A Christmas Surprise

I've had a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas.

We spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at my Mom's on Southport Island. We enjoyed a lovely tromp through the woods and then feasted on crab dip and scallops fresh off the boat before heading to church for the candlelight service.

Christmas morning started with a furry little dog sniffing my face and begging for a tummy rub.

It was a beautiful morning, but even from my bed I could tell how cold it was outside because of the sea smoke on the water and the glistening ice everywhere.

After making coffee (priorities), we settled down to see what Santa brought. Santa brought me a new mooring ball for my boat! I bet none of you got a shiny new mooring ball!

And then I went for a chilly, but sunny, run. I love running on the island in the winter. I didn't see a single car and ran right smack in the middle of the road. 

But mostly, I spent my time staring and my hand and smiling because there is a very shiny new item on my finger. 

Early yesterday morning the BF made me the happiest girl alive by proposing. I'll save the story for another day, and just say that I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with him. 

I hope your heart is also full of joy on this Christmas day.

Tokyo Marathon Training Weeks 7-9

Week 7 Level 17

4 runs for a total of 25.32 miles in 3:57:30.
Longest Run: 1:40:00, 10 miles
Cross Training: 3:06 minutes of bootcamp, elliptical, and jump rope; 30 minutes of swimming, and 3 strenth workouts.
Felt: Pretty good. It was snowing wet, heavy snow during my long run and the roads were very slippery, so I headed to the Eastern Trail and the dirt path had much more traction.

Week 8 Level 18

4 runs for a total of 26.9 miles in 4:14:33

Longest Run: 2:15:20, 13.72 miles

Cross Training: 4:05 minutes, 3 strength workouts

Felt: This was my first long run that I really qualify as a "long run." I tried to push the pace the second half of the long run and really felt it. I had to serve a soup dinner and perform in a Christmas Concert that night, and got tasked with serving all the tables downstairs. My legs were toast after the long run, running up and down stairs, and standing for the concert. 

Week 9 Level 19

3 runs for 16.75 miles in 2:37:56

Longest Run: 1:20 minutes, 8.45 miles.

Cross Training: 3:20 minutes, 50 minutes of swimming, 2 strength workouts. 

Felt: This was originally scheduled to be an off week- but because of holiday travel plans I decided to post-pone the off week and do level 19. Unfortunately, the weather had other plans for me. Saturday was 2 degrees and windy. Sunday we got 14 inches of snow. Tuesday we got another 8 inches of snow. I tried to do my 2 hour long run on the treadmill, but my ankle really started to bother me. So, I called it a day at 1:20, and then did 20 minutes on the stair-stepper. My foot continued to bother me all week, so I skipped my Tuesday run and swam instead. I finished the week feeling pretty discouraged. It looks like this is going to be a snowy, cold winter, making running outside really challenging. From both a mental and physical perspective, I hate running on the treadmill. Time just crawls, and it really seems to bother my foot. I've been doing physical therapy since September and I continue to have flare-ups with my foot. 

Decisions, Decisions

I am trying to make a big decision about my professional life and it has reminded me just how much I hate making big decisions.

I over-think everything and I totally let it turn me into a nervous wreck. I start to regret my decision even before I make it.

In the past I have started with making a pro and con list. At the very least this gives me something concrete to do and makes me feel like I am making some sort of progress towards making my decision.

Usually though, I just have some sort of gut feeling or sense of what is right for me and that ultimately makes my decision for me.

That magical decision making force is not coming to me this time though.

A part of me wants to stay with what is familiar and favor my personal life and relationships over my career. However, I also fear that this is just the voice of inertia. Change is scary. Am I just trying to avoid the unknown?

I love seeing this fuzzy face every day (and the half of a non fuzzy face in the pic too)

Another part of me wants a job that compels me again. I want to feel the spark again. I want to be out interacting with me and getting new experiences. I also know that this is the time to do it, before I want to have kids. Plus, I have totally depleted my frequent flier miles and hotel points.

I have until Friday to decide, so by Christmas at least, I will know one way or the other.

How do you tackle making big decisions?

Does it Count?

So my bucking up was apparently short lived. I failed to do my long run outside this weekend.

Saturday I really didn't want to miss my boot camp class. Plus, it was about 2 degrees out, without the wind chill. I can make myself get out for a shorter, faster run in the cold. But the idea of being out there in that cold for 2-3 hours, is not appealing at all.

Sunday, I woke up to 12 inches of snow and it was still snowing heavily. It was also incredibly windy. Poor Dixie couldn't even get out the door to pee, no way was I going to be able to run. I did however manage to get my car out of the garage (thank God it is my week in the garage), up the hill on my unpaved road, and to the gym.

the surf was HUGE from the storm

At the gym I faced 2 hours and 20 mins on the mill o' dread. I just couldn't bring myself to do it all on a single machine. So I did 30 mins on the stair stepper, followed by 1:20 on the treadmill, and then 30 minutes on the treadclimber. So I got all my time in, but I left feeling like I'd cheated. Does it count as a long run if I didn't "run" the whole thing?

I was certainly tired afterward. Even more so after I spent the rest of the day doing a massive holiday baking and weekly food prep session. Just before sunset, I did make it out on my x-c skis. The trail wasn't broken yet, so it was slow going, but it was so pretty that I didn't mind a slow slog.

So as I face the forecast of another week filled with sub zero temps and snow storms I am starting to get nervous about my marathon training. 

 Did I cheat by not doing all my long run on the treadmill? Is the treadmill itself considered cheating?

Buck Up Buttercup

This morning I woke up and looked at the weather on my phone.

Then I looked outside and saw it had snowed again. Not a lot, but just enough to cover all the ice and make it extra dangerous on the sidewalks.

also, I do not know how I ended up with this cool animated picture.

I almost went to the gym again. Tuesday when I woke up everything was covered in a layer of ice. It would have been dangerous to run outside. Even trying to scrape my windshield to drive to the gym I kept sliding away from my car. Yesterday, there was still some ice on the roads and I wanted to do speedword, so I hit the dreadmill again. 

But today I had a very stern conversation with myself. It went something like this. 

"It's cold."

"You live in Maine. It's always cold in the winter."

"It might be slippery."

"The roads and shoulders are fine. Do you really want to run on the treadmill again?"

"But...." (said in a very whiny voice)

"Oh buck up buttercup. You ran a marathon in Antarctica. Just get the F out there."

I layered myself out and headed out. I did have to run kind of in the road, and it was cold, but I was still so glad I got outside. The sun on my poor vitamin D deprived skin felt great (the few inches of it that were exposed that is). Running outside just refreshes me in a way that the gym never does. And now I can huddle inside on a heating pad and drink tea all day as I work without guilt. 

How is the winter weather affecting your running? What does it take to make you head for the treadmill?

Volunteering for Boston

Look what I did yesterday........

I have always wanted to volunteer for Boston (since I will likely never be fast enough to run it), but I especially want to this year after last year's tragedy. I want to see this year's event be a huge triumph.

Want to join me? I set up a group so you want work the same station that I am. Just post a comment on this post and I will e-mail you the info to join my group.

Then, you can register on the BAA website.
http://www.baa.org/races/boston-marathon/event-information/volunteering/volunteer-registration.aspx

Long Run Prep

I realized on Saturday morning that I may have a problem. I had all the stuff for my long run laid out a full 24 hours in advance. I had looked at the weather, knew the hourly forecast and picked all my clothing accordingly. I had my intervals programmed into my Garmin and my playlist on my i-pod. 

Is this normal? 

In one way it is great because it helps me have a relaxed morning pre-run and yet get out the door on time. On the other hand, it also gives me a lot of time to think about the run. To think about how long it is going to be. To think about how cold it is going to be. And then I start to dread it. 

During the week laying out my stuff the night before is essential because I don't have time to fuss with it and still get my run in before work. But, I can't tell if it is helping me or hurting me on the weekends.

Do you lay out your running stuff the night before? How long before your long run do you start thinking about it?

Validation

I love being right. I mean, who doesn't love right?

I've had this personal theory that rotating shoes is good for you. Different shoes put stress on different parts of the foot, so I figured this would help lower the likelihood of an overuse or stress injury. Turns out.... I was right!

I clicked onto Runner's World this morning and saw this headline.

Researchers in Luxembourg did a study using 264 runners over 22 weeks. 

-116 were single-shoe wearers; doing 91% of their mileage in the same shoe, and ran in an average of 1.3 pairs of shoes during the study. 

-148 were classified as multiple-shoe wearers; runners in this group tended to have a main shoe, which they wore for an average of 58% of their mileage, but they rotated among an average of 3.6 pairs of shoes for their training during the study.

In the end they found that the multi-shoe wearers had a 39% lower risk of running injury than those who almost always ran in the same shoes. 

Sweet! The scientists basically had the same theory as I did about why this is so, saying "the concomitant use of different pairs of running shoes will provide alternation in the running pattern and vary external and active forces  on the lower legs during running activity. Whether the reduced [injury] risk can be ascribed to alternation of different shoe characteristics, such as midsole densities, structures or geometries cannot be determined from these results and warrants future research."

source

I usually only have 2 pairs of shoes in my rotation- 1 for the gym and 1 for running. This makes me want to toss in another pair for running.

Do you rotate your shoes? How often? 

24 Days of Togetherness

My man is not a big fan of Christmas. I, on the other hand, love everything about it. So I am on a mission to convert him into a Christmas loving fool. Last year, I really wanted to do the 24 Days of Togetherness, but it was just a little too early on in our relationship. Now he's stuck with me though, so this year we are doing it!

What better way to enjoy the season than to do some special together everyday. We came up with 12 things together, and then each came up with 6 on our own, that will be a surprise to the other person.

We are on our 4th day and having a blast. Our very first one, the day after Thanksgiving, was the best. We had to take a funny Christmas photo. It was R's idea so I let him set up the scene.

He thought it was funny for me to wear a business suit, for him to wear little shorts, and for both of us to wear animal hats. Sometimes, I don't want to know what is happening in his mind.

Poor Dixie didn't know what was going on. At the end, I made him also take one normal shot. 

I just love having the house decorated for Christmas! Day 2 we got to enjoy our tree and drink some hot cocoa by the fire. Have you tried Dunkin's salted caramel hot chocolate? It is amazeballs.

Yesterday was another one of R's- celebrate Kwanzaa. He decided that meant eat donuts. Always okay with me! And today- eat a Christmas treat. Good thing I know I put some active ones, like go sledding and go ice skating in there, to balance out the treats!

Are you in the Christmas spirit yet? Does your significant other feel the same way about the holidays that you do?

Tokyo Marathon Training Weeks 4-6

Time is flying by and it is time for another Tokyo training update. Plus I just ran a cold, snowy 10 miler and I am looking for any excuse to stay sitting on the couch with my coffee!

Week 4 Cut Back Week: The Level Up training plan that I am using recommends that you take a cut back week every 3 weeks, or 3 levels. So instead of progressing on to the next level, you take it easy for a week. The recommend that each of your runs is 50% of the run your completed in the last level. Instead, I am using them as both a physical break, and a mental break from following a plan. So, I will just be running whatever feels good during these weeks. This was a great week for a cut-back because I was in Nashville and ended up hurting my foot again.

moon walk simulation counts as training right?

4 runs for a total of 23.16 miles in 3:28:55

Longest Run: 57:10

Cross Training Time: 3:59:00 + 2 strength workouts

Felt: Injured. Working out barefoot on the elliptical and then running in brand new shoes without my orthotics was stupid. 

Week 5 Level 15

3 runs for a total of 22.41 miles in 3:29:30

Longest Run: 1:35:00

Cross Training Time: 3:40:00 + 2 strength workouts

Felt: Good. The foot felt much better and I felt strong on my long run. 

Week 6 Level 16

4 runs for a total of 25.85 miles in 3:59:20

Longest Run: 1:55:00

Cross Training Time: 3:42:00 + 2 strength workouts

Felt: Stressed about trying to fit running in around my life. I did my long run a day early after only sleeping a few hours the night before and shopping all morning. But it was the only time I could fit in it. I felt surprisingly good during the run despite the bitterly cold, gusty winds, but got a cold 2 days later. I surprised myself by then setting a PR in the Thanksgiving Day 4 miler and feeling really good during the run. 

I am still really liking Level Up as a training plan. I was worried about injury and burn-out doing long runs every weekend, instead of every other or every third like I've done in the past, but I continue to feel really strong and like I am building a strong base. The next few weeks will be a challenge as I will be really busy with all the holiday stuff, and my long runs are getting longer, but I feel ready. 

Gratitude

Last night as I was falling asleep, I thought about my Thanksgiving and tears came to my eyes. I was just overcome with gratitude for such a wonderful day and such a wonderful life.

My gratitude started early in the day. The BF got up at 6 with me (even though he worked until 1 am!) to help me with the turkey. He knows I hate having to take out the giblets and other stuff inside the bird. Plus that sucker weighed 22 pounds and I could barely lift it into the roaster by myself! This just confirmed for me, yet again, that he is a keeper.

I was then so thankful (and amazed) to set a 4 mile PR in the Portland Thanksgiving Day 4 miler. I came down with a cold earlier in the week, it was a cold, very windy day, and the course is hilly, so I went in with no expectations. But it was one of those rare days for me where running just felt effortless. My chip time was 32:18 for an average pace of 8:05. My garmin had me at a 7:59 pace with a total distance of 4.12. This race was also extra special because I convinced my brother to do it with me. He also did better than he expected!

staying warm inside pre-race

Being healthy enough to go rock and race and share the experience with my brother put a huge smile on my face.

Justin kicking it in at the end

Earlier in the week, I had a minor freak-out about hosting Thanksgiving for 10. But, I had prepped a lot in advance and everyone chipped in and it went great. We had so much food. I know how many people around the world, and right here at home, struggle with hunger on a daily basis. So, I give thanks just for the fact that I get enough to eat every day, much less for the huge feast I enjoyed yesterday. Having my house filled with my friends and family was wonderful. It was very cozy trying to get 10 people at the table, but that was part of the fun. I felt like my house was bursting at the seams with  loving, supportive, funny friends and family. 

Later at night, we had a girls night, watching a movie and drinking wine. While I watched the movie, I was patting the snoozing doggie splayed across my lap and thinking how grateful I am to have her healthy again. She has make a remarkable recovery. She is back to her old self- eating like a horse, begging for tummy rubs, and sitting in any available lap. I even made her some leg-warmers to keep her bare little legs warm (they had to shave them to put in IVs when she was sick)

I am incredibly lucky to live this life.  

How was your Thanksgiving?

Family Traditions

The generations in my family are spaced pretty far apart so I only remember meeting 1 of my great grandparents. So sometimes I wish that I had gotten to meet more of my older relatives.

This morning I was baking squash rolls, using my great-grandmother's recipe, and it came to me how pretty cool that was. Sure, I had a microwave and a kitchenaid mixer to help me, but I was still using the same recipe and following the same process that my great-grandmother, my grandmother, and my mother have followed through the years. Even though my great-grandmother didn't teach me to make the rolls in person, I still have that connection to her.

I will also be using some of her dishes on my Thanksgiving table.

This week I am thankful for these connections to my family history. 

What family traditions do you have at Thanksgiving?

that time I slept 3 hours, shopped all morning, ate a boozy brunch, and then did a long run.

The weekend before Thankgiving all the women in my family, and some close friends, all gather at my Mom's. Friday night we head to Robinson's, the island restaurant (literally the only one), for dinner. It is only open on weekends during the off-season and pretty much the whole town is there. We socialize, dance, drink too much and stuff ourselves with seafood.  And they we stay up too late talking and playing music. Oh and did I mention that I usually choose to sleep in the boathouse. It has no heat, insulation, or running water in the winter, but the view can't be beat. I just pile on the blankets.

Saturday morning we drag our tired selves out of bed at 5 am and head into Boothbay Harbor for the early bird sale.  Luckily there is no need to get dressed because it is a shop in your PJ's event. Then we pretty much check out every store in the town, which are all offering huge discounts to clear out their stock before the close for the year. Everyone is wearing funky PJ's and the shops all have free coffee and nibbles.



Hours later, we dump all our bags in the car and head down to McSeagulls for brunch. We take full advantage of their $3 mimosa specials and dig into to giant lobster omelets. Usually by the time we get home in the early afternoon we are all pretty done for the day.

Except this year when we got home, I had to go for a 2 hour run. Okay, I didn't HAVE to, but a 115 minute run is on my training schedule for the week and today was the best day to get it in. Tomorrow I have a pretty full day and it is supposed to be frigid and really windy. Monday-Wednesday I'll be working and trying to get ready to host Thanksgiving. Thursday is the turkey trot and Thanksgiving and then I have plans for Friday. So today it was! I was not looking forward to it. I won't lie. I am religiously a first thing in the morning runner. My stomach can be very picky about eating before I run and I am not used to running when I am already exhausted.

I limited myself to 1 mimosa at brunch (which is one more than I should have had) and dosed myself up on plenty of coffee. It was bright and sunny and not too cold, but the wind was intense. Plus, it is really hilly here. So I made a deal with myself, that I just had to get in the time on my feet. I wouldn't even look at my pace until I was done and I could run as slowly as I wanted. I went back over to town to run because I just couldn't face another run around the island. There is 1 road that makes an 8 mile loop and I have done it SO MANY TIMES.

It really wasn't as bad as I was expecting. The wind was pretty brutal when I was facing it head-on, but it was pretty darn pleasant in the sun and with a tail wind. I stuck to a 5:1 ratio and I felt strong the whole time. My foot started to get a little tired near the end. Mid-way through I really needed a bathroom (thank you 6 cups of coffee) and luckily I found a port-a-pottie in an yard where they had been doing construction (there are no public bathrooms here in the off-season).Even allowing myself to run as slowly as I wanted I still finished under a 10 minute pace, finishing 11.75 miles in 1 hour and 55 minutes.



After I finished my run, I headed home for a hot shower and then some amazingly well deserved laziness. I've been sitting by the pellet stove reading, playing the guitar, and stuffing myself on my Mom's fresh sourdough bread for the last several hours and it is heaven.

Do you have any special pre-holiday family traditions? How do your fit in longs runs during this busy time of year?

Do you Microwave?

Tuesday night I was cooking some sweet potatoes in the microwave when the microwave made some loud popping noises and then started to smoke and smell really terrible. We unplugged it, let it sit, and then tried it the next day. Same thing. So that's the end for my poor little microwave.

I didn't realize exactly how much I use the microwave until I didn't have one! I usually get up and make my coffee right away. I have a little while I check my email and get ready to run. Then I microwave the rest and have it when I get back and start working. My go-to cold weather breakfast is oatmeal.... which I microwave. When it comes to lunch I usually warm up left-overs from dinner the night before .... in the microwave. Since it is freezing in my house I also usually have a cup of tea in the afternoon, which I also heat in the microwave. I usually make the main part of dinner on the stove or oven, but I frequently use to the microwave to defrost something frozen first or warm-up frozen veggies. And since I have a raging sweet tooth, I always need dessert. But to keep myself from eating an entire pan of brownies, a lot of the time I make a single serve no pudge brownie in the microwave. 

So, I was feeling a little lost without my microwave and put a post of facebook asking if anyone had one I could borrow until I get a new one. I was surprised by the comments. Quite a few people told me I didn't need a microwave and they are actually bad for me and my food. 

When I was little I remember my grandmother running over to shut the microwave door if I left it open because she was convinced something bad was emitted from the microwave even when it was off. But, I didn't know so many people still feel that strongly about microwaves. 

So I did a little Googling. 

Opinions are mixed. But I think this article from Dr. Oz's website sums it up pretty well. He breaks the issue down into 2 different questions. 

Question: Are microwaves “bad” for food?
Basically, they aren't any worse than other cooking methods, and may actually be better! Most cooking methods destroy some of the antioxidant and enzyme content of food. But because microwaving has a reduced cooking time compared to other methods, it actually limits this destruction. A key is to limit the amount of water you use when cooking.

Question: Are microwaves “bad” for you?
Microwaves do emit radiation, however this is tightly regulated. And microwaves are only a small source of environmental radiation as many other devices in our lives including laptops, cell phones,and  tablets also contribute. However, it is important to use microwave-safe containers, such as glass and ceramics, and to avoid plastics, metal and aluminum. Using non microwave safe plastics can leach harmful chemicals into your food. He also recommended checking your microwave to make sure it is functioning correctly and to stand several feet away while microwaving.


I will be getting a new microwave and soon (I have Thanksgiving for 15 to prepare), but I did some new things about how to use a microwave more safely.

Do you have a microwave? How often do you use it? Do you ever think about microwave safety?

Three Things Thursday

I've been really struggling to come up with coherent and interesting ideas for a whole post lately. So, I will take advantage of 3 Things Thursday to just share 3 random things that are on my mind today.


1. I made such a good dinner last night that I already can't wait for left-overs for lunch. I can't believe it came out so well since I totally just made up a recipe and kept getting interrupted while I was cooking because I was on call.

I made baked squash with an apple cranberry stuffing. There were mushrooms, onions, rosemary, sage, and whole grain quinoa bread cubes in the stuffing too. Other than that don't ask me for more details.

2. I am starting to both get super excited and super stressed about Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. But this is my first year hosting it for a big crowd. I am running a race in the morning and have to have the meal ready early because the BF has to leave for work at 2:30. Plus, I am trying a new turkey roaster and I have no idea how it's going to work. I don't want to be the one responsible for 15 people having a terrible meal!

3. I do not understand my body and running. It never fails to amaze me. Tuesday I was working so hard to keep a 9 ish minute pace. I was really struggling the whole run and it felt terrible. Today, I just let myself run easy and didn't even look at my watch. I ran an 8:45 pace. And this is after absolutely trashing my legs at bootcamp yesterday.

What's on your mind today?

Suffering is Optional

It's interesting doing my yoga teacher training and training for a marathon at the same time. My long runs give me a lot of time to ruminate over what I am learning in yoga training. I'm also realizing just how much the principles of yoga can be applied to everything else in life, but in my case especially to running. 

Yesterday I went to an awesome workshop, "Open Hips Open Heart Open Life." In trying to open up our hips we were holding deep poses for 3-5 minutes. For many of us, myself included, this was not always comfortable. In fact, sometimes was downright painful. But our teacher Larissa encouraged us to work through this, saying "Acknowledge this discomfort as part of the experience, but don't make it the whole experience."



This morning as my foot started to hurt during my long run this pearl of wisdom came back to me. Normally when something hurts during a run, that is all I can think about. I dwell on how much pain I am in and how I can't wait to stop. But instead today, I thought about what Larissa had said yesterday. I tried not to make this whole run about the pain. I acknowledged that my foot hurt, but not so badly that I was risking injury. And then I moved in. I admired how beautiful the marsh was. It was a calm morning and the tide was high. The water looked like glass. I enjoyed the crunching of the leaves beneath my feet. I listened to my music. 


It really worked. I'll be interested to see if I can keep myself disciplined enough to keep thinking that well during a marathon as compared to a 10 miler. 

How was your weekend run? Did you have any revelations?