Senor Flurry

Yesterday was a flurry of activity at work, and we have our first snowfall in the forecast*.

There is a conference abstract submission deadline on Friday, and our bosses are out of town for the rest of the week so there were last minute "just in case" abstracts to be written, old abstracts to be finalized, and a loooong boring (unrelated) conference call in the afternoon.

As for snow, I for one am ready for it to come.  I think.  The alternative is rain, which is the kind of precipitation that is currently going on outside, and I'm sort of tired of rain.  Luckily this is a gym day.

Yesterday I had great running weather, but sadly my GPS battery died.  After only one run!  I've had it for a few years, so I guess it's not crazy that the battery isn't hold a charge that well.  So I had to move my 8x400m workout later in the week and did a 3 mile short tempo run instead.  My goal pace for the 3 miles was 7:41, but obviously I have no idea if I hit that or not.  I just know I ran pretty hard for 3 miles.  The GPS is (hopefully) recharged, and I'm excited to see how I do on the 8x400m run either Wednesday or Thursday.

On a completely different topic, I was tagged by Sarah to answer 7 "desert island** friend" questions.

1. which would you rather have: the ability to fly, or the power of invisibility?  As awesome as it would be to fly, I think that would totally freak people out, so I'm going to say invisibility.  I would just have to become re-visible when no one was looking because that would also freak people out.


2. what was your favorite dish at thanksgiving this year?  This fried mozzarella thing with apple topping and duck prosciutto when we were out at L'Etoille.  I had no idea what I was ordering when I picked it from the menu, but it was really delicious.


3. what is your favorite movie of all time? This is a really really tough one. I wouldn't say it's my favorite, but I never don't laugh when I watch Zoolander when it comes on TV (which is all the time- or at least it was when we had cable).


4. if you could have an all-expenses paid trip anywhere, where would you go? (no fair saying 'a trip around the world!') Since I can't say, "around the world" I'm going to do the next best thing and say "all around Europe".  I've never been!  


5. describe your favorite pair of shoes ever (mine = ridiculous red high tops i owned sometime during the late-80s) I wore a black dress with leopard print shoes to my senior year homecoming dance.  Those shoes were pretty sweet.  Actually I vaguely remember (and have been told about) a pair of cowboy boots I had and loved as a small child.  Those were probably actually my favorite.  Oh yeah, and my snow boots.  What they lack in style, they make up for keeping snow off my feet.

6. no internet or no TV: which would you pick?  No TV.  That's an easy one for me.  Although no internet would probably up my productivity by 300%.

7. what is your favorite season? (for bonus points (coconuts? bananas? whatever is available on our island), rank all 4 in order!)  Fall (because it's pretty and warm), summer (because I like to be warm, but we don't have central AC at home so sometimes it's too hot), spring (because sometimes it's still cold), and winter (blech).  I vote for a navel orange tree on the island because I just remembered that's the only thing I like about winter- oranges.    


I'm running late so I will post questions and tag others tomorrow.  Adieu***





*For the life of me, I cannot figure out how to make my screenshot of the weather forecast big enough to see on the blog.  It always copies really really small.

** I'd like to schedule to be stranded the second week in January, preferably the day when the high is below 0.

*** Just practicing for my trip.

All good things must come to an end

Goodbye, long weekend.  I'll see you again in three weeks when we do the great southward migration for the holidays.

The paleo thing has been going really well.  As of two weeks in I'll give the pros, cons, and "neutrals."

Pros:

• I have never had an episode of unhappy stomach after a paleo meal.
• Although I really haven't reduced my carb intake that much, I have a bit, and I find it easier to sit still and feel less antsy on rest days.
• Eating out is actually fairly easy.  To answer Linda's question about what I had at McDonald's- a grilled chicken southwest salad and some fries.  Healthy?  Not really.  But we rarely go to McDonald's.  If all you can order is a sandwich, pull off the bun and eat the innards (or ask for bunless/breadless- it seems that a lot of restaurants are pretty cool with this because so many people have celiac disease). 

Cons:

• Easy at home and fairly easy in restaurants but takes a lot of thought in social situations. 

Neutral:

• I don't feel like I've had any change in athletic performance or body composition.

I've only dumped the diet wholesale twice in the last two weeks- once for our group dinner and once for our fancy dinner out last Friday.  As of right now I'd say I'd like to stay paleo as much as possible after the experiment is through.  One thing I've done better in the last two weeks but still want to focus on is increasing my vegetable intake.  

And with that, I'm about to fall asleep on the keyboard.  I hope it wasn't a sign of how truly boring this post was.  I need to rest up for my first FIRST interval workout tomorrow: 8x400m at faster than I want to think about pace.

Rambling here and there

I can already tell this post is going to be rambling.  Here goes:

1. Thanksgiving Thursday
I already wrote about the Berbee Derby Thursday morning.  The rest of the day was pretty quiet.  We had McDonald's for lunch (yeah, yeah- Daniel wanted to get out of the house for a little bit) and were served by the most charismatic human being to ever work at a McDonald's.  That young man is either going to be a senator or a serial killer some day.

We made a real meal for dinner.  Here's Chelsea and Daniel's version of a two-person 90% paleo Thanksgiving Dinner:

 Trader Joe's pre-marinaded lamb tips and green salad.

And roasted acorn squash with cinnamon, sugar and butter for desert.

Followed by some post-dinner productivity.  I finally finished the afghan I've been making for a co-worker.  She is a fellow and will be leaving us this summer, but she's been like a big sister to me in many ways, and I wanted to give her something special.  I also wanted to give myself 1.5 years to actually finish it.  I'm kind of a one-trick pony when it comes to crochet, and there are some of you out there who have seen more than one of these around, but it does make a nice finished project that is warm and holds up well.  We use ours all the time (though I've never actually washed it!).

2. Black Friday
The only running I did on Black Friday was the normal kind.  It got much colder here overnight and even though I was pretty tired from the race, I wanted to do a test of concept for my clothing so I didn't get 1/2 way through my long run today and realize I was going to freeze to death.  So here's me wearing (for "feels like 8F"): a Bondi band, a fleece ear warmer, my fall 15k thermal hat, a t-shirt, a thermal long sleeved shirt, a fleece vest, and a fleece jacket, fleece-lined tights, wool socks, shoes, a pair of light gloves, and a pair of mittens (not shown because I can't work the camera or the door with those on).  My torso was kind of hot when I was running on the sunny, non-windy part of my route but was perfect for the cold windy part by the lake.

Friday night we went out for dinner at L'Etoille for our official Thanksgiving (or whatever) celebration.  We went all out.  This was one of the top 10 meals of my life.  I tested the limits of how much food could actually fit in my stomach and enjoyed every bit of it.  Fortunately I was still able to walk to the car afterward.

3. No excuses Saturday
I did my first "FIRST" long run today.  I'm practice-starting the official training plan on Monday (I have 15 weeks before my race but it's a 12-week program), but I thought I'd go ahead and do the first long run this week and then repeat it again next week.  The "hard part" of the workout was doing 6mi at an 8:11 pace.  I was pretty sure that was not going to happen- especially 2 days after a 10k when I ran 6mi at 7:45 min/mile pace (granted on a hillier course).  But I got out there and warmed up for a mile.  The temperature was a little milder than yesterday ("feels like 11F" vs "feels like 8F"- and I put more stock in the "feels like" temperature because the wind coming of the lake is COLD).  Then I turned on the fast (haha, fast for me).  Basically I tried to pace myself by hearing my breathing be fairly labored and feeling like I was going fast but not fast enough that the yak feeling was building up.

I hit the first mile split at 7:50 - a little fast but that's kind of a weird mile where there's a big uphill but also a big downhill where I can really get going if there's no traffic.  Second mile- 7:50 again.  Too fast- and definitely too fast for the 8 miler and 10 miler to come in the next few weeks.  I wanted to slow down a little but I was afraid I'd slow down too much.  Pacing is hard!  The next mile was at 8:00 and the next at 8:03- better on the pacing, but at this point I was going into the wind so I'm not sure if I was actually running slower.  Next 8:20- not sure what happened here.  Maybe I just took a mental break.  And finally - 7:59.  I was pretty impressed with the fact that I was able to hang in there for the whole run, and actually, it wasn't that tough.  Whenever I look at the FIRST book I'm always super intimidated by the paces laid out for each workout, but now I think maybe I've been selling myself short.  I really can run faster than I think I can.

I finished up the run with 3 miles of cool down to bring the grand total to 11mi in 1:37 - an 8:51 min/mile average pace.  Although the workout itself was tougher (and shorter), I think this was a better and more pleasant use of my long run time than doing a 14-mile slog through the arb at 9:3X pace.  I only got a tiny bit cold in the face at the very end of the run, and not being cold is a HUGE plus for me.

And that's about it.  I'm planning to spend the rest of the day making Christmas ornaments and weeping or cheering over the Gator Game this afternoon.

In summary: Running, running, blah blah blah, cold, picture of food.

Berbee Derby Race Report

Although it was around freezing or a little below, this was definitely the warmest BD I've ever run.  I was glad I wore my Toasti Toes, but wearing capris, a short sleeved shirt covered by a long sleeved shirt, wool socks, a double glove mitten combo and a fleece head band- other than waiting for the race to start- I was comfortable to almost too warm.  I left the house at about 7:20, stopped for gas and a flushing toilet on the way, and parked on the far side of the race start at about 8:15.  I hung out in the car until 8:30 and then headed out to warm up a bit.

Google suggested I search for "baby yak" and
I'm glad I did. 

After I got out of the car, I turned on my Garmin and... dead battery.  I think using the light to check my split times in the early morning really drains the battery.  Oh well... it's not like I usually change my running based on my splits.  My 5-10k strategy is to run as fast as I can without feeling like I'm going to yack and then push it to yack territory once I can see the finish line. 

We lined up at the start, sang the national anthem, (in which the singer got two words wrong - it's perilous fight not light and the flag waves o'er - not for- the the land of the free).  Yeesh, I'm too young to get grumpy about things like that.

The race started and I followed my normal pacing strategy.  The course is a little rolling with a net downhill on the way out and a net uphill on the way back (at least that's how it feels to me).  I hit the mile 1 at 7:30.  Just a little bit after mile 1 Dano and Art from Team in Training passed me and I yelled "hi".  Mile 2 was another mostly downhill though a neighborhood and onto a country road.  I passed that mile marker at 15:00.  I started seeing the fast runners started coming back the other way at about mile 2.5, and the turn around was right before the 3rd mile marker, which I passed at about 22:3?.  

The turnaround put us running uphill-ish and into the wind.  I'm sure if I had my Garmin, my splits would reflect that.  One kind of funny thing happened at this point.  I came up behind a man and woman running together.  The woman looked at the man and said, "Now this is the part that's really motivational because we start to pass people."  At that moment I ran past them, and the man said, "I see what you mean.  That was great!"  I also heard (but didn't see) Linda (who ended up with a big PR!) yell from the other direction. 

At mile 3.5ish we turned onto a bike path that rolls through a wooded area (including open hunting ground, which always makes me wish I'd thrown on my orange hat before I left).  I hit mile 4 at around 30:30 and figured that as long as I could hang in there and hit mile 5 before 40 minutes I could definitely finish in under 50.  I didn't want to start picking up the pace too soon because I remembered there being a huge hill at the end, and I was not going to break 50 minutes if I wasted 2 actually yacking on the side of the road.  

I hit mile 5 at 38:20 so I was pretty good going up the last hill (which was not as bad as I'd remembered) and then pushing it into the finish line for an official time of 48:10.  Not a PR, but not that far off from my PR on a much hillier course.  (I still maintain that the Bellin is a loop course that manages to be 100% downhill).  

I know so many runners are all about the marathon, but to be honest, the 10k is my favorite distance and it seems to be the distance that likes me best, too.  For that reason I think I'm going to focus my speedwork over the winter on 10k stuff (using my Runner's World FIRST book as a guide).  My next race after coming out of winter hibernation is the Shamrock Shuffle 10k, and it would be pretty awesome to PR in that race because it has a monster hill that you have to go over on the out and back part of the course.  Plus 10k training is way more winter-friendly than trying to be outside for hours doing a marathon training long run.  

And with that I need to go be thankful that I didn't have any competition for the washing machine even though it looks like all of our neighbors are home and we are probably the only ones who celebrate Thanksgiving.  Happy Turkey day, all.        

     

Berbee Derby

I'm thankful for so many things that getting into detail would make me late for the race this morning :).  Right now it's not supposed to be as cold as I'd feared (read: I need to sneak back in the bedroom and grab my capris rather than wearing my hard core tights from earlier in the week).  We are not going anywhere or doing anything special for Thanksgiving so I'll probably be back to on give a race recap and some "I'm so thankful" gushing.  You know you guys like that stuff :).

I don't really have any goals for this race.  I ran the 10k two years ago, and I remember the course was a short uphill followed by a long downhill followed by a hard core uphill at the end.  I ran a heartbreaking 50:01 that year (on my quest to break 50 min in the 10k).  This year I have two sub-50 10k, and it would be cool to run a third.  My B goal is to come back with my fingers and toes in tact after having to stand around outside.  It's hard to make Thanksgiving dinner with gangrene :)

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!!!!

One more day until Thanksgiving!

Work has been super busy this week getting ready to submit abstracts for an important conference.  They aren't due until next Friday, but our bosses will be gone next week so there's been a flurry of activity each day.  Normally my job is pretty relaxed, and it's exhausting to think hard and apply yourself all day!

Anyway, I'm feeling more relaxed about everything going into today, and I'm looking forward to the long weekend.  It was cold yesterday and is going to be even colder tomorrow.  Yesterday was the first day I cut my run short (I did 7mi instead of a MLR of 9.5 that I had planned) because my hands were soooooo cold.  I dressed for 23, which is what The Weather Channel said it was, but they didn't mention the insane wind blowing off the lake that made it feel like it was in the single digits.  Had I brought along some hot hands I would have been okay, but after an hour my hands were blocks of ice.  Not the kind of "feel the burn" I'm going for.

For all the people who were running in 90+ degree weather this summer-
at least you don't have to dress like this now.  And this was a bit under-dressed.

I glow!

 Right now the forecast for the Berbee Derby- which is always cold- is 29- feels like 18- which is not too bad.  It's never fun to have to stand around and wait for it to get started, but at least there won't be big ice patches on the course like the first year I ran it.  I'm also planning to pick up my packet today so I can just sit in the car and read until I have to get out and run around to warm up.  Unless the weather is truly horrible I'm planning to run it.  10 races in 2010- woot!

Sticking to my diet has been pretty good.  Monday we had pre-Thanksgiving with our young couples group from church, and I decided to go with the flow and eat what was there.  It was tasty, of course, but it actually helped solidify my desire to stick to my plan.  It helped me see that I really do feel better after a meal sans grains and dairy than when eat them.

 But it's always fun to share a meal (and a horrible first episode of Skating with the Stars) with friends.

 Happy Thanksgiving eve!  

Day 6/30: It was a dark and stormy day

It's only November, but I already want to bust out the SAD lamp.  That could be me over there, blinded not just by my computer screen but by a giant lamp that's supposed to make me HAPPY despite the fact that I haven't seen the sun in two months.

Actually, I did get to see the sun yesterday on a beautiful but chilly long run.  I slept in a bit, and this was the first run I've done without a headlamp since the beginning of October.

It was so good that I took the long way home around campus and added an extra mile (and you know I'm not normally an "add a little extra on my long run" type of gal).  I ended up with 15 miles at a 9:23 min/mile average pace.  I was so happy not to see any of the slloooowwwww times from my warm up and cool down miles from during the week.  Plus my hands were extra happy because I doubled up with gloves and mittens.  Note to self: Your hands will probably never be too hot.

This should be a busy week but I'm looking forward to the long weekend.  Jess asked if I was planning to stay paleo through the holidays.  The answer is- yes.  We aren't traveling so I can make and eat whatever I want for Thanksgiving without any issues.  We are having an early Thanksgiving with friends tomorrow night, and I'm going to do the best I can without driving anyone crazy.  So basically no cheezy potatoes (because of the cheezy, not because of the potatoes), but I'm not going to freak if the turkey is basted with butter.  I'm cooking for our church's International Thanksgiving dinner, and that won't be paleo.

Long weekend coutdown: 3 days.  Have a good Monday, all.