Marathon training week 12: (wo)man with a plan!

Miles: 23

Strength training: I went grocery shopping all by myself?  All that candy is heavy!

Cross-training: Bowling!

Martinis: 2

Outlook:  I am excited about exercise, but not so much about this marathon.  I can still always bump down to the half.  I feel like that makes me a loser though.  Luckily, as a planner (code: nice way of saying OCD) i have multiple contingency plans in place for every possible scenario.

The past week, i have been getting my life back into order.  It kind of blew my mind what a rut i had gotten in, and i had been letting things slide.  Aside from returning to my derby roots, i signed up for a membership at the ymca i pass on my way to work.  I had a membership to xsport that i finally cancelled because they suck so hard that just driving past it brought me rage.  Now i have a place to go when the weather is bad, or when i need to pretend to lift weights.  Winning!  And, not only am i making it easier to get in shape, i am dragging waffles down with me - she starts agility training on Tuesday!  (Not that waffles is out of shape, she just needs something constructive to do that doesn't involve eating her collar off of herself!)  

My long run on saturday (16 miles) went great, especially considering the windiness/ice falling from the sky.  I was tired at the end, but i didn't feel like dying this week.  Although i did have a brush with death when a few of us were almost hit by a car down at navy pier!  (Considering the fact that they had IU flags on their car, and i had a Purdue headband, i am convinced that this was a hate crime.)  

I also went bowling with about a dozen of my cousins this weekend.  My arm is still sore from carrying around that 8lb ball AND a bloody mary.  Irish strength-training!

Matt and Waffles were out of town for the weekend, so i finally got the chance to clean without someone stealing socks from the laundry basket, and licking all the clean dishes as i unload them from the washer (Matt.....) Of course i missed them, but it was really nice to have the Sara time!

And they had a fun weekend in Cincinnati, so good times were had by all.

Lastly, when they did come home last night, Matt was bearing this beautiful Easter basket from his parents!

I am SOOOO ready for spring, and these beautiful flowers did just the trick!!  I am definitely starting to feel like a new person (insert spring themed metaphor here).  Now time to go out in the freezing rain....(booo!  hissssss!)

Holy crap, strength training is hard.

As a part of my attempt to fully commit to marathon training, i am forcing myself to do strength training.  Or something like it at least.  A couple people i work with have at various points attempted to do P90x in our basement gym.  It usually fizzles out due to work pressures, but they have recommitted fot the new year and dragged me down with them talked me into it.

Obviously, i can't fully commit to the p90x schedule because it involves working out 6 days a week, and i can't do that AND keep up with marathon training (and my job, and my life).  But, i am going to try to do it a couple times a week, and hey - how bad can it be, right?

OMFG, IT'S SO HARD!!!!!!

Seriously, let's casually do 30 push-ups in a minute?  followed by 30 more in an even harder positing?  And then lets do it with our feet on chair?  IN WHAT WORLD, P90X?????

We played the dvd on a laptop, because we are SO classy.

And then, when your body is about to break, lets do the whole damn thing ONE MORE TIME!!!!!!!!

Needless to say, i knocked out about 5 solid push-ups, and spent the rest of the time on the floor in the fetal position, whimpering, and rolling around because my noodle arms no longer functioned enough to pick myself up.

I can't even explain how bad it had to be for me to be laying on that disgusting carpeted floor.  I snapped this photo, but i was actually trying to dial 9-1-1.

I woke up this morning and i felt like I was in some kind of horrific accident.  And i am fairly certain i bruised a rib.  How does one bruise a rib during an arm work out, you ask?  Probably by rolling around on the floor crying like a giant baby.

Needless to say, this crap is really, really hard.  But, the fact that i ran four marathons last year and can't do 5 push-ups kind of makes me look like a jack-ass, and i am committed to changing that.  Some day, 10 push-ups, SOME DAY!!!

In all seriousness though, it's fun to do with other people around.  I would have some serious motivation issues if i was trying to do this all by myself.  The video is cheesy, and laughing about it with your friends makes this torture video almost enjoyable. 

<3 Bustedfoxxx

Compress me.

I never though i would say that i hate rest days, because i basically live for sitting on the couch, eating carbs, and drinking martinis, but i am bored and kind of want to go running.  

But, a huge perk to my boring friday rest-day is that my aspaeris pivot shorts came in the mail yesterday!! Not to be super gross but i wore them for my 3.5 mile run, and i lounged in them....i just couldn't part with them long enough to wash in between wearing. 


Running in them:
This was a new experience.  Its hard to tell, because my run was super hard to begin with because i was tired/hungry/cranky/have run the previous 3 days, but it made my legs feel like they were getting more of a work out.  I think it was actually forcing my legs to run in proper running form a little bit, which is a totally new experience for them, since i normally run like a jacked up deer.  

All arms, no legs...

I think the compression around my legs helped force everything to move properly, and a huge plus, significantly less knee pain after my run.  I love not hurting!  The one down side is that i was a little warm...but thats on xsport, because their gym is 80 degrees and they don't have fans....i seriously hate you xsport.  I think i might wear these outside on their own if it gets warmer, or under a pair of leggings if it gets colder (but please, get warmer) 

But here is my real passion

Sitting around in them:

Sweet christ these are amazing.  Years from now, they will have to be peeled off of me because i never want to take them off.  They look really cute too.  I fully plan on just wearing them around town this spring.  I can't wait to run a marathon just to recover in these shorts.  (ok, maybe i can wait a little while)  

The proof is in the pudding though, so here is me screwing around in my Aspaeris Pivot shorts, as well as a looking like death after Thursday mornings doom run.

I am one step closer to my full body compression suit.

Waffle loves compression shorts as well.  That, and stealing your soul, obvi.

I have a problem, because i NEED them in every color now.  I got mine VIA the 50% off sale in January, but the second there is another sale, i shall scream it from the roof tops for all to hear, because people are missing out.

Weekend recap

I am not very coherent right now because of extreme sleep deprivation, so here is a mish-mash of crap.


1.  Waffles is keeping me up at night.  Matt and i have been sleeping in two hour shifts basically and that is not enough sleep for me.  I have lost my keys 5 times, and forgot my login code to get into work today. That kinda tired.


2.  I am really sore and couldn't figure out why, until i realized that i probably carried Waffles outside to go potty about 25 times this weekend (down three flights of stairs)  Cross training?


3.  I finally went to a hot yoga class after quitting my last studio due to over crowding.  Kim the runner nurse kept talking about hot yoga and it was making me super jealous.  I went to Tula Yoga in Logan square, and i really liked it.  You can all go, but if gets too crowded, i will kill you.

4.  The hot yoga made my knee feel significantly better.  This just confirms that i am totally incompetent when it comes to post run stretching, and am damaging myself.

Oh, is this not stretching?  My bad...

5.  We had book club last night, and the book was "to kill a mockingbird"  My main problem with the book is that it inspired people to name their kids Scout, Jem, and Atticus, which is totally unacceptable.

Hey Jem, Hey Scout, Hey Atticus....Let's get some PBR's and listen to independant label music.

6.  Heidi Klum and Seal splitting?  NOOOOOOO!!!!!!!  Work it out kids!!

7.  Kristin Cavallari and Jay Cutler having a baby?? NOOOOO!!!!

How many bear's football seasons can you ruin you tramp????

8.  I was so tired this morning at the gym that my key thing to my gym lock flew off my hand and onto someone else's machine without me noticing....for like 2.5 miles.  Granted my wrist key chain is actually just a broken hair tie, so i have been flirting with disaster for months, but seriously, how embarrassing, i am totally the black sheep at the gym.

9.  I need strength training motivation.  Real bad.  I just have no desire to lift anything.  Unless it's a beer.  And i am lifting it to my mouth.

survival skills.

I had a whole other post i started writing at work, but now that is for another day my friends...


Today's traffic was the worst i have EVER seen it in my two years as a commuter.  

That right there is the travel time from my work to my apartment (roughly...i don't go all the way to the circle).  For those of you who are math challenged, that is 4 hours and 4 minutes.  To go less than 20 miles.  


I am lucky enough that my job is pretty relaxed, and i don't currently really have a supervisor, so when the weather gets bad, i get going.  We had a big meeting at 11, otherwise i would have worked from home today.  (but the meeting went well, so it was worth my troubles i hope)  I ended up hitting the road at about 1pm, armed with that protein bar and some cupids corn:

Cupid corn is basically just valentines day themed candy corn.  I have a problem, and i acknowledge that.  I am really glad i left early, because the roads were already a mess, and what should have been a 30 minute drive was 2 hours and 15 minutes....

The problem seems to be that because of the cold, none of the salt they put down was melting the snow, so it just piled up on the highways.  There was probably about an inch and a half of snow just sitting on the highway, and when you drive a little Nissan Versa, it's basically like off-roading.  Lucking, we were only going about 5 mph most of the way, so even if i would have hit something, i don't think people would even notice.  The travel times got infinitely worse, and are now sitting at about 4+ hours.  Basically, i should have invested in a husky dog team.

Oh man, look at that cute ginger dog in the front!

I am a little concerned about tomorrow's run.  Mostly for safety reasons.  I am not exactly the most sure-footed person to begin with....in fact, i face planted at the gym today on the treadmill.  Ok, it wasn't a full on face plant, but i did tumble off.  I meant to increase the speed a notch and somehow my sweaty hand hit the emergency stop button....Who the hell puts that button so close to the increase speed button anyway?? I seriously hate the gym.

dang i'm awesome....

I am also a little concerned about how slow the group has to go because of the weather...we were running slow last weened, because of THAT snow, and now tomorrow will most likely be a slower than planned run as well with all this fresh snow on the path (covering all that beautiful ice...)  Are all these slow long runs going to make me slower?  What if i never get any faster because of all of this damn snow??  I WANNA GO FAST!

real fast.

If you're going out tonight, be safe kiddos, it's a real doozy outside!!
I recommend that you just stay in tonight, have a cocktail, and enjoy this video of people who are much more coordinated on treadmills than i am.

Hulk, beware.

I survived the commute home!!

barely.

Hulk, beware! because i did some strength training this morning!  I can't gloat too much because i only did about 10-15 minutes worth, but HEY.  Thats a start.  I went to the gym with matt this morning, which is good, because there was no way i was shoveling MY car out at 6:45 this morning.  I could barely function enough to dress myself.

lookin good, right??

I went with Matt because he needs encouragement to get back into running again, and he needs a witness for his consuming bacon jalepeno pizza the night before running experiment.  He loves his science....

We both ran 3 miles, and then did some of the weight machines.  I hate the weight portion of the gym even more than the treadmill portion.  Luckily there were not many people there with the weather, but the ones who were there were judging me, i know it.  All these people gave me this condescending smile that seemed to me to say, "awwwww, look at you lift 10lbs on the machine.....sure its the lowest setting, but good for you!"  Apparently, i have a long way to go in that aspect.  Today is friday, which means two things:

1.  It's bagel day, and i get to eat that bagel guilt free because i have my long run tomorrow!

double bonus:  half my office is working from home, and the other half is late, so that means i get dibs on the pretzel bagel.  THE PRETZEL BAGEL!!

2.  Tomorrow is my long run.  There is about 6" of snow on the ground, and the windchill tomorrow morning is supposed to be about 10.  I am pretty sure i don't own any appropriate clothing to be running in that weather.  perhaps i will be frankensteining some clothes together tonight to make something suitable.


***edited to add, i just checked the weather, and it is actually supposed to be 8 degrees, with a windchill of -2.  It would be safe to say that i have some concerns.  

3.  (a completely unplanned 3)  I just invented the word frankensteining.  Use it.  Embrace it.  Spread it around.  

And be safe out there in Chicagoland, it's pretty slick and icy, and no one wants to explain that an injury is not from running, its from slipping on ice.

I survived!

The great server outage of 2012!!  Yeah, the server at work has been down all day, rendering me totally unable to work.  On the plus side, i got to daydream all day.  On the downside, i now have a ton of work to do.....


I am in the market for a new yoga class.  I had been taking a hot yoga class once a week just to keep everything  loose and help prevent injuries, but now thanks to groupon, i can't even get into my normal class until mid-february!  Newbs.  Where am i going to get my yoga fix??  I suppose i could be economical and do it at home, but lets face it, once i walk in the door my will to do anything physical just disappears.  Also, screw you groupon.

I also went to the gym last night.  Marathon training should have officially started on Tuesday, but it did not.  I was supposed to run 3 miles, but i decided to elliptical three miles instead, seeing as i have a case of grapefruit knee.  Did i mention that i hate X-sport?  Because i do.  Ever since it has gotten cold, my knee had been so sore, especially in the morning.  I know it can't be runners knee, because i HAVEN'T BEEN RUNNING.  As usual, my body has chosen to betray me rather than help me, this time because of the cold.  And and apparently because it thinks i am an 80 year old.

And apparently a fisherman....

My first long run this saturday is 6 miles.  Normally, i wouldn't fear that, but with my recent state of decay, i am a leeeeetle concerned.  I would prefer not to get kicked out of the training program in the first week.  

And, in happier news, Kelsey from Ready, Set, Feast made me this magazine cover to showcase the celebrity that i am:

I will always be remembered as a died hard patriot.

On the plus side, that giant tattoo i got of a bald eagle carrying a flag in its mouth and a banner that says liberty in its talons TOTALLY MAKES SENSE NOW.  I am just glad she made it instead of me, because if i made it, it would have been a Runners World magazine featuring "the worlds worse runners"and "everything not to do in running demonstrated by this weird ginger girl" and showing me collapsed near the start line.  Thats right, the START line.  Just how i roll.

Columbus day means....

....no traffic on the way to work!!  It is so refreshing to not be able to take pictures of anything on the way to work because i am driving too dang fast.  I usually spend 2-3 hours A DAY in my car getting to and from work, and that is not cool.


I went to the gym this morning to get a little elliptical time in.  I'm a little sore from yesterday's 11 miles (because i am lame)  so i just wanted to move a little bit.  As usual, i found it boring and depressing, and i always feel like people are judging me for coming in, cross training for 30 mins, and leaving.  Sorry peeps, i have work to do.

I am a little behind on zombie movies (which i fully intend to ratify) because last night was a design outing!  My favorite director, Gary Hustwit, was unveiling his latest film, Urbanized, in Chicago.  The film was amazing, and i got to see a lot of old design friends that i do not see enough of.  I also got to drink pumpkin beers, which is always a plus.  


The film was incredibly thought provoking....As an American (and a proud one at that) I know that alot of people are really, REALLY unhappy right now.  I don't blame them either.  There are a lot of issues needing to be addressed and a lot of reforms needing to happen.  The system definitely has some problems, and i applaud any one trying to change that, especially grass roots movements.  But when you see shots of Mumbai, where they are currently building slums on top of slums, because there were so many slums, and the over crowding is so severe that they have started to build a new layer of slums, you stop and think.  In Mumbai, on average, there is one toilet for every 300 people.  I fight with Matt over our bathroom being too small.  For two people.  Lets just say it was an eye opener.  I know that "the 99%"  (i.e., most of us) are pretty pissed about the "1%".  And for good cause.  But to the rest of the world, we are the "1%"


The film is incredibly optimistic, and even the smallest changes can eventually produce a paradigm shift.


Ok, enough of my lame design talk.  It was an awesome film though, so mad props to Gary.  Check out the trailer below!

***Edited to add, officially, to the rest of the world, we are actually the 4.5%, not the 1% if you wan't to get technical. Unofficially, i have OCD.

HOT bloks.

                                                          Indian Summer's first casualty.


This 80 degree weather caught me off guard and melted a pack of shot bloks.  THE HORROR!  


Speaking of HOT, i went to a hot yoga class (the room is 95 degrees, because apparently i already forgot how awful that is.)  I really like hot yoga.  Its like exercise but i don't feel like puking after.  or eating an entire loaf of bread.  This was my second hot yoga class (I had a groupon!)  The first one i showed up in my hot weather running gear with a hand towel and my running hand held bottle (just in case i got thirsty.


At this time, you have probably guessed i am a moron, and you are right! and for these specific reasons:
1.  I assumed i would sweat less then running for an equivalent time in the same heat.  (i guessed wrong!)
2.  I sweat (sweated?) like whore in church.  The hand towel was a JOKE, and rendered useless after 5 minutes.
3. Running clothes left me with no traction for half of the poses.  I fell often, and loudly.  I was a beacon of grace and calm in that yoga class, i was.  I am sure NO ONE knew i was not a seasoned yogi and just some asshole that got a groupon.
4.  You do get thirsty, and the one thing i never realized about my squeezy sports bottle?  it makes a super loud sucking noise when i drink.  Fail to the 3rd degree.


I was more prepared this time with a beach towel and leggings.  I still secretly look around at everyone else during the meditations though.  i am both a creeper and an amatuer.   


This morning i woke up at 4:30am, which is so not awesome, because i had a free person training session for joining the gym.  It was actually really cool to go through some core building stuff.  Sadly though, my weight has crept up by a few pounds since summer  ( i don't blame you candy corn and pumpkin beer, i don't blame you at all!)  that was a sad realization. I did have a very low body fat though, so maybe the extra weight is all my amazingly buff muscles.  (right....)


After that i went for a 5 mile run/stroll through the beautiful west side of chicago.  The beautiful weather had even the hookers and drug dealers smiling.  (I love fall in Chicago!)


Now i get to sit at work listening to an alarm in the IT guys office go off, getting louder....and louder...and LOUDER.....and have little hope of it ending soon as he rarely shows up before 10.  THATS NOT MAKING ME CRANKY AT ALL.




Last random thing for the morning, Steve Jobs died, and that makes me sad.  As a designer, my job would be so much different if he had never done what he loved to do.  Design is a big deal, and he showed that to the world.  Rock on Steve, Rock on....












                                                                              
                                                                                                    Not true, i prefer candy.

Indian Summer, FOR THE WIN!

September was a horribly uninspired month for me, and running was something i started to dread.  Between moving and my roommates wedding, as well as the consistent sub 50 degree weather, never ending rain and lack of sunshine for TWO STRAIGHT WEEKS, it took everything i had just to get out of bed and go to work, let alone sneak some runs in.  Even now that the sun has returned, it doesn't come up until almost 7am.....and i am not ready for pre-sunrise running yet.  NOT YET!!!!


Enter Indian Summer!  This week is non stop sun, daytime high's in the 80's!  :)  Bad news for the Chicago Marathon this weekend (which i am not running because i am lame)  but great news for ME!  I have been running afterwork (which i normally hate because it is too hot, and i am cranky and desperate for dinner the second i leave work.)  I was so happy about the beautiful weather that even jogged alongside a guy in a recumbent bike to talk about how nice it was to be running in this weather.   ME.  Normally i am wincing and scowling at people....but not during INDIAN SUMMER!!!

                                     (not actual biker....strangers don't like it when you photograph them...)


There are about two weeks a year in Chicago when you can comfortably run in a tshirt and shorts with minimal sweat, and no goosebumps.  THIS IS MY TIME!


I ran 5 pleasant miles last night in about 47 minutes.  *joy*


This morning i went to the gym for some cross-training (ugh.  things that i hate.)  And there was a sign on the front desk say the city of chicago has shut down the pool at the X-sport fitness.  ............   whaaaaa?  Not that i use the pool anyway, but what has to be so wrong with pool to have the CITY OF CHICAGO shut it down??  Seriously reconsidering the x-sport membership......




                                                                               

                                                                                                                      for shame, x-sport, for shame...

After my grueling 45 minutes of feigning interest in cross-training, and watching fresh prince of bel-air reruns, i saw this on my way to work...

                                           These cakes have a destiny far more important than my own...


I must know more about these very special cakes......I'm thinking of getting one for my own car that says "Caution, open, half-eaten bag of candy corn on board"