Seattle Half Marathon recap! and the reason I love running

So about that half marathon.  So as I suspected this was not a PR.  Nope.  It’s okay.  I wasn’t expecting to do awesome.  You see, I ran a marathon October 2nd.  Since then I haven’t done any real speed work or hill drills.  Nope.  None.  My miles have been decent in number.  I did a 12 mile run a couple weeks ago and some other long runs between 9 and 12 miles.  My midweek miles have been between 14-17.  I cross trained, lifted heavy and spun.  I know my running was undertrained because I wasn’t huffing and puffing (yah lungs!!! and crosstraining) but the legs turned to lead pretty fast.  Since I wasn’t really training, I didn’t really taper.  But it’s cool because it is a HALF MARATHON!!

So after that introduction paragraph how did I do???  My chip time was 1:58:14.  Over 10 mins slower than my PR.  First of all, I felt really good.  I didn’t bring my watch because I went in to the run not wanted to push myself.  While my Garmin is AWESOME it is also a source of stress.  Solution? Run with out and run on feeling.  Second, the weather SUCKED!!! But could be worse! ALOT WORSE!!  Just soggy and in the upper 40s.  Rain doesn’t bother me when I rain.  I train in it for heaven’s sake.  But the commute after the half was AWFUL!!! But I’m getting ahead of myself.  The Seattle half course is the most beatiful course (besides the Twin Cities Marathon course duh!!) and I totally recommend the half or the full.  It is well organized and beautiful.  Tons of water and first aid. 

So the run was great.  Fun.  Getting home was NOT.  I had to take the bus.  Easier said than done on a Sunday with tons of bus reroutes.  So I got on the first bus I saw headed towards my house.  By then I was wet and my body temp dropped way faster than it should after a run.  I got as close to my house as I could on that bus and called a cab to take me 19 blocks instead of walking or getting another bus.  It cost 6 dollars but my fingers were completly white and I already have awful circulation.  So I called a cab.  Best (and smartest?) 6 dollars spent. 

After a shower, tea and oatmeal I was in the BEST, most positive mood ever.  And that is why I love running.  All last week was really bad for me.  I was homesick, stuck doing papers and readings for school, painfully lonely, negative and frustrated.  All I wanted to do is sleep.  I actually considered not doing the half marathon.  Just skipping it.  I just had NO energy.  But that is why I love running.  Does every run have the ability to pull me out of a couple days of depression, negativity and gloom?? Hell NO!!!! But I think, more often than not, running does pull me out of my funk.  And wanna know what??  This week has been SO much better.  Nevermind that my butt is sore and my hip sorta hurts.  It was no PR but a PR wasn’t the goal.  I wanted, no I needed, to get out of my funk.  And I did!!!

What do you do when you are in a funk??

Have a good day!

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Thanksgiving para uno

So how does a person celebrate Thanksgiving solo?  I will tell you.

#1 Wait until the sun (and by ‘sun’ I mean ‘daylight’ because the Seattle does not have sun) comes up and run 7 miles.  7 miles in under an hour! FINALLY!! I have been having some rather intensely awful runs (part of this is the wind and rain and dark… excuses excuses) but it was really redeeming.  My legs felt FRESH!! When I saw the Garmin was very happy (aka I was running 8:30s) I considered slowing down because I have a half marathon on Sunday.  But then I didn’t.  This run felt GOOD!!! I wasn’t exhausted… I was positive… and I was MOVIN!

#2 Eat breakfast + coffee while watching the Macy’s Parade.  Add ‘go to NYC for Macy’s Parade’ to bucket list.  Be thankful for eggs and coffee.  And cheese.  Do some homework (I might be addicted)

#3 Realize despite being alone there needs to be SOME kind of Thanksgiving food.  Walk to grocery store for Cranberries.  Buy a giant kabocha squash and rosemary.

#4 Do more homework.  Do anything to forget that the famjam is in Minnesota (enjoying freakishing warm weather) and the sister is in Peru.  Decide that Elle magazine > epidemiology homework

#5 Spend the afternoon and evening in bed because the fire place (which heats my apartment) is broken and it is FREEZING.  Drink ALOT of tea and eat lunch and several snacks.  Watch Brother’s and Sister’s and Bridesmaids (I was very amused by this movie) and be thankful for RedBox.  Oh and talk to the family and miss a call from my sister (DANG IT)

#6 Make Cranberries without sugar (I don’t own any), roast brussels sprouts and squash, make a somewhat stuffing like thing.  Okay really the only thing that made it stuffing like was that it had rosemary and thyme.  It also had couscous, egg, walnuts and kale.  It was good.  Eat ‘Thanksgiving Dinner’

#7 Be proud that it is almost 9 and I haven’t cried at all.  Step up from the last two Thanksgivings for one.

#8 Blog about what I am thankful for

What I am thankful for:

I am thankful I found the only hour in the last 5 days where it wasn’t pouring to get my run in.  I believe that the sun does exist.  I even saw a bit of a mountain.  I am MORE thankful that this awful series of storms might be coming to an end for next week.  I am thankful I can run in general: that I’m healthy to run, that I’m not injured (knock on wood) and that I have a safe place to run.  I am thankful that I found running six years ago.

I am thankful for my family!!! I talk to my mom almost every day and my dad often too.  I miss my sister.  My family is pretty great.  They are super supportive.  They love me despite my impatientness and frequent negativity.  I am thankful that I finally made it clear that I call my mom when I’m upset because she makes me feel better.  I guess I never made that clear… she thought she made me sad.  I have an awesome grandpa and grandma and three aunts who have helped me become who I am today.

I am thankful I’m going home for Christmas.  It is crappy to feel alone for holidays BUT I am SO happy I’m going to be home for Christmas.  I am also thankful for Christmas in general.  I like the season.

I am thankful for my friends.  They all live far away but I know they are there.

I am thankful for my education.  I get so excited (okay excited/extreme freaking out) thinking about what doors my graduate degrees will open.  This time next year I don’t know what I’ll be doing!  Hopeful something super awesome with that education I am so thankful for.

I am thankful that there is a Friends marathon of all the thanksgivings episodes!!! They are some of the best!!! Quick name all the states (anybody remember that episode?)!!!  And the flashback episode!!! And when Joey puts the turkey on his head and it gets stuck?? Brad Pitt is coming up soon.  YES!

I am thankful that I am healthy and my family is healthy.  I am thankful that my grandpa is doing freakishly well since my grandma passed away a couple months ago.  I am thankful that my other grandma is doing well with her cancer treatment.  Oh my gosh I am SOOO thankful that they found a blood clot in her leg last week before it did major damage to her body.  I am thankful my old puppy is still kickin it and my kitty will be there when I get home for Christmas.  I am thankful that my mom and dad are healthy and my sister is safe and happy in Peru.

I am thankful for all the wonderful food creations I’ve made this year.  I am thankful for peanut butter and coffee.  And squash.  And all vegggies known to man.

I am thankful for my apartment and that it hasn’t flooded in all the rain.  I am thankful that my hair is dry for the first time in 5 days because I haven’t left my apartment in nine hours.

I am thankful for everything.

What are YOU thankful for???

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sauerkraut

So today I’m going to say that sauerkraut made me happy.  It was the feature of my meal last night (I’ll share the details in a sec) and something sorta new to me.

So sauerkraut in my family has kinda a…. reputation.  I.e. my mom hates it so my sister and I were raised to thing it is absolutely awful.  My mom (who is a wonderful person) did this with other foods.  For example she taught us apple juice/apple sauce = baby vomit.  So my sister and I, expect for very rare times, think apple juice and apple sauce are rather unappealing.  Well, you see, my dad loves sauerkraut.  He is one half German but likes to think he might be more so the sauerkraut makes him randomly yell out all of the seven German words he knows.  He got it about twice a year.  It’s not even like my mom made it from scratch!! She just doesn’t buy the stuff.  Fair enough mom.  Well at the ripe-old age of 25 I decided I would actually try the stuff!

I didn’t make it (I live in a studio apartment… I believe making it might smell up the place) but I went to whole foods and bought some  no preservatives stuff, old-fashioned stuff.  It is actually Bubbies Sauerkraut.  Verdict?  DELISH! Another bonus is the health benefits!! I’ve been so exhausted lately, like my body is fight something, AND low and behold sauerkraut is full of good bacteria!!

How did I eat it you ask?  WELL.  I took about a cup of sauerkraut + kale + one egg + one egg white + wheat berries + swiss cheese.  Baked it at 350 for 45 mins.  Wonderful!!

For my thankful challenge, I am thankful for Whole Foods.  Yes it is expensive, but I love that I have a choice to buy expensive treats!!

Do you like sauerkraut.  Be honest!

Goodnight!

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same foods, new trick!

Hello all my fabulous friends.

Today was was pretty good, REALLY good actually.  I LOVE day light savings day.  Not for the same reasons most people like it.  Unlike most people, I can’t trick my body into sleeping an extra hour.  So, no, I didn’t get an extra hour of sleep.  BUT I DID get to running by 7 am and exactly 1 hour and 46 minutes later I was dunzo with 12 miles.  And they were the most blissful miles.  First, they happened in daylight.  Second, it was SUNNY.  There is a reason Seattle is not known for sun… because it just doesn’t shine much.  It was a brisk 33 degrees but I am from Minneapolis and THRIVE when it is clear, crisp, and 33 degrees.  I also thrive in heat, as in 80+ degrees and sun.  Hmmm extremes.  Well, it was wonderful.  Maybe I felt super awesome thinking about the NYC Marathon and all the people that, at the same time, were running those miles.  Okay, my point is made.  Good run.

Following my run I got cozy with epidemiology.  And by cozy I mean I lit some candles and made it a romantic experience.  And yes, it was.  I learned about incidence, relative risk, cohorts, case-controls and so much more! I might have also been a bit distracted by the TV coverage of the marathon.  So exciting!!! Congrats to EVERYONE (especially bloggers Kelly and Tina) who ran!!! Anyone who runs a marathon is a winner and amazing! I shutter thinking about it.  Confession: I want to run NYC next year.  Can I sense marathon #3?  I dream, I dream.

Okay and now to the exciting part of the post.  Yesterday I discovered the BEST preworkout snack.  Oat bran, soymilk and dates.  The oatbran for the carbs, the soymilk for the protein and the dates for the quick sugar.  Okay is this NOT a new meal BUT I have a new trick.  Do this.  The night before measure 1/4 cup of this:

+ 1/2 cup of this

+ 2 of these

The dates get all gooey and the sugar gets dispersed throughout the oatbran.  It fueled a 55 minute spin class and a 12 mile run so it works in my book!!! In full disclosure, I do not have stomach problems usually.

Now for the thing I am thankful today: the soup I made Friday night!!! Hello lunch Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday!!! On that note, I am also thankful for lentils, broth, canned tomatos, random spices, leaks and spinach… and my fridge.  A winning combo.

Hopefully this great mood will stick around!!! Bring it on week.

Emily

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work it out Wednesday

This post is going to be an update on my recent workouts.

First up: running.  I ran Twin Cities Marathon over 4 weeks ago.  I’m running the Seattle half marathon in just under a month. Right after the marathon I took a week off due to a sore knee.  Then I got a toe infection (this was weird and apparently related to the fact that I wear socks not that I’m a runner) which made running rather unenjoyable.  I still ran with the infected toe (yuk that sounds way worse than it was) but the antibiotics did a number on the tummy (aka very frequent bathroom visits) so I am just starting to get my grove in running back.  But I’ve been feeling good! The body feels good (knock on wood).  My plan for the Seattle half is not a PR so I’m pretty casual about training.

Here’s how last week went down.

Monday: 3 miles ish (un-garmined) to the qym + 30 mins elip + 15 mins arms

Tuesday: 7 miles, average pace 8:59 minute mile + abs

Wednesday: 15 mins stair mill + 45 on ski-machine + 15 min legs

Thursday: 7 miles, average pace 8:32 (okay I was THRILLED with this run! I didn’t try to go fast, it just happened) + abs

Friday: 60 min elip + 15 min arm

Saturday: 45 min spin class

Sunday: 10.5 miles, average pace 8:57 (really happy with this pace too)

Monday: 40 min run (slow miles) + 20 min slow elip + 15 min arms

Tuesday: 7 miles run, average pace 8:37 <– I tried to do some really low-key speed drills.  The first speedish drills since my marathon… kept it pretty easy and just picked up my pace for a song every third song for a couple miles.  I pushed the last mile and ran it in 8:02 (weeeee)

Today: stair mill (p.s. the stair mill is sooo intense) and elip combo + 15 mins legs

 

There you have it! Although my runs have been early (5:20 am!) and dark, cold and wet they have left me in a great mood with energy!  I feel like emotionally I get major benefits from running outside even though the sun sure ain’t shinin’  I am not ready to take to the treadmill just yet.  Plus when I run outside I get to eat breakfast at home and I LOVE because breakfast is the only meal I can enjoy without doing class readings/studying/work and such.

Today while I was catching up on some of my favorite blogs, I came across Tina’s Be Thankful Challenge.  I thought, what a GREAT idea!!! So today I am thankful for a mentor I’ve had the pleasure I working with.  She is my capstone faculty lead for my public health graduate program.  She is seriously the best leader I’ve worked with.  I not only admire her professionally but also on a personal level.  She has some MAJOR crap going on in her life (i.e. her sister has breast cancer and had to move to the states from her home in London) but she is always so present in the moment.  She is always responsive and positive.

Do you have a mentor?  Who do you admire? Why?

I’m off to do some epi studying!

Night, Emily

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Epi fail

Happy Tuesday!

So I want to start out with something that (sadly) has completely taken over my life.

Welcome to my life epidemiology.  I have to take epi for my Public Health graduate program.  Honestly, I think it is interesting. I (sometimes) enjoy reading the text books in the above picture.  Here’s the thing: the exams are all multiple choice.  I have a long and exhausting history of failing multiple choice tests.  Yes. fail. And yes, my epi midterm was no exception.  Fail. I work sooo hard.  I’m not sure people fully grasp how much I study.  I don’t stop.  I run and that is my break for the week.  I don’t have a social life.  I am a dedicated student and most of the time I am okay with that.  I love doing well on things I work hard for.  And I work hard for everything, school has never come easy for me.  But when multiple choice exams enter my life, I’m a mess.  Let’s just say I called my mom crying several times last week, right after the exam, the next day and when I got the results.  The week leading up to the exams I had dreams every night were my friends and family died.  Tears welled in my eyes during the test.  Several people (teachers, psychologists, learning disability specialists) have tried to diagnose me.  I’ve been tested.  I don’t have test anxiety.  I know all the tricks for multiple choice exams… I’ve taken classes!! I did poorly in 2nd grade on the first standardized test I took.  I was pulled out of the normal classroom to address my ‘problems.’  I did awful on the ACT, SAT, GRE despite my studying.  I’ve generally excepted that multiple choice exams do not reflect my abilities.  Failing tests will NOT impact my success in life or my career.  But it is so frustrating.  I feel hopeless.  BUT I can’t be hopeless… I have a final in December.  I need a good grade in this class or I don’t graduate.

I will move on.  Except my weaknesses.  And persevere.  My test scores DO NOT define me!

Are you bad at tests?  Is there some weakness that you have moved past?  Do share!

Goodnight!

Emily

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