Top 5 of 2014

I can't believe it is the last day of 2014. This year flew by! Yet when I look back at the year, so much happened. This was a BIG year. Here's my top 5 events from the year (in chronological order).

1) Going to Japan and running the Tokyo Marathon.

Although the race was pretty awful because I was sick, I gutted it out and finished. That marked my 5th continent as complete! I absolutely loved Japan and was thankful to get to experience both the craziness of Tokyo and the quiet of the mountains.

Also, I got to eat a LOT of noodles.

2. Becoming a certified yoga teacher. 

I learned so much about yoga and myself during the teacher training. As a runner and a naturally anxious person, yoga is essential for both my physical and mental well-being. It is a blessing to be able to pass this onto my students.

3. Getting a puppy

At the beginning of June, Rory convinced me to go look at a puppy he had found on a rescue site. I couldn't say no to this little ball of fur, and so Sushi became a member of our family.

It hasn't always been easy, but she has grown into a sweet dog who keeps us laughing. Our little 11 pound puppy has grown into a 36 pound almost 1 year old dog.

4. I got Married!

It's pretty hard to top this one! It was a wonderful day filled with friends and family in my favorite place in the world. Plus, I got to marry a wonderful man who makes me so happy,

5. I got into Nursing School and am starting a new chapter in life. 

I had a rough fall. Getting laid off from my job was a major blow. Ultimately though, it was the push I needed to think about what I want from my life and get me to finally apply to nursing school. 

2015 is looking a big year too already. I start school in 2 weeks and in February we leave for our belated Honeymoon to New Zealand where I will also run a marathon (my 6th continent),

What was your favorite thing this year? What are you most looking forward to next year?

Bananas

it looks so innocent

I made a wonderful discovery over the holidays. Bananas make a great pre-run food! I know, everyone else in the world already knew this, but I have been afraid of bananas since college.

Back in the days before GPS, my running clubs friends and I got terribly lost trying to get to the Heartbreak Hill Halloween race. We finally found it as the gun was going off. As I was jumping out of the car I remembered that I hadn't ever eaten my breakfast. For some reason, I thought shoving a banana in my mouth as I ran towards the start was a better idea than not eating.



I regretted that stupid banana for the entire race and finally "emptied" my stomach of it halfway up Heartbreak Hill.

Ever since then, I've stayed away from bananas before running. In fact, I usually don't eat anything before most of my runs. This is mostly because I want to sleep as late as possible. I am up and out the door in less than 10  minutes.

But I really noticed this week, that when I have time to have a cup and coffee and something to eat before heading out, I feel so much better during my run. Energy! I even tried a banana pre-run and I was fine! I didn't feel sick at all and I felt better than I do when I don't eat anything.

yeah bananas!

The question is though, is it worth getting up 20 minutes earlier to eat before I run?

Do you eat before you run? Does it depend on the length of the run? If you do eat, what do you have?

A Need for Speed

I have to be honest and admit that doing speed work usually falls by the wayside when I am marathon training. The primary reason for that is that I train all winter for a spring race and so the track is covered in snow! Plus, I put the focus on my long runs and overall mileage.

If I am forced inside by weather, I will do speed work on the treadmill but it just doesn't feel the same to me. On the track (or the straight, flat stretches of the greenbelt) I run by feel and so I can better evaluate my fitness. I usually surprise myself by going faster than I expected. On the treadmill, I feel like I limit myself by thinking I can only handle certain speeds.

After 2 nasty rainstorms, all of our snow is gone. So when I was driving back from the gym this morning and saw the clear track, I figured it was a great chance to get some speed work.

image source

Other than being very under-dressed for the cold, it was great! I did a ladder session 1200, 800, 400, 200, 100. I thought I'd start with a 9 minute/mile pace for the 1200 and try and speed up from there. Instead, I did a 7:45 pace for the 1200 and worked my way down to a 5:15 pace for the 100! And it all felt easy!

It reminded me that speed work can be fun. It's a nice break from all the long, slow miles. And it is a terrific confidence booster. I am really going to make an effort to work 1 speed session a week into my training (as long as the track stays clear!)

 Do you do dedicated "speed" sessions? Do notice a difference between treadmill running and track sessions? What is your favorite speed session?

New Zealand Training Weeks 4-6

I can't believe it is already time for my second training update. Time is flying! In general that is, when I am actually running time doesn't seem to move very quickly.

Here is what I have been up to the past few weeks:

Week	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Total Run
4	Run 6	Swim 1 hr	Metabolic 1 hr	Run 6 Race	Step 1 hr, strength	Metabolic 45m XT 30m	Run 7 + 6	25.1
5	Run 6	XT 1 hr	Run 4.3, XT 20m	Metabolic 1hr	Run 3, Step 45m	Metabolic 45m XT 30m	Run 6.11	19.3
6	Kickboxing 1 hr, Strength	Run 5.4	Run 3.3 XT 30m	Run 13	Step 45m, Strength	Metabolic 45m Run 2.2	Metabolic 45, Run 3.2	27

Notes:

• Week 5 was a cut-back week, which is why my running mileage is so low. My plan didn't have any built in, but I know that I need (both mentally and physically) a week with no long run once a month.
• The weather has not cooperated. We have had so much snow and ice that it hasn't been safe to run outside quite a few times. This is a bummer because a) it means I have to get up 40 minutes earlier to get to the gym and back and b) the treadmill sucks. Also, I've already lost a lot of my favorite routes for the winter because they aren't plowed.
• I am still struggling with my new job. I have to be there really early and I am on my feet all day. I either have to get up at 4 to run before work (when it is really dark, cold, and slippery) or wait and run after when my feet and legs are already tired.

My Favorite Holiday Traditions

I can't believe Christmas is only 10 days away! This month is flying by, but I've still managed to get in a lot of my favorite holiday traditions.

Here is what I've knocked off the list so far:

1. Getting our tree and decorating the house. I love hunting for the perfect tree and then pulling out all of our decorations. It is like a wonderful walk down memory lane each year as we unwrap all our ornaments and decorations.

2. Holiday Crafting! My inner crafter really comes out this time of year. This year I made an ornament for Sushi's (the dog, not the food) first Christmas. Painting is not my strength, but I really think I captured her underbite and scruffy face,

but apparently I can't take a focused picture

3. A mini-gift exchange with my husband. I got this idea from the 25 Days of Together that Tina at Carrots N Cake does each year with her husband. Basically we go to a store together and we have $10 and 10 minutes to get each other a gift. The price and time limit is a fun challenge and it is always interesting to see what we think the other person needs/wants. 

4. Making Holiday Treats! This is one of my favorite things to do- especially when I can do it with family and friends while listening to Christmas music! Yesterday I had a bunch of friends and family over for a holiday baking palooza. We each brought the ingredients to make a couple things and we spent the afternoon baking, singing, talking, drinking Prosecco, and eating a ton of sugar.

There are still a couple things on my list that I am still looking forward to:

1. Christmas Eve service at Church. I  always try to make it to the Christmas Eve service at my Mom's Church on the island. It is always so beautifully decorated inside and we end with singing Silent Night by candle light. 

2. My Christmas Morning Run. I love starting Christmas with a solitary run. It is a time to clear my head, reflect on everything I am thankful for, and work up an appetite for Christmas treats. It doesn't hurt that I get to run in such a beautiful place.

What are your favorite holiday traditions?

Random Rant Thursday

Why don't they make special compression socks for short people??

always add a Full House image when possible

I wore my compression socks yesterday to work and again today for my long run and I was reminded of how annoying it is that they don't fit correctly.

I have very short legs, so the socks are too long for me. I either have to pull them up over my knees, which is uncomfortable and starts to chafe the backs of my knees. Or, I have to bunch them up under at the top of calves. The multiple layers of fabric then cuts off circulation to my legs.




What silly thing is driving you nuts?

Hot and Not

Do you remember that old website where you looked at a picture and judged the person as hot or not? I have no idea why I was thinking about that the other day, but I was, and so I decided to make it the theme of today's post. Here is what is hot (and not) in my world.

Hot
Trader's Joes Cheddar with Caramelized Onions. This stuff is amazing (and highly addictive).








Not Hot
The weather. It is only early December and we have already had multiple ice storms, with another doozy predicted for tomorrow. I am trying to train for a marathon here Mother Nature! I can deal with the cold and the snow, but I can't run on sheer ice!


Hot
Coach Jenny's Holiday Challenge. This is the 3rd year I've done this challenge, which encourages you to move more during the month of December by setting a weekly goal and posting updated with your status throughout the week. I am really good (maybe too obsessive) about getting my workouts in, but I still find this group really helpful. Mostly it inspires me to appreciate how lucky I am to have a healthy body that is able to move and helps me feel like I am not the only one out in the snow and cold.

Not Hot
Closing half the pool for a water aerobics class. I've been really into swimming lately as both a low-impact workout and an option for bad weather. However, the other day I only got in 20 minutes before they closed half the pool for a water aerobics class that had a whopping 2 people in it. Every single lane had 2 lap swimmers, and they asked us all to cram into 3 lanes and circle swim. I am not a confident swimmer and I like to do intervals, so I hate lap swimming, I ended up just leaving the pool, feeling very annoyed.

Hot
My new advent calendar. My Mom gave me this adorable little advent calender- every day I get to build a little paper house to add to my village. I love mini versions of things and crafty things so this is right up my alley. The only thing better would be if the hubby then hid chocolate inside them for me!



What hot and not in your world?

Changes

Sorry, that things have been a little quite around here lately. It's been an interesting fall. In September I lost my job and I've spent the fall both job hunting, working temporary part-time jobs, and doing some serious soul searching about what I want from my life.

While I didn't hate my career, I didn't love it either. Mostly, I was tired of sitting in front of a computer ALL the time. I'm an active person and I like personal interaction. I want to be up and moving and interacting with people face to face. I've always wanted a job that I feel passionately about.

At the same time, I was scared to start over. It's a hard thing to give up a career that pays well and that you've invested a decade in. Sometimes I think life knows when you need a little push and gives it to you. Being laid off was the push I needed.

In September I applied to nursing school. This fall I took Anatomy & Physiology (a prerequisite for the program) and waited to hear back. Then, right before Thanksgiving I got this.

I've spent the past couple weeks soaking it all in and thinking about how I am going to make this dream a reality.

Kiersten Pfeifer RN, coming in 2016.