Terrible 10

I had to take some time to clear my head before writing this post because it wouldn’t have been pretty if I hadn’t. I ran my last long run before the Cherry Blossom 10 miler on April 11, and I decided to go for the whole 10 miles. I figured it would be a good gauge of what to expect during the race. I also wanted to test my fuel intake. What I learned is that I have a few things to tweak to make my race successful.

I started out with my Liquid Carrot Cake smoothie, but I think I added too much to it.

I used a handful of baby carrots, 1 cup unsweetened soy milk, 1/4 cup Greek plain yogurt, 1 tbsp PB and 1 tbsp. flax.

I woke up kind of off. I’m always slow to start on Saturday mornings because I’m just so beat from the week before. I drank the entire smoothie (which I shouldn’t have—I think this was mistake #1) but I wanted to be sure I had enough calories. I packed a small baggie with a handful of raisins and some cashews to eat along the way and figured I’d drink Gatorade at the water stop to keep my electrolytes up.

Since I’ve been noticing slight fatigue after stopping too long at the water stations, I decided to hit it up on the way back. I figured if I made it to the halfway point without stopping  I wouldn’t feel so sluggish. WRONG.

The first five miles were OK. I didn’t feel bad, but I never really felt good. My stomach was pissed at me for drinking that entire smoothie so I was feeling a little sluggish to begin with.

I passed by the first water station at mile three feeling OK, and then ran by the station at mile 4 (where the food is.) This was so stupid of me because I didn’t take into account that it would be 6 miles before I got to stop for fuel. (we have stations at miles 3 and 4) So I ran the first 5 miles with no water or fuel. Dummy. And that’s when it hit me-at mile 5, I ran up a hill, turned around and a 70 year old guy (at least!) passed me. It was at the point where I realized I needed to eat something so I pulled out the raisins and cashews.

However, I was having a hard time eating them because I was breathing so hard. I thought I was going to choke. (mistake #2-no more chewable food while I’m running.) At this point, I hit the wall HARD. I was struggling and it took everything I had to make it to the water stop.

I got there, shoved the rest of the raisins in my mouth, grabbed some Gatorade, and kept going. I kept thinking that I was more than halfway there, and that at a worst case scenario I’d be done in 40 minutes.

Holy hell this was the worst 4 miles ever. I was just doing everything I could to keep myself from stopping. I seriously wanted to stop and beg for a ride back to the parking lot. Deep down inside I was cursing myself—why are you doing this? You don’t NEED to do this Nicole. You can stop right now and walk, it’s OK.

But I knew if I stopped, I’d be walking the rest of the way and that wasn’t an option for me. I didn’t want to be out there any longer than I needed to be, and shit, if I can’t finish this now, how the hell am I going to finish the race in 2 weeks? KEEP GOING NICOLE. Run slower if you have to, just DON’T STOP!

And then I was done. I was pissed, miserable, and relieved at the same time. I drank some more water, stretched, and was out of there before anyone had the chance to talk to me. I wasn’t feeling conversation, and if you know me, you know that’s not like me.

So what did I take out of this? A few things.

1. I’m bringing honey sticks with me to the race to eat along the way.
2. Fuel sooner
3. Things change day by day. One day I’ll feel awesome and go out and run with an amazing time and no efforts, and the next day will feel like garbage. Last week I ran a 15K in 1:21. I felt awesome and was so excited about the race. Today, I was miserable and fighting with myself to continue. So setting a goal for myself is kind of silly since it can go either way.

My time? 10 miles, 1:31: 01

I am actually realizing I didn’t run as slow as I felt. I was too pissed to look at my splits before, but my slowest mile was 9:32 at mile 9. I swear I felt like I was running 11 minute miles.

Mile 1: 9:05 (it was cold so I started out not being able to feel my feet)
Mile 2: 8:47 (starting to warm up a little and feeling OK)
Mile 3: 8:55 (passed the first water station, starting to struggle but not too bad)
Mile 4: 8:46 (feeling OK and thinking I’m finally warming up)
Mile 5: 8:51 (passed by old guy and starting to feel like total garbage)
Mile 6: 9:14 (struggling. I mean, really struggling.)
Mile 7: 9:23 (still struggling. I wanted to die.)
Mile 8: 8:56 (picking it up a little but still struggling.)
Mile 9: 9:32 (omg one more mile left??)
Mile 10: 9:13 (Thank friggin GOD!)

I’ll be taking it easy for the next two weeks.

I think I really need to give myself some rest if I’m going to enjoy the Cherry Blossom run. How soon should I start to taper? And how should I taper? I’m still trying to figure this whole thing out.

Gluten free report: 1 month

I can’t believe it’s been a month since I gave up gluten! In the hopes of figuring out my chronic stomach issues (and everything else that came along with it) I realized that the one thing I hadn’t eliminated from my diet was gluten. So after a piece of really good homemade wheat bread made me so bloated I thought I was going to explode, my mind was made up: it’s time to make a change.

Honestly, I feel great. It’s been a struggle at times (everything has freakin gluten it!) but it’s taught me a whole new way of looking at food. It has kept me from eating so many things I otherwise wouldn’t have thought twice about (mainly the food that my co-workers bring in and demand I try) and I have learned to REALLY READ labels. My bloated feelings have gotten much better, and although I’m not 100% perfect yet, I definitely feel better.

Dennis and I have definitely found a way to make it work…he even drains my noodles before his when we have pasta for dinner, and he’s sure to keep his bread away from mine if he’s making garlic bread.

I feel very lucky to see such a large variety of gluten free products available on the market, but I have to admit, I really haven’t given up too much. A lot of the foods I was eating before are gluten free, so I just had to take my focus off of what I CAN’T eat onto what I CAN—and then I realized there was so much that I already WAS eating. Fruits, veggies, rice, soy, meats and fish, nuts, (thank GOD!) dairy, beans…starting to see a trend here? I also started realizing that finding alternatives at restaurants really isn’t as terrible as I thought it would be.

Some things kind of suck, like not being able to drink real beer or eat real bread, but it’s OK because I feel better. I’m looking forward to what month 2 will bring.

Out of commission

As much as I love the spring, I hate my allergies more. I’ve had a three day migraine that has knocked me on my ass.

Because of my migraine I missed brunch with Cat and Jess. Boo! I took my trusty Aleve Cold and Sinus which worked for half of the day Monday, and that allowed me continue with my morning workout. However, after lunch, I was done for.

I was in bed by 7:30 Monday night. I attempted the gym this morning but made it 8 minutes on the elliptical before I had to stop. I spent the rest of my morning avoiding as many people as I could and by lunch was finally able to speak.

So this is where I’ve disappeared to, just in case you were wondering.

I finally feel a little better. Not 100% but better.

Have you ever had a bad/rancid almond? Can they make you sick?

Green tea lattes and a 15K

Unsweetened soy green tea latte.

That’s my drink of choice at Starbucks. However, the locally owned coffee shop next to my building at work doesn’t serve it, so I don’t get it very often anymore. I’m in the process of making a deal with the owner to let me buy the matcha so he can make it for me.

Since Dennis "dared" me to stop drinking coffee, I really don't miss it as much as I thought I would. I've actually cut back on caffeine in general-except, of course, when I drink green tea. I treated myself to one today and it was so good. If you haven't tried one yet, you must. I like it much better with the soy than the milk, but I guess to each their own.

15K training run – 1:21:06

Today was an amazing day. 75 and sunny. I made sure to take full advantage by running a 15K with my running group.

I have to figure out what I’m going to do during the Cherry Blossom and 1/2 marathon because when I stop at the halfway point water stop, my legs get tired. I struggled for about a mile after the water stop and even though I started to feel a little better around mile 7, my pace dropped overall afterward. All they had for snacks at the water stop were cookies, so I loaded up with Gatorade. It definitely helped me get through the last half of my run but I worry it still might not be enough. When I ran the Boilermaker 15K last year, I ate a Goo packet at around mile 6, but it made me so sick. I’m thinking I might have to carry my own bottle filled with coconut water and also carry a little honey packet or something.

Do you stop and walk through the water stations or do you run through them? What kinds of fuel do you guys carry on your long runs?

I don’t like eating fake crap, so I think the coconut water and honey will be a good mix for me.

Tomorrow I’ll be driving up to Columbia, MD to meet Cat and Jess for brunch. I met them both at the Blog Summit in Boston last year before we moved down here.

Jess is in town for the Fit Bloggin’ event in Baltimore and I’m so excited to see them both!

Enjoy your evening!

Enjoying the Madness

I knew running hills the day after doing 1000 lunges was going to be rough, but I really wanted to stick to my schedule and see what I could do. (OK maybe not 1000…but a lot.)

My day started at 2:00 a.m. when I woke up and spent the next 2 hours trying to fall back to sleep. I was WIDE AWAKE. I don’t know what happened-I passed out at 10 (I was exhausted!) and then Bam! Wide awake. When my alarm went off at 5:30 I was surprisingly refreshed, so I jumped right out of bed and headed out to the gym.

I started out with a 10 minute elliptical warm up, stretched my legs, and headed toward the dreadmill of hell for a 20 minutes “Pike’s Peak” workout. I set my workout to max out at level 5, and within the first 5 minutes I was already gasping for breath. Halfway through it I was wondering if I should stop and walk, but I kept thinking about the races I have planned this year and the hills that will come with it.

“Remember the Boilermaker 15K from last summer? Remember how hilly that race was? Remember the Rockville 10K you ran last fall and how that hill at the last part of the race kicked your ass? Yeah, that’s right. Suck it up Nicole, it’s only for 20 minutes!”

That got me through it. I keep having to remember that training runs are just that: training. I don’t need to run at any particular pace, I don’t need to beat any kind of goal, I just need to do it. Once I got that through my head, I was able to finish the 20 minutes and even add a few minutes more to the end for a cool down.

I’m actually surprised that I wasn’t very sore from yesterday’s crazy burpee workout. My legs are a little sore but my arms weren’t, and when I say I did at LEAST 50 push ups, I’m really not exaggerating that one. Maybe I’m getting stronger without even realizing it?

Then just after noon, the madness began.

My brackets are ALREADY screwed (Hey Jude, if you’re reading this, your Notre Dame Fighting Irish SUCK!!! I was so stupid to have any kind of faith in them!!)

Ehem…getting back my composure…

Do you love March Madness? Did you fill out your brackets? I love it. It’s just so exciting and so much fun to watch. I fill out my brackets every year and every year I lose (although last year I was 2 points away from winning the $1000 office pot.) Go ‘Cuse!

Working out with the boys

There are a couple of guys (and some of those being older men) that work out with me in the  morning. Lately, they’ve been doing some kind of weird strength training workouts involving lunges, interesting leg moves, a Step from step aerobics, and burpees. One day I asked them exactly what they were doing, and they told me it was a strength routine that the owner of the gym put together for them. They set up a circuit and do three sets of however many reps. They look really silly (especially when they’re doing the burpees!) but for some reason I was really intrigued.

It’s basically using your body to build strength, the gym owner (and trainer—he actually does these workouts too) told me. He said, “This kind of stuff would actually be really good for you with your running.”

Damn. He’s noticed that I’ve kind of eased up on my strength training since I’ve been running more. The guys told me it’s not as hard as I might think, and asked me to give it a try. “You’ll be fine,” they told me. “If you can run 10 miles, you can do this.”

HA! I smell a challenge going on, and I’m not one to turn down a challenge (feasible challenges anyway)

So today I prepared myself for a strength training workout with the boys. I started out with 20 minutes on the elliptical, stretched, and then we got down to business.

Now let me tell you—doing burpees is NOT attractive. But they are HARD AS HELL! I must have done about 50 pushups, as many burpees, and 100 lunges. Who says girls can’t hang?

I’ve really been wanting to get back into strength training again, and if there are other fools who are willing to look as stupid as I do doing burpees, then so be it. The more the merrier.

The workout took about 20 minutes and by the end I was sweaty and sore. Nice. The problem is that they only do these workouts on Wednesdays and Fridays, and since Saturdays are my long runs, I don’t think I should be doing this stuff on Fridays. I’m wondering if once a week would be enough to get any results?

Tomorrow is supposed to be my hill day. Let’s see how I feel.

Oh yeah, Happy St. Patty’s Day! No green beer for me, but I had green tea! Does that count?

Liquid carrot cake

I’ve tried the Green Monsters and I’ll be honest, they didn’t do me well. As much as I love spinach, it doesn’t really love me back. I drank them for a while last summer because I kept reading how awesome they were and how much energy my fellow bloggies were getting from them, but I had to stop. I’ve been trying to figure out what other kind of veggies I can add to my smoothies, and then it hit me: Carrots.

You have GOT to try this.

My liquid carrot cake consists of:

• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 small carrots (not baby carrots!)
• 1 tbsp. ground flax
• 1/2 banana
• 1 tbsp. coconut flakes
• cinnamon

So good. Seriously. Try it NOW!