lazy legs

This Monday was my first run since the 20-miler. So weird- I hadn't taken that long of a break from running since... idk, October? It was really nice though. Between work, school, and family time last week, the only workout I got to was Wednesday's spin class. The biggest time suck of last week though?- MGB. I spent the last four months planning a Mardi Gras Ball and now that it's over (it happened on Friday), I feel like I have so much more time on my hands! It turned out to be a great event. The DJ was great, the live bands were great, the food was AWESOME, the photo booth was super fun, the professional photographer seemed to be doing a good job (we'll see when I get my picture back!), and I think it was fun for everyone to get dressed up and celebrate. I'm happy that it went so well and that it is behind me.

Carolina John had suggested that I up the pace on my shorter runs. I think I'm going to focus on that this week. I'm not sure if that's a great idea so late in the game, but running faster gets it over with quicker 8)
Yesterday, I ran 6 miles at a 9:30 pace. I was so much faster earlier in my  marathon training... I'm looking at my training log and I did the same run in November at a 8:59 pace. I don't like that. Is it because I shifted my focus from speed to distance? Yes, my capacity for endurance has vastly increased since November, but why should that change how I perform in shorter runs? I've got another five or six mile run this afternoon before class. Hoping that my lazy legs will carry me to a < 9:30 pace!
Spin class yesterday was rough again. I don't know what it is...  I felt weak and kind of nauseous in the second half of class and almost thought about cutting out early. Is this my body punishing me for taking last week off? Okay body, I'm sorry!!! Now can we get our shit together and wrap up these last 2 1/2 weeks before the marathon??!

On a lighter note, my mom posted this on my Facebible wall yesterday:

Is she saying I ought to drink more? Thanks, Mom 8)

study break

It's been a crazy, crazy week. I cannot believe that it is already Wednesday. I drove back to Mobile this afternoon and I have this icky feeling in my stomach... I hate being here when my awesome family is hanging out with baby Lily without me. But I definitely had to come home. I had already missed three days of work and two classes and my cats were basically starving to death, so it's good that I'm back.

This is week one of my epic FOUR WEEK taper. It was supposed to be three weeks long, but I knew I wouldn't be able to get my 20-miler in this coming weekend so it was either four weeks of tapering or two weeks of tapering. Most people thought that I ought to train on the conservative side, this being my first jaunt into marathoning. This week is pretty shot for me, because of family time and Friday's Mardi Gras Ball and more family time, but I did manage a spin class tonight and I am planning a 10-mile run with Hans while he's here this weekend. I figure I kind of owe it to him, seeing as he was flying all this way to run a 1/2M in St. Pete. (We decided against making the trip so that we can spend time with my family. Priorities!)

Spin was kind of rough tonight. I don't know if I'm still fatigued from my run on Saturday, or just feeling shitty because of all the bad food I've eaten since this weekend (I was POOPED after being up all night at the hospital on Sunday and indulged in a Baconator on Monday... my first fast food of the new year!). After class, a bunch of people came up to me and asked how my marathon training was going. My first thought was, "Damn! I need to stop telling people about this! Now they all have expectations!" but really, it was kinda neat. Except for one of the guys I chatted with who is a very experienced long distance runner and cyclist and has run something like 30 marathons. He asked me how my 20-miler went and I have to say... I was pretty embarrassed to tell him. IT TOOK ME FIVE HOURS. He started doing the math out loud for what kind of pace I was running and I started making excuses "it was hilly, I had a cold/flu-thing, my legs were already tired, etc." All in all, not a very uplifting conversation. But he was nice about it and tried to be encouraging and I know it will motivate me to know that I have people that I am kind of sort of accountable to. I'm the kind of person who likes to keep goals a secret because I hate to let people down almost as badly as I hate to let myself down. Maybe it's time for me to nut up a bit.

Anyway, back to studying :-/

Baby girl!

I meant to write about a few things over the weekend. Let me just breeze through the highlights so I can cut to the awesome part :)

1) Finished my final long training run for the marathon! I ran 20 miles from Daphne, through Montrose and Fairhope, to Point Clear, and then back to Fairhope. I wanted to show a map of this run because I'm pretty proud of it, but I'm blogging from my phone and that might be a bit much for this ol' iPhone to handle. The run was TOUGH. Much harder than my previous long runs and I think that was partially due to the awesome hills of the Eastern Shore and maybe the 16 mi run that I did less than a week before this one. My friend Sam ran the last half of the run with me and thank goodness, because I really needed the company! Now I just have to heal up and maintain my fitness for the marathon on March 4th!

2) I ate a lot of amazing food this weekend. Xiaobin and Melissa came to Mobile and we hit up this incredible jazz brunch on Sunday morning. Here is a list of things that I ate: eggs Benedict, bananas foster French toast, lasagna (such an amazing breakfast item), king cake pastries (almost choked on one of the babies), scrambled eggs, bacon, and a waffle. If you think this is stupid excessive, allow me to offer an excuse. I was pretty nauseous and icky all day Saturday (after my run) so this was the first real meal I had in 24hrs. I enjoyed the hell out of it.

3) I watched the Super Bowl last night (duh) and came home and chatted with my Hans about our plans for St. Pete next weekend. We were really looking forward to running the 1/2M but not sure what to do because my sister was looking like she might be ready to go into labor sometime soon. Seconds after I got off the phone with Hans, Joann called me and told me that her water broke! I threw some stuff in a backpack and arrived in Slidell, LA at around 2am. I was really scared of what it would be like in the deliery room and what my sister would be like but the atmosphere was not chaotic at all; it was very quiet and focused. It was such a blessing to see my sister and brother in law work as a team to deliver our baby girl. I was floored by how strong and serene my beautiful sister was through her labor and how nurturing and encouraging Ben was to Joey. I wanted to step in and hold Joann's hand and help her push an be part of the action, but it was Ben and Joann's show and all they needed was each other. Lily McCrae was born at 6:05am today. She is such a precious thing! She's goofy like her daddy and sweet and good-natured like her mommy. She's nursing beautifully and great at napping. I don't have a lot of experience with babies, but Lily seems like an awesome one :)

I'm an aunt!

I want to ride my bicycle

I took yesterday off, much to my disappointment. I had a 5 mile run and spin class planned out but I have a cold or flu or something and it was recommended to me that I take it easy. New thing I learned about strenuous training- it takes a toll on your immune system. Dislike! If I'm going to attempt 20 miles this weekend, I need to be feeling better than I do right now...

I did do something productive and exciting though, beyond finishing off the tub of thin mint ice cream in my freezer (what is wrong with me!!)- I signed up for both of my bike rides for the summer!

July 14-15, 2012

This summer will be my first time riding the Seattle to Portland Bicycle Classic! I'm super excited because it's one of the biggest cycling events in the country (~10,000 riders) and I've heard that it's a lot flatter than the RSVP... 204 miles with an elevation gain of around 5,000'

August 17-18, 2012

Yes I am doing the 188 miles AGAIN... It was a tough bugger last summer, but I think I'm in better overall shape this year so I should be able to fare the ride a bit more comfortably! Even though it is a f-ing beast... I think the elevation gain was 7 or 8,000'. The steepest thing I saw was this spot of road in Vancouver, BC called "The Wall". A lot of folks were walking their bikes up... meanwhile, I was climbing soooo slowly, I could barely stay balanced on my bike. According to my bike computer, I was riding at 4mph. I am very excited about the RSVP this summer though because one of my best girlfriends will be joining the team! She's coming to Mobile this weekend to catch the Super Bowl Sunday sale at my bike shop, Cadence 120. Hopefully we'll be able to find her a road bike that she likes and is a better price than I paid for mine ;)

RSVP 2011- We have reached America's hat!

Eating "healthy"??

Eeek! I've been slacking! Time management has been tough on me lately. Last week, I missed one of my short runs because I was preparing for my sister's baby shower (totally worth it, obv) and I have yet to establish a routine for handling my night classes. Aaaahhhh I really need to figure that one out. I hate rushing to do my homework an hour before class!! And next week isn't going to be any better because I have a conference in Ft. Lauderdale and a Mardi Gras Ball AND THEN I'm driving to St. Pete to run the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll 1/2M. I'm not complaining about any of this stuff because I know next week is going to be really fun and exciting (FLO RIDA is playing the post-race show!!!), but stuff like doing the dishes and blogging tend to slip between the cracks.

This morning, I want to talk a little bit about food. I've been making a real effort to clean up my diet this year. I cut cream & sugar from my coffee (hahaha- baby steps!), cut fast food (I love a good Baconator at 9:30pm after my Managerial Accounting class...), and decided to be make better choices in general. I have used marathon training as an excuse to eat whatever the hell I want and I think it has gotten a little out of control!

Exhibit A: Giant plate of greasy, amazing lasagna from Cousin Vinny's in Daphne

So I'm eating healthier for a few days and I realize... wow I really feel like garbage! I was getting through my workouts but I didn't have as much energy as usual and one night I thought I was going to need to leave class early. I was sitting in Financial Management and I had a bad headache and felt nauseous and I realized... I couldn't stop thinking about salty food. So I proceeded to Jimmy John's and ordered the usual: #5 light mayo w/ salt & vinegar chips. The #5 is The Vito, my favorite sandwich in the whole wide world. It comes pre-loaded with lots of sodium, but I like to stuff it with the salt & vinegar chips for the extra crunch ;)

I love you, Jimmy John's

I ate the sandwich and felt way, way better. My friend Jamie wrote a post the other day that touched on how runners should be more mindful of their sodium levels because sodium is essential to remaining hydrated. I also read about how you can flood your body with water to stay hydrated in a workout, but without also consuming sodium your electrolyte levels will get all out of whack. There's probably a much more eloquent way to say that but I'm over it. 

So I think my idea of eating healthy would be great if I wasn't in the tail end of marathon training. But right now, maybe I should be listening to my body and giving in to some of these cravings...