks, this is going to be short and sweet. This may have been one of the longest days ever. I stayed up way too late last night watching the Bruins/Blackhawks Stanley Cup final game. I only made it through the 2nd OT, since I had to get up early today to meet Lindsay for our 6:30am run. It took everything in me to drag my butt out of bed. However, knowing she would be waiting there for me definitely gave me the motivation to physically pull my eyelids open and get moving. Once we got running, I was SO happy we did it. This morning was perfect; cool and sunny. And at that time in the morning, not too busy on the streets of Cambridge. We left from the hospital and chatted all the way to Harvard Square. Normally, I listen to my music and chug along, but it was great having someone to talk to and the miles ticked off relatively easily. We're aiming to make this a weekly ritual, which would be perfect for my short mid-week runs. That, and it starts my day off on such a great note. Even as exhausted as I am from a horrendous clinic day, I still have some positive running cheeriness left at the end so as not to totally hate everyone, ha! Running is awesome!

A very veggie Hump Day

Workout:
~Reservoir Run, 3 miles, approx 31 minutes
~Marathon Miles: 6

Back to back runs, whoot! I can't remember the last time that happened. It's been a LONG time to say the very least. I got to run outside today since it was glorious weather, sunny and a little cool (i.e. 65 degrees). I even saw a rainbow at the reservoir! So beautiful. The run felt good. After yesterday, I wasn't sure if my hamstring would be very happy since the treadmill irritated it. But I had no aches or pains, just my usual gasping for breath. I'm beginning to think a) stretching really does help, and b) the treadmill really does not like me.

I have another 3 miler on the schedule for tomorrow morning. I'll be meeting my friend Lindsay at 6:30am for a run around Cambridge/Harvard before work. I'm looking forward to having someone to meet and run with! I'm still not super into running with people yet. I just feel so slow and don't want to slow anyone down and more ridiculously, I don't want to look like a dork. My psyche and I are working on changing this.

After my run, Gary and I made the yummiest dinner - raw pad thai! I was inspired to find a recipe after seeing a picture of Lianne's showing a raw pad thai in a restaurant she went to. I decided it looked delicious and I had to try.  I searched several sites until I found a recipe I liked on the blog "The Sweet Life." We didn't stray much from the actual veggie components, but Gary made several alterations to their sauce.  It was ridiculously good, as in, I could eat this every day good. Glad we doubled the recipe (the one I posted below is for 4 servings)! Looking forward to my leftovers for lunch and hopefully a mandolin for my birthday; 20 minutes of zucchini julienning is too much! :)

Raw Pad Thai

Adapted from The Sweet Life

2 large zucchinis

2 carrots, peeled and shredded

4 green onions, chopped

1 bag bean sprouts

1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

1/2 red pepper, thinly sliced

Juice of 1 1/2 limes

Chopped peanuts, extra cilantro and green onions for garnish

Sauce

4 tbsp SunButter

3 tbsp tamari

2 tbsp coconut oil, melted

3 tbsp chopped cilantro

Juice of 1 lime

1 large jalapeno, finely chopped

Julienne or use a mandolin to cut the zucchini into thin noodles. Add to a bowl with shredded carrots, green onions, bean sprouts, cilantro, peppers, and lime juice. Toss to mix and set aside.

Mix ingredients for sauce together. Pour over veggie pad thai to coat.

Plate pad thai. Sprinkle peanuts, cilantro, and green onions for garnish. Eat a lot; it's healthy!

 

    

First (Running) Day of Marathon Training!

Workout:
~Treadmill Run: 3miles, 10:20/mile
~Training miles: 3 miles

Although yesterday was the OFFICIAL start of marathon training, today was the first day of actual running. I was actually pretty excited to start. I'm looking forward to the challenges, physically and mentally. Please remind me I wrote this later in the summer when I'm running 7 miles before work at 5am. But all kidding aside, I am happy to begin this chapter and to push myself. It also helped that I had my brand new kicks to try out today:

My awesome shoes - Brooks Ariel's (Size 11, i.e. ginormous)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I went and got fitted for these shoes at Marathon Sports. I want to make sure I have the correct footwear for me before I start pounding the pavement. This has also been the recommendation of several books I've read and many of our running friends as well. I had hoped to have taken them out on the first run outside, but since the torrential downpours have returned, the treadmill got the honors.

This is my first pair of Brooks and I already love them! They feel like little pillows on my feet. They're not ultra-light, but I think the fact that my feet were cushioned in the right spots made me feel like they're lighter than they are. Since I have such flat feet, I not only need some arch support, which is built into the shoe, but an extra layer of support, which helps to increase stability. Unfortunately, when you have flat-feet, the motion in the middle of your foot can increase, changing the alignment of your leg. This can lead to foot, ankle, knee, and hip problems. All things you do not want to have while training to run 26.2. The other great part about this particular shoe is that I probably won't need to put in orthotics. I'll be able to tell once I've run more in them, but so far, I'm smitten.

70 more training runs to go!

Touristing in Boston

Workout:
~Today: 0 miles, Rest Day
~Saturday: 2.5miles

 Today is the official start of Marathon Training! Which means, I get to rest! Who can be upset with a training schedule that starts that way? The running begins tomorrow. I will savor this moment, because I don't have a whole lot of them over the next 18 weeks.

This past weekend was a blur of awesomeness. One of my favorite people in the whole world and her hubs (another one of my favorites!) came to visit us in Boston. How much fun could you have in one weekend? We found out!  Despite torrential downpours, we hit up the Harpoon Brewery and their new beer hall in the Seaport District for some beer tasting and pretzels (the maple iced glaze something or other dip was out of this world).

 

A little rain didn't let us down as we had dinner in the North End and picked up the ever-so-famous Mike's Pastry cannoli's. Sorry, I am a fail and do not have a picture. Don't worry, I go there often enough, one will make it onto this blog before the end of the summer.

On Saturday the rain lifted! I even got a nice little 2.5 mile run around BC's campus in before we headed downtown. Our first stop, Marathon Sports on Boylston Street. Did I forget to mention all of us are runners? 45 minutes later, we all walked out with new running shoes. I must say, this is the first time I've actually been fitted for running shoes and it was the best idea ever. Since I work in orthopaedics, I know quite a bit. However, being not the most seasoned runner, my medical knowledge does not necessarily translate to shoe knowledge. Enter Marathon Sports Salesman. He was so knowledgeable and explained everything, from my freaking flat feet (this was not news to me) to why the Brooks Ariel shoes he fit me with provided me with the most stability (good and helpful news). For all of you flat foot people out there, you need stability shoes. Maybe not quite to the level of my messed up feet, but the low arch shoes aren't going to cut it and your ankles are going to rock around like crazy and your knees will hurt and you will basically fall apart and combust. Well, maybe not quite like that but the whole "your thigh bone's connected to the shin bone" song is actually based on a true story.

After the store, we saw the finish line as well as the memorial dedicated to the victims of 4.15.13. I had not been to it since the bombings happened and was definitely very touched. It's a wonderful place to reflect and see how much this tragic event touched so many people. There will be a permanent memorial at some point, but I kind of find this one more meaningful.

We spent the  evening wandering the sites of Boston. Here's a few pics:

Sunday was baseball day! Fenway is everything it's cracked up to be. Love coming to this ballpark! And we got to see a Red Sox win! A perfect day with close friends. I don't think I could ask for more.

Run, turtle, run

Workout:
~2 miles, wicked slow

Yes, wicked slow is a speed. I just wanted to get a quick run in tonight to do something since it was so glorious outside! Low 70's and sun, that is my perfect weather. I had a nice little evening jaunt in the neighborhood (I'm on call, so I couldn't stray too far from home tonight). It felt good, but man, am I out of shape! Great starting point for training I suppose. I didn't try to go like a speed demon even though it was a short run since I think the last time I ran was just before I left for Europe. Last month. The beginning of last month. Yes, I realize this is sad. But now, I just need to run 2 miles 13 times and I totally have this marathon done!

I checked the weather for tomorrow, 70's and sunny. 50's and sun in the am for my run! I'm almost excited to get up at 5:30 to run!  I am looking forward to trying out my new running knee-length tights. I have not yet gotten to feeling great about wearing shorts while running (yet another goal on my list), so I'm trying to use capri's, etc. I've not tried the knee-length before, so a whole new wardrobe adventure is on the horizon.  What do you like to wear when you run? Any favorite brands worth mentioning?

It's 10:30 and I've not yet eaten dinner. Should probably cram some of the delicious, fresh produce we bought at the Haymarket Square Farmer's Market on Saturday in my mouth before I head off to bed. I'm thinking green beans and apricots (not together of course!).

Back to life, back to reality

Why hello there! I apparently have gone 1 full month without a single post. I do apologize for that. Part of the reason is I kind of suck at blogging. The bigger and cooler part is that I was in Europe with my hubs for 2-1/2 weeks! A majority of May was spent sightseeing, eating, and drinking our way through Normandy and Paris (France), Zurich (Switzerland), Prague (Czech Republic), and Munich and Berlin (Germany). It was the trip of a lifetime! And now I get to cross off one of my 30 before 30's - go to Europe! A few pics from the trip:

Prague at night from the Charles Bridge

The Eiffel Tower, Paris

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin

Amazingly, I did not gain any weight on my trip. How this occurred while drinking 1.5L of beer a day and eating sausages, chocolates, and more bread than I would ever care to admit to, I haven't the faintest idea. If it was bad for you, I ate it. I drank every day for 19 days. And I enjoyed every freaking minute of it. We also did not workout. At all. We did walk a ton and took several bike tours, although when you stop at a beer garden in the middle, I guess that wipes out your biking calories burned. We just wanted to enjoy ourselves and not worry.

Beer tasting at the Prague Beer Museum

Swiss Truffles and Pralines. Life-changing.

So now we're back...back to life, back to reality. Yes, I hope you have that song stuck in your head now like I do. I definitely have my work cut out for me. This week, I make my triumphant return to the gym and more importantly, I begin marathon training! I'm still tweaking a few things, but I think I'm going mostly by the Hal Higdon training program. And since I'm going to be for reals training, lot's and lot's of blog posting to be happening. I know you are excited. I actually am too.