Carb loading

Sometimes on the night before a race I'll go out to an Italian restaurant and have pasta that is delicious and professionally made by someone other than myself. I have had some scrumptious pasta dinners in places like Bellingham, Portland, Sacramento, Olympia, and even Tukwila.

But one of my complaints about restaurant pasta is that there is so much PASTA. And usually so little other stuff, namely vegetables. I like my pasta dishes chunky, so much so that the veggies and other ingredients equal or outweigh the pasta.

Hence my "Empty the Fridge" veggie pasta. I make it with leftover roasted, sauteed, or steamed vegetables. Plus, I admit, I may cook up other stuff to add to what I've got (as I did tonight).

Here's the melange from tonight.

Chopped onion
Sliced mushrooms
Minced garlic
Ground turkey (I got about 5 oz out of the freezer)
28 oz can Cento organic chunky-style crushed tomatoes in puree
Can of white beans (cannellini)
2 red bell peppers, cut into wedges and roasted in the oven
2 zucchini, cut into strips and roasted in oven (it did get a little soft cooking this way)
Leftover roasted eggplant
Italian seasoning
Salt & pepper
Red pepper flakes
Fresh parsley and basil from the garden
Olive oil
Chunky pasta (penne or rotini) (I used about 3 servings worth) (cook pasta while you're preparing the sauce)

Sautee onion in cooking spray until it starts to soften, add mushrooms. After the onions and mushrooms are partly cooked, add ground turkey (breaking up into chunks) and garlic. Cook until turkey is no longer pink. Add the can of tomatoes. Put some water into the empty tomato can and add as needed if too much liquid evaporates while cooking. Once the tomatoes are heated, season with Italian seasoning to taste and salt and pepper. Drain the beans and stir them in as well. Add any cold leftover vegetables so they can heat up as well. Once everything is heated and has simmered together a little bit, stir in any hot vegetables plus the pasta. Check seasonings and add some red pepper flakes if you like a little heat. I stirred in about a tablespoon of olive oil to add a little richness. Add fresh herbs (I snip with scissors) and serve, possibly on a bed of spinach, if you like that (I do). Top with a mountain of micro-plane grated Parmesan!

Number of servings depends on how much pasta and vegetables you use. I had a large serving (actually two small) and there's probably 2-3 servings of leftovers remaining.

Note: I also had broccoli in the fridge but opted not to use it, as I ate broccoli for lunch and didn't want to ask for GI problems. But I'll probably put the broccoli in the leftovers.

Other vegetables I might use: broccoli, cauliflower, green beans, asparagus, roasted brussels sprouts, parsnips or carrots, corn (sodium-free canned work great), sweet potatoes or new potatoes, kale, spinach or other greens (either already cooked or cooked down in the sauce), yellow squash or winter squash. Other kinds of canned beans would work too: kidney beans, garbanzo beans, black beans, pinto beans. I would always try to include either eggplant or mushrooms in the mix, though, because they add a meaty texture whether or not you use actual meat!

Finally, of course you can eliminate pasta for a very low carb dish, or use spaghetti squash, which is great!

Anacortes eve

Tomorrow is the Anacortes Half Marathon, which I have been considering my "goal" half marathon for the summer. I've run several this year, but all of them have been training runs, practice for marathon pace, or just for fun (or too hard to try for a good time).

Even though Anacortes is a minor race in the big picture (the world of half marathons), it is the one where I have decided to put my effort into a PR-type finish, before dialing back to "training pace" in anticipation of the next marathon.

Caveat here--I make no promises that I will actually do better than any of the other half marathons I've run this year! I just have that desire. Goal, if you will.

So, with great trepidation, comforted only by the thought that relatively few people actually read this blog, here are my Anacortes objectives, in descending order desirability, and ascending order of likelihood.

Super Platinum goal - sub-1:50. Probability - low.*
Platinum goal - 1:50:xx. Probability - still pretty low.
Gold goal - PR, meaning sub-1:53. (Sub-1:52 would be extra shiny gold, while not quite platinum). Probability - moderate.
Silver goal - sub-1:55. Probability - reasonable.
Bronze goal - sub-1:58. This would be a little faster than my last two half marathons, each of which had factors that slowed me down. Probability - darn well better be able to do this.
Shiny non-precious metal goal (stainless steel? zinc?) - sub 2:00. Probability - high, as long as the earth doesn't open up and swallow me during the race!

If I don't accomplish at least one of these goals, I may just come back and delete this post afterward!

Have a great weekend, everyone! Best wishes to the runners in the Chicago Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and any other races!

*I am protecting myself by minimizing my expectations.

More giveaways!

This one is the best, and I am only spreading the word because it gets me another entry! Sleeper Baker is giving away a Nathan Speed4R fuel belt. Yes! Click on the blog name for more info and entry. Contest expires August 8.

She is also giving away product from iRun Like a Girl. This one expires August 1, so click here if you want to check it out!

Sweet rewards

This weeks SOWL challenge is a fun one, rewarding yourself for weight loss goals met. Kerrie (SOWL founding mother) set up a schedule of rewards for every five pounds lost (you can see hers here). If I'm going to do this reward thing, though, I need to do it more often, like every two pounds. It takes so long to make any progress that I would get nothing if I waited for five pounds.

But I am a very hard person to reward. I am also a very hard person to buy birthday and Christmas gifts for. That is because I have no ability of delayed gratification. Whatever I need or want (within reason), I get for myself. Waiting for someone to give it to me? Pish posh.

Here are some examples of potentially good rewards that I don't need.

New clothes. Um, yeah, already got too many of those (old and new). Picked up a few cute new things at Renee's Sidewalk Sale yesterday, anyway. Wearing a new dress today!

New shoes. Same as above!

New running shoes. I get those whenever I feel my shoes are getting old, ASICs comes out with a new Kayano color, or the spirit moves me. (I just ordered a pair of Newton Running Shoes, which I had to exchange because they are too small, but I am anxiously awaiting the replacement pair!)

New running clothes. Also have too much of those already, including new stuff, plus lots of tech shirts from races.

Techy (and non-techy) running gear. Got my Garmin, got my iPod, got my fuel belts and so forth, plus more Gu than I can eat in a year (considering that I don't use it much). And socks? I practically own stock in FitSok.

Massage. The massage therapist already sees me once a month or more....

New music for my iPod. Something else that I already download whenever the spirit moves me!

Books. If you saw my house, you would know that I don't need any new books! Yet I will undoubtedly get something from Amazon or a bookstore sometime soon, anyway.

Pedicure. Well, that is definitely something my poor toes need! I probably should do it immediately, without delay!

Sign up for a new race. Well...there's already quite a few on the books. But I do have something as yet unscheduled in the works....

Destination race(s). Boston is already planned, just need to register and book our non-Boston post-race destination. But there is another that I am working on with my parents for next year...details may be forthcoming...but I am not going to make it contingent on weight loss (which may or may not happen, after all).

The other thing I don't want to do (as mentioned above) is make something contingent on weight loss that I really, really want or need. Just in case my set point is set in stone rather than clay. That means no iPhone or iPad on the list.

So, here's what I have come up with. We'll assume that I have been adequately rewarding myself for hitting 154 pounds last week. (I haven't necessarily stayed there, due to the horrors of fluctuation, but I don't get another reward every time I see the same number!)

152 - Pedicure. This is really more of a duty to society than a reward for me, as it will help hide my horrible toes from public view!

150 - Day off work by myself. Sleep in, run later in the morning, go to a movie. This is huge! Really, I should make it my reward for every level.

148 - Shop for bicycle shorts, capris, or pants. This is the one clothing item I do not have and I have been reluctant to shop for. It's not like I bike that much, after all. But by this point I'll be so skinny (haha) that I'll need a little padding, right?

145 - GOAL WEIGHT! Reward: Marathon PR. What do you mean, I can't guarantee that for myself? How about a 5K PR, that's not much, is it? Well, I'll be thinking about my alternative reward. I am thinking something to do with my trip to Portland for the Half on 10/10/10. Or if I must buy myself something, buying it in Portland sans sales tax.

Maintaining 145 (at, around, or below) for at least a month (and every month thereafter) - Go to a movie by myself. Don't need to take the whole day off work to do it, I guess. How else am I going to see any chick flicks? I might substitute in something else if I think of anything. And yes, I will continue to go to movies even if I never get to 145.

So there you go. Rewards for the most self-indulged person in the world. (But let me point out, I do drive a 1996 vehicle and don't have a lot of expensive hobbies other than travel!)

A dilemma + a decision

Not earthshaking. But I've been dwelling on this little dilemma off and on all day.

Here's the dilemma. Last week I took two days off to heal my ankle (and it helped a lot), leaving me with three days of running for the week (about 27 miles). No biggie. It was the right decision.

This week I have Thursday and Friday again designated as non-running days, this time to mini-taper and rest my legs for the Anacortes half marathon. Today I have been second-thinking myself, wondering if I should run a little tomorrow, maybe just a half run of three to five miles.

The pros--calorie burn, plus relieves the boredom of spending a long time on the elliptical at the Y.

The cons--less pre-race recovery for my legs, don't like short runs and probably would not even get warmed up over three miles. Plus it's not like a last-minute run two days before the race is going to have any training benefit.

The decision--don't run. The benefits of having rested, fresh legs far outweighs any dubious training value of a slow, pointless run. Plus running just because it burns calories borders on disordered thinking, I fear.

So the Y it is. I can't bring myself to rest completely, but low impact is the next best thing.

I don't know for certain whether I'll run on Sunday or not, but even if this is another 3-day week I'll still hit at least 30 miles with the half marathon (plus warm-up) distance.
Today after a 6-mile easy (slow) run, I went to the track for six quarter-miles. They started out weak and finished great! The first one was an 8-minute pace--ugh. I kept gradually speeding up toward 5K pace. I originally thought that my last one was 7:25 pace, which is OKAY, but when I downloaded my data I realized that had been lap #5. My final pace was actually 6:50! Woo hoo! One of these days (maybe after I get my Newtons) I'm going to run a sub-7 full mile. Yeah!
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Double trouble

I've always been interested in running two consecutive races, but never really had the nerve or much opportunity. That opportunity arose this last weekend at the Lake Stevens Aquarun 10K and 5K. I noticed, when checking out this event a few weeks ago, that the 5K started an hour after the 10K, making consecutive runs theoretically possible. But I wasn't going to do it, for various scheduling reasons, until my secretary talked me into it. She did so by printing out the entry form and handing it to me. I filled it out, wrote a check for the entry fee plus $5 for the extra race, and dropped it in the mail. The deed was done.

Flash forward to Saturday. Our summer has finally arrived, and this was probably the warmest running day I've had yet (certainly the warmest race, anyway). My mom came along as company and photographer (though she had a hard time getting any great photos).

I checked in, got my bib (marked 10K & 5K), and located the bathrooms (about a quarter mile away, "downtown"). (I was pretty irritated about the lack of porta-potties in the starting area, but got over it once I found the public restrooms. I guess no one else really had to go, because there was never any kind of crowd.) I probably did about 1.7 miles of warm-up while I was looking for potties and waiting for the start.

I knew, getting into this, that this race scheme was really a recipe for sucking in both races. Especially if I held back in the 10K in hopes of doing well in the 5K. So what I decided to do was give my best effort at the 10K, then see what I had left for the 5K.

I am not in this picture of the start. There is a female near the back with a blue shirt and black pants and blond hair...that is not me, even though my mother may have thought it was when she took the picture!

For most of the first mile or so the course was downhill, and I was running about a 7:15 to 7:30 pace easily for almost three quarters of a mile. I didn't feel like I was running too fast or working too hard at all. Then we hit the first hill, short and steep, and that slowed me drastically enough that my time for that mile dropped to 8:24 overall. (You can only imagine how slow that hill made me!)

Mile 2 went back downhill and then evened out and I picked up the pace some, almost to 10K goal pace (but not quite). Mile 2 - 8:16. Then we were back to small rolling hills, which are great for maintaining a decent average pace in a half marathon, but difficult to tackle fast enough for a good 10K time! The next few miles told the tale. Mile 3 - 8:29. Mile 4 - 8:32. Mile 5 - 8:36.

Shortly before the three-mile point, the course looped past the starting area, where our first water station was located. Although I don't often drink water during short races, this was a hot day, so I grabbed a cup and took a swig, not minding at all when I splashed some water on me. Another woman that I ran beside for a moment commented that they should have had more water stops on such a hot day! There was one other on the course, somewhere in mile 5, I believe. I drank at that one too. (I also drank when I passed it again in the 5K. They remembered me.)

Since I was hovering around 8:30 pace, I figured my time would be around 52 minutes. Clearly no PR was in the cards. I was able to pull out a small final kick in the last mile plus, though, with 8:20 for mile 6 and a 7:59 pace in the last bit. As I turned the corner which brought me into the final stretch, I was soon able to see the finish clock and it said 51:xx (in the low numbers). I knew that I had a good shot at beating 52 minutes, and poured on the steam. Final time - 51:41.

The course was a little short (which, in this case, I didn't mind at all), so my Garmin pace was 8:26 per mile. My official pace (for 6.2 miles) would be about 8:20.

My mom didn't manage to get a picture before the finish line, but here I am after! Stopping my watch, of course.

By the time I walked through the finish chute and grabbed a cup of Gatorade and a couple cups of water, I only had a few minutes before the start of the 5K. The 5K started at the other end of the block, so I started walking in that direction. That is me in the picture below, wearing a blue shirt and white hat.
I was pretty hot and sweaty from the first race, and I was childishly pleased when a few people noticed that I was running both races and commented on it. The 5K seemed a lot more crowded at the start than the 10K. I don't know if there were that many more people running or whether the starting area was just narrower.* I situated myself in the middle of the crowd. I wiggled a little bit toward the front but I figured there was no point in getting too close.

So, when the race started, I started at a jog with the group around me. Plus we started on an uphill, which further decreased the chance of a speedy pace. I quickly accepted my fate that this would be a slower 5K than I've run in a long time.

The 5K was pretty much the second half of the 10K, but my times for those miles were about 30 seconds slower this time around. Mile 1 - 8:54. Mile 2 - 9:06 (ouch). Mile 3 - 8:42. Final bit - 8:34 pace. I just didn't have the gas in me to go any faster.

This time when I approached the finish area I saw 26 on the clock, but it was in the higher seconds and I doubted that I could get across under 27. A couple of men running near me gave it a good effort, sprinting ahead of me. I could hear cries of disgust when the clock clicked past 27. My final time (official result) - 27:05. Again the distance was a hair short, so my official pace was about 8:50 and my Garmin pace was 8:54.

When I spotted my mom after I finished she told me that they had just announced my name as first place in my age group for the 10K! I missed it because I was still running the 5K. Maybe if I'd been a little faster in the 5K I would have heard it. Oh well. I went up and collected my medal anyway.

Just today I have found the online results, and my age group triumph has dimmed a little because I see that there were only two women in my age group! (But I was first!) That is really uncommon, the 40+ women is usually a strong, and large, age group.

Here's a picture of me after the race. The weird bulge on my arm is the remains of a big fall I took back in December. My bicep has been a little mutated ever since.

I spent a couple of hours after I went home icing my ankle on the patio, and it really hasn't given me much trouble this week at all. Then, later, Rod and I went out to his parents for the Tulare Beach picnic and dance. Fun times!

*Turns out there were 102 runners in the 10K and 252 in the 5K. Quite a difference!

SOWL Challenge—What motivates you?

Monday morning seems like a good time to answer last week's Summer of Weight Loss question: What motivates you? Here's the question in its entirety:

What are your motivators? What gets you out the door or to the gym? What makes you think twice about buying that suitcase full of Peanut M&Ms at Costco?

As Kerrie says, motivators are tricky. I know I should be motivated by my health and well-being. Right?

Not so much.

Oh, I know that maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active does make me more likely to avoid future conditions such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, even cancer. But the thing is, even when I was heavy I was very healthy, so losing weight did not "cure" any particular condition I might have suffered from. And while I know a healthy lifestyle can help fend off cancer (probably), I also know that cancer can strike anyone, so I don't feel immune from the risk (though I don't dwell on it or anything).

You know what finally motivated me to lose weight six years ago? Pure practicality. I had a bunch of nice clothes (large-sized, but nice), and I had gained some weight so most of them were too small. I found myself thinking, "I need to go buy some new stuff until I lose weight and can get back into those clothes." Then I thought, this is just stupid. I can't just keep buying new clothes! And I can't just keep "waiting" to lose weight! Plus, I was 39 years old and I really wanted to get in shape by the time I was 40. So I just did it. It was like I had flipped a light switch.*

(FYI - of course it took more than a momentary decision to actually accomplish anything. It took about a year and a half to lose most of the weight.)

That's the big picture. But what keeps me going? And what keeps me running?

I have to say that the only thing that keeps me from eating all the m&m's and cake and cookies and ice cream that I would so dearly love is, in fact, fear of gaining weight. As far as other foods go, hamburgers and onion rings and pizza and potato chips, I really don't want that stuff and I truly prefer salmon and vegetables of all kinds and healthy food in general. Fortunately, I can eat as much spinach as my heart desires without too much fear of it going to my hips (or belly). But sweets take a little bit more disassociation.

As for running... I run because I love it. Usually. I love the way it makes me feel. (When I am done.) I won't lie, I also love the way it burns calories and lets me eat a little more than I would otherwise be able to.

So ultimately, my motivation for running is physical. But in the mornings when I am getting up at 6 a.m. to go run, I have to resort to mental motivation. I know it's good for me. I fear if I don't run when I intend to I may quit and never run again. I tell myself if I don't run today, I'll have to do it tomorrow, so why not just get out of bed and go? (And then I won't have to run tomorrow, usually, since I only run four days a week.) And 99% of the time, that's exactly what I do. (And because I do go 99% of the time, I am okay with the very rare occasion that I decide not to get up because I am too tired, or too achey, or the weather is too, too bad.)

This morning only took a little bit of self-persuasion to get up and go. Because I did a race (two!) on Saturday, I didn't run on Sunday so I felt pretty good, physically. My ankle and achilles tendon are feeling much better. I was a little tired (hence didn't get up until 6:00). But I knew it was a pleasant, sunny morning (upper 50's at 6 a.m.), so I threw on my shorts and a tank top and hit the road.

I was a little sluggish when I started but after the first couple miles I managed to pull myself under 10 minute pace (9:59 for mile 3!) and stay there. Because I was feeling pretty good, I decided to do a sort of fartlek style run, pushing the pace for a block or two or three, then jogging for a block. I followed this pattern for several miles, which gave me some decent splits with a "best pace" that was much faster.

Here are my splits, with (for kicks) my "best pace" per Garmin in parenthesis.

1 - 10:42 (9:15)
2 - 10:05 (8:37)
3 - 9:59 (8:13)
4 - 9:19 (7:59)
5 - 9:50 (6:16) (This is a weird one, there was no reason for my average pace to be that slow. Or really, my best pace to be that fast. Sometimes I think that my Garmin is on hallucinogenic drugs.)
6 - 9:18 (6:50)
7 - 9:18 (7:03)
8 - 9:12 (6:16)

Total distance 8.03 miles, average pace 9:43.

*Ironically, of course once I started losing weight I still had to buy new clothes. Lots of new clothes.