I've joined a diet cult. Yes, it's true. Despite reading Matt Fitzgerald's book (well, listening to it on Audible), and actually agreeing with it in many ways, I've chosen to follow a plan which fully meets the definition of a diet cult. (Per Matt Fitzgerald: It has a name, advocates claim it is the best diet, followers are emotionally attached to it, it demonizes certain foods, and it uses fear to recruit new converts (fear about the negative effects of certain foods)).
I'm okay with that.
Before I go into why, how, and what, I should probably explain what Whole 30 is.
Whole 30 is a food program that eliminates a few large categories of food for 30 days, essentially to reduce inflammation and the supposedly negative effects of these foods. It is not meant to be primarily a weight loss diet, but I suspect most of its followers do it to lose weight (like me). After the 30 days, when you feel awesome (presumably), you can slowly reintroduce the forbidden foods to see how they affect you.
The basic rules:
*No sugar or artificial sweeteners of any kind
*No alcohol of any kind
*No grains
*No legumes (except green beans and snow/snap peas)
*No dairy (except clarified butter)
*No carrageenan, MSG or sulfites
*No faux baked goods (even if made with Whole 30 approved ingredients)
What you can have:
Meat, seafood, eggs, veggies, fruit, sweet potatoes, potatoes, avocado, coconut oil, coconut oil, coconut butter, coconut milk, olive oil, nuts and nut butters (not peanut), clarified butter, vinegar, salt, fruit juice as an ingredient.
All of the allowed foods are things I love to eat, and not hard to embrace. Giving up the forbidden foods is a little harder (though not as hard as you'd think). Sugar, obviously, is the hardest. I have a love for sweets, but I know not eating them is better for me. Alcohol is not a problem, though it's a little tricky weeding out hidden alcohol, like vanilla extract and Grey Poupon mustard (made with wine). Grains and legumes are not hard for me to avoid on a personal level, but it's hard for Rod to accept. I'm still trying to convince him that I don't mind if he makes beans or rice for himself. Dairy is doable, although I have a lot of yogurt in my fridge that I bought before this idea! The hardest part is giving up cream in my coffee. But I have switched to coconut milk, and that's going well.
For some reason, it has been easier for me to embrace a strict program like this than my usual moderation. Drawing the line between just a little (sweets and starches), and what I really want is just too nebulous. "Nothing" is mentally easier than "a little something." (Because I always want more.) Eliminating those foods entirely (for now) creates quite a large calorie deficit. Part of that is filled by eating more avocado, plus the coconut butter and other fats. The coconut milk is comparable to cream in my coffee. Still, I believe I am consuming a more managed number of calories, especially by cutting out those little nibbles like store samples, office treats, a little of this, a little of that.
One of the things that has happened is that I have been eating higher calorie meals in order to largely eliminate snacking. Snacking meaning noshing, really. I still have a couple extra mini meals to support my running. Generally, on weekdays, I have a small snack when I wake up, part of my breakfast as soon as I can after running, the rest of my breakfast later in the morning (mostly due to my work schedule, otherwise I'd have it all soon after running, probably), then lunch in early or mid-afternoon, possibly a small snack when I get home from work, and dinner later in the evening. (That probably sounds like eating all the time....) I have been eating sweet potatoes or potatoes almost every day, to make sure I have enough energy to work out.
I think that covers how and what, now why?
Well, I already said that "why" I picked Whole 30 was because eliminating foods that are triggers for me seems easier to manage. Why I'm doing it at all is because I really want to lose a few pounds before ratcheting up marathon training in March. Moderation efforts over the last year have not resulted in weight loss. In fact, I think I weigh at least five pounds more than a year ago, and at least ten more than I would like for training purposes. Beginning with the marathon taper last May, then my running injury in the summer (though I cross trained like a mad woman), and then the holidays, I just have not been able to rein myself in.
I'm hoping this will give me a jump start. Plus I'll have the benefit of weaning myself from sweets and seriously moderating other carbs. I'll probably have to give up the coconut butter when rice and beans come back.
By the way, I did read the Whole 30 book, It Starts with Food, and I'll admit that I really disagree with a lot of the philosophies and science/nutrition theories. They may be right or wrong. But still, in practice, I think the 30 day program is something that will work for me.
One of the non-food rules is that you're not supposed to weigh yourself (except once at the beginning and after you're done). I may not be following that one strictly, though I'm not doing it daily or anything. I think I've lost a pound or two. I really do feel less bloated and wobbly (although I will always have far more wobbly bits than Bridget Jones ever had).
After today I will have been doing this strictly for a week. (The week before I was tapering off sugar and carbs, though that all went out the window on Super Bowl Sunday.) I have not had any major or intentional slips. The only flaws have been that the first coconut milk I bought had impermissible sulfites (I think), and one day I had pho (no noodles), but the broth may have included non-compliant fish sauce and I added a few drops of sriracha (also apparently non-compliant).
On Friday I bought a Costco cake for a work event. I cut and served the entire cake without eating a bite or licking a smear of frosting from my finger. Mental win.
Apparently a lot of people feel sick and weak in the first few days, presumably as the toxins depart their bodies, but that hasn't been an issue for me. Maybe it's because this isn't a radical change for me. I'm used to the good foods and I don't really eat a lot of junky food. I'm almost 25% done and feeling strong!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Saturday, January 31, 2015
If I Ran the 50 States
First...I have a long blog post written about my trip to Maui in January (and the Maui Oceanfront Half Marathon), full of cool pictures... And it will not upload. I suspect it is because I have too many photos. But I don't feel like going back and taking out a bunch of pics, so for now it is just sitting, waiting. For what I don't know.
Now, on to my topic!
A few days ago I was sitting at work waiting for a client to show up, and I passed the time by internet researching marathons I could run if I ever wanted to run a marathon in every state. Right now I've done marathons in eight states (multiple in some), and half marathons in a few more.
I've never really wanted to do all the fifty states, either in marathons or halfs, and probably I still don't. The reasons are simple...
*There are some states I don't even really want to go to, let alone run a race in.
*I don't know if I will even run fifty marathons in my lifetime (I've run 16 so far, plus a 50K, and more than 50 half marathons, in about ten states, plus Canada and England).
*I run about 2-4 marathons a year (only one in 2014). At that rate it would take 10-20 years to finish! Unless I upped my annual quota, and that would be hard on my body and bank account.
*Marathons are expensive! And destination marathons even more so.
Still, I was able to go through an alphabetical list of states and find a marathon (sometimes more than one), that I wouldn't mind running, or maybe even want to run. I wrote them down so I could remember. But I should have marked which ones sound really good, as opposed to okay.
Here are the states and marathons I've done already.
Arizona - Tucson Marathon (twice, 2011 and 2013)
California - CIM (2009, DNS 2014, hoping for 2015)
Hawaii - Honolulu Marathon (2012) and Kauai Marathon (2013)
Maine - Mount Desert Island Marathon (2012)
Massachusetts - Boston Marathon (2011)
Minnesota - Twin Cities Marathon (2012) (I'm still interested in Grandma's Marathon too.)
Oregon - Newport Marathon (2010), Portland Marathon (2011), Eugene Marathon (2012). (My 50K was also Oregon, McKenzie River Trail Run in 2012)
Washington - Sammamish Marathon (2010), Seattle Marathon (2012), Light at the End of the Tunnel (2012), North Olympic Discovery Marathon (2013 and 2014)
Since I've already planned my marathons for 2015 (Vancouver BC and CIM), I guess I could consider adding another state or two in 2016. Of course there's always a chance I might go for a marathon in a state I've already done, like Hawaii (haven't ruled out the Kona Marathon--or half marathon--and the Maui Marathon (it's in September, Maui Oceanfront is January).
For some of these I want to run, I actually find the half marathon more appealing. The ones that are appealing to me these days....
The Little Rock Marathon in Arkansas. It's at the end of February and I was toying with trying to do the half this year, but it wasn't practical. I really might plan to do the half next year, but the full marathon...don't know.
Coeur d'Alene Marathon in Idaho, Memorial Day weekend. Someday. Coeur d'Alene is easy to get to, but Memorial Day weekend always has so many options.
Chicago Marathon. Definitely not the top of my list, but someday. Maybe.
Lincoln Marathon in Nebraska. Don't know why, but this is crazy popular. So it must be worth doing.
New Hampshire Marathon - I want to go back to New England in the fall. Alternatively, I wouldn't mind doing the half along with the Maine Marathon half--they're on the same weekend!
New York City Marathon. Definitely not a priority, but it has to be on the list, right?
OBX (Outer Banks Marathon) in North Carolina. Actually I think I just want to do the half, especially if I get a chance to do it this fall (it's early November). Rod has a hankering to go to the Outer Banks, so maybe!
Flying Pig in Ohio. When pigs fly!
Philadelphia Marathon. It just sounds appealing.
Kiaweh Island Marathon in South Carolina. Definitely would consider the half here too. I think it's in December.
Austin Marathon in Texas. I've heard good things about it, and Austin seems like an interesting place to visit.
St. George in Utah. Actually there's a few that appeal in Utah. (Ogden, Utah Valley.) It's supposed to be a good Boston qualifier, because it's downhill. Of course, there's still the elevation issue!
Vermont City Marathon. Another competitor for Memorial Day weekend. It's been on my list for a while.
Richmond Marathon in Virginia; also MCM, of course.
I started putting in links to all these marathons, but I didn't save my work, had a mishap, and don't want to start again...so I'll leave it at that. I'll let you know if I sign up for any of them!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Now, on to my topic!
A few days ago I was sitting at work waiting for a client to show up, and I passed the time by internet researching marathons I could run if I ever wanted to run a marathon in every state. Right now I've done marathons in eight states (multiple in some), and half marathons in a few more.
I've never really wanted to do all the fifty states, either in marathons or halfs, and probably I still don't. The reasons are simple...
*There are some states I don't even really want to go to, let alone run a race in.
*I don't know if I will even run fifty marathons in my lifetime (I've run 16 so far, plus a 50K, and more than 50 half marathons, in about ten states, plus Canada and England).
*I run about 2-4 marathons a year (only one in 2014). At that rate it would take 10-20 years to finish! Unless I upped my annual quota, and that would be hard on my body and bank account.
*Marathons are expensive! And destination marathons even more so.
Still, I was able to go through an alphabetical list of states and find a marathon (sometimes more than one), that I wouldn't mind running, or maybe even want to run. I wrote them down so I could remember. But I should have marked which ones sound really good, as opposed to okay.
Here are the states and marathons I've done already.
Arizona - Tucson Marathon (twice, 2011 and 2013)
California - CIM (2009, DNS 2014, hoping for 2015)
Hawaii - Honolulu Marathon (2012) and Kauai Marathon (2013)
Maine - Mount Desert Island Marathon (2012)
Massachusetts - Boston Marathon (2011)
Minnesota - Twin Cities Marathon (2012) (I'm still interested in Grandma's Marathon too.)
Oregon - Newport Marathon (2010), Portland Marathon (2011), Eugene Marathon (2012). (My 50K was also Oregon, McKenzie River Trail Run in 2012)
Washington - Sammamish Marathon (2010), Seattle Marathon (2012), Light at the End of the Tunnel (2012), North Olympic Discovery Marathon (2013 and 2014)
Since I've already planned my marathons for 2015 (Vancouver BC and CIM), I guess I could consider adding another state or two in 2016. Of course there's always a chance I might go for a marathon in a state I've already done, like Hawaii (haven't ruled out the Kona Marathon--or half marathon--and the Maui Marathon (it's in September, Maui Oceanfront is January).
For some of these I want to run, I actually find the half marathon more appealing. The ones that are appealing to me these days....
The Little Rock Marathon in Arkansas. It's at the end of February and I was toying with trying to do the half this year, but it wasn't practical. I really might plan to do the half next year, but the full marathon...don't know.
Coeur d'Alene Marathon in Idaho, Memorial Day weekend. Someday. Coeur d'Alene is easy to get to, but Memorial Day weekend always has so many options.
Chicago Marathon. Definitely not the top of my list, but someday. Maybe.
Lincoln Marathon in Nebraska. Don't know why, but this is crazy popular. So it must be worth doing.
New Hampshire Marathon - I want to go back to New England in the fall. Alternatively, I wouldn't mind doing the half along with the Maine Marathon half--they're on the same weekend!
New York City Marathon. Definitely not a priority, but it has to be on the list, right?
OBX (Outer Banks Marathon) in North Carolina. Actually I think I just want to do the half, especially if I get a chance to do it this fall (it's early November). Rod has a hankering to go to the Outer Banks, so maybe!
Flying Pig in Ohio. When pigs fly!
Philadelphia Marathon. It just sounds appealing.
Kiaweh Island Marathon in South Carolina. Definitely would consider the half here too. I think it's in December.
Austin Marathon in Texas. I've heard good things about it, and Austin seems like an interesting place to visit.
St. George in Utah. Actually there's a few that appeal in Utah. (Ogden, Utah Valley.) It's supposed to be a good Boston qualifier, because it's downhill. Of course, there's still the elevation issue!
Vermont City Marathon. Another competitor for Memorial Day weekend. It's been on my list for a while.
Richmond Marathon in Virginia; also MCM, of course.
I started putting in links to all these marathons, but I didn't save my work, had a mishap, and don't want to start again...so I'll leave it at that. I'll let you know if I sign up for any of them!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, January 1, 2015
Farewell 2014
Here we are at the end of 2014. I was about to say I can't remember what I did on New Year's Eve last year, but I just remembered--we ate a nice dinner (maybe steak and lobster tail?) and went to see Les Miserables, the movie. Loved it.
This year we're at Wapato Point, on Lake Chelan, for a few days. We're heading home tomorrow, early enough to see the Rose Bowl. It's been very cold here, 10-20 degrees every day. I have been wearing long underwear and fleece tops every day, even inside (although it's plenty warm inside). I have been running despite the cold, six sluggish miles yesterday and 8.25 pretty good miles today. I don't know if I'll be able to run tomorrow before we leave. It may be a topic of contention.
Today I added up my running mileage for the year. You know I had two months with almost no running in June and July (except for my marathon on June 1), due to my knee injury. A few weeks ago I added up the miles and thought I was on track for 1500 miles. But today I was more careful and ended up at 1496.86. 😩 Oh well.
I pulled my bicycling miles from Garmin (I did a lot of riding over the summer!) and got 1496.83!
Even though I am sad about all the running I missed during the summer, I would never have had the opportunity or idea to ride long distance (for me) if I'd been running regularly. In addition to long solo rides every weekend, I did four group rides, from 30 miles to 100K (62 miles). I really want to resume riding in the spring and summer next year. As well as running all the miles.
2014 is really divided into two parts for me. Part 1 is pre-knee injury. I started a new training plan, hoping to regain speed after all my marathons in 2013 made me slow. I wasn't looking for PRs but instead building a solid base. I went just barely under two hours at the Mercer Island Half Marathon, but missed two hours by a minute or two at the Whidbey Island Half (the first time ever in the seven times I've run it). I had solid but not spectacular times in the Shamrock Run 15K, Portland Rock 'n' Roll Half, and Bloomsday.
All this was leading up to my mid-year goal marathon, the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. I ran it in 4:28 in 2013, and felt like I had more to give.
Turns out I didn't. This year I did 4:31, which I consider pretty much equivalent, because they changed the course and the first half was a bit harder this year. I think my second half was actually faster in 2014 than 2013. But still, I don't plan on doing NODM again, at least for a while. I might do the half marathon someday, because I love the event and the area (Olympic Peninsula).
Finishing NODM.
Then Part 2.... After NODM I really wanted to turn up the training a notch and build speed over the summer for my big goal marathon, CIM in December.
Well, we know how that went. A week after NODM I hurt my knee and that was it for the summer. Well, that was it after a few failed runs and no doubt making it worse. I cycled and cross trained like a maniac, which hopefully kept me somewhat fit, but was not at all like running.
In August I was able to start running again. I spent the month run-walking and getting used to the feeling of running. (So awkward! So heavy! So slow!) In September running felt normal again and I was able to increase mileage and start doing speed work.
Over the summer and fall I dropped out of so many races I had preregistered for. Seattle Rock 'n' Roll, Anacortes Half Marathon, Bellingham Bay, Portland Half Marathon, and finally CIM in December. There were a few others I might have done, but luckily hadn't registered for.
In October and November I made my racing comeback with the Snohomish River Run 10K and Fowl Fun Run 10K. My first half marathon back was Seattle--which I had registered for a year in advance. Thank goodness that $60 (or whatever it was) didn't go to waste! I think my time for Seattle this year was about the same as last year. I don't want to check because I don't want to be sad.
So that means I feel like I am at about the same place this year as I was at the end of last year. Which is obviously somewhat discouraging. But maybe my spring build-up will be faster and better this year. Or if not...that's okay too. I'm not going to let it ruin my life.
One thing I think I have gained in the last few years is a greater sense of "who cares." I have had the experiences of being crushed by a missed goal, especially if it was so close. I spent years feeling bad about the Newport Marathon--which was my second fastest marathon ever. WHY? Finally I can remember it as a good race that I ran quite well, and a great trip with my parents by the way.
The reality is that I may never have another PR. I'm not saying I won't, but I'm getting older and while I know I can get faster, I don't know if I can get fast enough to beat my times from five years ago. That's no reason not to train hard, work on improvement, and enjoy running most of the time. There's enough suffering in running (speed work!) to be suffering about running.
So here's to the end of...a year...and to the beginning of another. See you next year!
January addendum...I wasn't able to post this yesterday because of a problem with the pictures I had included. So today I deleted the photos...sad (and boring). And I did manage to get in five miles this morning before heading home!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
This year we're at Wapato Point, on Lake Chelan, for a few days. We're heading home tomorrow, early enough to see the Rose Bowl. It's been very cold here, 10-20 degrees every day. I have been wearing long underwear and fleece tops every day, even inside (although it's plenty warm inside). I have been running despite the cold, six sluggish miles yesterday and 8.25 pretty good miles today. I don't know if I'll be able to run tomorrow before we leave. It may be a topic of contention.
Today I added up my running mileage for the year. You know I had two months with almost no running in June and July (except for my marathon on June 1), due to my knee injury. A few weeks ago I added up the miles and thought I was on track for 1500 miles. But today I was more careful and ended up at 1496.86. 😩 Oh well.
I pulled my bicycling miles from Garmin (I did a lot of riding over the summer!) and got 1496.83!
Even though I am sad about all the running I missed during the summer, I would never have had the opportunity or idea to ride long distance (for me) if I'd been running regularly. In addition to long solo rides every weekend, I did four group rides, from 30 miles to 100K (62 miles). I really want to resume riding in the spring and summer next year. As well as running all the miles.
2014 is really divided into two parts for me. Part 1 is pre-knee injury. I started a new training plan, hoping to regain speed after all my marathons in 2013 made me slow. I wasn't looking for PRs but instead building a solid base. I went just barely under two hours at the Mercer Island Half Marathon, but missed two hours by a minute or two at the Whidbey Island Half (the first time ever in the seven times I've run it). I had solid but not spectacular times in the Shamrock Run 15K, Portland Rock 'n' Roll Half, and Bloomsday.
All this was leading up to my mid-year goal marathon, the North Olympic Discovery Marathon. I ran it in 4:28 in 2013, and felt like I had more to give.
Turns out I didn't. This year I did 4:31, which I consider pretty much equivalent, because they changed the course and the first half was a bit harder this year. I think my second half was actually faster in 2014 than 2013. But still, I don't plan on doing NODM again, at least for a while. I might do the half marathon someday, because I love the event and the area (Olympic Peninsula).
Finishing NODM.
Then Part 2.... After NODM I really wanted to turn up the training a notch and build speed over the summer for my big goal marathon, CIM in December.
Well, we know how that went. A week after NODM I hurt my knee and that was it for the summer. Well, that was it after a few failed runs and no doubt making it worse. I cycled and cross trained like a maniac, which hopefully kept me somewhat fit, but was not at all like running.
In August I was able to start running again. I spent the month run-walking and getting used to the feeling of running. (So awkward! So heavy! So slow!) In September running felt normal again and I was able to increase mileage and start doing speed work.
Over the summer and fall I dropped out of so many races I had preregistered for. Seattle Rock 'n' Roll, Anacortes Half Marathon, Bellingham Bay, Portland Half Marathon, and finally CIM in December. There were a few others I might have done, but luckily hadn't registered for.
In October and November I made my racing comeback with the Snohomish River Run 10K and Fowl Fun Run 10K. My first half marathon back was Seattle--which I had registered for a year in advance. Thank goodness that $60 (or whatever it was) didn't go to waste! I think my time for Seattle this year was about the same as last year. I don't want to check because I don't want to be sad.
So that means I feel like I am at about the same place this year as I was at the end of last year. Which is obviously somewhat discouraging. But maybe my spring build-up will be faster and better this year. Or if not...that's okay too. I'm not going to let it ruin my life.
One thing I think I have gained in the last few years is a greater sense of "who cares." I have had the experiences of being crushed by a missed goal, especially if it was so close. I spent years feeling bad about the Newport Marathon--which was my second fastest marathon ever. WHY? Finally I can remember it as a good race that I ran quite well, and a great trip with my parents by the way.
The reality is that I may never have another PR. I'm not saying I won't, but I'm getting older and while I know I can get faster, I don't know if I can get fast enough to beat my times from five years ago. That's no reason not to train hard, work on improvement, and enjoy running most of the time. There's enough suffering in running (speed work!) to be suffering about running.
So here's to the end of...a year...and to the beginning of another. See you next year!
January addendum...I wasn't able to post this yesterday because of a problem with the pictures I had included. So today I deleted the photos...sad (and boring). And I did manage to get in five miles this morning before heading home!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Monday, December 15, 2014
What I Listen to When I Am Running
I confess, I need like to be entertained when I am running. I really don't enjoy listening to the sound of my breath and footsteps. Plus I like distractions to pass the time. I mean, I like running, but I also like to be done running, and if my iPod can make me feel like I'm done sooner, all the better.
There have been a few times when I've voluntarily run without earbuds and lived to tell the tale. There was one half marathon and a 15K (that I've done a few times) where headphones were banned and I obeyed the prohibition. When I did the McKenzie River 50K I ran the first 26 miles without music. I felt like I needed to concentrate on the tricky footing of the trails without distraction. The rushing of the McKenzie River was the soundtrack of my run. I did turn on the music for a boost in the last five miles, though.
Occasionally when I have done speed work I have turned off the sound for the last lap (e.g. 400 meters) to see if I would run faster without music. Sometimes I did, but it may just have been because it was the last lap! Talk about noisy breathing and pounding heart, though. And sometimes I will mute the earbuds for a few minutes during a run because I feel like shutting off the noise, or I'll pause at a light and then leave it off for a few minutes. Just a variation on ways to pass the time.
For many, many years I ran with music, and only music, during every run. Then a few years ago, as I began training for marathons, I began to get tired of hours of music during long runs. Yet I needed to be entertained, more than ever, when I was running for two to four hours at a time. That is when I joined Audible (first book is free!) and started downloading books to listen to during long runs. I'll list some of the books I've enjoyed in a bit. I like memoirs--running, triathlon, other sports, and non-athletic memoirs. I've also listened to a few books for my book club (mostly books I've read years ago and don't want to necessarily sit down and read again, but want to refresh in my memory).
I will say one cautionary thing about Audible. You pay for a book credit every month, and I have actually accumulated more books than I can get through (I've also paid for books when their cost is less than the value of the credit). Occasionally I feel like I should cancel my subscription until I get through my library.
In the couple years or so I have also started listening to talk audio rather than music during shorter easy runs. I generally listen to podcasts (more below) or sometimes radio shows with an app on my phone. I keep this mostly to easy runs because I do naturally run a little slower listening to books or chat than listening to music.
I save music for specific purposes where I really take advantage of its energy. I like it during speed work, tempo runs, and of course, races. I also like to switch to music in the last one to three miles of a run (depending on the length of run). That helps give me a finishing kick!
I will admit that I listened to talk instead of music in a couple marathons where distracting my mind felt more necessary than speed (of which I had little anyway). During the Kauai Marathon my head started out in a bad space (for various reasons), and my music was annoying me. Thanks to the time difference in Hawaii, I was able to turn on KIRO radio and listen to two hours of Seattle Kitchen, plus at least an hour of another talk show. I did go to music to finish up, and after that mental break I enjoyed the music's boost. During the Mount Desert Island I listened to an hour podcast for miles 18-23, and then I was ready to kick to the finish.
If you would like to explore some audio ideas, here are books and podcasts I've enjoyed. Sorry I can't do a link to everything (that would take all night), but you can look up the books (you might just want to read them, which is actually faster than listening, but hard to do while running), and you can find the podcasts on iTunes.
Books
I have listened to these books while running, cycling on a bike trail, walking, and long car drives. Many of them I have read as well as listened to (which is good because sometimes my mind wanders while listening). A few I have read, then purchased the audiobook, but haven't yet listened to the audio (but know the book was good). There are a lot more in my library that I'm not listing because I haven't read or listened to them yet. (Also, there are a lot of other running books and memoirs I've enjoyed that aren't available on audio, or at least I haven't found them.) The books here are not listened in any order of preference.
Running Books
Run! Dean Karnazes
50/50 Dean Karnazes
Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes
The Extra Mile Pam Reed
14 Minutes Alberto Salazar
My Life on the Run Bart Yasso
The Longest Race Ed Ayres
Running Ransom Road Caleb Daniloff
The Long Run Matt Long
Eat and Run Scott Jurek
A Race Like No Other Liz Robbins (this is about the NYC Marathon)
Running With the Kenyans Adharanand Finn
Born to Run Christopher McDougall
Triathlon Books
I don't do triathlons, but I've found these books fascinating and fun!
A Life Without Limits Chrissie Wellington
Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run Andy Holgate
Triathlon for Everywoman Meredith Atwood
Iron War Matt Fitzgerald
You Are An Ironman Jacques Steinberg
Finding Ultra Rich Roll
Miscellaneous Memoirs and Other
Wild Cheryl Strayed
Orange Is the New Black Piper Kerman
I Feel Bad About My Neck Nora Ephron
I Remember Nothing Nora Ephron
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake Anna Quindlen
Seriously, I'm Kidding Ellen Degeneris
Bossy Pants Tina Fey
A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson
Catch Me if You Can Frank Abagnale
Diet Cults Matt Fitzgerald
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Fanny Flagg (This was a book club book; I first read it about 20 years ago, and thought the audio version was lovely!)
Podcasts
Podcasts are great for running, as they tend to be about 30-60 minutes long, good for three to six mile runs or so. Even better if they're a little longer, in case your six mile run takes longer than an hour! I listen to podcasts for entertainment, and if they are preaching certain theories or philosophies, I take all that with a grain of salt. Depending on the podcast, you might get new episodes weekly, occasionally, or even more than once a week in some cases. But luckily any podcast that is new to you will have a backlog of episodes.
Podcasts I listen to regularly
Another Mother Runner
Diz Runs With (somewhat new to me, but I've listened to a few)
The Marathon Show (no longer producing new episodes, but there should be tons of old ones to access)
Marathon Training Academy
Runner Academy
Everyday Runners
NPR-Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (when I don't catch it on the radio). (I don't always want to listen to this running, sometimes I feel it makes me slower than other podcasts. Especially that time I listened to an interview with Al Gore near the end of an 18-miler. I literally had to turn it off so I didn't stop entirely.)
Newish-to-me podcasts that I have been exploring
Ultra Runner Podcast
The Running Lifestyle
Finding Ultra with Rich Roll
The one you should go listen to right now, if you haven't already
SERIAL from This American Life
Tomorrow morning I'll be listening to 57 minutes of Another Mother Runner!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
There have been a few times when I've voluntarily run without earbuds and lived to tell the tale. There was one half marathon and a 15K (that I've done a few times) where headphones were banned and I obeyed the prohibition. When I did the McKenzie River 50K I ran the first 26 miles without music. I felt like I needed to concentrate on the tricky footing of the trails without distraction. The rushing of the McKenzie River was the soundtrack of my run. I did turn on the music for a boost in the last five miles, though.
Occasionally when I have done speed work I have turned off the sound for the last lap (e.g. 400 meters) to see if I would run faster without music. Sometimes I did, but it may just have been because it was the last lap! Talk about noisy breathing and pounding heart, though. And sometimes I will mute the earbuds for a few minutes during a run because I feel like shutting off the noise, or I'll pause at a light and then leave it off for a few minutes. Just a variation on ways to pass the time.
For many, many years I ran with music, and only music, during every run. Then a few years ago, as I began training for marathons, I began to get tired of hours of music during long runs. Yet I needed to be entertained, more than ever, when I was running for two to four hours at a time. That is when I joined Audible (first book is free!) and started downloading books to listen to during long runs. I'll list some of the books I've enjoyed in a bit. I like memoirs--running, triathlon, other sports, and non-athletic memoirs. I've also listened to a few books for my book club (mostly books I've read years ago and don't want to necessarily sit down and read again, but want to refresh in my memory).
I will say one cautionary thing about Audible. You pay for a book credit every month, and I have actually accumulated more books than I can get through (I've also paid for books when their cost is less than the value of the credit). Occasionally I feel like I should cancel my subscription until I get through my library.
In the couple years or so I have also started listening to talk audio rather than music during shorter easy runs. I generally listen to podcasts (more below) or sometimes radio shows with an app on my phone. I keep this mostly to easy runs because I do naturally run a little slower listening to books or chat than listening to music.
I save music for specific purposes where I really take advantage of its energy. I like it during speed work, tempo runs, and of course, races. I also like to switch to music in the last one to three miles of a run (depending on the length of run). That helps give me a finishing kick!
I will admit that I listened to talk instead of music in a couple marathons where distracting my mind felt more necessary than speed (of which I had little anyway). During the Kauai Marathon my head started out in a bad space (for various reasons), and my music was annoying me. Thanks to the time difference in Hawaii, I was able to turn on KIRO radio and listen to two hours of Seattle Kitchen, plus at least an hour of another talk show. I did go to music to finish up, and after that mental break I enjoyed the music's boost. During the Mount Desert Island I listened to an hour podcast for miles 18-23, and then I was ready to kick to the finish.
If you would like to explore some audio ideas, here are books and podcasts I've enjoyed. Sorry I can't do a link to everything (that would take all night), but you can look up the books (you might just want to read them, which is actually faster than listening, but hard to do while running), and you can find the podcasts on iTunes.
Books
I have listened to these books while running, cycling on a bike trail, walking, and long car drives. Many of them I have read as well as listened to (which is good because sometimes my mind wanders while listening). A few I have read, then purchased the audiobook, but haven't yet listened to the audio (but know the book was good). There are a lot more in my library that I'm not listing because I haven't read or listened to them yet. (Also, there are a lot of other running books and memoirs I've enjoyed that aren't available on audio, or at least I haven't found them.) The books here are not listened in any order of preference.
Running Books
Run! Dean Karnazes
50/50 Dean Karnazes
Ultramarathon Man Dean Karnazes
The Extra Mile Pam Reed
14 Minutes Alberto Salazar
My Life on the Run Bart Yasso
The Longest Race Ed Ayres
Running Ransom Road Caleb Daniloff
The Long Run Matt Long
Eat and Run Scott Jurek
A Race Like No Other Liz Robbins (this is about the NYC Marathon)
Running With the Kenyans Adharanand Finn
Born to Run Christopher McDougall
Triathlon Books
I don't do triathlons, but I've found these books fascinating and fun!
A Life Without Limits Chrissie Wellington
Can't Swim, Can't Ride, Can't Run Andy Holgate
Triathlon for Everywoman Meredith Atwood
Iron War Matt Fitzgerald
You Are An Ironman Jacques Steinberg
Finding Ultra Rich Roll
Miscellaneous Memoirs and Other
Wild Cheryl Strayed
Orange Is the New Black Piper Kerman
I Feel Bad About My Neck Nora Ephron
I Remember Nothing Nora Ephron
Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake Anna Quindlen
Seriously, I'm Kidding Ellen Degeneris
Bossy Pants Tina Fey
A Walk in the Woods Bill Bryson
Catch Me if You Can Frank Abagnale
Diet Cults Matt Fitzgerald
Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe Fanny Flagg (This was a book club book; I first read it about 20 years ago, and thought the audio version was lovely!)
Podcasts
Podcasts are great for running, as they tend to be about 30-60 minutes long, good for three to six mile runs or so. Even better if they're a little longer, in case your six mile run takes longer than an hour! I listen to podcasts for entertainment, and if they are preaching certain theories or philosophies, I take all that with a grain of salt. Depending on the podcast, you might get new episodes weekly, occasionally, or even more than once a week in some cases. But luckily any podcast that is new to you will have a backlog of episodes.
Podcasts I listen to regularly
Another Mother Runner
Diz Runs With (somewhat new to me, but I've listened to a few)
The Marathon Show (no longer producing new episodes, but there should be tons of old ones to access)
Marathon Training Academy
Runner Academy
Everyday Runners
NPR-Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (when I don't catch it on the radio). (I don't always want to listen to this running, sometimes I feel it makes me slower than other podcasts. Especially that time I listened to an interview with Al Gore near the end of an 18-miler. I literally had to turn it off so I didn't stop entirely.)
Newish-to-me podcasts that I have been exploring
Ultra Runner Podcast
The Running Lifestyle
Finding Ultra with Rich Roll
The one you should go listen to right now, if you haven't already
SERIAL from This American Life
Tomorrow morning I'll be listening to 57 minutes of Another Mother Runner!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Location:What I Listen to While I'm Running
Saturday, December 6, 2014
CIM Weekend (I'm not there)
In Sacramento, hundreds (thousands, probably) of runners are finishing up at the CIM expo, anticipating a pre-race pasta dinner tonight, laying out running gear and planning strategies for CIM tomorrow. (That's the California International Marathon, by the way. Folsom to the State Capitol.)
I'm not one of them. I should have been. I could have been. I paid to be and I'm not seeing that money ever again. But thanks to my injury-caused two month hiatus from running this summer, I'm in no shape to run 26.2 miles right now. Certainly not at the quality level that I had planned for CIM. I ran a half marathon last weekend at least a minute per mile slower than I wanted for CIM. And I'm pretty sure I would not even be able to sustain that pace for a full marathon.
In reality, if I tried to run a marathon right now I would certainly be shuffling and walking in the later miles, and I might hurt myself or otherwise damage my chances of getting back into good marathon shape sooner rather than later. I would also put a big damper on my good feelings about CIM. In 2009 it was my Boston Qualifier, PR, and first marathon ever. I have always believed that if I were able to beat (or match) that time, it would be at CIM. So that dream is still alive. Just waiting.
I accepted that I wouldn't be able to do CIM back in September, after I'd been back to running for a few weeks and could see that my comeback would not be miraculous. But I didn't actually bite the bullet and completely cancel my plans until this week. Of course the race entry is not refundable or deferrable. I could still toe the starting line tomorrow, if I were in California. But I had a very expensive luxury hotel reservation that needed to be cancelled (not something I want to pay for by accident!)
And then there were plane tickets. Luckily flights to Sacramento are cheap, relatively. I had purchased flight insurance for my parents and myself, thinking my dad's health might require them to cancel (with no expectation that I would have a problem). But I think trip insurance is the biggest rip-off in the world. When I was looking at the policy* I am pretty sure that it excludes having to cancel a trip because a leg injury required me to drop out of a race. I think that particular situation is actually spelled out in the rules. It is possible that my parents' tickets may be covered, as long as his medical issues are not a pre-existing condition. But on the other hand, who knows if I cancelled their tickets in the right way to collect. We haven't tried yet.
Now, even though the cheap Alaska tickets are non-refundable, Alaska does allow you to cancel and apply the value to another ticket within a year, minus a $125 fee. So I will be able to use it against another flight next year. Unfortunately, the credit expires before CIM next year, so I won't be able to use it for next year's race. Which sucks a little bit. (And I'll only have about $100 left after the fee. But it's something.)
About a week before Thanksgiving, I was browsing the CIM Facebook page and website (as you do), and I learned that although marathon spots can't be refunded or deferred, marathon entrants can transfer to the relay and get a refund of the marathon that way. The relay has four legs, varying from about five to seven miles. CIM had a "friend finder" on their Facebook page, where people could meet up with others looking to form a team.
On the day I found this, there were at least two possible teams I could request to join. I did some additional research and found a cheaper but well-located hotel that would have a room for me, and figured out that by paying the $125 fee, I could change my plane ticket to a shorter weekend so I wouldn't miss work on Friday.
But I waffled. I wasn't sure if I should do it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to. This was before the Seattle Half Marathon, so I hadn't yet tested myself on a longer race distance. (One of the relay options was to run two legs, essentially a half marathon.) I looked at the Friend Finder page several times a day. My opportunities to join a team dwindled. The price of the alternate hotel went up (a little). The airfare went up so I would have to pay something in addition to the change fee. I started scheduling things at work that would be difficult to miss if I were gone.
The window was closing. On Thanksgiving weekend I slammed it shut and walked away.
This weekend, instead of flying to Sacramento, I watched the Pac-12 championship game on TV. This morning I ran a 5K in Burlington (the Skagit Jingle Bell Run). Tomorrow morning I will run 10 miles. I will probably think about the CIM runners. (Also the Tucson Marathon runners, which was my December marathon last year.) I'll probably watch the Seahawks game. (Last year my dad and I couldn't watch the Seahawks game in Tucson after the marathon, because they didn't air it in Tucson!) (Don't know if it will be on in Sacramento.)
The thing is, I'm not a person who is willing to run a marathon inadequately trained just to say I did it. I read about those people all the time in blogs and on Facebook. Good for them, if that's what makes them happy. When I run a marathon I want to give a strong effort, and have the ability to give that strong effort. Sometimes that effort will result in a slow or unsatisfactory result. Probably it will result in a slow result, but most of the time it won't be unsatisfactory. Because I know I am prepared and I've given what I can on the day.
Which is why I won't be running CIM tomorrow.
*That would be looking at the policy to see if I could collect. Not looking at it prior to purchasing the trip insurance.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
I'm not one of them. I should have been. I could have been. I paid to be and I'm not seeing that money ever again. But thanks to my injury-caused two month hiatus from running this summer, I'm in no shape to run 26.2 miles right now. Certainly not at the quality level that I had planned for CIM. I ran a half marathon last weekend at least a minute per mile slower than I wanted for CIM. And I'm pretty sure I would not even be able to sustain that pace for a full marathon.
In reality, if I tried to run a marathon right now I would certainly be shuffling and walking in the later miles, and I might hurt myself or otherwise damage my chances of getting back into good marathon shape sooner rather than later. I would also put a big damper on my good feelings about CIM. In 2009 it was my Boston Qualifier, PR, and first marathon ever. I have always believed that if I were able to beat (or match) that time, it would be at CIM. So that dream is still alive. Just waiting.
I accepted that I wouldn't be able to do CIM back in September, after I'd been back to running for a few weeks and could see that my comeback would not be miraculous. But I didn't actually bite the bullet and completely cancel my plans until this week. Of course the race entry is not refundable or deferrable. I could still toe the starting line tomorrow, if I were in California. But I had a very expensive luxury hotel reservation that needed to be cancelled (not something I want to pay for by accident!)
And then there were plane tickets. Luckily flights to Sacramento are cheap, relatively. I had purchased flight insurance for my parents and myself, thinking my dad's health might require them to cancel (with no expectation that I would have a problem). But I think trip insurance is the biggest rip-off in the world. When I was looking at the policy* I am pretty sure that it excludes having to cancel a trip because a leg injury required me to drop out of a race. I think that particular situation is actually spelled out in the rules. It is possible that my parents' tickets may be covered, as long as his medical issues are not a pre-existing condition. But on the other hand, who knows if I cancelled their tickets in the right way to collect. We haven't tried yet.
Now, even though the cheap Alaska tickets are non-refundable, Alaska does allow you to cancel and apply the value to another ticket within a year, minus a $125 fee. So I will be able to use it against another flight next year. Unfortunately, the credit expires before CIM next year, so I won't be able to use it for next year's race. Which sucks a little bit. (And I'll only have about $100 left after the fee. But it's something.)
About a week before Thanksgiving, I was browsing the CIM Facebook page and website (as you do), and I learned that although marathon spots can't be refunded or deferred, marathon entrants can transfer to the relay and get a refund of the marathon that way. The relay has four legs, varying from about five to seven miles. CIM had a "friend finder" on their Facebook page, where people could meet up with others looking to form a team.
On the day I found this, there were at least two possible teams I could request to join. I did some additional research and found a cheaper but well-located hotel that would have a room for me, and figured out that by paying the $125 fee, I could change my plane ticket to a shorter weekend so I wouldn't miss work on Friday.
But I waffled. I wasn't sure if I should do it. I wasn't sure if I wanted to. This was before the Seattle Half Marathon, so I hadn't yet tested myself on a longer race distance. (One of the relay options was to run two legs, essentially a half marathon.) I looked at the Friend Finder page several times a day. My opportunities to join a team dwindled. The price of the alternate hotel went up (a little). The airfare went up so I would have to pay something in addition to the change fee. I started scheduling things at work that would be difficult to miss if I were gone.
The window was closing. On Thanksgiving weekend I slammed it shut and walked away.
This weekend, instead of flying to Sacramento, I watched the Pac-12 championship game on TV. This morning I ran a 5K in Burlington (the Skagit Jingle Bell Run). Tomorrow morning I will run 10 miles. I will probably think about the CIM runners. (Also the Tucson Marathon runners, which was my December marathon last year.) I'll probably watch the Seahawks game. (Last year my dad and I couldn't watch the Seahawks game in Tucson after the marathon, because they didn't air it in Tucson!) (Don't know if it will be on in Sacramento.)
The thing is, I'm not a person who is willing to run a marathon inadequately trained just to say I did it. I read about those people all the time in blogs and on Facebook. Good for them, if that's what makes them happy. When I run a marathon I want to give a strong effort, and have the ability to give that strong effort. Sometimes that effort will result in a slow or unsatisfactory result. Probably it will result in a slow result, but most of the time it won't be unsatisfactory. Because I know I am prepared and I've given what I can on the day.
Which is why I won't be running CIM tomorrow.
*That would be looking at the policy to see if I could collect. Not looking at it prior to purchasing the trip insurance.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Four Things
The latest blog survey going around has you list four things in a series of questions. Of course I am jumping on the bandwagon because, as Bridget Jones would say, "I love quizzes!" I will try to restrain myself to the mandated four things....
Four names that people call me other than my own
KT
Counsel
Ms. Brice (my law partner, sometimes judges get us mixed up)
Kretchen (this is what my mother used to call both me and my sister, Gretchen
Four jobs that I have had
Babysitter
Summer cleaning crew
Temp worker (receptionist type jobs)
Law Clerk for a judge
Four movies that I have watched more than once
Bridget Jones's Diary
When Harry Met Sally
Sleepless in Seattle
Notting Hill
(Honorable mentions: You've Got Mail, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral. And I completely omitted Christmas movies; otherwise White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's a Wonderful Life would top the list!)
Four books I'd recommend (oh there are so many!)
Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and the Greatest Race Ever Run by Matt Fitzgerald
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Moloka'i and Honolulu by Alan Brennert (yes, I snuck in two)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
I restrained myself to only one running book! I have many more I could include. The others are all fiction. Even though my favorite genre is probably memoirs, my most intense reading experiences have been novels.
Four places I have lived
Tacoma, WA (college)
London, England (study abroad)
Washington, DC (internship)
Seattle, WA (law school)
Four places I have been
Five of the Hawaiian islands (Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, Moloka'i)
England
Norway and Denmark
Scotland
Four places I have run marathons (I added this category)
Boston (Boston Marathon)
Bar Harbor, ME (Mount Desert Island Marathon)
Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities Marathon)
Hawaii (Honolulu Marathon and Kauai Marathon)
Four places I'd rather be right now
London
Hawaii (any island)
I can't really come up with anything else...it might be easier if I were doing this at work instead of home! As it is, any other option would require me to go out into the cold and change out of my sweatshirt and yoga pants, so....
Four things I don't eat (This one is hard because I pretty much eat anything and everything, but....)
Lutefisk (this is a Norwegian cod dish, and I just don't like it...but I could eat it if I needed to)
Pumpkin pie (I don't like it, but I made a pie with Kabocha pumpkin, and it's pretty good!)
Tapioca or rice pudding (I think it's a texture thing)
Liver, heart, gizzards (I don't think I like these things, but maybe with the right preparation....)
Four of my favorite foods
Wild Alaskan Salmon
Chocolate
Sweet Potatoes
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (possibly tied with watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew)
Four TV shows I watch
The Middle
The Goldbergs
Modern Family
Black-ish
Pretty much keeping ABC Wednesday night in business--I DVR them and watch throughout the week if I don't watch on Wednesday. I also watch Once Upon a Time on Sunday nights and Hot in Cleveland on DVR (so bummed it's been canceled). And Orange Is the New Black on Netflix (I only watch about one episode a week so I haven't binged through the whole series yet!)
Four things I am looking forward to
Maui trip in January
Vancouver Marathon in May
Going to see Wild, the movie, in December
Three running movies coming out in 2015! McFarland, USA (cross country, big studio, Kevin Costner, opening in February); Tracktown, the Movie (indie film set in Eugene, created by runner Alexi Pappas and her boyfriend/business partner); the Boston Marathon film, a documentary directed by Jon Dunham. Exciting!
Four things I am always saying
"Jeez Louise"
"Awesome"
"What?" (People mumble.)
"Grande Americano, light room."
So there you go. A few of my favorite things. What are your four things?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Four names that people call me other than my own
KT
Counsel
Ms. Brice (my law partner, sometimes judges get us mixed up)
Kretchen (this is what my mother used to call both me and my sister, Gretchen
Four jobs that I have had
Babysitter
Summer cleaning crew
Temp worker (receptionist type jobs)
Law Clerk for a judge
Four movies that I have watched more than once
Bridget Jones's Diary
When Harry Met Sally
Sleepless in Seattle
Notting Hill
(Honorable mentions: You've Got Mail, Love Actually, Four Weddings and a Funeral. And I completely omitted Christmas movies; otherwise White Christmas, Holiday Inn, Miracle on 34th Street, and It's a Wonderful Life would top the list!)
Four books I'd recommend (oh there are so many!)
Iron War: Dave Scott, Mark Allen, and the Greatest Race Ever Run by Matt Fitzgerald
White Oleander by Janet Fitch
Moloka'i and Honolulu by Alan Brennert (yes, I snuck in two)
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
I restrained myself to only one running book! I have many more I could include. The others are all fiction. Even though my favorite genre is probably memoirs, my most intense reading experiences have been novels.
Four places I have lived
Tacoma, WA (college)
London, England (study abroad)
Washington, DC (internship)
Seattle, WA (law school)
Four places I have been
Five of the Hawaiian islands (Oahu, Maui, Hawaii, Kauai, Moloka'i)
England
Norway and Denmark
Scotland
Four places I have run marathons (I added this category)
Boston (Boston Marathon)
Bar Harbor, ME (Mount Desert Island Marathon)
Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities Marathon)
Hawaii (Honolulu Marathon and Kauai Marathon)
Four places I'd rather be right now
London
Hawaii (any island)
I can't really come up with anything else...it might be easier if I were doing this at work instead of home! As it is, any other option would require me to go out into the cold and change out of my sweatshirt and yoga pants, so....
Four things I don't eat (This one is hard because I pretty much eat anything and everything, but....)
Lutefisk (this is a Norwegian cod dish, and I just don't like it...but I could eat it if I needed to)
Pumpkin pie (I don't like it, but I made a pie with Kabocha pumpkin, and it's pretty good!)
Tapioca or rice pudding (I think it's a texture thing)
Liver, heart, gizzards (I don't think I like these things, but maybe with the right preparation....)
Four of my favorite foods
Wild Alaskan Salmon
Chocolate
Sweet Potatoes
Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries (possibly tied with watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew)
Four TV shows I watch
The Middle
The Goldbergs
Modern Family
Black-ish
Pretty much keeping ABC Wednesday night in business--I DVR them and watch throughout the week if I don't watch on Wednesday. I also watch Once Upon a Time on Sunday nights and Hot in Cleveland on DVR (so bummed it's been canceled). And Orange Is the New Black on Netflix (I only watch about one episode a week so I haven't binged through the whole series yet!)
Four things I am looking forward to
Maui trip in January
Vancouver Marathon in May
Going to see Wild, the movie, in December
Three running movies coming out in 2015! McFarland, USA (cross country, big studio, Kevin Costner, opening in February); Tracktown, the Movie (indie film set in Eugene, created by runner Alexi Pappas and her boyfriend/business partner); the Boston Marathon film, a documentary directed by Jon Dunham. Exciting!
Four things I am always saying
"Jeez Louise"
"Awesome"
"What?" (People mumble.)
"Grande Americano, light room."
So there you go. A few of my favorite things. What are your four things?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, November 16, 2014
Ten Years
It's been ten years since my last blog post...not really. It just seems that way. I really fell off blogging, mostly because of computer struggles. My iPad app wasn't working, my laptop at work was dying (finally replaced a few months ago), and uploading photos seemed to get harder and harder. My adult ADD would not tolerate sitting around trying to make things work.
But I did get the new laptop, my iPad is all updated, and I don't know about pictures yet but we'll see how that goes. If I ever write another post after this.
Here's a super quick running update for 2014. I started working with a coach in hopes of regaining some speed (I was really burned out after all the fall marathons on 2013). I made some decent progress in the spring with strong half marathons. Then I ran the North Olympic Discovery Marathon on June 1. I thought I had the potential for improvement over 2013. Turns out I did not. My 2014 time was virtually the same as 2013--actually three minutes slower but I'm giving myself a break because they changed the course so that the first half was quite a bit harder than before. I think my second half might have been faster this year than last. But that hardly matters, my overall performance was basically mediocre (4:31). Still, that was substantially faster than my last three marathons in 2013. And even though the NODM course was harder (I would call it a moderately difficult marathon overall), it is beautiful, and fun, and I would recommend it to anyone. I probably won't run it again because my fate seems pretty much sealed as to time. I wouldn't mind running the half, though. And I'd be happy to take another trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
NODM was on June 1, and I took a week off to recover, then started running again. Then I hurt my knee. I still feel it's ridiculous that I trained for and ran a marathon (not to mention 15 marathons before that) with no problems, and somehow got injured in a minor training run. To try to make a long story short, I tried to keep running after my knee hurt, I probably made it worse, I saw my doctor, a PT, a sports doc, had X-Rays and an MRI, and was tentatively diagnosed with a meniscus tear than was probably more due to wear than traumatic injury.
So for the rest of June and all July, I stopped running. I used the elliptical like it was my job (ask me about elliptical workouts that will kick your butt), started bike riding long distances, went to weekly spin classes, and even went swimming sometimes on weekends when it was hot enough. And did PT exercises, core work, and yoga. (Still, I managed to gain a few pounds over the summer.)
In August I was able to start run-walking. Running was so hard! My legs felt heavy and foreign to me. Eventually it got easier and I was able to run "normally" (though slowly) starting about in September. I'm up to 13 miles and on November 30 I'm doing the Seattle Half. With no expectations. Over the summer I had to miss four half marathons that I had registered and paid for. Two of them I was able to transfer the registration to someone else, but Seattle RnR and Portland were a complete loss.
I am also registered for a marathon in December, but I'm not going. It breaks my heart a little bit (not just because of the money down the drain), but I am not a person who is willing to go just do a marathon when I'm not properly trained. I know lots of people do.
Also, this was supposed to be my big attempt at a long lost marathon PR, after a summer of hard training. That didn't happen (not as far as running goes), and I don't want to ruin my positive, optimistic feelings about CIM being my best chance for a fast marathon. Maybe it will be next year.
This has gotten really long, and I haven't even gotten to the topic from my title. "Ten Years." Ten years ago, November 2004, I was 39.25 years old and I decided to change my life (health and body-wise) by the time I turned 40. I'd actually had it in mind for a while, but (of course) procrastinated until pretty much the last minute. I don't know why this time it worked when it hadn't before, but over the next nine months I lost about a hundred pounds (estimating wildly here), and then after my 40th birthday continued on until I was about 10 pounds less than I am now. By the time I was 40 I was running and walking a lot on the treadmill. I took up outdoor running the following year, and haven't looked back.
How's that for covering my whole topic in one paragraph?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
But I did get the new laptop, my iPad is all updated, and I don't know about pictures yet but we'll see how that goes. If I ever write another post after this.
Here's a super quick running update for 2014. I started working with a coach in hopes of regaining some speed (I was really burned out after all the fall marathons on 2013). I made some decent progress in the spring with strong half marathons. Then I ran the North Olympic Discovery Marathon on June 1. I thought I had the potential for improvement over 2013. Turns out I did not. My 2014 time was virtually the same as 2013--actually three minutes slower but I'm giving myself a break because they changed the course so that the first half was quite a bit harder than before. I think my second half might have been faster this year than last. But that hardly matters, my overall performance was basically mediocre (4:31). Still, that was substantially faster than my last three marathons in 2013. And even though the NODM course was harder (I would call it a moderately difficult marathon overall), it is beautiful, and fun, and I would recommend it to anyone. I probably won't run it again because my fate seems pretty much sealed as to time. I wouldn't mind running the half, though. And I'd be happy to take another trip to the Olympic Peninsula.
NODM was on June 1, and I took a week off to recover, then started running again. Then I hurt my knee. I still feel it's ridiculous that I trained for and ran a marathon (not to mention 15 marathons before that) with no problems, and somehow got injured in a minor training run. To try to make a long story short, I tried to keep running after my knee hurt, I probably made it worse, I saw my doctor, a PT, a sports doc, had X-Rays and an MRI, and was tentatively diagnosed with a meniscus tear than was probably more due to wear than traumatic injury.
So for the rest of June and all July, I stopped running. I used the elliptical like it was my job (ask me about elliptical workouts that will kick your butt), started bike riding long distances, went to weekly spin classes, and even went swimming sometimes on weekends when it was hot enough. And did PT exercises, core work, and yoga. (Still, I managed to gain a few pounds over the summer.)
In August I was able to start run-walking. Running was so hard! My legs felt heavy and foreign to me. Eventually it got easier and I was able to run "normally" (though slowly) starting about in September. I'm up to 13 miles and on November 30 I'm doing the Seattle Half. With no expectations. Over the summer I had to miss four half marathons that I had registered and paid for. Two of them I was able to transfer the registration to someone else, but Seattle RnR and Portland were a complete loss.
I am also registered for a marathon in December, but I'm not going. It breaks my heart a little bit (not just because of the money down the drain), but I am not a person who is willing to go just do a marathon when I'm not properly trained. I know lots of people do.
Also, this was supposed to be my big attempt at a long lost marathon PR, after a summer of hard training. That didn't happen (not as far as running goes), and I don't want to ruin my positive, optimistic feelings about CIM being my best chance for a fast marathon. Maybe it will be next year.
This has gotten really long, and I haven't even gotten to the topic from my title. "Ten Years." Ten years ago, November 2004, I was 39.25 years old and I decided to change my life (health and body-wise) by the time I turned 40. I'd actually had it in mind for a while, but (of course) procrastinated until pretty much the last minute. I don't know why this time it worked when it hadn't before, but over the next nine months I lost about a hundred pounds (estimating wildly here), and then after my 40th birthday continued on until I was about 10 pounds less than I am now. By the time I was 40 I was running and walking a lot on the treadmill. I took up outdoor running the following year, and haven't looked back.
How's that for covering my whole topic in one paragraph?
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
