Run, Emilie, run!

Whoops.

2009-03-03T07:29:00.001-05:00

Here's the link.

I mean, way to create anticipation, right? I'm going with Chris's explanation and claiming I did it on purpose :)

Transitioning

2009-03-02T21:19:00.002-05:00

So here's the deal. I'm a little tired of blogger, for a number of reasons. But I feel sort of emotionally attached to it. This happens a lot--I tend to develop emotional attachments to things, even if I am sort of ambivalent toward them. I also tend to attribute emotions to inanimate things, which is probably related. Example: I don't like throwing food away (like, after it has gone bad) because I feel like it makes the food feel bad. Like no one wanted it. Sad, I know (or maybe you were thinking, 'Pathetic, Emilie.' Well, tchah to you, I say!)

At any rate, back to the point. I'm sort of tired of blogger, and I kind of like the increased freedom of wordpress, so I've started a blog over there and imported most of this one. You can find it here. I'm not sure I'll choose that one over this one, so both will remain semi-active while I make up my mind. I guess it's like dating two guys at the same time while trying to decide which one is the one. Or, you know, nothing like that, since I shouldn't be assigning human emotions to inanimate objects. Not like I would do that.

Toil and Trouble

2009-02-05T21:08:00.002-05:00

Some of you may know that I have a defective stomach. I mean, that's not medically sound at all, and since I've never actually been to a doctor about the various stomach problems I have, I'm not entirely sure what goes on in there. All I know for sure is that it ain't right. I highly doubt that most people with functional GI systems stock up on nausea medication on a regular basis and tend to go through bottles of Pepto bismol at the rate most people go through a quart of milk!

I kid, I kid. Slightly. My stomach has problems. I need to see a doctor. It has prevented me from running for the past two days. I've had to limit my food intake to BRAT-diet type foods (bananas, rice, applesauce, toast, tea--innocuous, bland, low fiber foods). Anything else I eat makes me unhappy.

Life has been a bit out of order since I decided to not run the National marathon. I really appreciated reading your training ideas and tips. I think I am partially going through a period of adjustment to not having anything to train for, partially still adjusting to my work schedule, and partially just getting a bit depressed from the other partials in my life (see first and second items). The result is that last week I made it to the gym once, and the week before I don't think I made it at all. I've been once this week, and would really like to run tomorrow, Saturday, and Sunday. I just don't feel like myself anymore these days. I feel so bad about how inconsistent I have been with everything, and feeling this bad just makes it harder for me to get back into a rhythm. I tend to end up thinking, "If I can't run 25-30 miles this week then I shouldn't bother running at all." Productive, right? Because that's when I end up letting the week go by without a single trip to the gym.

What I am going to try instead is to just get up and move for 20-30 minutes a day, whether it is going for a run, lifting weights, or just going for a walk. I just need some sort of movement to pull me out of this slump and get me moving again. My guess is that, most of the time, this 20-30 minutes will turn into 45-60. If it doesn't, though, that's alright.

Who knows? Maybe the stomach problems will go away when I start feeling better about other stuff. One can but hope.

See you later, National Marathon

2009-01-25T11:22:00.003-05:00

Well, I've pretty much decided that the National Marathon will have to wait for another year. And when I say I've decided, what I mean is that I am halfheartedly accepting the fact that I am neither wholeheartedly into nor wholeheartedly over the idea of this marathon. I guess the fact that I am not wholeheartedly into it is probably the feeling I should be paying attention to, because it is going to be damn hard later on down the line to run 18 and 20 miles when I'm not into it. So I'm saying adios, National Marathon, as much as my heart is aching as I type those words. Seriously.

Having made this decision (and an entire week of not running), I'm realizing that things need some reevaluating. For one thing, I haven't really done much running recently without a marathon in mind. For the last year and a half or so, my daily run has been determined by what's on the training schedule. Which means this: what the hell do I do without a training schedule? I feel like I was dependent on someone for a long time, and now that person is gone and I'm realizing the autonomy I once had (before that person came into my life) is gone, too.

I'd like for my running to keep me in good enough shape to run a half marathon if I feel like signing up for one (I had, actually, signed up for one that took place this morning. Needless to say, I did not run it). I'd also like to start doing yoga again, and continue weight training. I found this article this morning and was thinking about trying to base a routine around it. It would be kind of cool to get to a point where I'm training pretty normally at 35-40 miles per week. Then again, maybe it would be better to not structure things too much, and just run to enjoy it. I'm not really sure. See? I've forgotten how to do this.

So--! Here's my question to you, dear reader: what do you do when you aren't training for a race? Do you just do whatever you feel like doing for that day, or do you try to stick to a plan you have made for yourself?

Feeling discouraged

2009-01-22T17:44:00.002-05:00

This is the first week of classes here at Columbia, which mean that work has gone from 0 to about 150 or so almost overnight. I mean, last week I was just dealing with stuff concerning one half of my job, this week I am dealing with that stuff and teaching two classes back to back every day.

I am DRAINED.

I haven't run at all this week. I'm so tired I want to cry. My body just feels like it can't handle any more. I haven't been sleeping all that well, and I haven't had time to do much grocery shopping so I haven't been eating all that well, either.

I still don't know what to decide about the marathon. I guess at this point it's probably out of the question. I got in 10 miles last week and I haven't managed a long run in two weeks now.

More than anything, I think my body is in endorphin withdrawal. This sucks.

Decisions, decisions, decisions!

2009-01-19T17:03:00.002-05:00

Yikes, have I really not posted anything since the 10th? Apparently, I haven't. I guess the days just got away from me. I can't even claim being busy as an excuse because I haven't been particularly busy. I have, however, been lifting weights consistently! And working my abs consistently, too! Of course, as soon as a couple pieces of the puzzle fall into place, another piece seems to get pushed out. You'd think they would all fit together nicely, since that is what puzzles do. Apparently I have cut my pieces wrong, though, and I'm still working on filing them down to make it all work.

Basically, what I mean is that I ran a total of about ten miles last week, which is pretty pathetic. I also skipped another long run this past weekend. I am supposed to be training for this marathon right now, but I'm sort of not into it. I'm not really sure what to do either, because I have moments when I think, 'Okay, not a big deal. I've run two marathons, there will be more marathons in the future, not running this one isn't a big deal and it's important that I don't push myself to do it if I'm not into it'. And then I feel sort of good for a while, because I've made a decision. Then that wears off, and I start to regret the decision and reconsider. I'm signed up for this marathon, I had been looking forward to it for a long time, and maybe I just need to be a little more dedicated and get a routine going. Then all the pieces will fit, and things will be great. Right?

Blergh. I don't know.

There is something really appealing right now about just running for the fun of it, and focusing more on shorter distances, and running a few half-marathons, and picking out a fun fall marathon, and having the freedom to skip a run or two, or do some yoga instead of running, and not feel guilty about it. But then it's like...26.2 miles!

Every week I tell myself I will get back on track with training and things will work out, and maybe after getting through the full week, I can see how I feel about it. Maybe my hesitation about whether or not to run has something to do with feeling like I won't be ready, and if I can get through a week of training I'll realize that I don't need to worry about that and feel better. So maybe that's what I should do--just go through the week and not really worry too much about the marathon. Make it a goal to do the week of training, and see how I feel. I had an emotionally draining weekend so today will probably just be a rest day instead of the crosstraining day it should be, but that's alright. Maybe this should just become an exercise in forgiving myself.

Has anyone else ever grappled with this sort of thing? I can't put my finger on what the appeal of the marathon is, and I think that's part of what makes this so difficult. What would you do in this situation?

Snowstorms and shoes

2009-01-10T10:47:00.003-05:00

Gah. We are supposed to have this ridiculous snowstorm today here in New York. Personally, I veto that idea. It really interferes with my plans for a 6-mile run and a 10-12 mile run. It should be said that in my position, a fair number of runners would have planned their run around the anticipated start time of the snow. When I went to bed last night, the forecast said the snow would start around 9 a.m. and although I am capable of getting up in the morning, I *never* feel good when I get up in the morning to *run*. And the longer the run, the less good I feel. The exception to this, of course, is a race, for which I have generally had time to prepare myself mentally and physically. But as I got into bed last night, I have to say I just didn't really like the idea of getting up in time to fit in 90-120 minutes of running before 9 a.m. or thereabouts. So I scrapped that idea. It turns out, though, that now the snow isn't supposed to start until around 3, which means I actually have plenty of time to do either six miles or twelve, depending on what I feel like doing. The smart thing would be to do the twelve miles and get them out of the way so I can do the six tomorrow at the gym just in case the weather won't allow a run outside. We'll see if intelligence prevails over lazy. Sometimes I just don't feel like doing long runs on Saturdays, no matter what would be more commonsensical.

This brings me, in a roundabout and entirely unconnected way, to shoes. I returned to my apartment yesterday after a run (in my running shoes, obvs) and changed into my most-recently-discarded pair of running shoes to do some at-home weight training. It then occurred to me--do other people have this weird mania about what shoes they wear? Or, more specifically, about when they wear their running shoes? I checked my closet last night and realized I had three old pairs of running shoes just sitting there, doing absolutely nothing other than collecting dust. But I hold on to them anyway because at some point, I may want to engage in some sort of activity that could (potentially!) necessitate old running shoes. Or running shoes that I would no longer wear to run in because they are sufficiently used up as to be damaging to my feet, ankles, knees, hips, etc. And clearly I would never use my current pair of shoes for that sort of thing. That would wear them prematurely!

Essentially, the instant my running shoes hit their somewhat arbitrarily determined mileage limit (which is contingent upon any number of things, including, first and foremost, how many miles I have logged in them, the amount of money in my bank account, foot [arch, especially] pain that has come out of nowhere and can probably be remedied by new shoes, joint pain that is the same as the aforementioned foot pain, etc.) I deem them no longer acceptable to be worn during a run. BUT! they are perfectly fair game for any other sort of activity. When I stop to think about it, this seems pretty silly. If the shoes are no longer good to run in because they won't provide the support, stability, cushionining, etc. that I need during a run, what is it that makes them acceptable for other activities? Activities they were never designed to take me through in the first place, I should add. My retired running shoes go from miles of pavement to careers in weight training, walking, and cardio machines.

Could this be a reflection of my particular snobism toward running, maybe? Related to the fact that I have always felt, deep down (and not to say that this is correct because my own personal research has shown that it is not necessarily the case), that running is vastly superior to any other activity and, therefore, anything that is no longer good enough for running is still sufficiently superior to any piece of equipment required for anything else that it can do any other job better than something that may actually be designed to do that job? Or is it just the fact that I don't care enough to go out and buy "crosstraining" shoes, or whatever? I mean, they can't possibly be that different from any other shoes, right? How can one shoe be so multi-purpose?

I'm interested to hear how other people treat their shoes. Does anyone recycle them? I feel like this is what I really ought to be doing with those pairs that are taking up valuable real estate in my Manhattan-sized apartment (and by that I don't mean it's the size of Manhattan...you know?) Does anyone else have the same cooky attitude toward them that I do? Inquiring minds (and by that I mean mine) want to know.

Equipment review: Medi-Dyne Prostretch

2009-01-07T19:30:00.005-05:00

Well, so far so good with the weight training and abdominal work! After a long run of 12.5 miles on Sunday, I let myself take Monday as a rest day instead of a cross-training day, and rearranged things slightly so that I will be cross-training on Friday instead (normally, Friday is the rest day). So my weight training schedule for this week will be Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday. Ideally, I would like to do a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule, although I guess that sort of interferes with a genuine rest day. I'll figure it out as time goes by. My weight workout was combined with a four-mile treadmill run which, in spite of the fact that it took place on a treadmill, was rather enjoyable. The workout definitely took the edge off my bad mood, which is always a win.

But enough about me. The real purpose of this post is to talk about the Medi-Dyne Prostretch, which I received as a gift for Christmas. The instant I opened the package I was excited about it and couldn't wait to use it! I have what feel like perennially tight calves, despite my constant attempts to stretch them. There are also very few stretches that I really feel in my calves; I'm not sure, maybe my calves are flexible and just need deep stretching in order to feel really good. All of the general lunge-type stretches that are common for calves feel like absolutely nothing to me. When I stretch my calves, I often just find a set of stairs and hang one heel off the back of one while pressing down through it. Even this can end up being only somewhat gratifying.

Enter the Prostretch, which I affectionately refer to as the calfinator. Never have I felt a deeper, more relaxing, and more pleasant stretch in my calves! My tight calf problem has been solved. To use the Prostretch, you place one heel up against the back and gently dip your heel back until you have hit a point where you feel like you are getting a good (though not uncomfortable) stretch. What is really great is that there is a huge range of motion allowed; the Prostretch can accommodate people who are looking for a lighter stretch but also satisfies people like me who need an angle that feels like it must be close to 70 degrees.

From what I understand, the Prostretch is extremely useful in helping to treat and prevent plantar fasciitis and also helps relieve heel pain. After using the Prostretch, my lower legs and feet feel really good, and I look forward to using it after my runs!

A word to the wise, though: wear your shoes when you use it, otherwise your heel just sort of smashes against the hard plastic on the heel platform. Not comfortable. Also be aware that if you don't have the best balance in the world, you may want to use the Prostretch near a chair or something you can hold on to for support. You will, essentially, be putting the majority of your weight onto the leg you are stretching, so act accordingly.

Happy stretching!

2009: A year for abdominals

2009-01-04T12:54:00.002-05:00

I mentioned earlier that I got these two cool books on weight training for Christmas. The first one, The New Rules of Lifting for Women, is more of a reference resource, while the other, 101 Workouts for Women, is sort of an illustrated guide with a huge amount of sample workouts. I love this, since one of the biggest obstacles between me and consistent weight training (and a lot of other things, for that matter) is structure. I like to have a plan. Unfortunately, I'm not great at coming up with them for myself. The book is divided up into sections for different body parts (abs, arms, shoulders, back, legs, glutes, etc.) with a variety of exercises and workouts for each, and also has individual sections on upper-body workouts, lower-body workouts, full-body workouts, and beginners' workouts. Guess where I'll be starting!

The section on abs consists of 13 individual workouts, one of which is a partner workout. Since I rarely, if ever, workout with a partner, I thought that since there are 12 workouts that I can reasonably do, maybe I would devote one month of the year to each one of them. This way, I am challenging my muscles in a different way pretty consistently, avoiding boredom, and working my way toward a strong core.

My plan is to start with the first workout, which is very straightforward--crunches, reverse crunches, and some oblique work--and do this 2-3 times a week (the book recommends 3 times weekly) for January. By February, I will be stronger and ready for a new set of exercises! I'm excited to see how this pans out. I will keep you all posted about my progress. I know you are all waiting with bated breath to see how this all goes!

Viva la resoluciòn!

2009-01-02T16:46:00.002-05:00

You know the feeling you get when you really haven't done anything all day, and it hasn't been relaxing and restorative so much as, like, disappointing? And it's kind of around the time the sun is setting so you have sort of worked yourself into a spot where you are either going to have to a) go to the gym (on January 2! good luck finding a treadmill); b) run outside in the dark; or c) skip your run altogether. Okay, first of all, scratch option c off the list because you haven't really done anything else all day* and going for a run will potentially turn the entire day around and make you feel like you accomplished something. B is actually not too bad, since your neighborhood is residential and safe. But you're kind of scared of the dark. It makes you feel a teensy bit claustrophobic (random, right?!). Signs are kind of pointing to a as your best bet. So you're kind of just sitting on your bed with your laptop on top of your lap typing away and feeling disappointed that your day was totes lame and putting all your eggs in your gym bag.

I honestly do not know what the gym will be like. My mom said she went this morning and it wasn't too bad. Maybe everyone has already given up on themselves! I have mixed feelings about resolutions, really. On one hand, you can make them at any time, why wait for the first of the year? On the other, it is kind of nice to feel like you are giving yourself some direction for the days that lie ahead. It's kind of sad, in a way, though, that we repeatedly feel like something we've done isn't good enough and that we have to wait for this big momentous day in order to work to make things better. I wish we all felt like we had the power to change the things we wanted to change at any time, based entirely on decision to do so. But I digress. Back to the resolutionaries.

It makes me both sad and perversely satisfied to find that by March, gym attendance has dropped back down to normal. Then again, we are all aware of the fact that I am a somewhat sick person who cares little about the pain, suffering, and failure of others (right, guy who fell during the 5k?)--I just want my treadmill access because I am a serious runner and I deserve that treadmill more than you, Mr. Resolutionary. I know your game. You will pump the speed up to 7.5 for about two minutes, then realize you're in over your head, and place either foot on the sides of the treadmill, off the belt, until you catch your breath. Then you will repeat. You will do this over and over again for twenty minutes, without taking into consideration the fact that you spent more time catching your breath than you did running. Meanwhile, I could have been running that entire time, and working on my fitness, which I have been working on for a while and not because I resolved to.

This brings out the worst in me, I tell you! I get possessive about the gym, the treadmill, the locker room--whatever it is that I want access to but can't actually access because someone else is accessing it. I should probably work on letting all of that go. I'm not really a terrible person, as much as I joke about it. I'm happy for those people who resolve to be healthier. I want them to succeed.

So maybe I should make a resolution to be a little more patient about things like this in 2009. Or I should just make sure I don't sit around doing nothing until the sun goes down, and actually go for a run outside on the days when it's possible to do so. Because if I do just waste the day away, ending up at a crowded gym is sort of no one's fault but my own.

*this isn't entirely true. I did spend a fair amount of time honing my ukulele-playing skillz. They are lackluster, but I've only just started. I expect to be a virtuoso by Wednesday of next week.

Race Report: MADD Red Ribbon Run 5k

2009-01-01T19:36:00.002-05:00

I may (or may not) have the name of this race wrong. Okay, I just checked. I was only slightly off. The official title is MADD 5k Red Ribbon Run. I'm not overly concerned about it.

I mentioned yesterday that I was hoping to run between 24-27 minutes. Mission accomplished, I'm glad to say! And thanks to all of you who wished me luck. I know it helped :)

I've spent the past two weeks (or so) with my parents, who live in the Washington, D.C. area. I signed up for this 5k a while ago, knowing that my mom was also planning on making it her first ever 5k (CONGRATULATIONS, MOM!). The weather down here has been, generally, pretty mild. Certainly nothing to compare with the conditions Rachel has been facing in the frozen tundra (in my mind, anyway) of Minnesota. To make things interesting, though, we had winds come out of nowhere yesterday, gusting up to 40 mph. In my opinion, one of the best parts of running in this kind of weather is the fact that you could, at any moment, become airborne. Or, you know, get smacked in the head with some flying debris, knocked unconscious, and left for dead. Good times. Anyway, high winds. The temperature was around the mid-thirties, but since it was a late afternoon race, we were dealing with the disappearance of the sun and the subsequent lowering of the temperature. I have low blood pressure, poor circulation, and a body temperature that tends to drop and stay down so I was not particularly excited about these things. Lucky for us, though, this was the cushiest 5k in the world. The starting line was right outside the Concert Hall on the George Mason University campus in Fairfax, VA, so we all waited inside until about five minutes before gun time. Yay for not having to hop around from one leg to another while freezing your buns off outside! Score one for MADD. I should also note that the race volunteers and even a lot of the other runners were super nice. Always a plus. Oh, and speaking of pluses, getting to wait inside the concert hall was also awesome because it meant we all had access to nice, clean restrooms (with toilet paper!). This was good since my stomach is defective and generally causes me no end of problems pretty much all the time. Sorry, TMI. It's just that I know there are some of you out there who understand things like this in the sort of way only runners can.

The race started promptly at four, and as we all began running, some dude just fell! It was weird. I don't know if he tripped, or what. But being the insensitive asshole that I am, I continued on my merry way and figured someone else would deal with him. Things like that make me a little bit nervous, to be honest. My lungs (did I mention that I am suffering from some sort of 19th-century throwback case of consumption? No, I mean, not really, and I shouldn't make light of people who do still have to deal with tuberculosis. My point is my lungs are congested with this nasty cough that won't go away and running has been sort of difficult because of it) tightened up as though someone had them in either a clenched fist (ew!) or a vise (more ew!). I wanted to find a pace that was challenging but that would ensure I could finish the race without hacking up a lung. Or collapsing one. You know, one of the two.

The wind was brutal the entire time, and between my defective stomach and my defective respiratory system (I swear, can I get a refund? Because this is not working for me and I feel a little bit ripped off) I felt a little more beaten down by it than I normally would have. But I soldiered on! And I managed to pull a 26:02! Now, no, this is not the 23:xx that Chris suggested, but that is certainly on the horizon. I mean, we are almost there. Plus I got to feel superior when some little kid (there were waaaaay too many little kids running this race. I am sorry if that offends anyone who likes to have their kids run races with them--this also makes me nervous because I am always scared that I won't see them and I will trip on them. Plus they don't really have a sense of race etiquette and tend to just stop in the middle of the course if they poop out, without going over to the side of the road first. Of course, adults do that too. At least kids have the excuse of being young and, you know, kids) announced to his mother that he ran a 26:07. HA HA, munchkin! Pwned!!!!!1!! Just kidding.

I just want to also say how proud I am of my mom for running this race. It is not easy to run a course you are unfamiliar with when it is really cold and extremely windy, and my mom was a real trooper. I hope this is one of many races for her.

If any of you fair readers find yourselves in the Washington, D.C. area around New Year's in years to come, I recommend this race. The course is pleasant, and the race overall is extremely well-organized with really, really nice volunteers. A good time was undoubtedly had by all. Except that guy who fell. I hope you're alright, buddy. Sorry I didn't stop to make sure.

I hope you all had a very happy and healthy New Year! Now get ready to fight for treadmills at your local gym :) And it made me so happy to read all your comments. I missed you guys!

2008: A Year in Review or, Where the hell have you been?!

2008-12-31T10:26:00.002-05:00

And rightly so. I mean, if you were actually wondering where I've been. Well, I've been here and there. You know. Doing things. Not blogging. Feeling slightly guilty about it. But I guess sometimes you need some time away from something you like before you realize how much you like it. And blogging, I just want to tell you this one thing: I missed you! I'm glad we were able to work on the problems we were having. Let's never fight again <3.

Honestly, though, I sort of went through a bit of a slump (surprised?) during which I didn't really feel too much like broadcasting anything. But now I'm feeling better, and I feel like egotistically and self-indulgently rambling about my life on the internet once again. Bless you, internet, for giving everyone a chance to feel important. You're the greatest. I mean it.

So, what have I been up to since September 1? Well, the past four or so months have been full of change for me. First of all, there's the new job and the fact that I am no longer living below the poverty line as a graduate student. That is some fun stuff. Second, I am still trying to weight train consistently. But come on, if you read this and found out I had all of a sudden managed to start lifting three times a week with the dedication of a zealot, you would probably be disappointed and possibly (actually, let's say definitely) incredulous. So why lie to you? I'm still working on this. But I got these really cool books for Christmas that I think should answer some questions and set me on the right track. More about that later, I promise. I have big plans. Third, I successfully completed my second marathon and although I had thought my training was lackluster, I managed to shave around fourteen or fifteen minutes off my time. I call that an awesome win, all around. I also picked up about fifteen pounds (one for each minute off my time? I am not sure I think that's fair) which I am hoping to shave off. I mean, I feel like I am just carrying around extra baggage. It's so uncomfortable. The weird thing is, I don't think you'd really notice a difference if you'd seen me before the weight gain and after. But it is definitely there. And it needs to go away.

Right now, I am training for my third marathon, the National Marathon in Washington, D.C. on March 21. I'm a bit nervous about this one, considering what happened last time I tried to go from one marathon to the next without a significant break in between. It remains to be seen whether I will manage to pull it all together and not somehow sabotage myself into not being able to run this one; if I do run it, obviously this will be a pretty significant achievement for me, psychologically. Stay tuned, folks, this is bound to be a fascinating journey.

To cap the year off, I am running a 5k this afternoon with my mom. Recently my pace has begun to speed up for reasons I do not completely understand. For the longest time I felt happy if I could average something under 10:00 minutes per mile on a run over three miles. Now I'm (fairly) easily maintaining sub-9:00 min/miles on six-mile runs, and feeling really, really good throughout. For some people, I know this is still a tortoise-like pace. For me it's a really big deal. I'm excited to see how the race this afternoon plays out. I mean, not that I expect to place at all, but I don't think I've ever raced a 5k faster than 28:xx minutes (this may also have to do with the fact that I rarely run 5k races). I'm shooting for around 24-27 minutes today. I know, that's a pretty broad range. But I have a chest cold and I'm not sure how that's going to affect my ability to, you know, breathe. I hear that oxygen is kind of important.

Anyway, that concludes my rambling. For now, anyway. I hope everyone has had happy holidays and enjoys the new year!

The return of the weekly challenge

2008-09-01T20:15:00.002-04:00

So, yeah, my previous weekly challenges weren't all that successful. I'm the first to admit it! They weren't all spectacular failures, though, which is important to note--I am still pretty much Diet Coke free. I do have one every now and then, but it is super rare. So score one for me and the weekly challenge!

At any rate, I thought that given all the life changes I'm going through lately, and all the effort I am making to sort of reset my life, it would be appropriate to bring the weekly challenge back. As of tomorrow, I am going to give getting up early in the morning to run another shot. Not only will this be more convenient with my work schedule, it will also give me a chance to relax during the day and not worry about going running in the afternoon or evening, and will (hopefully) help me to avoid some of the crowds in Central Park (which have been exceedingly unpleasant lately).

On a semi-related note, I have started the 100 push-up challenge over again. Man, am I out of shape. Since today is September 1st, I think today would be a good day to make a commitment to strength training. I've been so bad about doing it consistently in the past, but lately the importance of it has really been driven home to me and I'm kind of scared of the consequences of not doing it. Case in point: a couple weeks ago I visited my paternal grandmother, who is in a rehabilitation facility recovering from a knee injury. One of the women who is in the rehabilitation facility with her is there because her bones pretty much collapsed one day while she was watering her garden. Essentially, her bones were so porous as to be see-through, and got to a point where they could no longer support her weight. While she was watering her garden, they just shattered. Hearing about that was a wake-up call! And, to a slightly lesser extent, so was the difficulty of doing those push-ups this evening.

Load of crap

2008-07-30T14:55:00.003-04:00

Do you ever have those days where it seems like absolutely nothing is going right? For me, that day has been about two and a half months long (although in the interest of full disclosure, I have to admit it has not exactly been a stellar year) and seems to be reaching its apex now, at the end of July. This either means that things can only get better in August or that things are going to veer toward this massive disastrous catastrophe for an unspecified amount of time to come. I would be optimistic, but I kind of feel like I've been living in a sh*t storm for a while now, and nothing will kill hope like a situation like that.

The day started with me having to weigh myself for my ediets check in. I started the diet in April and then went off of it in May, came back to it in June and have been on it since. Although I initially lost some weight (and felt listless and lethargic in the process), I gained it all back when I went off the diet. Since going back on it, I haven't been able to report a net loss of any pounds. I will lose a pound or half a pound in a week, then promptly gain it back the following week, without doing anything differently, really. My mom thinks I should be running more, but I don't really know that this diet allows for much more activity than I already have in my life (3-4 days of running a week which will be steadily increasing mileage-wise as I get into my training for the marathon and 3-4 days of pretty intense yoga), unless I want to be totally drained of energy pretty much all the time, meaning crappy workouts and, more generally, feelings of crappy all around. So the day started with yet another weight gain, and when you report weight gains to ediets, they kind of scold you and then ask you if you want to reduce your calorie intake, because that is sure to boost your energy levels. I'm done with ediets. I'm totally, 100% over it. What a great start to the day!

I have to move again soon (in spite of feeling like I just moved, which I sort of did) and that is turning out to be disastrous. What makes it even better is the fact that I am moving for this new job, which I supposedly started on July 1st, except that as of today, I am still not in the system as an employee. This is just another thing on the list of things that have gone wrong so far with this job.

This is all just so tiring. I feel overwrought, overwhelmed, fed up, and run down. All of this BS has really just drained my energy and the last thing I feel like doing right now is going for a run, even though I can acknowledge that it would probably do me some good.

What I really want is to just leave everything behind and start over somewhere. I have a vacation to San Diego coming up and the idea of just going out there and staying is looking better and better by the minute.

6 things about me that will undoubtedly blow your mind

2008-07-29T16:01:00.003-04:00

I know this one has been a long time coming--here are my 6 things that I'm posting because I was tagged by Rachel about one million years ago.

I really, really dislike the taste of milk. I don't mind it in recipes, but I cannot stand it on its own and I will pass on a bowl of cereal if there is no soymilk to be had. I think the idea of milk is weird, too, because when you think about it, humans are the only animals to drink the milk of another animal. I sort of have a problem with that (it just seems sort of gross to me) but oddly enough I am a big fan of cheese.
I started running when I was high school. I did track in my sophomore year and hated it (or at least really disliked it, because I am not all that fast and don't really do short distances) and cross-country in my junior year and really liked it. My friend and I would run together during practice and developed a nice pace that we lovingly referred to as 'the comfort stride'. It was like magic. We also skipped one or two long runs by ducking into the woods and waiting for people to pass us on our way back! Those were the days.
I went to a public school with a French immersion program and started learning the language at the age of five. From kindergarted through sixth grade, my education was primarily in French even though it followed the same curriculum as all of the other public schools in the county. I continued studying French for 21 years and just left school after a BA, MA, and two years of PhD study in French literature.
I've been up and down the east coast (although I have only really driven through some states, like South Carolina and Connecticut) and visited parts of California but have seen very little of the country other than that. I spent a few hours in a Texas airport (Houston? Dallas? I think it was Houston. Maybe) and a couple days in Baton Rouge, LA, but have never been to the midwest.
I really don't understand why Sandra Lee (of the Food Network) uses 'whipped topping' instead of something like reddi-whip. I understand the concept of the show, with convenience food and all that jazz, but I don't really see how 'whipped topping' is more convenient than reddi-whip. And not that I'm endorsing reddi-whip, but at least it is made with real cream and would actually qualify as a food. 'Whipped topping' is an adjective and a noun, neither of which are actual foods. It just seems to me that you shouldn't sacrifice food quality if you don't have to. Plus, if you can so easily use real whipped cream in a recipe, why wouldn't you? This really, really puzzles me.
On two separate occasions, Huey Lewis has told me very emphatically that I am pretty. When I feel bad about myself, remembering this makes me feel better. Unsolicited compliments always have that effect.

Since I think just about everyone else I know has been tagged already, I am going to take advantage of the fact that I have blogging friends and family members (who, to be honest, do not all have running-related blogs, but I don't think that matters) and tag them! So, I am tagging Mike, Suewho, Zebeckras, and Binx. No, that doesn't add up to six, but oh well. Here are the rules:

-link to the person who tagged you.
-post the rules on your blog.
-write six random things about yourself.
-tag six people at the end of your post.
-let each person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.
-let the tagger know when your entry is up.

Time for Training

2008-07-28T10:59:00.002-04:00

After I registered for the Philadelphia marathon, I spent some time looking for a training plan (honestly, I may have started looking for the training plan before registering. Really, though, the order in which these things happened is inconsequential) and, in a fit of delusional perception of my current fitness level, chose to use Hal Higdon's Intermediate I training plan. The plan is well-balanced with two twenty-mile runs toward the end of the program, five runs a week, and a fair amount of weekly miles (starting at around 24 for the first week). The problem is that I tend to go into denial about certain things and I like to believe that I can do things that I am not entirely prepared for. Such as (just in case you are not following me here) this training plan. I think the problem is that I chose something thinking that maybe if I shut my eyes real tight and forgot about reality, I could pretend that maybe I hadn't lost an enormous amount of fitness in the past few months. What can I say? It's hard to go from easily running 8-10 mile training runs to being exhausted by four or five. So I guess I kind of thought that if I chose a training plan that was appropriate for me about six months ago that I would be magically transformed back into that six-month-ago version of Emilie.

As the time to start the training program drew nearer and nearer, I kept looking at it and going over what it was asking me to do. I made a lot of progress endurance-wise in the past few weeks but the first long run distance of this Hal Higdon plan is 8 miles, which I have serious doubts that I can do at this point. The long run was supposed to take place this past weekend, but for screwy and frustrating reasons, it didn't happen. I don't know if I'm capable of running 8 miles, and this week I am supposed to run 9.

So I thought maybe I should shop around a little bit and consider a different program. Last year, I trained with one that I found in an issue of Runner's World magazine. This program is good, obviously--it got my through my first marathon and I enjoyed it the whole time. I never felt overwhelmed by it, but I always felt challenged. So I thought maybe I should go back to that program. But for some reason I am resistant to it. I wanted to try something different, but maybe I sort of shot myself in the foot by slacking off so much for such a long time. I don't even know exactly why I want a different plan. I've looked at Hal Higdon's novice training plans, but they don't really appeal to me and I can't even explain why. I feel sort of silly about this whole thing, because clearly I have this penchant for the Runner's World plan but I'm still second-guessing everything.

Does anyone else do this or am I just super neurotic (I mean, obviously don't answer that question by saying, 'You're neurotic!')? How do you choose a training plan? I'm interested in hearing about other people's experiences.

Fighting with the Wii Fit

2008-07-08T13:02:00.005-04:00

This week I am spending some time visiting my friend Mike in Philadelphia. A while ago (at the time of its release, actually), Mike ordered a Wii Fit and he just received it this past weekend. So yesterday we eagerly set it up and played with it for a while. Even though I have been pretty awful at everything that has to do with the Wii since I first laid eyes on it (honestly, no one is worse than me at Wii sports. I am also a pro and Mario Kart and cannot win a single race in the Wii version of that game to save my life), I thought that I would probably have a good chance of doing well with a fitness game. WRONG!

The first thing you do when you set up the Wii Fit is have it take your weight and height in order for it to calculate your BMI. Mine is, apparently, just at the cusp of overweight (it is worth stating, I think, that the weight that the Wii Fit gave me was roughly five pounds heavier than I actually weigh) with a BMI of 24.somethingabovefifty. The Wii Fit then tells me I should aim for a healthier BMI of 22 and has me calculate how much weight I have to lose in order to do so--18 pounds! I never even thought I had 18 pounds to lose. That would require me losing muscle mass, I'm pretty sure, and I'm not really in the mood to do that. We are not off to a great start.

The next thing you do is a balance test to figure out your Wii Fit Age. Mine is 39. Yeah, that's right, to the Wii Fit, I am 13 years older than I really am. This result is based on my performance on a balance game. So even though I can make it through 90 minutes of yoga classes (which involve a huge amount of balance) and do balancing poses like tree, eagle, crow, side plank, and warrior 3, I'm 50% older, fit-wise, than I should be. According to a video game.

Needless to say, I was not all that happy. I mean, I know it is just a game, it's not to be taken seriously, but it sort of felt like a real blow. I will see if the Wii Fit and I can make peace with each other. I did have a proud moment when I beat (well, by beat, I mean I got a perfect score) on one of the 'harder' yoga poses, that you have to unlock in order to do. I am, apparently, simultaneously a yoga master (according to the Wii Fit, mind you!) and 39 years old. These are things I never knew about myself.

In other news, I recently registered for another marathon which means there are now two on the horizon (Philadelphia in November and the National Marathon in March '09), and I updated my blog so that I now have links to the blogs of my fellow Virtual Run Club members. I also want to welcome SueWho to the foodie blogosphere and I encourage everyone to welcome her and read her healthy eating ideas! This is the woman who has helped me along the path to healthy eating throughout my life; she is a great cook and comes up with great ways to work healthy food into everyday eating!

I was also tagged by Rachel, and I promise I will follow up on that soon :)

A different sort of run: run down

2008-06-20T14:23:00.002-04:00

I am out of it today! I had planned on getting up early for a 6:30-7:30 am yoga class but opted out when I woke up around 5:40 feeling absolutely drained. I went back to sleep and woke up a few hours later and haven't felt much better all day. I have a low-grade headache and a weird, lingering fatigue. It has sort of gotten in the way of my doing just about anything today.

I did manage to put air in my bike tires and I call that a win. I am going out for an early dinner to celebrate my new job and am hoping that if I take it easy this afternoon (and maybe even lie down for a while, although I really hate that idea) I will be able to hit the gym later tonight.

I'm not entirely sure why I am feeling so run down today, but I guess that's not really all that important. Some days are just like this. I just don't like the fact that it is sort of interfering with the things I would like to get done today. I'm also hoping it passes because I am running a 5k tomorrow with my sister and I don't want to feel like I am struggling through it!

Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes and support for me during my job search and its outcome. It means a lot to me to know that you are all so supportive!

Employment! And yoga!

2008-06-19T08:37:00.004-04:00

After a long stint in the doldrums, I think I can now state with confidence that things are on the up and up! Yesterday I accepted a job at Columbia teaching French in the department and coordinating events and programs at the French house (also known as la Maison Française). This means a couple of things: 1) gainful employment!; 2) I'm moving back to New York after a stint at my parents' in the DC area; 3) an enormous source of stress in my life is gone! If, by any chance, any of you have connections to anyone (sane) who is looking for a roommate in New York, let me know. Or if you have suggestions about places to live in New York that are not too expensive (har, har, I know), let me know.

Running has taken a back seat for a while but now that I am participating in this virtual training group, I feel more motivated. Plus I will start training pretty soon for the Philadelphia marathon. Lets hope that this training period goes better than the last one. In spite of this extended period of difficulty with running, I've been doing a ton of yoga so I have not been entirely idle. I've been going to this studio not far from my parents' house and I have to say it can be somewhat hit or miss. It has taught me a lot about what I look for in a yoga teacher, and what I sort of never want to see from a yoga teacher. It has been an interesting learning experience, if nothing else. And I have toned up a bit in the process!

Is anyone else doing any yoga? I have always thought it was a good complement to running, since it counteracts a lot of the muscular tightness that running tends to encourage. If you do any yoga, what do you like or dislike in a teacher? I am sort of curious to hear about others' experiences.

I'm still a runner!

2008-06-03T10:34:00.002-04:00

The last week has been insane--far busier and difficult than any other week that has given me trouble over the course of this past year. Because I left Columbia, I had to be out of my University-owned Manhattan apartment by the end of May, which, roughly translated, meant a Saturday move-out. This also meant that I spent the week leading up to this day packing, purging, and shuffling stuff around so that my move would go as smoothly as possible (as if that ever happens, no matter how hard we try). In all honesty, I hate moving. When I sat down and thought about it, I realized I had moved seven times in the past eight years (that is to say since moving out for college). That is a lot of moving. My dream right now is just to settle in somewhere for longer than two years. It is just such a stressful process. Anyway, like I said, the week involved a lot of work. Saturday I packed up a Uhaul truck and a minivan with the help of my parents and friend Mike; Sunday I unpacked the Uhaul truck and managed to somehow hurt my back (not significantly, but enough so that I was pretty uncomfortable); and yesterday I unpacked the minivan. Last night was my first good night of sleep and I still feel sort of beat up and run down. I am now living at my parents' house until I have found employment that is gainful enough to enable me to move out.

Unsurprisingly, I didn't run at all last week. There just wasn't time and with all the work I was doing getting ready for this move, I didn't have the energy. I'm disappointed about it but I am trying not to be too hard on myself about it. I have just had the hardest time getting into a solid routine. It's aggravating, really. Hopefully this week will be a bit quieter and will allow me to get back into the habit of running. I will keep you posted.

More than anything, I just wanted to post to let everyone know that I am still alive and that I am also still a runner; just in case you thought I had gotten so disillusioned that I had decided to give it all up!

Weekly Challenge: 20 minutes

2008-05-25T19:55:00.003-04:00

Last week I didn't have a weekly challenge, which was sort of nice because lately none of my challenges have gone particularly well. What can I say? 2008 has not been my year so far. I am, however, stubbornly refusing to believe that I should just throw in the towel, and I think that as long as I keep trying, at some point I will accomplish something! Yay for potential!!

For that reason, I am not abandoning my weekly challenges in spite of lackluster successes with them. And it isn't like I have completely ignored them! I just have mixed results with them. At any rate, this week I thought maybe I should just do something sort of basic, straightforward, and feel goodish.

It is unrealistic for me to expect myself to stick to a training schedule without life getting in the way, and I want to learn to not feel guilty when I am not getting in all the running I would like to. What I want to do this week is focus on just getting in twenty minutes of activity every day. Rest days will be 'active rest' days, and days when I run will be, obviously, more than twenty minutes of activity. The point here is not to exhaust myself but to keep myself in motion (even if it is just a walk around the block or through the park or something). I feel so much better when I have done some sort of physical activity than I do when I just sit around my apartment and get nothing done. I have been in such a slump lately, and feeling so lousy has really helped me to recognize how much better I feel when I just get up and do something, no matter how minor it is. So in an effort to preserve that feeling and chase the blahs away, I am taking on this 20-minutes-a-day challenge. Like I said, I am not working for a better body, just a healthier state of mind.

Oh, thank Heaven

2008-05-22T19:18:00.003-04:00

First run with the running skirt and I am in love! I mean it, I love this thing :) I feel covered and comfortable. You do get some odd looks, though. Some of them are clearly, "Is she really running in a skirt?" kind of looks, which I really don't care about because the people who are giving me those looks don't look like they have run a day in their life and thus probably don't know the obnoxiousness that is running in a pair of shorts that just don't feel right no matter what you do. The others, though, are a bit more bothersome and are more along the lines of, "Ooooh, she's running in a skirt...I wonder if I'll be able to see her underwear if I look hard enough?" I mean, honestly. Grow up, men. Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just that the warmer weather makes people a little more friendly and thus more likely to give you unexplained smiles (or are they leers?)...but I kind of doubt that that's the case. Regardless, I enjoyed the experience, a full two thumbs up, and a hearty wish that I had more pairs so that I could run like a girl more often!

The run itself was good but the conditions were pretty rough, with killer wind on the way back, which is, of course, the exact time when you want to be fighting a head wind. I guess this is what I get for running by the Hudson, although it really felt at times like I was just running in place. It was that bad.

I also conveniently forgot to put Body Glide on my upper arm and I once again have a welt from that stupid nike+ armband (I HATE THAT THING). And oddly, my feet are killing me. This is a problem I haven't really had before. All of a sudden, my shoes feel like they are tighter than usual, or something. I am getting chafing along the arch of my foot as well as on both of my pinkie toes. I am not tying my shoes tighter than I usually do, and I haven't laced them differently either. They are also not new shoes, nor are they old. I have been running in this model for a while and ran the half-marathon in my current pair (in addition to multiple training runs) without a problem. This also happened on Tuesday but since my run was shorter, it bothered me less, and at the time it really only affected my left foot. After this run, though, both of my feet hurt in the same places. Has anyone else had a problem like this come up out of nowhere? I'm wondering if it has something to do with the warmer weather causing my feet to swell or something...that's the only explanation I can think of, really. The pain really had an effect on my run. Around my fifth or sixth mile, it really started to set in (especially in my toes, which feel like they blistered or something--it is definitely a chafing issue and not something cramp-ish or anything like that) and I ended up taking a page out of Irish's book and dissociating as much as I could just to get through my seven miles without having to stop. I managed, but I wish my feet felt a little better (obvs).

Anyhoo, I got in a 7.11 mile run (see, that's where the post title comes from! Ha ha, I made an advertising-related joke!) which ain't too shabby.

Total mileage this week: 11.31

My life in six words or less

2008-05-22T15:43:00.003-04:00

I've been tagged by Chris, which means two things:

Obviously, I have hit the big time as a blogger.
I have to write a six-word memoir and tag five additional people. I'm not sure I know another five people to tag, since Chris has already tagged some of the other bloggers I know!

So here is my memoir. It has nothing to do with running, but I think it accurately sums up my life (at least for now):

No longer a student. What next?

As for the people I am tagging in return...

Jen at Birthday Challenge '08.
Irish at Do It.
Charlotte at Music and Veganism, if she ever gets back to blogging...
And, erm...more to follow? That's all I got for now :(

In other news, I am now the proud owner of a running skirt! It's cute, too--black with a thick pink stripe up the side and pink compression shorts. I <3 Alissa's point about varying my activities and taking time to discover other activities is a good one, and it is something I am going to start focusing on as soon as I am a bit more settled (i.e. not getting ready to move in a little over a week).

At any rate, stay tuned for my comments on running in a skirt! Now that my stomach is less upset than it was yesterday I am planning on getting a run in later this afternoon/evening.

The Hills are Alive

2008-05-21T10:54:00.004-04:00

Okay, I admit that yesterday for my hill training I ran on a treadmill. Guilty as charged. And I started off at level four and ended up moving down to level one (but only after 25 out of 40 minutes). So maybe these weren't the most daunting hills ever. But the thing is I'm slightly out of shape, and this is the longest run I've logged since the half marathon, so I was pretty happy with the way things turned out. Unfortunately, as I sit here typing this, I am struggling to cope with an inexplicably upset stomach, so we'll see whether today's mid-distance run actually happens or not. If it doesn't, I can always just scoot things back by a day and make this a day off. No big deal, right?

I really appreciated everyone's comments on my training schedule--I thought you all made really good points that I hadn't taken into consideration, and based on your input I am thinking of making some modifications. Here's what I have in mind:

Monday: Off
Tuesday: Hills
Wednesday: Mid-distance easy run, weight training
Thursday: Speed/Tempo
Friday: Off, weight training
Saturday: Long run
Sunday: Easy short run, weight training

In terms of mileage, right now I think 30 miles might be a slightly lofty goal for me (given the shape I am in--that original training plan was pretty ambitious of me!) but shouldn't be unattainable once I get back into running more consistently. I think for now I will aim for 20-25, ideally even slightly over 25. We'll see how it goes!

Total mileage this week: 4.2 miles

Driftwood

2008-05-17T20:25:00.002-04:00

At the moment, my life has no structure whatsoever. It's scary. I'm now formerly a graduate student, having chosen to leave school; I have finished all the grading for the class I taught this past semester; and I have no job. I am moving out of Manhattan in about two weeks, and I have no idea what to do with myself between now and then.

"Oh!" you say, "You're so lucky! You have all the time in the world to do so many things! You could run all day if you wanted!" Technically, those things are true but unfortunately those things are also not that easy. Since finishing the half-marathon, I have felt sort of lost running-wise. This isn't unusual and it is, in fact, the reason why I started training for what would have been my second marathon immediately after finishing my first. This time around, instead of diving right into a new event, I've sort of just sat around doing very little. Except a lot of eating (and mostly for emotional reasons. The stress of not having a job and, essentially, no direction in life is incredibly weighty and entirely new to me). At the same time, though, I don't want to repeat the same mistake I made last time and start training for something else.

The structure has to come from somewhere, and it looks like I am the only one who can give me the kick in the butt that I need to move on from this driftwood state and start using my free time to accomplish things. So I have been thinking about what my non-training running schedule should look like. Here is what I have been thinking so far:

Principle goals: 1) run 5-6 times a week; 2) run about 30 miles/week.

Weekly breakdown (subject to change or modification):

Monday: off, weight training.
Tuesday: Hills (4-6 miles)
Wednesday: mid-week middle-distance (6-9 miles), light weight training.
Thursday: tempo/speed work (fartlek, intervals, whatever you want to call them) (4-6 miles)
Friday: off, weight training.
Saturday: long run (10-15 miles)
Sunday: easy 5-8 miles.

Any suggestions? I have never really attempted anything like this before. Before I started training for my first marathon, I would just do whatever felt good, trying to meet a minimum amount of mileage. I think this is a pretty balanced plan, but I am also wondering if it isn't a little bit compulsive. I guess that's the nature of running, though. I would like to work on my speed and strength a little bit, and figure the hills and tempo/interval training are essential for that, and I also want to have a little bit of variety throughout my week. Any comments or suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Food for thought: What's the deal with sugar?

2008-05-13T23:06:00.002-04:00

As I have already mentioned, I have the worst time with nutrition. I know the fundamentals, I have a clear idea of what I should and should not be eating, and I think that for the most part, I probably eat pretty well; however, I am almost always low on energy, poorly-fueled, and I tend to get hungry pretty soon after I have eaten a meal. Clearly my application of my knowledge of nutrition leaves much to be desired, and I am admittedly extremely confused about certain things.

At the top of that list is sugar. What, exactly, is the deal with sugar? I know that the completely ubiquitous (and seemingly completely unnecessary) high fructose corn syrup is to be avoided, and I try my hardest to check the ingredient list of pretty much everything I buy because man! that stuff will sneak up on you!! It is in most cereals (even those that claim to be healthy, such as Special K) and even whole wheat breads. Even foods that are salty have high fructose corn syrup now, and don't even both trying to get a light dessert because you are probably much better off just having a small portion of the full-fat version rather than buy the low-fat, low-cal, high fructose corn syrup containing variety.

But I digress. I often wonder if my mid- to late-afternoon dips in energy have anything to do with sugar. Am I eating too much of it? Should my carbohydrates be less refined and more complex? Should I be cutting sugar out of my diet? Most importantly, how exactly does one do that? Does that mean I have to cut out foods that have higher levels of sugar even if they are fruits? One thing that always blew my mind about the first stages of the South Beach Diet was how much fruit was looked down upon because of its potentially high sugar content. I know it depends on the fruit, but I'm speaking in general terms here.

I guess what it boils down to is this: for a while I have been toying with the idea of reducing or eliminating sugar in my diet (or my eating, since diet has somewhat negative connotations) but I have no idea how to do it. Do I just get rid of added sugar and continue eating things like honey, fruit, and other foods with naturally occurring sugar? Or do I just cut it out entirely? Or is it even worth addressing?

One thing I am hoping to take a look at after this week of keeping a food diary is how much sugar I am having in a day, and whether or not it seems to affect me in any way. Maybe after that I can start making some changes, if necessary. I mean, I don't think I am a sugar junkie by any stretch of the imagination, but the whole thing does have me a bit curious.

Have you all ever tried changing the amount of sugar you eat? How did you do it, and did you see any results?

Weekly Challenge: Food Diary

2008-05-12T19:35:00.003-04:00

I feel like proper nutrition is the bane of my existence. I go on a diet, I'm tired all the time; I go off the diet, I'm tired all the time and I gain weight; and so it goes. So I am going to try and start with a clean slate by keeping a food diary this week that will also include keeping notes of how I am feeling, particularly before/during/after running. I figure this way I can (maybe) finally get a clear idea of what is working and what isn't.

Simple, right? Why didn't I do this before, you ask? Laziness! Plus, it can be so embarrassing sometimes to look at what you have eaten and realize that yes, you really did eat about five cookies when you weren't actually hungry.

Milestones

2008-05-12T16:45:00.002-04:00

Wow, the past few days have been crazy. I apologize for my extended absence from the blogosphere; I went home to the D.C. area on Wednesday night, had a job interview on Thursday, pre-wedding (not mine, but a friend's) primping on Friday, a 5k Saturday morning and then a ceremony, reception, and party to attend (as a bridesmaid) that afternoon, and then Mother's day stuff yesterday. It was exhausting, but nice to do so many things with so many people that mean so much to me.

One of the best things about the weekend was definitely the 5k, which I ran with my older sister. It was her first 5k, and I am so proud of her! She was incredible :) It was a small race at a private boys' school in our area that benefited a foundation created in the name of a former student of the school who died in his twenties of diabetes. I was so excited to run with my sister, who has been working on her running for a while now, and always impresses me with the progress she has made. The course we ran was around the neighborhood where the school is located and had some serious hills in it, which my sister attacked pretty fearlessly! I know when I was running my first 5ks, hills terrified me. If she was terrified, she certainly didn't show it. Our father, her husband, and her daughter all came to cheer us on, and it was a great feeling to get to the final stretch of the race and see them there waving and cheering. My niece was so excited to see her mommy run that she was still talking about it the following day! She also cannot wait until the day she can run her own race. I love the fact that we already have a runner-in-waiting in the family. That certainly warms my running heart.

I know this is the beginning of a long and healthy series of races for my sister, and I hope she and I can keep running together. I know we probably won't be able to do all of our races together, but it was an honor and a joy to me to be able to be there with her for her first!

What's Next?

2008-05-06T11:29:00.002-04:00

You can't go through one marathon (or, in my case, 1/2 marathon) training season without giving any thought to what comes next! I had been split...Marine Corps Marathon? Or the Philadelphia Marathon (which, because it was my first marathon, will always have a special place in my heart)? I was having a hard time deciding, until this morning, when I went to the Marine Corps Marathon website in order to register. And what did I find there, you ask?

SOLD OUT!

I kind of expected it, to be honest. I guess it will have to wait for another year. As for me, I guess this means I'll be running Philly :)

Weekly Challenge: Spring Cleaning

2008-05-05T22:30:00.004-04:00

I am still looking at the title of this post and thinking maybe it isn't quite right. I want this week's challenge to be about nutrition, and maybe that title is misleading. Maybe it seems too closely related to...how can I put this politely...high-fiber diets? This challenge is diet-related, but not necessarily fiber-related. What I am really aiming for is a feeling of 'cleanliness'. It's a bit hard to describe. I just don't want the junky, weighted-down feeling I get from eating too much of what is wrong and not enough of what is right. So I think it is time to get things together nutrition-wise.

After my diet debacle, I decided it was time to just get back to regular eating. Call me crazy, but I feel like not feeling totally drained about midway through the day is a good thing. Plus last week, when I was no longer on the diet, I felt better while running. Hmm....At any rate, this week I would like to challenge myself to eat more balanced meals, but in a concrete way. What does this mean, exactly? 5 fruits and vegetables a day! From what I understand, 5 servings of fruit/veggies is the recommended minimum, and as I have a tendency to leave those things out of my diet (buying produce in NYC is a pain in the b-u-t-t), I am going to make a point of getting my minimum.

I am hoping to weight things a bit more heavily on the veggie side (3:2 veggie to fruit ratio), and surpass my minimum when possible. As usual, this is a challenge that I am hoping to stick with even after the week has ended.

Hopefully this one goes better than my early wake-up call...maybe once I have left the indulgent life of the graduate student behind I will try that again :p

I hate running in shorts!

2008-05-05T14:57:00.002-04:00

That's my confession: I hate running in shorts. I love the warm weather, I love the cool breezes, I love not having to pile on layers, I love feeling the sun on my skin (although I don't like the thought of a sunburn)...I just hate wearing shorts while experiencing all of these things.

See, I can't relax in shorts. I am constantly tugging at them: they are sitting too high on my waist, or not high enough, or (and this is most often the case) they are riding up between my legs. They are bunching up between my thighs. And my thighs are not particularly large. And it doesn't seem to matter what sort of shorts I wear. I have tried different brands, different lengths, different cuts, different materials, and it never seems to make a difference. No matter what I do, I find myself yanking at my shorts while running so that they stop riding up.

As a result, I dread the warm weather. I wish I could wear capri pants all the time, no matter what. Sadly, with the summers on the east coast, capri season is rather short and fleeting. What's a girl to do?

Has anyone else had a similar problem? Or any other gripes with gear that just never seems to work, no matter what you try? Misery does love company, after all.

1/2 marathon thoughts

2008-05-05T14:35:00.002-04:00

After running 13.1 miles yesterday, I feel surprisingly comfortable today; I have no muscle soreness, no fatigue...it is weird, it's as though I didn't even run yesterday! Who knows what is going on with my body? I give up on trying to figure it all out.

As I mentioned briefly yesterday, the half-marathon went far better than I had thought it would. I don't actually remember the last time I did a long run (I know it was 18 miles and I know I was thirsty in spite of having my fuel belt on but I can't remember when it was exactly), and as I think I said, it had been a while since I had even run more than once or twice a week. My runs had gotten a point where they were depressing more than anything and I had definitely lost that loving feeling (toward running, anyway).

On Saturday, I made sure to pack my suitcase with everything I thought I might need: multiple pairs of shorts, t-shirts, capris in case it was colder than I was expecting it to be, a quarter-zip pull-over, two bottles of gatorade, sports bars, etc. At that point I headed downtown to catch the bus that was taking all the TNT to Long Branch, NJ. The bus ride was pretty short, not too too painful, and got us to NJ around 2 p.m. I checked into my hotel, and spent the afternoon resting and feeling half-worried, half-confident. I had to keep reminding myself that I was not just running a 5k or a 10k tomorrow, that I was going to be running 13.1 miles, which I had not done for a considerable amount of time, and which I was not sure I was capable of doing. I also had to do a fair bit of convincing myself that if I had to stop running or couldn't finish, that it was alright. I hate having to walk during races or even just training runs. I hate feeling like I have failed at something. My mom came up to NJ that evening and we had a pasta dinner that was overpriced but yummy. After she left, I went back into rest-mode, reading in bed and trying to answer my roommate's questions while still making it clear to her that I was not all that interested in chit-chat. It didn't work too well.

Sadly, I failed to sleep well. I know I slept a little bit, but it couldn't have been much. My roommate (I had no idea who she was prior to meeting her when she came in the room on Saturday afternoon) snored like an outboard motor most of the night. Not ideal. This didn't help my confidence--I'm supposed to run a half-marathon on very little sleep even though I haven't run more than 6 miles in weeks? Are you crazy?! I tried not to think negatively, and also tried to ignore how tired I was as I made my way to the starting line of the race.

The course itself was completely flat. You'd think this would be a good thing, but it was incredibly boring and tedious for my muscles. There were very slight inclines (on short bridges, for example) that were a welcome break from the flat but that didn't last long enough to really give the course any excitement. For the first four or so miles I felt fine but incredibly bored. I wondered if I was going to be able to make it through 13.1 miles of this. I was running slowly, trying to take it easy, not know how I would feel after passing the halfway mark.

Miraculously, after the halfway mark I seemed to get my second wind. Things all of a sudden felt easy. I was able to speed up a bit, feel comfortable with my stride, and enjoy myself a little bit more than I had during the beginning of the race. The boredom dissipated and although the course remained monotonous, I didn't mind so much. I remembered what it was about running that I liked--the motion, the movement, the fact that you are moving forward no matter what, accomplishing something with every step you take. My mind felt clear and my body felt strong. It had been a long time since I'd had that feeling, and I relished it. It carried me through the second half of the race and to the finish line.

My half-marathon PR is a 1:58 or so. Yesterday I ran a 2:11, but I think of it as a victory in spite of it's being thirteen minutes slower than my best time. Running those thirteen miles was like recharging my battery--I felt like I was finally a runner again.

Home again, home again

2008-05-04T15:28:00.001-04:00

After being in New Jersey for a hot minute to run the half marathon, I am now back in New York. I am exhausted and slightly dehydrated (at least I think that is what the headache is all about) and don't really have the energy to write a long post right now. I just wanted to say, though, that I finished the 13.1 miles in 2:11, ran the whole way, and felt much better than I thought I would.

Sigh of relief :)

A thank-you note to my readers, friends, and family

2008-04-30T22:12:00.004-04:00

Now that I am beginning to move beyond the melt-down I had earlier this week, I am also managing to come to terms with the fact that this weekend I will be running a distance that I haven't run in a while. This weekend I will be running the half-marathon in New Jersey. I am planning on running it like a long run, nice and easy, in a way that I hope will allow me to enjoy the experience and not worry about a PR, or even a decent time. I am just going to put the runner's ego away for a while, run these 13.1 miles, and then move on.

Yesterday I was able to break through my running block--I ran a good, comfortable 6.3 miles at a comfortable pace and didn't feel frustrated (or like crying, for that matter) afterwards. This gave me some hope for this weekend.

The other thing that gave me hope, though, was the outpouring of support I got from everyone after my depressing post the other day. I had no idea that saying how I felt would have such an impact. I guess sometimes we all need a boost from people who understand what we are going through, and I have to say that the one I got was more than I could have asked for. So, what I want to say more than anything is thank you.

Thank you to Chris, whose idea to have everyone run their longest distance in support of my effort touches my heart; thank you to my mom, who insisted on coming to see me run even though I told her she shouldn't in spite of the fact that deep down I really wanted her to; thank you to my older sister who still cites me as her inspiration even though I find her much more inspiring than I have ever been; thank you to Mike who sticks by me even when I am insufferable and has always believed in me; thank you to Sean who sends me texts messages about robot invasions and how odd looking ears are, which always make me laugh, and who, like Mike, has also always believed in me; thank you to Sonia for being such a great long-distance running buddy; thank you to everyone who left a supportive or helpful comment; I know this isn't everyone and I hope no one is upset if they feel they have been left out, it is certainly not my intention to ignore anyone or anything. I just want everyone to know how grateful I am and how lucky I feel to be surrounded by such a great group of individuals.

thank you all.

Blergh

2008-04-28T20:43:00.003-04:00

Yuck.

I have a marathon/half-marathon to run in less than a week (Sunday, to be exact) and I don't have the mental strength to make it through 3 miles anymore. My lack of appetite and inability to sleep when I am exhausted are probably also not helping at this point.

So tonight's crappy workout was 3 terrible miles at the indoor track at the school gym followed by a piddling 15 minutes of the Minna Lessig workout. I can't remember the last time I ran more than once a week, and I also can't remember the last time a run hasn't ended in a feeling of complete defeat accompanied by a generous amount of tears.

A word to the wise: don't sign up to run a second marathon after you have just finished running your first unless you have seen the future and you are sure it is something you must, absolutely must, do. If this is not the case, do yourself a favor and take a break. Otherwise, you risk dealing with what I am dealing with right now, which is to say a complete lack of enjoyment from running (something that you once loved more than life itself) and a profound sense of burnout and failure.

Problem-solving follow-up

2008-04-26T20:02:00.002-04:00

First of all, thanks everyone for your great and helpful comments! It seems that the consensus is that more carbs=a good thing (please don't sue me, Martha Stewart). I had thought my diet was pretty balanced, but the majority of my carbs are coming from fruits and vegetables, and to be honest I don't feel like I am eating very much at all. I may need to add more whole grain sources to my fruit and veggie repertoire, which I guess is where I will start tweaking.

I am also considering going in to the doctor this week to see if I can have my iron levels tested. As a vegetarian, I feel like iron deficiency is always potentially an issue, so it seems like it would be worthwhile to just have a look at that.

Other than that, I think it may just be time to move on from ediets. Their program doesn't seem especially suited to athletes who are looking to perform well (which is not what it advertises, anyway, so I am by no means trying to discredit them or anything. Truth be told, I should have thought a bit better about trying out their program given my somewhat rigorous workout schedule).

With any luck, things will get a bit better and I will be re-energized in no time!

Problem solving

2008-04-24T16:00:00.003-04:00

I have been so sluggish lately, which has really been getting of the way of my succeeding at this week's challenge. I haven't been going to bed too late, I have been sleeping well, and for a decent amount of time. But I cannot, for the life of me, get up in the morning. When I do, I feel like I have just been dragged out of bed after sleeping a mere two hours, and my eyes take several minutes (10 to 15) just to focus. It's weird. I have to give myself ample amounts of time to wake up, and I tend to feel better once I have. But it's not long before I feel groggy again. By mid-day, I am ready for a nap. By late afternoon, I am nearly a zombie. I have never been heavily dependent on caffeine, but I am starting to feel like even if I had a coffee IV I would still be low on energy.

About three weeks ago, I started following a diet plan through ediets, in an attempt to shed a bit of weight I had put on. Shortly thereafter, I started missing runs because of traveling and other things in life, and then I got sick. The thing is, starting the diet kind of coincided with the quality of my running going way down, but I think that was due more to outside factors than anything else. I am eating a much greater variety of fruits and vegetables now, and feel pretty well-nourished. But I am tired all the time. What gives? At this point my energy level is so low that I find myself having a hard time getting to the point where I feel like I can make it through a run. Maybe the lack of exercise is the reason for the lack of energy? I don't know.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Anyone have any suggestions or solutions they would care to share?

A change of plans

2008-04-23T18:37:00.002-04:00

Oof. I just finished doing "Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom" with Minna Lessig (who, it is true, does use a lot of somewhat silly expressions) and my muscles are still shaking. Last time I did it, I didn't do the whole thing; I omitted the total body workout, which, it would appear, is like the double-chocolate whipped topping, and cherries, and sprinkles on top. I mean, the whole DVD is challenging, there is no doubt about that, but doing the full hour is wow a tough workout. As I write this my triceps are twinging a little bit. In the best way possible, of course. I know I will be feeling it in the morning.

So why revisit this DVD, since I have already mentioned it here? Well, because I decided that instead of doing that workout for your shape routine featured in Fitness, I would try doing this routine three times a week over the next month. At that point, I will have firmly established a weight-training routine. Plus, I think that in order to get the full effect of the Fitness routine, the best thing would be to do the cardio workout that goes along with it, which I would prefer to do after finishing up with this imminent marathon. So that's the new plan, just thought you might like to know :)

Weekly Challenge: what next?

2008-04-21T21:15:00.003-04:00

I'm pretty proud of myself: I managed to get up to 10 pushups over the past week. That's not bad--a jump from 2 to 10 (while being sick) is pretty respectable, I think. Especially seeing as how it was an eight pushup jump in a very short period of time. So I'm nowhere near G.I. Jane craziness, but it is a definite improvement.

And now it is time to pick out a new weekly challenge. I'm not entirely sure what to do this week. The one idea I've been knocking around has been getting up in the morning to run or workout. I tend to put it off until later in the day, but I have always wanted to commit to running in the morning, getting it out of the way, and having many hours in front of me during which I do not have to worry about when I am going to be able to fit a run in.

So here's my idea for this week: wake up around 6:30 or 6:45, eat something (a Luna bar, maybe?), digest, and be out for the run about an hour later.

This will probably be the most trying challenge to date but I guess it is now or never and I am going to have to rise to the occasion (and yeah, I admit that originally there was no pun intended there but then I thought about it and realized that it was punny, and I wrote it anyway. Feel free to groan).

Splurge on shoes!

2008-04-16T17:52:00.002-04:00

Now that the weather is finally beginning to vaguely resemble something Spring-like, I think more and more of us are ready to shuffle off our wintry coils and get outside for some activity. Of course you all know what my favorite outdoor activity is: running (duh)!! One of the greatest things about running is that you don't really need any fancy equipment to do it--all you need to do is throw on some clothes that you don't mind getting sweaty (for a start, anyway. When you get serious about it, you may find you want to invest in some wicking material in order to prevent the dreaded chafing), grab some shoes, and head out the door.

The problem here is that a lot of people end up grabbing the wrong shoes. This seems to happen a lot, and to a certain extent, fitness magazines do little to stop this problem in its tracks. Recently, Fitness magazine ran a piece about the best shoes for different activities, identifying one shoe for walking, one for running, one for cross-training, etc. The problem with this is that there really isn't a single "best" running shoe--everyone's foot is different and everyone needs a different shoe. Going in to some big sporting goods store and just picking out what a magazine told you is the best shoe is one of the least productive things you can do for your wallet and your body.

Running in the wrong shoes can be extremely hard on your body, and seeing as how running is an activity that is inherently hard on the joints, it seems to me that you would want to minimize or mitigate damage as much as possible. Getting the right shoes is essential when it comes to preserving your knees, ankles, and hips! I know it may sound silly, but the difference between the right and the wrong pair of shoes could mean the difference between running happily for the rest of your life and running miserably for a few years (if you make it that long) before injuring yourself to the point where running is out of the question.

Here are my tips when it comes to buying the right shoes:

Take a look at some material online to see what is said about shoes. Runner's World and CoolRunning are probably a good place to start.
There is a lot of information online about how to get an idea about the shape of your foot, how you roll through your foot as you run, and the shape of your arch. Being familiar with all of these things can really help you to identify a good shoe. You should make sure you get an idea of how a high arch is different from a low arch, and what pronation and motion-control shoes mean.
Go to a running store. A lot of (if not all) running stores pride themselves on being able to help their customers find the right shoe. They want you to be running as long as possible. The longer you run, the longer you are their customer. I'm sure they are also interested in your running because they are generally runners too and want everyone to enjoy running (so it is not just a capitalistic interest)! Some stores have treadmills that are hooked up to cameras and monitoring systems, others just rely on the keen eyes of their highly-trained staff. Whatever the set-up, a good running store employee will spend as much time as necessary with you in order to find the shoe that works best for you. The best sign is when they start you off with brands you have never heard of--that is, they don't bring out the Nikes or the Adidas; instead, they start with the Mizunos, Asics, Sauconys, or Brooks.
Don't be afraid to speak up. When you are trying on shoes, remember that you are making an investment in yourself and you want to find the right thing. Take your time to get a feel for the shoe and if it doesn't feel exactly the way you want it to, say something. Try a different pair. Make sure you run in the shoes, and that you don't just walk. Your stride while walking is different from your stride while running and often a shoe will feel different during the two activities. Give the shoes a test run, even if it means going out onto the sidewalk in front of the store. Most of the time, the store employees have no problem with this.
Expect to pay between $75 and $120. Believe me, it is worth it. Plus, if the price is a bit too high for you in the store, you can always take a look and see what's available online (although that isn't really nice to do to someone who just spent an hour with you and helped you go through eight pairs of shoes).

I hope these tips help and keep you running for a long time to come!

New feature from Nike+

2008-04-15T20:46:00.003-04:00

Generally, I love Nike+ or whatever you want to call it. Now, there is one exception--I hate the Nike+ armband f or reasons I have already stated and that I won't bother to go into again. Although, jeez, I really hate that thing. I mean, what a let down. But I digress.

Today, as I was logging my run (or sort of having my run logged for me automatically because that is what awesomeness does), I noticed that Nike+ has a new feature--training plans! You can choose from a walking-to-running plan, a 5k training plan, a 10k training plan, a half-marathon training plan, a marathon training plan, and a customized plan for an event of your choice. Each distance has different levels of intensity, from beginner to advanced, and each level of intensity comes with a pretty detailed description of the sort of person who would benefit from the plan, why you may or may not want to choose it, and what sort of goal you might accomplish if you choose it. Needless to say, I will definitely be trying one of these out for my next marathon. Or half-marathon. Or even 10k, if I decide I want to run it in a specific time or something. I am sort of inordinately excited about this whole thing.

AND I did 7 full push-ups this evening. So that adds to the excitement!

Fitness fixation

2008-04-15T14:37:00.002-04:00

Good news, everybody! I can swallow again without wincing. This also means I can now eat things other than toasted bagels and orange juice. It is so easy to forget how good it feels to be healthy--not that I am entirely healthy. Unfortunately, I haven't made a miraculous recovery, I have just experienced a cold migration. Instead of my throat feeling like someone has it in a vice and is rubbing sandpaper on it, my nose is now runny. Not too pretty, but far preferable to a sore throat any day of the week, if you ask me.

Anyway, on to the subject at hand. I have a silly little dream that one day my blog will be big and awesome and people will send me their products to review and I'll get a lot of free goodies. Realistically, I don't think it will ever happen, but it is a nice little pipe dream to keep near. The thing is, I already know which products I would want to have sent to me for free, because (and this is in the spirit of full disclosure) there are certain things that I fixate on. It's true! I see the infomercials and I get drawn in. Then maybe I see the product in stores, or I go to the website, or something, and...I get even further drawn in! I become completely obsessed with these products, like they are the little miracle pill that will change my life. It's very silly, I know, but I can't help myself.
One of these products is the Bender ball, part of the Bender Method of Core Training or something to that effect. For some reason, I am mesmerized by these ads, and convinced that I, too, will have a flat and toned tummy if I get the Bender ball! I have looked for reviews of the product, and I haven't found much, but I saw an ad the other day that said that you can now get the Bender ball and the instructional DVD for like $9.95. If I had $9.95 to spend on something like that, it would be really tempting. I mean, not only would I be able to use it, I would be able to review it, too! Too bad I can't write it off for educational purposes.

I also have a semi-crush/obsession with the bar method. The method consists of classes, and as far as I know, is mostly only available in California (with a few exceptions). It would be fun to have a job where I could just drop in on classes to try them out. Ah, dreams. And if I did have that job, I would be sure to try out a spinning class. I have always wanted to try one of those because I know I am weak when it comes to cycling, but I am scared to ride my bike in NYC (something about being car-doored=not-so-appealing to me) and really hate riding the stationary bike. I think it would be a fun and hard workout, the perfect way for me to kick my own butt...well, maybe someday!

What about you? What are your fitness fixations?

Food for Thought: Keeping a Diary

2008-04-14T14:40:00.002-04:00

Health, fitness, and weight-loss trends are constantly coming and going as though functioning on a revolving-door sort of platform; however, I have noticed that there has been at least one constant in everything that I have heard over the years about eating right and losing weight, and that is that you should keep a food diary.

Personally, I haven't had much success keeping one, but that's because I'm lazy. I mean, yeah, I'll admit it. I am lazy, and I am also picky about where I write these things down. I like to have a designated place for things like this, and if it means I can buy a cute little notebook, then I am all for it. That's why I was intrigued by this cute food diary. There is space for your meals, snacks, exercises, and notes for any given day. The cover is laminated and with 100 pages, you can keep several months' worth of information in a single book. Plus they are small enough to stash away in your purse for when you are on the go, and inexpensive enough that you can buy a new one when you run out of space.

Yet another push for money

2008-04-14T10:13:00.003-04:00

Good news! I only need $200 more to meet my fundraising minimum. The bad news (which always inevitably follows good news) is that I need the money by Wednesday, and that if I don't have it, it gets taken out of my bank account.

So please, if you know anyone who would be willing to part with like $20-$25, urge them to donate to Team in Training. It is a really good cause, and I don't actually have $200 to fill the gap between what I have and what I owe. Otherwise, I would pay it myself.

Blogging from bed

2008-04-12T19:34:00.002-04:00

When I thought about it yesterday, today's agenda had far more on it than lying in bed feeling miserable, eating the occasional toasted bagel, drinking orange juice and popping tylenol, and watching a few movies. I had thought I would get in a 20-mile run, work on my pushups, maybe lift weights (depending on how the 20 miles went), get my taxes done, and grade and correct backlog of work for my students. That was before I spent most of last night tossing, turning, and wondering why I couldn't really swallow.

It's nothing serious, really, just an irritated throat brought on by what I'm guessing is everyone's favorite annoyance: the common cold. The problem is that of all times, this is probably the worst one during which it could make its appearance. I'm amazed that I managed to stave off illness this long. Sadly, my body has now succumbed at this most crucial of marathon training times.

This just brings me down, really. I had been hoping that I'd be able to get myself back on track (yet again) and run my long run, and sort of reestablish my confidence in my ability to run this marathon, coming up in less than a month. Now I am really doubting myself. I wonder if I shouldn't just throw in the towel. I have been struggling to get through the training for the past four months--it has been completely different from my experience training for the Philadelphia marathon. This time around, I have felt less like a runner than ever before. Mostly, I have felt like an impostor. Of course, lying in bed with little to do except wish I felt better and my body felt a little bit stronger and not so plagued by aches and pains doesn't exactly make things easier. All I can do, really, is sit here and think about things I have done wrong, when what I would really like to do is go out and correct my mistakes.

Here's hoping that tomorrow I feel a little bit better.

Final fundraising push!

2008-04-11T15:27:00.002-04:00

I think many of you have probably already donated, but in the event that you haven't and want to help me get to my fundraising minimum of $2,600 by next Wednesday, April 16th:

www.active.com/donate/tntnyc/tntnycELittle

If you have donated already, please spread this on to co-workers, friends, family, etc. Here are some facts you might want to pass on to them:

-A donation of $25 provides patients and their loved ones with FREE booklets that contain up-to-date information on their disease and help them make informed decisions about their treatment options.

-A donation of $25 could also pay for the cost of 1 patient’s chemotherapy drug prescription co-payment.

-A donation of $50 makes possible a Family Support group with a trained facilitator where comfort can be found and experiences can be shared among patients and family members.

-A donation of $50 could also register 1 person to be a bone marrow donor.

-A donation of $75 could provide HLA (bone marrow) typing for a family member of a patient with leukemia.

-A donation of $100 helps supply laboratory researchers with supplies and materials critical to carrying out their search for cures.

-A donation of $150 provides 10 patients access to a web-conference to learn about their specific blood cancer.

-A donation of $300 will train 25 peer volunteers who can provide emotional support to newly diagnosed patients.

-A donation of $500 could provide patient aid to a person with Leukemia or a related cancer for a year.

-A donation of $1000 makes possible one- on-one conversations with health care specialists who provide patients with information about their disease, treatment options, and helps prepare them with questions for their health care team.

Obviously, a little goes a very long way, and a donation of as little as $10 can make a big difference toward improving someone's life or the quality of care they are getting.

Days of Light

2008-04-11T14:34:00.002-04:00

I was just sitting here at my computer (as I am wont to do) listening to one of my favorite feel-good songs ("You Better You Bet"), sung by one of my all-time favorite singers (Roger Daltrey), and performed by one of my all-time favorite bands (the Who). This got me thinking of another song that I LOVE, sung by the very same Roger Daltrey, though not with the Who. This song is the perfect thing for a Friday afternoon, after you've gotten through your commitments for the week and just want to chill out and relax. Turn it up loud and dance around. I promise I won't laugh if you do.

Enjoy!

WTF: An Open Letter to the Men of Central Park

2008-04-11T10:23:00.002-04:00

Dear Men of Central Park,

Wow, pretty warm weather we've been having the past couple of days, huh? Perfect time to throw on a t-shirt and some shorts and go for a run around New York City's greatest green space. I mean, who doesn't love the Park, especially when the weather is this nice? Anyone who doesn't is clearly crazy, are you with me? Yeah, I thought so. It's great that we agree on so many important points.

There seems to be, however, something upon which we strongly disagree, and I can't keep it to myself any longer. You may already know what I am getting at here--it's the shirt thing. As in, the keeping-the-shirt-on thing. Now, I'm a runner, I know what it is like to be running along and get hot and sweaty and uncomfortable. But really, guys, please keep your shirts on. I mean, there are very few men who should take their shirts off--elite athletes, super-ripped actors, etc. The elite physique thing generally makes it a bit more acceptable. Unfortunately, and I hate to be bursting anyone's bubble here, you guys don't fall into those categories, and seeing your doughy, pale torsos jiggle as you jog along is really, thoroughly unattractive. I mean, it is really just gross. It isn't even that hot outside. If you are already taking your shirt off when it is 75 degrees, what are you going to do when temperatures go up into the eighties? Take off a layer of skin? I don't even want to think about all those exposed organs, not to mention fatty tissue and the occasional muscle. You know, the thing is, there are other men and women out there in the park working just as hard as you are, maybe even harder. They've managed to resist the urge to tear their clothing off, and a lot of them look like they are probably in better shape and may have a better-looking body to show off. This just sort of leads me to think that you're taking your shirts off in order to prove something. Like...that you have fifteen or more pounds to lose? No one needs to know that other than you and your life partner. And possibly your doctor.

Please, guys, I am begging you. Put the shirts on and keep them on. If this is too much for you, exercise somewhere that has air conditioning. Are we clear on this? I hope so.

Thanks!
Emilie

Shape-ups for your shape

2008-04-10T14:57:00.003-04:00

Ah, the dreaded afternoon slump. I feel like I may be in an Emerald nuts commercial. The question is what weird group of half-celebrities is going to harass me when I fall asleep? I find both the Robert Palmer girls and the Swiss Family Robinson commercials especially creepy, so I hope it is neither of them.

Instead of munching on nuts (I lost four pounds last week and I want to keep my progress going!) I thought I would blog for the third time today. What can I say? I am making up for lost time. I am probably also going to make some tea with a bit of honey because my throat is acting a bit wacky. I'll be right back, just going to pop off to put the kettle on.

Okay, I'm back with a cup of steeping tea and some interesting news to share. In this month's issue of Fitness magazine, there is an article about how beneficial following a workout plan that is designed for your body type can be. The article includes exercise plans for three different body types, generic enough that everyone should be able to find themselves in the mix. Here are your options:

Pear-shaped: most of your weight is carried below your waist and you could stand to develop a bit of muscle tone on your top half to balance your ample...er, womanly, hips and thighs.
Apple-shaped: you carry your weight around your mid-section and torso and tend to have thinner legs.
Chile pepper-shaped: you have narrow shape and could benefit from developing muscle tone all over your body. I think this one is the best because if you are chile pepper-shaped, you can wear the "I'm a pepper" shirt that Jeff Goldblum wears in The Life Aquatic. Not the exact same one, of course, although that would be sort of hot.

After quite a bit of soul-searching, I figured I probably fall into the category of pear-shaped, what with all that junk inside my trunk, and all that ass inside my jeans (I'm hoping that at least one person gets that reference). This whole concept has made me curious. On one hand, it could just be a way to get people to exercise, and feel like they are doing a bit more than just a random set of different things. There is, of course, nothing wrong with that. In fact, I'm the sort of person who loves a concept like this and loves falling for it even if I know that it may not necessarily yield different results from those that I would get doing any weight training and aerobic exercise on a regular basis. In brief, I sort of love it and let myself fall for it when people say, "Oh, this particular workout will work well for you..." Yeah, I'm more likely to do it if I think it is slightly personalized. It just makes me feel good about myself for some reason.

So here's what I have decided. For the next 30 days, I am going to take on this "Love your shape" workout plan and see how it goes. The exercises are straightforward and not gimmicky, and require little equipment--just a set of weights and a stability ball. Plus, if it does what it says it should, in a month I will be the most toned pear on the block!

Gear: Headphones

2008-04-10T11:32:00.003-04:00

UPDATE: My Phillips headphones are in a trash can somewhere in Central Park. Before heading out to run, I noticed that they leak sound like there is no tomorrow, which I generally hate in a pair of headphones. I think it is a sign of really, really shoddy craftsmanship. Plus, I personally can't stand being able to hear what other people are listening to when they have headphones in, and I don't want to be one those people who shares their music with the rest of the world. I mean, these things were loud enough that they could have passed for speakers. In the first five minutes of my run, they fell out of my ears about five times. I eventually had to just take them out, and after realizing what crap they are, decided that they are not worth keeping. Angry email to Phillips to follow.

One of my greatest frustrations when I am running is my headphones. I feel like I have had many "wrong" pairs, and I'm still waiting to stumble upon the "right" pair. I've looked at runners' forums, various blogs, and I've tried to find reviews and articles about the elusive right headphone.

When I got my new ipod nano, I was disappointed to find that Apple no longer packages the little black foamy covers for their earbuds with the earbuds themselves. As far as I am concerned, that was the only thing that kept my former pair of falling out of my ears on a regular basis. That pair--that is to say, the earbud with foam cover combo--was decent but the wire ended up breaking. I guess you can only ask so much of a pair of headphones that come packaged with something. From those I switched to a pair of JVC jellies. Those were mediocre, and when I passed my ipod mini on to my sister, I passed the headphones along too, since I now had a shiny new pair of earbuds. Earbuds without foam covers, that is.

As it turns out, it doesn't take much for something to knock those little earbuds right out of my ears. Wind blows them out, if I so much as touch the cord they fall out, hell, they even fall out for mysterious reasons that I cannot attempt to explain. They just won't stay in my ears. So I began a search for some over-ear models. The kind with the hook that goes over your ear and that looks like it couldn't possibly fall out even if it was yanked on. I had tried a Sony pair of these a while ago but found, oddly, that my ears were too small. Upon putting them on my ears, they fell right off. It was like trying to hang a picture in the air, there was just nothing for the hooks to grab on to. They have worked really well, as far as I know, for the friend that I gave them too when I realized they were functionally useless to me.

At Target this past weekend, I thought I had found exactly what I was looking for--white, hook-over-the-ear earbuds that looked small enough for my dainty ears, made by Phillips. I tried them out yesterday, and found them to be only slightly better than the earbuds they replaced. In spite of their hooks (which are actually uncomfortable) they fell out of my ears on a couple of occasions during my 7.5 mile run. While I am running, the last thing I want to deal with is my headphones. I want to put them in, go, and not think about them again until my run is over and I am taking them out. I'm not sure why this is so difficult.

For now I will stick with the Phillips, but only because I paid money for them and am stubborn enough to think that maybe if I find the right way to put them in my ears (which will probably have to be done while the planets are in alignment, and it is a waxing moon, and the third Tuesday of a month with R in it, of course) they will be a blessing instead of the curse they are now.

Weekly Challenge: Drop and give me twenty!

2008-04-10T10:12:00.003-04:00

Alright, so we are past the mid-week point. I was away from my home base until yesterday, so although I would have posted a new weekly challenge at the beginning of the week, I was unable to do so for logistical reasons. For that reason, this current weekly challenge is going to last from today until the end of next week, at which point I'll introduce a new one.

I'd like to start with an update about last week's challenge: giving up Diet Coke. It has been an incredibly difficult journey, but I have been Diet Coke (and all soda, for that matter) free since the beginning of my weekly challenge post about it on 3/31/08. You know, I wish I could say that I feel like it has had palpable health benefits, like a decrease in sluggishness, or...I don't know, something. But it hasn't really had any effect that I can track myself. Of course, that doesn't mean that it hasn't been healthier. I really, really miss it, but I am determined to stay away from it. And coffee is a pretty satisfying alternative.

And now on to the new challenge. I am constantly hearing about push-ups. Fitsugar encouraged readers to take the push-up challenge and even has a poll this morning about whether or not readers do push-ups; the New York Times recently ran a Wellness blog entry about how push-ups are the best measure of fitness levels; it seems like nothing screams ripped bad-ass quite like one-handed push-ups. Or, for that matter, one-handed push-ups with someone sitting on the back of the person doing the push-up. Oof. In the midst of all this hoopla about the miraculous push-up, I have an embarrassing confession to make. I am good for one, maybe two (on a good day), push-ups at a time. If I drop to my knees I can sometimes get through about ten, but that just doesn't have the same value as the true push-up. For a while I was confused because I can hold a plank like it is my job. I can even go through the entire plank, upward dog, downward dog cycle about a trillion times without ever touching the floor for a brief rest. But I can't do more than two stinking push-ups. What gives? It turns out that the strength I need, and that I don't happen to have, for a push-up is in my chest. I have strong arms, strong shoulders, a strong core, and a strong back, but weak pectoral muscles. So for the rest of this week and the week following this one, I am determined to work on this strength and, hopefully, by the time I am done, I will have broken my two push-up record. All I am looking to do is three to five, really. I don't mind starting slow. I just want to start somewhere.

I am interested in hearing about your experiences with push-ups. Do you do them? Do you enjoy them? How many can you do? Any fancy tricks (one-handed, clapping in between, etc.)?

Food for Thought: Snickers Charged

2008-04-01T14:50:00.003-04:00

In our caffeine-obsessed culture, it should come as no surprise that popular candy bar Snickers now comes in a "charged" variety, touting high levels caffeine, taurine, and b-vitamins to keep you going all day long. This may also come as no surprise because I posted about it a while ago, asking for anyone who manages to lay their hands on it to send a review. Well, lucky readers, Mike the ever-intrepid was willing to try out the new candy concoction. Here's what he had to say last night through google chat:

Speaking of which, I did try one of those candy bars
me: how was it?
9:59 PM Mike: It was a little saltier than most Snickers. There was a sort of sharp taste to it, and a little bit of lingering metallic bitterness in the aftertaste. Four bites in, I could hear colors. After the fifth bite, I could see time.
I give it a B- for taste and a solid A for expansion of consciousness.
me: yikes
so it is psychotropic, basically
10:00 PM Mike: Essentially yes.

I'm not sure if this is enticing or repulsive. Ultimately, I guess, it depends on what effect you are going for. At the end of the day, though, Snickers is still a candy bar and, as such, has high amounts of calories, fat, saturated fat, and sugar. I guess this raises an interesting question--which would you prefer as a source of caffeine: Snickers Charged or diet soda?

Weekly Challenge: It's not you, Diet Coke, it's me.

2008-03-31T22:55:00.003-04:00

Rather than take on a bunch of changes all at once, I have decided to experiment with a new method: taking one challenge at a time, and trying it on for a week. I get overwhelmed when I think of all the things I should change about myself--eat fewer refined carbohydrates, cut down on sugar, stop drinking diet soda, eat more protein, eat more fruits and vegetables...the list goes on...and on. Although I know things could be far worse, I do have bad habits that I would like to break. And I've heard it said that it takes twenty-one days to break a bad habit. My goal here, though, is to just take something on for a week, in the hopes that the effort I have made toward improving something (and the supposed benefits that will accompany said effort) will be sufficiently rewarding that I will be encouraged to maintain my healthy habit.

This week's challenge? No more diet soda. This is going to be hard. I love the taste of cold Diet Coke. I love the first sip in the morning, I love the way it fizzes, I even love the way it smells. The problem? Well, at this point, the list of negatives far outweighs the positives. Granted, this may have something to do with the fact that the one real positive is the caffeine boost. But the negative effects of diet soda in general are actually pretty disturbing. Recently, studies have shown an association between diet soda and weight gain, metabolic syndrome, and heart problems, just to name a few of the seemingly endless soda-craving killers. In recent years, I have significantly reduced the amount of Diet Coke I drink, so cutting it out completely will, admittedly, not be as hard as it would be if I were going from a daily dose to nothing at all. For caffeine, I will be drinking tea, and probably coffee as well which, though probably not the best choice, is still far healthier than the dreaded diet soda.

I will post about how the challenge is going at the end of the week. Until then, I will be fighting off the urge to have a Diet Coke IV hooked to my veins.

What will you challenge yourself to do this week?

Blog v2.0: Lets try this again

2008-03-27T16:23:00.002-04:00

Deep breath. Okay. I spent some time thinking about things, about how I've been feeling lately, and about how my immediate reaction to things is to stop blogging and withdraw further into myself. So instead of giving up, I am going to refocus. My initial intention in starting this blog was to make it a sort of health resource. I mean, not in any official capacity, as I am no expert, but in a sort of casual way. I think it is important that I get back to the reason why I decided to start blogging in the first place, and that is what I am going to do. I am going to make more of an effort to focus on fitness and health and use this space as an outlet for things that I want to share--not things that annoy or irritate me, but things that I think can help people, myself included, lead healthier and more fulfilling lives.

I would like to share book reviews (healthy cookbooks, etc.), workout DVD information and reviews, and ideas and tips for maintaining a healthy lifestyle. As I make more of an effort to focus on these things, I would also like to spotlight (not exactly the word I want, but it gets the point across) what I am doing to stay healthy and fit. For example, right now I am trying to lose a few pounds, and--I admit sheepishly--I am still trying to incorporate a weight training routine into my weekly workouts. I don't know, weight training is just so boring to me! But I am going to continue working and be more proactive about sharing my progress (as well as my slip-ups as I am sure there will be a few) here.

Hopefully all of this gives my post-graduate school life a little bit more structure and direction and helps to lift me out of the doldrums. This doesn't mean, though, that I am getting rid of WTFs. And I'm still waiting on reviews of that Snickers bar. I have yet to see one in a store.

2008-03-25T17:21:00.002-04:00

For the past while, I have been going through a depression and lately having to deal with it has made me, more than anything, irritable, listless, and, when I am not irritable, indifferent.

For this reason, I've decided to put my blog on hiatus. I feel like the only things I have written about lately have been things that have annoyed me or angered me in some way, and I don't really want my blog to be something where I just whine and people read about the things that piss me off.

This will be my last post until I am feeling a little bit better, and unfortunately, I can't really put a date on that sort of thing. I've been told that based on the law of averages, I should benefit from some good luck pretty soon, based on the fact that my luck has been crap for a while; however, I don't really believe in that sort of thing, so I guess we will just wait and see.

Thanks, Captain Obvious!

2008-03-17T12:38:00.003-04:00

There's an article in the New York Times about Starbucks' now-mainstream approach to music. The reaction? Complete and utter surprise from some, disappointment from others.

As far as I can tell, if anything about this turn of events--why not call it the mainstreamization of Starbucks?--is surprising, it is the fact that anyone is surprised by it. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy my Grande Soy Chai Latte as much as the next girl, but I am really, really confused by the fact that anyone would have labeled Starbucks as anything other than mainstream.

To be fair, the article deals with the musical selections that Starbucks has been featuring in its stores. At one time, apparently, Starbucks-addicted shoppers went to their local coffee shop to stock up on independent artists, musicians they may not normally hear on the radio or see on VH1 or MTV (not that one ever sees musicians on either of those channels anymore). Careers were made as a result of exposure gained through Starbucks. Now, sadly, coffee consumers enter their cherished Starbucks and find only Jack Johnson, John Legend, Paul McCartney. In short, artists whose careers have already been made and who do not need further exposure. What happened to the Madeleine Peyrouxs of the world? Are we responsible latte drinkers supposed to just step aside and forget our responsibility to buy overly-expensive caffeinated beverages and then soothe our consciences by buying the album of some struggling musician?

What exactly is going on here? Why would this be a source of shock, horror, dismay? Starbucks has to be one of the most mainstream corporations on American (and, at this point, global) soil. If the corporation was able to bolster careers, it was because of its mainstream status. A small (maybe with a few franchises, maybe with only a single location) coffee house, a thoroughly un-mainstream coffee house, would never be able to launch a career. And now that Starbucks is being a little bit more true to itself, people feel deceived. It. Makes. No. Sense.

I think that people may need to move beyond the feeling that going into a Starbucks is somehow hip and trendy, a demonstration of the fact that they are hooked into what is edgy and up-and-coming. What should be understood is that Starbucks is not some socially-conscious and socially-responsible corporation, it is just a corporation that wants (and needs) to make money. That is what capitalism is based on. If it is so important to you that you hear new musicians, exciting artists, avant-garde music, maybe you should find an independent radio station or something. Don't just take the easy, lazy route and then complain when it backfires on you.

WTF candy style

2008-03-12T17:47:00.001-04:00

Fresh from the hair salon and sporting a wonderful sixties sex-kitting 'do that will undoubtedly lose its unbridled appeal as soon as I try to style it myself, I bring you the latest WTF.

I encourage you all to sample this and submit your feedback.

So...sleepy...

2008-03-11T22:38:00.002-04:00

As I write this entry, my head is gently nodding as my eyelids grow heavier and heavier. Once I get into bed, however, I won't be able to sleep. This tends to be how it goes.

Important news items:

I managed to finally kick my butt back into gear and get running consistently again. Last week's mileage total was 38.7 and included a 15k race on Sunday that made up part of my 15.3-mile long run.
In spite of my renewed dedication to running, I missed a day of weight training last week. I hope Rebecca won't kill me. This week I am planning on lifting tomorrow and Friday.
Tonight was the second test (remember the first one? if I had the energy, I would post a link to my entry about the first test. Maybe I will do it later in an update). At any rate, at the time of the first test, I promised to post the results. Les voici:

Mile 1: 7'15 (strong desire to vomit)
Mile 2: 7'25 (strong desire to vomit, legs like jelly)
Mile 3: 8'04 (strong desire to vomit, legs like jelly, uphill)

This time around, the test involved running the loop we had previously done backwards and then running the third mile up a hill. My times were not as consistent, but I guess at least now I have an idea of how I've improved. I also know that I can run close to a seven-minute mile, which is not too shabby. I can't help but think, though, that had I been better about my training, my times would have reflected that. Oh well, I guess improvement is improvement.

In other, less uplifting news, I have now been rejected for two teaching jobs. I used to think that it was worse to not be contacted by an employer. Now I am not so sure, and I wish they wouldn't send such mean emails. They start off making you think that you are going to be asked for an interview, only to dash your hopes on the rocks in the following sentence. I think it is deliberate and it makes me want to hit someone. Or cry.

I have also been thinking about writing a book, because I think I could write a pretty good one. The only problem is that I can't think of anything to write about.

WTF round-up

2008-03-06T10:36:00.003-05:00

Lately I have been finding myself running into a lot of smallish WTF moments. No real 'experiences' that I could write out in witty detail, just a number of little pet peeve-esque, button-pushing episodes that I would like to share with you now.

Not taking the hair that accumulates in the drain of the bathtub while you're taking a shower out of the drain when you are finished showering. As an extension of that, letting the hair just build up over a period of days, possibly figuring that someone else will clear the hair for you (?!)
Peeing with the door open in someone else's apartment. Next to someone's bedroom. Next to a long hallway that causes every teeny tiny sound to reverberate and amplify itself. Of course, those last two conditions don't have to be met in order for peeing with the door open in someone else's home to qualify as a WTF moment. That is just a given.
Trying to find a bridesmaid's dress for the wedding of one of your best friends. The dress has to meet the following criteria: brown in color, affordability, likelihood that it is something I would wear again (the more expensive, the more likely it has to be). This is, for some reason that is completely unknown to me, much more difficult than it should be.
The girl in yoga who plopped herself down next to me, practically on top of me, and then proceeded to make exasperated noises while in every pose, toss her props (blankets, blocks) away from her mat and pretty much on to mine, and do her hair instead of poses on multiple occasions. I know yoga is a time to pay more attention to what you are doing with your body than anything else, but I don't think that a part of that is making sure that you disrupt everyone else's practice by being loud, obnoxious, and intrusive.
Walking, going down stairs or an escalator, or running and coming to a sudden halt for no apparent reason, causing the people around you to end up in a multiple-person pile-up. This is especially bothersome when people stop at the top or bottom of a stairway/escalator, or fail to move out of a doorway.
On a related note, not using the other door when people are coming in or out of one door in a double-door entryway. There is nothing that bothers me more than having to wait in front of a closed door that the person standing in front of you won't open and is, instead, blocking, because he or she is waiting for people to stop coming in the other door. USE BOTH DOORS, PEOPLE FOR CHRIST'S SAKE.
This is not a WTF-inducing moment but it is something I like nonetheless and is WTF-related. A good read, especially if you have spent time in France.

Team in Training

2008-03-05T10:52:00.002-05:00

As some of you may know, lately I have been having a hard time keeping up with my training schedule and I have been nervous about my upcoming marathon. When I was training to run in the Philadelphia marathon, I kept thinking to myself, 'If I miss a single run, I won't be able to do the 26.2 miles!' I was so superstitious about it that I think I may have sort of put myself in a bad position for this next marathon. I have missed about three long runs so far and because I am so superstitious about things like this, I had sort of told myself that I should just give up or try to find another event.

Last night was our Hill Graduation Day at our Group Training Session. For the past six weeks, we have been working on running hills--how to work the hills to your advantage, how to crest hills, how to run down hills without killing your knees, what kind of form to use when running up, all the while working on getting stronger in all those essential hill-running muscles. It has been exhausting but rewarding and I feel like I am now intimately acquainted with every single hill that Central Park has to offer. I had run them all before, but running them several times in one session was a different experience altogether. Prior to the beginning of our practice, one of my friends from the Team got up to share something with all of us. She has known a significant number of people affected by blood cancers, and runs in honor of two who are survivors and who are very close to her. Unfortunately, not everyone that she knows who has been affected by cancer is as fortunate as those that she runs in honor of, and last night she told us that she learned yesterday that she may now be running in memory of two people who are very close to her. Her father recently died of pancreatic cancer, and now a family friend who was extremely supportive during this difficult time has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Although pancreatic cancer is very different from the blood cancers that we are raising money for, I think it is really important to stress that we are all still doing something that is impacting a lot of people in a really positive way. My heart goes out to my friend, but I am happy that she can be a part of Team in Training and honor the memory of people that she has lost or is losing in a way that helps so many people and possibly brings us all a step closer to less suffering and fewer losses.

My friend's story reminded me of something really important: this marathon is not about me or running a personal record, or even running every single step, it is about helping and honoring people who have fought a battle that is more daunting and difficult than any marathon could ever be. It is also about helping families of those dealing with blood cancers, and working toward a cure so that, in time, fewer people will have to cope with the pain that accompanies losing someone dear to them. Knowing this gives me the strength that I need to keep going, and I am confident now that I will be able to run this marathon; however, if I have to walk every single mile, it is still not only worth it, but only a small portion of what I hope to continue to do to help people.

So far, so good

2008-03-04T10:58:00.002-05:00

Yesterday was Day 2 of my new weight-training commitment (I mean, Day 2 if you only count the days on which I am weight training, which so far has been Friday and Monday). I am proud to report that so far, I have been faithful to my schedule. I think this has more to do with the fact that I don't want to let someone else down than it does with my own personal commitment, but I guess you do whatever it takes, right?

On Friday I did a series of exercises that I adapted from a workout I found online at www.shape.com. Boy, was I in pain the next day. And the day after that. I mean, it may not have helped that I did the exercises and then did 90 minutes of yoga on the same day, but wow, I hadn't realized how thoroughly weak a lot of my muscles were. I mean, I had trouble sitting down from all of the one-legged squats and lunges I did. Ouch. It hurt.

Over the weekend I received a workout DVD I ordered through Netflix: Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Short Bottoms with Minna Lessig. In spite of its somewhat cheesy title, the DVD was pretty good. It is fun, keeps you from getting bored, and I felt like I was getting a good workout while doing it. My muscles are also sore (though not to the point where I can't move, like over the weekend) today, which is a good sign. My triceps and bum are especially feeling it. The DVD is divided into multiple sections: 1) warm-up; 2) tank top arms; 3) bikini belly; 4) boy short bottoms; 5) total body workout; 6) cool-down. You can do as much or as little as you want--I did the first four sections (which was about 45 minutes overall) before heading to my 75-minute yoga class and felt like I had worked my entire body pretty thoroughly. Now, I doubt it will be all that entertaining for men (unless you focus more on how pretty Minna Lessig is) but it is a great option for people who are trying to jump-start a workout routine.

It's a small world after all

2008-03-01T07:43:00.004-05:00

I got up early this morning to go for my long run only to realize that I am so hungry (at least I hope that it is hunger) that I sort of feel like throwing up and that this sort of empty stomach does not a good long run make. It is also about 103 degrees in my bedroom; I have opened the window so it may now be about 101, but regardless of the exact temperature, I can said with assurance that it is really, really, uncomfortably warm in here. As a result, I just feel plain old sick, woozy, nauseous, whatever you want to call it. I have put my long run off until later. In the meantime, though, I'm awake (because honestly, you can't sleep when you feel this gross and my upstairs neighbor seems to be jumping rope with a heard of elephants right above my room so I really wouldn't be able to sleep if I tried), so I thought I would do what every normal human being would do when awake at 7:45 a.m. on a Saturday--play a jigsaw puzzle online.

So here's the scenario: I open the website that I go to for a daily jigsaw puzzle. Most (and by that I mean all, after a certain date) of them are credited to some mysterious camera-toting woman name Leanne, who seems to take pretty mundane but sometimes very pretty pictures that work well for jigsaw puzzle fun. This morning, I was pretty shocked to see who had taken the picture...

I know the picture is small, but it is the best I can do. The picture, entitled "Swan", was taken by my paternal grandfather, Bates Littlehales. Cah-razy.

Anyway, time to do my jigsaw puzzle. And hopefully feel a little bit better.

My weight training declaration

2008-02-28T23:20:00.003-05:00

The other day, I made a deal with my sister that I would do at least two days a week of weight training. We agreed to treat this as sort of a contract, one sister's guarantee to the other that she would make the effort to lift weights at least twice (I think we are both ideally aiming for three times) a week. In order to take my commitment one step further, I wanted to declare here that I am officially beginning my weight training plan tomorrow, and that I will be designating Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays my weight training days. My goal will be to do some training on all three of those days, although I will be satisfied if I can manage two out of three. I consider my fitness level to be pretty good, but I also kind of feel like I am only as strong as my weakest link. In other words, I want to get to a point where I feel like my fitness level is more balanced--I may be able to do handstands, but I am embarrassed to admit that I can't do any push-ups.

I have chosen a total body strengthening plan from www.shape.com that will, hopefully, serve as a sort of introduction to weight training. It's not that I don't know how, it's just that I never do and, as a result, need to start slow. Eventually I'll be hitting the gym hard-core, super-setting and doing pyramid sets and drinking protein shakes...or not. But hopefully I will come away from all of this with a stronger commitment to strengthening my body, some well-defined muscles, and stronger and faster legs that can shred those hills and get me through many a marathon!

Additionally, in an effort to truly motivate myself, I want to conduct a sort of experiment, so tomorrow, I will begin tracking my efforts and improvements by publishing my measurements and pictures for all the world to see. Who knows, maybe I can inspire someone to do the same? Weight training is extremely important, and it would be great to help someone realize what sort of benefits it can have.

And on that note, à demain and stay tuned :)

Pancake/sausage on a stick showdown!

2008-02-28T20:05:00.003-05:00

Which is worse-- sausage wrapped in blueberry pancake on a stick, or this:

Vote now!

WTF for a rainy day

2008-02-26T16:52:00.002-05:00

This WTF is a bit different from the norm, and wasn't sent to me as a WTF as such, but I had to share it anyway.

This image was sent by Sean, who writes:

"WTF!!!!

Do you find this as gross as I do?"

I do, indeed. I hope to never be served one of those, and not just because I don't eat meat.

Beware: Funny is NSFW

2008-02-25T12:13:00.003-05:00

This is hilarious. Watch for not one but two cameo appearances by my friend Huey Lewis around minutes four and five.

And the one that started it all, less funny because I can't stand Sarah Silverman, but a good laugh nonetheless. And Matt Damon. Who can say no to that.

100 miles stronger!

2008-02-19T20:45:00.001-05:00

According to Nike, I am officially 100 miles stronger today than I was when I first started logging my runs with them! They have even given me a nifty certificate and told me to brag to my friends. I do what Nike says, so here you go:

http://nikeplus.nike.com/nikeplus/v1/html/milestones/print_certif.html?id=1554358248&region=us&language=en&locale=en_us&dateFormat=MM/DD/YY

Yay!

WTF: Valentine's Day Edition

2008-02-14T09:43:00.002-05:00

I thought it would be fitting to post today about relationships of different sorts. Coincidentally, my perspective on the relationships I want to focus on here falls into the WTF category, which I guess is sort of convenient.

Here is the first thing I want to share:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/13/dining/13incompatible.html?ex=1360645200&en=0e02032918596e88&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink

I can't say that I personally feel that my relationship was strained due to my vegetarianism, but then again, I might not be the right person to ask.

The second thing I want to share is that a certain love-hate relationship that I have been involved in has been giving me welts. Who is this abusive lover? you ask. None other than my Nike+ ipod armband. For some crazy reason I thought, when buying it, that an armband designed by a sportswear company who had also designed it to be used specifically would be a quality product. I was attracted to the fact that it had been designed with the runner in mind, that it was sleek and lightweight, and that it even had a reflective pattern on it. I wear it frequently, since I run frequently and like to get information on my runs through the nike+ sport kit even when I am not listening to my ipod. I like the information into the Nike+ website. I love the little chip and its little receiver and the fact that I can get such accurate details about my runs. What I don't love, it turns out, is this armband, which I hugely regret buying. The reflective pattern doesn't actually reflect, but that is the least of my concerns. What bothers me more is the fact that every time I run with my ipod in the armband, the area that holds my ipod gets covered in condensation. It's pretty disconcerting to look down at your beloved ipod midway through your run only to find that it is chilling in a sauna. It is also upsetting to remove the ipod from the armband after the run and find that it is covered in moisture, and I mean really covered. So, if my ipod shorts out because I have been using a product sold at Apple's stores and designed to be worn while I run, will Apple or Nike replace it for me free of charge? I'm sort of guessing that the answer to that one is no. The armband thus boasts a major design flaw: it is made of a synthetic material blend--theoretically great for moisture-wicking; however, it is pressed up against the user's arm for the duration of a workout, which means there is nowhere for the moisture to wick to. Without ventilation, moisture isn't going anywhere but to the beautiful reflective metal backing of my precious baby ipod. Why not just reinforce the backing of the armband with something that would act as a waterproof shield between the body and the ipod? Oh, well, because that would mean that you are getting what you paid for and you are a satisfied consumer, and Nike clearly wants you to feel ripped off and cheated.

Perhaps the most personally painful part of this whole ordeal is that when I run at the gym, and I don't have my armband on over several layers of long-sleeved apparel, the strap repeatedly rubs my upper arm as well as the area below my armpit on my torso and actually gives me welts. The elastic closure straps of the armband may be sleek and lightweight, but their edges are stiff and just cut into the skin repeatedly, creating significant pain that I don't think a thick layer of Body Glide could soothe or prevent. At this moment in time, I have a semi-permanent (it has been there for weeks and doesn't seem to be going anywhere) mark from one of these welts, as well as two new ones that I got from trying to adjust the armband in the hopes that if it sat a bit higher or a bit lower then the chafing would be eliminated. No such luck. Armband: 3; Emilie: 0.

And thus ends my tale of woe. I feel stuck in this abusive relationship because I don't really have another $20-$30 to spend on a new armband that will do what it should without ripping me to shreds. This whole thing has made me realize that Nike doesn't care about me, they care about making a sale. I was naive to think otherwise. And now I just have a bitter taste in my mouth: the bitter taste of capitalism.

Happy Valentine's Day!

V-Day

2008-02-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

I just felt the urgent need to state how much I loathe Valentine's Day. I always find myself extraordinarily down during the week of Valentine's Day, and being constantly and relentlessly bombarded with adds for gifts, and ways to make your sweetie's day extra special, doesn't help at all.

Can I crawl under a rock somewhere and just wait for the week to go by without me? I am sort of over the feeling of being alone while the advertising world around me makes me feel like everyone except me is in a happy, loving, fulfilling relationship. So if you know of any rocks that are currently uninhabited and are large enough to cover me, please let me know.

Thanks in advance.

What a weekend!

2008-02-12T10:15:00.000-05:00

Well, I don't know about you, but I had quite the weekend. Actually, I sort of didn't, but I will pretend I did anyway. I had a good friend come visit which was really nice because I have been a bit lonely lately. It was great to spend some time with someone who is close to me, and it was also nice to have someone around to take pictures of my latest accomplishment in yoga: the headstand/handstand. I have been working on getting into a handstand for a while, and I have finally gotten to a point where I can do it. Makes me wonder how I was ever able to when I was a child because man! it is hard!! Here is the photographic evidence of my progress:

Now that I think about it, I am not entirely sure I was able to do this as a child. At any rate, I'll admit that I am supported by the wall behind me, and in order to get into the position, I have walked my legs up another wall, but I think you will find that this is perfectly valid preparation for the full pose (which I am determined to get into eventually). So ignore my bare tummy and be happy for me!

This yogic triumph was followed by a second accomplishment on Sunday morning, when I ran the Bronx half-marathon in under two hours! For reference, it used to take my two hours (rarely less) to run 12 miles, so I am pretty excited to have run 13.1 miles in 1:58:28. Getting to the Bronx was an obnoxious, frustrating experience, and I almost didn't make it in time to start the race. Thanks, MTA, for your massively informative signage at the 110th St. A and B train stop, and for your efficiently-running trains. Generally I am a big supporter of you guys but you are pretty much on my shit list from now on because you really, really suck. I kind of wonder if you would be able to get away with such unreliable and shoddy service if you were serving an area other than upper Manhattan and the Bronx. I highly doubt that a population with more economic and social clout would have to put up with the same bull-shit. But I digress, and more importantly, I should thank Mike, who kept his calm and was reassuring and tolerant in the face my near-breakdown, and who never lost faith in the fact that we would, in fact, make it the race, and that we would do so on time. He then waited in the cold for two hours while I ran, and was supportive the entire time (although I cannot say for sure whether he was secretly cursing me in his mind. I am not too good at mind reading). So, Mike, thank you for being there for me, and for putting up with me in spite of how difficult I made it.

WTF Wednesday!

2008-02-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Another day, another WTF. I like this feature! Today's WTF comes from Mama Sue, former member of the Mamas and the Papas and also featured prominently as a dancer in Grease and a crowd scene in Hair. She's pretty famous. Here's what she has to share:

I love to work out. Not only does it make you more physically fit, it is also a great time to think things through, sort out your day (whether you work out first thing in the a.m. or last thing in the p.m.), plan what you want to say to so-and-so about such-and-such, etc. And when your iPod loses its charge like mine does (I have one of those little mini ones that's the size of a stick of gum), then you are really stuck and really have to go through a ton of stuff in your head. Today was one of those mornings and I started thinking about something that happened in the cardio room last week. Now it's winter so it's cold outside. But today is one of those funky weather mornings that we get here in the Washington, DC, area - it was 56 degrees at 5:00 a.m. The forecast is calling for a 70-degree day today with severe thunderstorms later. But this day last week was more normal - it was below freezing at 5:00 a.m. Bitterly, brutally cold (or as I frequently say, "cold as a b----!"). Often I stay in bed on really cold mornings or if there is any ice coming down out of the sky. Well, I had been working out for a while and was coming to the end of my workout so had worked up a pretty good sweat. All of a sudden I became aware of a cold blast of air permeating the room. Looking over in the direction of the cold air, I saw that the side door had been propped open, not a little crack but a rather big opening. Next to this open door was a woman I recognized as someone who works out there sporadically over the years. She will come to work out for a few weeks, then stop and not come again for a year. She's been doing this for years. Maybe she works out somewhere else during the time she's not at my Y. Plus, she's probably about my age but maybe a few years younger - so I'm guessing she's about 50-52 years of age. I thought to myself, "WTF, I don't remember her making an announcement about opening the door, like 'anyone object if I open the door?'" Then I noticed that the handful of men that had been in that room had made a bee-line for the exit. Not enough adipose tissue, I guess. All the women kept working away, and her neighbor even chatted happily with her in that freezing blast of air! What d'ya think? Maybe she needs to try soy milk - it really worked for me!! (Hot flashes, ya know?)

Unfortunately, it seems pretty common that people behave as though no one else exists when they are at the gym. Between grunting, moaning, letting a weight stack crash, wearing strong perfume, or no deodorant (the list could go on and on), the gym really does seem like a place where people put their egos on display. In fact, this behavior is not limited to the gym! I witness all sorts of wild behavior when I am running in Central Park. The one thing I have noticed most recently is spitting and burping. I understand that as you run, your saliva tends to accumulate (gross but true) and your insides get sort of shaken around. This is inevitably going to result in a need to spit or expel some of the air that seems to be building up inside. But please, don't spit directly into the path of someone behind you or coming toward you. And for the love of all things good, please STOP BURPING as though there is no one around to hear you and you're alone in your living room at home drinking beer and seeing how loud you can burp or fart just for the hell of it. It is extremely disgusting.

Lack of common courtesy comes in all forms, but as Mama Sue points out, one of the most frustrating times to have to deal with it is while working out. This should be a time to relax, clear your mind, think about your day, etc. and not a time to have to tolerate other people's annoying or disgusting habits!

WTF: Monday edition

2008-02-04T09:42:00.000-05:00

This morning's WTF moment comes to us from R. Kelly. That's right, R. Kelly! No, not the child-molesting, talentless, trapped in the closet R. Kelly, I would never post any trash of his here. This R. Kelly is far more talented, respectable, attractive, intelligent, and inspiring, not to mention a great mother and all-around great person. Here's what she has to share with us:

First: yesterday and today I have had a hate-on for stupid people in cars. (Well, actually, the hate-on goes much farther back than the past two days, but I had the same basic experience both days so it’s worse now.) Yesterday I went out grocery shopping, realizing much too late that it was Superbowl Sunday and thus the grocery store was mobbed. I went straight for the farthest area of the parking lot and it was stop-and-go the whole way, and when I finally reached an aisle I thought might give me some luck, someone was pulling out of a space and I couldn’t turn into the aisle without hitting them. So, naturally, I had to stop. One would think that, because EVERYONE had been stopping all along the way, this would be no big deal but apparently when *I* stop I’m committing some huge felony because the guy behind me decided to honk and wave indignantly at me for not turning down the aisle and, you know, demolishing my car by smashing it into the guy pulling out. Yep.

So no big deal though… I’m a kind-hearted soul and I put the whole thing behind me. Truly, I did. Until this morning, when I was driving to work, and trying to merge from a right-turn feeder lane into the main traffic. There was a guy in front of me doing the same, and a woman behind me also doing same. Somehow you could tell the woman behind me was impatient – it was like her *car* looked impatient somehow. So traffic is not slowing, and I’m feeling very sorry for the guy in front of me, who is inching along and running out of space. I had the distinct feeling the woman behind me was going to merge and cut us both off as soon as space was available, so I pulled out as soon as I could too, and then slowed to let the guy in front of me in. Cue the rampant honking and, yes, indignant hand-waving from Bitchy McDriver behind me. And you know, this one was my fault. I totally forgot that it was much, much more important that SHE get to go to work without having to slow down at all, or else she’ll, you know, DIE. I could have been responsible for her death, and all because I had to stop and do a good deed and let a guy into traffic. What the hell is my problem, anyway. I’m some kind of sicko.

The more time I spend *not* driving in New York, the less I miss it. And this is a perfect example of why I don't miss it. There is something about putting people in their own little metal, glass, and rubber bubbles that turns them into raving lunatics whereas outside of their bubbles, they may be perfectly nice, normal people. Thanks for sharing your moment, R. Kelly. I think we can all relate to this one!

Knitting for charity

2008-02-03T21:13:00.000-05:00

In the hopes of pulling in a few extra dollars here and there for Team in Training, I have decided to start making little cozies, sachets, and various quick projects with my talent (?) for knitting. Here is the first product up for sale, my very first cell-phone cozy made of a variegated pink wool yarn.

Please forgive my freakish looking thumbs. The cozy is not 100% complete yet, I still have to attach a velcro closure (so that I don't have to hold it closed) and a decorative button on the front flap.

Any takers?

WTF

2008-02-02T18:31:00.000-05:00

In the spirit of blowing off steam (it is a leitmotif today), I thought I would add a new feature to my blog called 'WTF'. I will take submissions from others and will also share my own WTF moments in an effort to give people an outlet where they can express frustration with something that has happened, something that warrants a WTF?! because it is so stupid, inexplicable, anger-provoking, or just plain bizarre. After expressing this frustration, you can let it go and move on with your day.

I'll start.

I just went for a 15-mile run through Central Park wearing my new fuel belt (purchased because my camelbak and I have officially broken up. The magic just wasn't there anymore) and was running along 110th toward Amsterdam. I passed two guys, one of whom took it upon himself to point out to me as I ran by that I was wearing a belt with flasks of water attached to it. "You got something on your back, girl. Looks like a damn utility belt," he said. He then cracked up. Because nothing is more hilarious than pointing out the obvious. And boy, the awesome powers of observation in this one. He is one keen observer if ever there was one. If I'd had a cookie, I would have given him one, just because he really deserved an award for that remarkable statement and use of deductive skills. I mean, just awe-inspiring, really. Seriously, though, and by that I mean all rampant sarcasm aside, I'm running 15 miles. I need somewhere to put water. And last time I checked, I wasn't going out running in order to impress anyone. So what the f*ck is the deal with this jackass actually taking time out of the conversation he was having with his friend to make some comment that is deliberately intended to make me feel bad about myself?! I mean, it didn't work, I don't feel bad about myself and if anything I just feel like he made it obvious that he is an asshole, but really.

ARGH.

See, though? Now I feel better, and I can let this go. To share your own experience, email me with your story.

Blowing off steam

2008-02-02T11:55:00.000-05:00

Here's a confession: I feel like I am having a much harder time training for marathon #2 than I was training for marathon #1. I sort of expected the situation to be the reverse. It makes more sense to me that the first marathon, for which I trained alone, would be harder than the second, for which I am training with a team.

I find myself frustrated on a number of levels: for one thing, I feel like the team is not the social outlet I was hoping it would be. I kind of feel like I missed some bonding activity that everyone else participated in, and as a result I feel a little socially intimidated whenever I participate in group runs, or any sort of team-related event such as a race, for instance. For another thing, I have been having a really hard time feeling good about the running I am doing. Lately I have been really over-tired, and feeling really run-down. I have fifteen miles to run today and absolutely no enthusiasm for it. This isn't helped by the fact that I have come to loathe my camelbak. Putting it on feels like attaching a tumor to my body, and running with it is just plain uncomfortable. I feel like an idiot wearing it, and as minor and silly as that may sound, I don't really want to go out running looking like an idiot.

I don't know what's going on, I have just been feeling so off and drained lately. Today, to be honest, I just don't feel like going out with a tumor on my lower back, an ipod cord bouncing around and headphones constantly falling out of my ears, and an armband that makes me work twice as hard to even get any information into or out of said ipod.

Does anyone else ever get to feeling this way about something they love? If so, what do you do about it?

2008-02-01T11:38:00.000-05:00

One often hears the old adage (actually I don't know that it qualifies as an adage, but I will use the word anyway) that states that men and women cannot be friends without sex getting in the way. Whether you agree with this statement or not is beside the point here; my guess is that you have most likely heard it. What about women being friends with women, though? Is that possible? With our two most noted (and most historically different) democratic presidential candidates getting fervent daily attention, I have found myself wondering more and more frequently whether or not Clinton will get any support from her fellow females. Will she be a rallying point for women everywhere who are undoubtedly keen to support someone of their gender, or will she instead suffer as a result of this shared trait?

That is not to say that just because a woman is a woman that she should vote for Hilary Clinton. My question here is really whether a woman who would vote for a male candidate with views and opinions absolutely, 100% identical to Clinton's would vote for Hilary Clinton, or whether this same voter would be deterred on the basis of Clinton's gender.

So far, it seems like the primaries are unable to answer this question. In certain states, the majority of the female vote has gone to Clinton while in others, it hasn't. There doesn't seem to be any clear pattern of support or rejection. And yet on a daily basis on my college campus, I see posters for rallies where women are to "raise [their] voice for Obama". Fliers encouraging young women to do the same for Clinton are conspicuously absent.

Growing up I always noticed that women are capable of creating strong bonds with each other, but they are also just as capable of severing those bonds in nasty, vicious ways. I strongly value the stable friendships that I am fortunate to have with other women, but I have also had my fair share of catty rejection and seemingly inexplicable refusal. To a certain degree, it seems that women cannot support each other--perhaps something gets in the way? I do not know what the explanation is for the bizarre relationships that tend to develop between women. Are they inevitably affected by jealousy, envy, a secret desire that your close friend will, at some point, falter or fail? At that point, we women willingly take up the role of support, cheerleader, whatever it is our friend needs; however, we do not all respond the same way to a friend's success. I want to stress again that this is not true of all women; perhaps this is what makes it more surprising that this tendency would exist at all.

So I continue to wonder: will Clinton end up being the ugly duckling because there is something at stake if she succeeds? Will a possible female inclination toward jealousy directed at other women who are perceived to be more successful prevent my sex from voting for the candidate they really support? I guess time will tell.

I am the unemployable

2008-01-31T11:23:00.000-05:00

With my enthusiasm for graduate study rapidly dwindling, and my enthusiasm for the poverty associated with graduate study non-existent, I have been very actively searching for a part-time job to supplement my income and expose me to life outside of the Ivory Tower (of doom and gloom).

Results of search: I am, apparently, not a viable job candidate. This is troubling.

I have applied for jobs as a research assistant to an author working on a historical novel based in pre-revolutionary France, several jobs working at the various front desks of yoga studios in Manhattan, and retail positions, among other things.

Number of responses: 0. It is worth noting that this could easily describe any or all of my job searches to date, with the exception of things for which I have been directly recommended by friends (who also happen to be current employees of the place to which I am applying).

My new plan is to pack up my yogurt maker, yoga mat, and running shoes and find some isolated homestead somewhere (a northern mid-western state comes to mind) and think bitter, vindictive thoughts in the direction of all the employers who threw out my resume.

Update:
Number of responses: 1; I have a phone interview sometime in my very near future! Plans to find isolated homestead put on hold until further notice.

Phallusies

2008-01-26T16:04:00.000-05:00

Okay, now, if you've ever looked at the island of Manhattan on a map, you may have noticed that it vaguely resembles a penis. This resemblance is sort of determined in part by the way in which the map you are looking at is laid out. For instance, when Manhattan is nestled comfortably among the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens, it is somewhat less noticeable that is has a phallic quality to it. However, when its shape stands alone, gracing the front of the Continental Airlines Grand Prix Manhattan Half-Marathon (or some combination of all of those words) race shirt, you really have to wonder who decided to use this design. I mean, really.

I don't think I will be wearing this one outside of the comfort of my own home. The design is also off-centered. The whole thing strikes me as ill-advised; what is your take? Am I imagining things?

And the results are in, part 2

2008-01-24T18:40:00.001-05:00

Sigh.

This means that my top two matches (according to that oh-so-accurate quiz whose word I trust and am surely lost without) are now no longer presidential candidates. If I am to follow the quiz, this means I vote for Obama by default.

Personally, I would rather vote for Clinton. And can we please start calling her Clinton and not Hilary? It really gets under my skin when women are addressed differently from their male counterparts. We either call them all by their first names, or none of them by their first names. No mixing and matching. Why? Because I said so, obviously.

In the name of God?

2008-01-23T15:55:00.000-05:00

Honestly?

And I'm sure you think God wants you to picket this poor, dead man's funeral because there is no better way of expressing your own ignorance and intolerance than by disrupting an event that honors someone's life. Moreover, the act leaves an extremely bad taste (to say the least) in the mouths of everyone who is there to mourn, remember, and say goodbye to that person so the likelihood of anyone appreciating your action is even less than slim to none. Therefore, the point is...what, exactly? To show everyone how hateful you are?

I think your point has already been made. So maybe just let the guy rest in peace.

What ever happened to just being healthy?

2008-01-22T11:47:00.000-05:00

This morning I read this article in the New York Times, which addresses a somewhat ongoing conflict between thin and fat. American culture seems to have myriad obsessions, but I think that when you get to the bottom of them, they are all based on the fact that we live in a culture of extremes. This focus on thin and fat is just an extension of this. Supposedly, we work hard to play hard, we have extreme wealth and extreme poverty in the same cities (sometimes within block of each other), we need huge cars, lots of gasoline, lots of luxury, lots of food...everything has to be taken to the extreme.

That is what bothers me about this NYT article. I support the idea of fat-acceptance blogging. I think it is important that no one feel ashamed of, disgusted, or embarrassed by their body. At the same time, I sort of bristle at the idea of fat-acceptance blogging, because I don't really see the point in playing into the binary system. This, to me, doesn't seem like an effective way to combat the rail-thin images of both women and men that we see on a daily basis, whether it is on billboards or other advertisements on the street, in magazines, or on television and in movies.

I think it is important to stress one thing. Thin is not equivalent to healthy, and neither is fat. These are both descriptions of body types that have come to be associated with different meanings. To the average American, thin is, among other things, successful, in control, rich, beautiful, intelligent, a compliment. No one ever gets upset at being told they are thin. Some people even appreciate hearing that they are "too thin". This must, inevitably, mean that they are doing something right. In contrast, fat is out of control, slow, ignorant, slovenly, lazy, and insult. No one wants to be told they are fat. Neither one of these words is an objective description, it is always a loaded term, no matter who it is coming from and what their intention is. More importantly, neither one is an accurate descriptor or indicator of health.

One of the bloggers featured in the NYT article that I mentioned about has an "I-love-my-body" pledge that you can download on her website (it is a .pdf file so that you can take the pledge, print out the paper, and post it somewhere conspicuous so that it will remind you of your determination to accept yourself the way you are). This is great, but I don't think it should be advertised as being only for those who are fat or fat-accepting, which is the way it is presented in the article. I think everyone, fat, thin, or in between, should be encouraged to take a pledge like this one. I also think that in addition to working toward accepting and loving our bodies, no matter what they look or feel like, we should all be pledging to take active steps toward being healthy. Instead of concentrating on labels like fat and thin, we should be thinking about how we feel, and how we make our bodies feel. The goal should be health, and not a size two by any means possible.

After all, if we love our bodies, the next step should be to give something back--a nice walk, a healthy lunch, a yoga session, something that makes your body feel good and that makes you feel, more than anything else, healthy.

2008-01-20T20:49:00.000-05:00

On Thursday, I had a major epiphany: I finally realized what I most want to do with my life, and, unsurprisingly, it had very little (if anything...I mean, nothing, really) to do with French literature. What I want to do is get certified to teach yoga, and eventually get to the point where I can open up my own studio. Ultimately, I would like to get the highest level of certification available, which you obtain after 500 hours of training. At whatever point I can, I want to start teaching and just go forward from there.

I tend to have a pattern when it comes to things like this:

Long period of wanting to do something (this desire usually just hangs out in the back of my mind), but not really letting myself admit that I want to do it because of a fear of failure, risk, cost, or the effort that it will take and the feeling that I will not be able to put forth that effort. I guess that technically qualifies as a more specific form of fear of failure. At any rate, you get my point. This phase consists of complete denial of what would actually make me happy and intense rationalization in the form of negative self-talk (go go psychobabble!)
A moment when I realize that I can, in fact, do this thing that I have really, always wanted to do. In this moment, I realize that I can be that person who knows what they want and will go after it no matter what it takes because the reward will be so satisfying that everything that they endure to get to the end-point is worth it. This is like being on top of the world.
A sudden fall, usually due to the voices in the back of my head that start quiet but usually get louder and louder, and remind me of the risks and inevitable failure that I will face. How could I possibly succeed at something like this, and why would I ever think I was even capable? What would lead me to even entertain the thought?
A sort of quiet resignation: this is who you are, and who you always will be. You won't be that person who goes after their dreams and accomplishes their goals. This feeling of defeat is what I am currently fighting.

After running a marathon, I (rightly) felt that I was capable of accomplishing goals that I set in front of me. All it really takes is a belief in the fact that you can do it, dogged perseverance even when you just want to give up, and a series of mini-goals that lead to the accomplishment of the major goal. However, now that I have my next big goal set out in front of me, I just feel like running and hiding. The same negativity that took me years to shake in order to run 26.2 miles is now making it difficult for me to believe that I can get certified to teach yoga and go after my dream of opening up my own studio.

Suffice it to say that this struggle is not made any easier by the fact that I have to go back to being a full-time graduate student on Tuesday. Every time I have a break from it, I realize that the only reason I make it through a semester is by putting my head down and soldiering on. This doesn't make me happy, it makes me miserable. I just want to get away, but I feel so stuck. That feeling of being trapped contributes to my lack of belief in myself--I end up feeling like this is it, that I am just sort of stuck in this sort of Sisyphus-like existence that I cannot get away from and that I just have to tolerate.

I'm not really sure what to do. I don't want to be Sisyphus, but I don't feel brave enough to be Emilie.

How much is a picture really worth?

2008-01-19T22:12:00.000-05:00

One of the fun things about racing is that you never know when someone is going to snap a picture of you, and then try to get you to pay lots of money in order to own it. It is very paparazzi-esque. Case in point:

Now, I know that these companies want to make money (who doesn't?), but it seems a little bit unfair to me that they should make money off of me. Or any runners in the race, for that matter. I mean, there is just something a little bit strange about these people taking your picture, and then asking you to pay in order to have ownership of the picture.

Does this seem odd to anyone else?

Gotta go back in time

2008-01-16T23:59:00.001-05:00

This is a lot of fun. Makes you wonder what people will be saying about magazines and pictures from 2008 twenty-five years from now!

Make sure to go through all 14 slides. They are priceless and I love Runner's World for putting this online!

Is this going to be on the test?

2008-01-16T11:54:00.000-05:00

Yesterday's Team in Training group run was a test. Yes, a test! They are not just for school anymore (in fact, here in my fancy institution we call them exams). It was a time trial of sorts, designed to give you a sense of where you are at this point in your training. At the end of the training period, the test is repeated. The hope is that you have improved! As someone who loves numbers (but mostly only when it comes to running) I found the test to be a lot of fun and very rewarding. We did 3 lower loops of Central Park (cutting across at 72nd street and running around the southern loop of the park), each of which is about 1.7 miles long. 1 mile of this distance was to be run at an all-out effort, and the remaining .7 mile was for recovery. After finishing the loop, you start all over again! The trick is to try to keep your mile splits relatively close to each other while still running at a challenging pace. According to the TNT New York head coach, Ramon, you want to keep all three mile times within :15 of each other. This earns you an A+ on the test :)

Here are the results of my test:

Mile One- 7:50
Mile Two- 7:54
Mile Three- 8:03

I will, of course, post my results from the second test, which will be in several weeks.

This is a great way to keep tabs on the progress you are making, whether you are training for a marathon or not. You can easily adjust the distance (run three 1/2 miles, for instance) to suit your own goals. I would really encourage everyone who is trying to work toward a goal, or maybe feeling like they aren't seeing concrete improvement in their performance to try this for themselves. The results and benefits of comparing your performance on the first test to your performance on the second test can be really revealing and extremely helpful when it comes to tweaking what you're doing when you are working out!

Soup's On

2008-01-14T17:07:00.000-05:00

I'm not a big believer in New Year's resolutions because I think that if there is something about your life that you really want to change, you should just go ahead and do it at any time. At the same time, I always find myself making "decisions" around this time of year about how I am going to live my life differently. One of those "decisions" was to spend a bit more time cooking real food, not just warming something up in the toaster oven. So with the help of some Christmas money from a generous friend, I bought an attractive and fairly reasonably priced soup pot from the Mario Batali line of cookware. My feeling is that soup is easy to make and can be easily divided into single servings and then stored in the freezer where I don't have to worry about it going bad if I get tired of eating it every night of the week and want to switch things up a little bit.

I just finished my first batch of soup and I cannot wait to get back from my yoga class this evening and chow down. I tasted it to see if I needed any more seasoning and it is delicious. I thought I would share the recipe, which is from a great cookbook called The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet by Nava Atlas.

Curried Red Lentil and Spinach Soup (makes 6 servings)

ingredients: 1 T light olive oil; 1 large onion; finely chopped; 1.5 cups red lentils, rinsed (I used brown lentils); 1-2 t good quality curry powder; 1 10-oz package frozen chopped spinach, thawed.
Heat the oil in a soup pot. Add the onion and sauté over medium heat until golden.
Add the lentils and 6 c. water (I used 4 cups vegetable broth and 2 cups water) and bring to a simmer. Stir in 1 t. curry powder, cover, and simmer very gently for 35 to 40 minutes.
When the lentils are mushy, stir in the spinach and check the consistency. If the soup is too thick, add about 1/2 cup water. Season with salt and additional curry powder, if desired.
Simmer for another 5 minutes. If time allows, let the soup stand off the heat for an hour or so to develop flavor. Heat through as needed before serving.
Nutritional info: 100 calories; 2g total fat; 5g protein; 14g carbohydrate; 0mg cholesterol; 43mg sodium. This information does not include the added vegetable broth.

Bon appétit!

And the results are in!

2008-01-14T11:11:00.001-05:00

I took this handy-dandy quiz this morning, mostly just for fun but also out of curiosity. The results of said quiz revealed that there is no hope for me in the upcoming presidential election.

Update: I was just informed that my link to my quiz results showed that my ideal candidate was Romney. I removed the link and wanted to state for the record that my top three candidates were the following:

Kucinich (love him)
Richardson (who has, I believe, dropped out of the race)
Obama

Alternative Energy update

2008-01-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

I think I finished this drink about two hours ago, and although I didn't chug it all at once (maybe that's where the alternative energy is supposed to come from) I would think that all of its fancy ingredients and fancy physician developed formula would ensure that I would not be ready to take a nap a mere two hours after consumption. Maybe if I hadn't had the drink, I would be fast asleep! That must be it--it is not that the drink doesn't really have any effect whatsoever, rather that I am expecting to be energized when I should be happy just to be awake!

Thank you, function. Thank you.

Back to blogging

2008-01-11T15:01:00.001-05:00

Wow, I have been so far out of my routine for the past two weeks or so. Even this week was a bit difficult, in spite of being back in my apartment in New York. I guess this is what happens when you have a break from classes. At any rate, I have now resolved to return to a somewhat normal daily routine: running, yoga when appropriate, eating well, reading, etc. And blogging, of course! Since we all know how much important information I have to share with the world (or all five of you who read this blog).

Important thing #1: Yesterday while walking down Broadway I picked up a free sample of a new drink called Function, which seems to be trying to follow in the footsteps of VitaminWater (except without the awesomeness of 50 cent. So far, anyway). Apparently, Function beverages are all-natural and developed by physicians, which I guess is meant to make me feel like drinking a 2-serving 60 calorie per serving drink with 14g grams of sugar (out of 15 total grams of carbohydrates) is good for me. My friend chose to try out their version of "make you smart/improve your memory drink", which was a dark pink hue. I chose their alternative to energy drinks energy drink, called, appropriately enough, "Alternative Energy". With exotic ingredients such as catuaba, muira pauma, epimedium, yurba, and a bunch of other things I'd never heard of (and whose actual effects have not been verified by the FDA), "Alternative Energy" gives you long-lasting energy, which supposedly lasts 6 to 8 hours without giving you heart palpitations, dizziness, or crashes. The drink is the color of urine and doesn't taste all that good. I made it through the whole bottle in the space of several hours but to be honest I don't feel all that energized. And I don't think I would ever bother spending money on this product. I'd much rather drink VitaminWater if I am looking for a sugary, supposedly healthy alternative to H2O. Or better yet, I'll just drink water! My final verdict: save your monies. Just because it's made by doctors doesn't mean you should buy it.

In other news, I received my fancy nike+ chip shoe pouch which means I can now use the nike+ system when running, which is super exciting! I have been a total loser lately when it comes to running and I looking forward to getting back into the rhythm of things. Sadly, I don't think the Paris marathon is a possibility at this point, and I will probably be switching to the NJ marathon, which makes me sad but only because I adore my mentor and I don't want to no longer have her as a mentor.

Finally, I hate money and I think that the United States should have free universal healthcare that includes both dental and vision care. That way I could get my chronic headaches and freakish loose baby tooth taken care of without having to worry that I may have to take out a loan to cover the costs of the medical attention that I need.

Yikes

2007-12-22T12:40:00.001-05:00

This is disturbing.

Enjoy!

Disappointments

2007-12-21T21:58:00.000-05:00

So I just went shopping after having a great dinner with my roommate, which I felt justified in doing after having completed one of the crappiest semesters of my academic career. I tried stuff on, it looked great, and then I realized...I am broke. We shopped at Express where they are having a massive sale and where my roommate had like five coupons that will give you $25 off for each $50 you spend, and I still couldn't justify buying two pairs of sorely needed pants and a shirt. At least not when I still have to pay rent, fees to Columbia, and other assorted bills. There is something about not being able to buy something for yourself that can just make you feel really, really awful. It is silly, too, because in the end it is just two pairs of pants and a shirt. But I sort of want to cry about it.

Things didn't really work out the way I was hoping they would today. I had planned to do laundry, pack, go running, and clean up my desperately and disgustingly messy room. None of these things were accomplished and I am now sitting here with dirty laundry that I have to pack (a daunting task) and a profound sense of disappointment in myself for not fitting a run into my day. I feel like my marathon training has been so half-assed this time around. I mean, I just feel so disconnected from it. It isn't a good feeling and I am not quite sure how to get around it.

I guess I just feel sort of disappointed in myself overall today. I should have done a better job of pulling everything together, and somehow I just let things slip by instead. It makes me feel like a loser. Not a good feeling. And now I feel really rushed, stressed, and panicked about the fact that I have a 9-mile run tomorrow morning and a huge amount of stuff to do tonight. I guess I can always sleep on the train on the way down to Philadelphia and then in the car from there to Maryland.

Here's another pretty song that I love and that I don't hear enough.

Caloric mythologies

2007-12-20T14:00:00.001-05:00

Another really interesting article by Gina Kolata. This one is about misconceptions about caloric intake and caloric burn--it is constantly surprising to me how little people know about health issues like this one. For instance, I am really shocked to hear that a spinning instructor would tell their class that they just burned 900 calories in 45 minutes.

I guess people will believe what they want to believe about health-related things. And I will probably continue to be surprised by it. In the end, it all makes sense, I guess. Our country didn't get its high obesity rate by having a thorough comprehension of diet and exercise.

Mr. Yuck

2007-12-19T11:05:00.000-05:00

There is always this shift that occurs in my thought process between the evening before I go to sleep and the morning after I wake up. Evening usually consists of the following: "I am going to do x, y, and z and start feeling so much better about w!" Morning is this: "Ugh, I don't see how x, y, and z are going to have any effect on w. Plus I just feel kind of crummy and I don't have the energy to do any of those things anyway."

I just pulled on a pair of jeans and now feel like someone turned me into liquid form and poured me into them, only to find that I am overflowing a little bit. It is a pretty gross feeling, and to be honest I don't really know how perceptions of one's body can change so quickly. Then again, I must have known that this feeling of overflow was coming because I have been avoiding putting on certain pairs of jeans for a couple of weeks now, choosing dressed, leggings, sweatpants or more forgiving pants instead. Just coming to that realization makes me feel pretty gross about myself, and I am really wishing I had some alternative to these jeans that I am wearing right now.

Today is a pretty yuck day, I must say.

Detox time!

2007-12-18T20:14:00.000-05:00

I just finished an exam an hour ago; my room is a mess; I haven't gone running since Saturday; my stomach doesn't function anymore; I don't think I have really had several consecutive days of healthy eating in a loooooong time; what is going on? Is my life falling apart? This and other existential questions will be answered in this extra-special blog entry.

Except not really. I don't have the answers to those questions! I really just sort of feel like I want to spend several days eating nothing but fruits, vegetables, and yogurt (maybe I will make my own since I have the magical powers to accomplish such a task) and doing lots of running and yoga...good thing I have a long vacation coming up!

My brain is so tired and I kind of guiltily feel like I don't actually deserve to be tired. Sort of like I didn't do enough to really warrant being so tired. While studying for this exam I took today, I fell asleep three times. That never happens to me! I guess the reason why I am sitting here writing about it is because I am a little worried...this sort of fatigue doesn't seem too normal to me, and I sort of wanted to take an informal poll: does anyone else feel this way sometimes? any identifiable reason why? any theories (I will put it out there--I don't drink enough water, I don't eat well these days, but I do take my vitamins) about what might help? would it help to go for a vegetable, fruit, yogurt detox arrangement over the next few days? I kind of get the impression that my body is reacting to something I am doing wrong, otherwise I wouldn't be so tired and my stomach wouldn't be, like, revolting against me.

So, to sum up: what's wrong with me? Comments, please!

I'm so proud of you!

2007-12-14T14:04:00.000-05:00

It's sort of funny, when I was training for the Philadelphia marathon, I kind of forgot what I was doing. Over the course of the time I spent training, I did 13-, 15-, 18-, and 20-mile runs, and it took me a while to put that into perspective and really understand that running those distances meant running a pretty considerable amount. I mean, it wasn't until I thought about what 20 miles looks like on a map, and the fact that I would never say to someone who lived 20 miles away, "Oh, yeah, let me just get my shoes on and I'll run right over". I mean, that would be sort of absurd. But while I was doing those long runs, and even when I ran the marathon, I sort of didn't think about how long it was. I just sort of ran it knowing that I would be stopping after a certain point. It was kind of like as long as I was running, I wasn't finished, so when I stopped running, I would be done. Distance and time factored into it on a certain level, but ended up not being quite as big a deal to me as I thought they would be. People who heard about the amount of running I was doing were always amazed, confused, or impressed, which I also had a hard time understanding. I guess that was just all part of the not really comprehending what I was accomplishing aspect of the training.

People's reactions were really interesting to me (and continue to be interesting to me), on one hand because I never expected to do anything in life that would provoke reactions of that kind, and on the other hand because I never really felt like what I was doing was all that special. As far as I am concerned, anyone can run, you just have to want to do it. But people seemed (and still sometimes seem) a little embarrassed, like in running a marathon I did something that sort of put them to shame, which was never my intention, and which never even crossed my mind.

A few people told me that I had really inspired them, and more than anything, that meant a lot to me. The truth of the matter is, though, that those people who said that have also ended up being inspirations to me! These are the people who somewhat sheepishly tell me how far they have run and seem almost apologetically proud of themselves. It is cool that they have started running in part because they felt inspired to do so by my decision to run a marathon, but I think that what is most important is that they have made a commitment in their own lives to do something amazing for themselves--it is hard to start running, and it is even harder to continue running. A lot of people don't even bother. So when my sister tells me she can now run for a certain amount of minutes at a time without stopping, or a friend of mine says he is trying to get to a point where he can run anywhere he would normally go on foot, it really almost brings tears to my eyes. I wonder if those people who are so careful to let me know that they feel like their accomplishments pale in comparison to mine realize how much of an impact their accomplishments have had on me.

I know I am not expressing myself very clearly here, and I am having difficulty saying what it is that I really want to say. I guess that what it boils down to is that most of the time, when people tell me how proud they are of me, all I really want to do is respond by saying, "I'm so proud of you!"

Days off are dangerous

2007-12-13T11:21:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was a day off of running. I really shouldn't do that anymore. By the end of the day I just feel so listless, lazy, and lethargic (I rock the alliteration). It also doesn't help that I am feeling pretty discouraged about the lack of response I have gotten toward my fundraising efforts. It takes a long time to write letters, print them, address the envelopes, distribute them, or gather email addresses for everyone you know, write an email, and send it. I don't mean to sound whiny, I am just worried. I am not sure what to do to get through to people since what I have been doing doesn't seem to be getting much of a response at all. I really, really appreciate the people who have made donations, and I know that there are family members who are going to be making donations in the very near future, but as for everyone else...? The whole thing has got me feeling a little down, I must say.

So here is my keep your head above water song for the day, which I think will probably cheer me up a little bit:

Love. It.

There's a place for us

2007-12-10T19:07:00.000-05:00

This is a little weird, but every time the #2 train pulls away from the station, the sound of its wheels starting up against the tracks sounds to me like the first three notes to "There's a place for us" which although I really can't stand that musical or movie, has always struck me as a really pretty song.

So that is my slightly non sequitur segue into what I am posting today, which is this song:

I think it is ridiculously pretty, I love Mark Knopfler's voice, and I hate that I didn't know it existed before this past year.

Joe Kleinerman 10k

2007-12-09T12:22:00.000-05:00

This morning was the Joe Kleinerman 10k in Central Park. Joe Kleinerman was a great guy: he founded the New York Road Runners (which is an amazing organization) and helped Fred Lebow (whose statue in Central Park is probably my favorite landmark) found the New York Marathon, and he did amazing things for the world of running in general, such as encouraging women to run and coming up with the idea of age group racing so that 20 year old upstarts and 65 year old veterans weren't competing against each other to the same degree. He passed away in 2003 at the age of 91. You can read an obituary here. As in all races, I got a shirt, but this one is special. It is printed defectively. There is even a piece that sort of hangs way off--it is supposed to be the lower right corner of the design on the shirt, and instead it is sort of falling off into the white cotton abyss. I guess someone forgot to smooth the wrinkles out when they were printing up this batch! I like it, it gives the shirt character :)

Races are a funny thing. On one hand, it is great to be out there with a pack of runners. On the other hand, it is awful to be out there with a pack of runners. I ran the 6.2 miles in 56:36 (that's an average of 9:07 per mile!) and spent the first mile just trying to thread my way through groups of people who were not running nine-minute miles in spite of their starting in the nine-minute mile pace group. I'm not entirely sure why people do that. As a result, my splits went from 10:00 for the first mile to 8:20 for the last one, when I finally managed to not get sort of stuck behind people who were pacing slower than I was. All things considered, though, I am really happy with my time and my mile splits, and I am not going to walk around thinking or saying, "Yeah, well, I would have been able to run faster if I hadn't had to weave in and out of a crowd." I feel like I really accomplished something, and I am proud of myself!

In gear

2007-12-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

I have hit the late afternoon/early evening slump and a nap sounds really, really tempting at this particular moment in time. This poses a dilemma, though: take a nap and risk not sleeping too well tonight or wait for about 9:30 or 10 (those are decent hours to go to sleep, not obscenely early) and go to bed then? Do I have the energy to stay up for at least another 4 hours? I guess I will see how it goes.

This is a big running weekend, with a Team in Training run this morning and a 10k tomorrow morning. No sleeping in when there is running to be done! TNT this morning was a nice easy 6 miles, which is the longest distance I have done since the marathon. It felt good, I am happy to report. On the other hand, my body just feels really run down so I know I wasn't in tip top form. And that's fine.

With Christmas around the corner, my mind is on presents for other people. Of course I have to admit that I am not so virtuous that I don't occasionally think about the odd present that I would like. More and more, I find myself wanting running-related stuff. I think I may have a true addiction problem. Sometimes, when I am bored or I need a break from working, I like to browse sporting goods stores that sell running apparel and drool over the things I could get. Like tights that would keep my legs warm on the cold days, long-sleeved moisture-wicking shirts, and half- or quarter-zip long-sleeved pullovers. Ah, warm. But I digress. At any rate, I thought I would share a few of the things that I have been drooling over lately. Then you can declare me insane and lock me away.

This is a bad habit and a confession all in one: I have a tendency to run in the dark in Central Park. Don't get at mad at me for doing something that is admittedly stupid! I am not doing it as much anymore! However, TNT Tuesday night workouts are in the dark in Central Park. The difference is that they involve about 50 or so people, maybe more, so it is probably a lot smarter to run like that than alone. My point is that something like this half-zip pullover from Brooks looks so enticing because I would no longer have to worry about not being seen by an errant driver or biker. The best part is that it is on sale on the wonderful 'net, so it is currently nearly 50% less than its regular price.
One of the problems I encounter pretty frequently is keeping my body temperature relatively regular. That is why a base layer like this one really appeals to me. Plus it comes in a variety of pretty colors. Oooh, ahhh.
This jacket/pullover is like #1 but with more awesome.
These tights, though they may make you look a bit like a bumble bee, will keep you warm while ensuring that you don't get hit by anyone or anything. These, on the other hand, are not reflective, but look really comfortable and drool-worthy.
I have a pair of these in ankle-sock form and I love them. These are perfect for cold weather since they are a bit longer than the ankle-length, thereby ensuring that your poor little ankles and the inch or two of potentially-exposed skin do not get too chilly!

Maybe someday I will have lots of dollars in my bank account, and I will be able to indulge my running fashionista. Until then, I will keep internet window-shopping!

Mind over "mind over matter"?

2007-12-06T09:59:00.000-05:00

I love reading Gina Kolata's pieces in the New York Times, and this one was no exception. Pretty interesting stuff.

Last night I had a greatly disturbing dream in which a rabbit was destroying people's Christmas trees and leaving only the very tops of them. This rabbit had a problem with the size of the trees, or something. I think it was really a metaphor for doing away with American excess, but I could be wrong.