... until the sun comes down over Santa Monica Boulevard

That song pretty much was the anthem for this weekend. It pretty much rocked my socks off. It had all the makings of a perfect weekend: beach, sun, running, friends, good food, and good music. :)

Lets start at the top, shall we?

Friday Night:
Got home from work, took the world's fasted shower, ate the worlds's fasted dinner, and hit the 101 and PCH towards Malibu with James. We've never made that ride before, but it looks like we might have to drive down again, if nothing other than to check out the gorgoeous views! It's like a painting:


The sunset ride was one of the prettiest I've seen.
Our first destination for the night was Duke's Malibu, which is a Hawaiian themed bar/restaraunt. Duke's in Waikiki is one of our favorite spots, so we HAD to check out the Malibu location and get in the mood for Hawai'i comin' up soon! There, we met up with one of my bestest friends/sorority sister and her man for some drinks and grub. I got my most favorite drink ever, the Hawaiian Iced Tea. Best drink ever. I even drank almost all of it too! (that's kind of a big deal for me. Lightweight alert!)

Being the grandma that I am, I thought that after a couple of drinks and some food we would go to her boyfriend's house and chill.

Boy was I wrong!

After Duke's we drove into Santa Monica to go to this Uber posh bar called Huntley. It was so posh, in fact, that I felt extremely uncomfortable in my rubber flip flops, cheap dress, no make up and straight out of the shower hair that was full of cowlicks. The best remedie to feeling out of place is to drink and get goofy. Case in point:

Yay for frizzy hair....!

The grandma in me thought surely, after two bars we would head back. But no. I was wrong again. We headed to the third bar of the night, called the Palmer or something. I was in such a cranky, sleepy mood by then! I just kind of sat on the chair and people watched, dreaming of falling asleep.
I'm telling you. I am an 80 year old stuck inside a 24 year old body. I was soooooooo glad when we finally made it back and I passed out on the couch. I made it through the night only having 1.5 drinks too!

Saturday:
The boys woke up at 6:30 am for dawn patrol surfing, and the girls woke up at 7:30 am to run down to the beach where they were surfing. I am SOOOOOOOOO glad my friend wanted to wake up early with me and run! I was worried about how I was going to fit in my running, so I am very glad I got to fit in a early morning Malibu ocean run!

It was a very beautiful, warm, sunny, beachy 5K run. 99% was on sand. Not the packed sand I am used to running on in my neck of the woods. This sand was loose, soft, and extremely hard to run on. But it was so pretty, I loved the company, I loved seeing some lobsters washed up on the beach, and I was just loving the fact I was running at all. A perfect way to start off the day.

After all that morning excitement, and a BOMB breakfast, everyone else decided to take a nap. Now, when the sun is shining so beautifully, I absolutely CANNOT take a nap! I just need to be playing outside in the sunshine! So I headed out to the driveway and did a great workout consisting of 8 hill repeats, a lot of lunges, push ups, triceps dips, yoga, etc. All of this while overlooking Malibu Point. Sheer amazingness.

a little kid's first wave.

..... and then just when I thought my workout couldn't get any better, my friend introduced us to his trampoline!!!!
I was giddy with delight. This trampoline was LEGIT, not like some of that janky, shady, collapsible kind. This was a real jumping Machine! We must have been jumping around on that thing for hours! (oh and by the way, trampolining is an Amazing workout! Not only is it challenging cardio-wise, but my thighs, calves, and tummy muscles were burning) We played trampoline charades, trampoline yoga, trampoline basketball, trampoline sumo... haha. I guess we are all still kids at heart. :)

The afternoon was spent shopping on the Santa Monica Promenade. I FINALLY bought some comfy flip flops and some cute shirts for Hawai'i. I even found some Clif bars and Clif shot blocks on sale! Yippppppeeeeee! you can bet that James and I stocked up! I was also able to meet up with one of my friends from High school, whom I haven't seen in over a year, so I was definitely a happy camper.

The radio gods were in our favor for the drive back, and we straight up had a jamming dance party in the car. It was waaaay too much excitement for this little grandma, and passing out was the best feeling ever when we finally made it back to home sweet home.
This stay-cation was seriously the most fun I've had in a while! Thanks James, for driving, and to my amigos for making it the coolest weekend in recent memory :)

Sunday:
Easy 7 miler in SCORCHING heat. Glad to say that knee hardly hurts. I'm still careful about mileage, and taking ibuprofen and stretching. I only did 16 miles this week (although I probably walked about an additional 10 miles) without any noticeable pain. There is some tenderness left after a run, but none of that sharp pain, and the mysterious bruise is gone. My problem seems to originate from the right VMO muscle. When I run, that muscle tenses up and turns as hard as a ROCK, and it hurts to even touch it for a day afterwards. I try to foam roll it up, but I can tell that the muscle fibers/fascia fibers (?) are just shot. Does anyone know any good remedies for VMO muscle issues?

21 more days till Maui Half Marathon. 5 more days till a 3-day weekend. 12 more workdays till Hawai'i. 2 more chances to fit in a long run. The next few weeks are going to fly by!

I hope everyone had a blast of a weekend filled with running and love! Happy Monday!

A little fishie in the making

What better way to start off a Friday at the office than free donuts? :)

oops... I'm supposed to be getting back to my race weight for Maui..... oh well. Free donuts are too good to pass up!

I am so glad the weather held up yesterday, cause I was able to get a glorious hour of swimming in after work. The sun was so warm; it felt amazing to immerse myself in the cool blue water. Ahh. Refreshing.

Two things have made swimming more exciting to me recently:

1) I finally bought a swim cap. Yeah yeah, I know what you are thinking: How on earth did you swim so long without one? Well, the answer my friends, it that I am stingier than Stingy McStinge. Oh, and the fact that I didn't know they were only $5.99! haha.
From the very first stroke I could tell the benefits of wearing a cap; Less Drag. Wow. What an incredible amount of difference that made. And also, my hair doesn't make it way up my nostrils or into my mouth when I gasp for take a breath.

Now if only I could find a nifty swim cap like this.... all my problems will be solved :)

image source

2) Water Guns.
No, not the type that squirts out water, silly goose! I'm talking about the water guns on my arms that help propel me forward (aka biceps). For the first time in my life, I saw some definition in my arms/biceps! WOOOOOT! I attribute this to swimming, and it makes me excited to swim some more.

Now lets move on the my one Epic Swim Fail. (ESP) ((I have no idea why I felt it necessary to give it initials. I am a nerd))

Ummmmmm. How on Earth do you use those silly little ear plug things?
I bought this kind:
I read the instructions carefully, but I could not, I repeat, COULD NOT, for the life of me, get them to work! They would crumble, they would not stay in my ear, they would not mold to my ear, they would not work! Now, this is really important to me, because I have a history of ear infections, and I also really hate getting water in my ears. I think I am going to have to throw away the box I bought because all of them crumbled. Why don't they stay in my ears? It made me very self-conscious that maybe I have alien mutant ears that are shaped different from everyone else.

If you have any tips on how to use them, or another product that works more easily, please let me know! Muchos Gracias.

Anyhoo. I am so excited it's Friday, because I am going to Malibu tonight! I've never been to Malibu, so I am excited to go check out the scene and pretend I am a Malibu Barbie Girl. (ok, totally kidding about the last bit!) I also am hoping to see a friend I haven't seen in too long, so I am very much looking forward to it :)
Even with all this excitement to look forward to, my runner's brain is screaming "oh no! how am I supposed to fit in my scheduled run today? How am I going to work out tomorrow? Will I be able to fit in a long run?"
The answer is; I don't know. I really need to be on my A-game since Maui is only 3 weeks away. I really hope I will be able to get at least one long run in this week!!

Hope everyone has a fun weekend awaiting them, and that the day doesn't drag on too long! I wanted to talk about a movie I recently saw: Inglourious Basterds, but I think I'll save that for another day :)

It's Pau Hana Friday! Yippppeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!

Oh, and click here for another reason why it's good to be a runner. (Nothing new, but still nice to be reminded)

Chicks, man

As I realized this is probably the first "girly" topic post, I got reminded of Joel McHale of the Soup and thus the title. James is obsessed with that show. All I can say about it is that, dang, Joel is kinda tall.

A while ago I talked about b!tched about my whiteheads problem. I really want to say a huge THANK YOU! to every one who gave me some wonderful suggestions/recommendations. Without your help, I would have stood in the drug store aisle like a deer caught in headlights, seen all 200000000 choices, screamed, and ran out.

Using all your wise runner's advice, I bought a cleanser, and a scrub. I've also been diligent about my skin care (gosh, feel like I'm in high school again), and it's actually working! I thought I'll do a quick run-down of my routine/products I've been using. (click on photo to view larger)
From left to right:
Product: Murad SPF 30 moisturizer
Comments: I got this as a sample at Sephora. I have been applying this every most mornings after washing my face. Since it's summer time in southern CA, the sun is pretty strong. I think wearing SPF daily has helped tremendously in preventing skin blemishes. This moisturizer blends into my face really well, and is non-greasy. It also has no weird smell, which is good. It keeps my face moisturized all day without turning my face into an oil slick. I think its a great moisturizer for everday use. (I use a different product for running/extended periods of outdoor activity) I am almost finished with this tiny sample, so I think I will need to buy another SPF moisturizer. I hope to find a cheap one.

Product: Olay Foaming Face Wash for Sensitive SKin
Comments: I have always had good luck with Olay products. The "pump" style of this face wash makes it convenient to use around the sink. It doesn't dry out my skin at all; which is a problem I find in many other cleansers. The only thing I don't like about this product is that it feels kind of slimy when trying to wash off. I feel like I need to splash my face with water a few extra times to get all soap residue off. But overall, I like this product, and most likely would purchase again.

Product: Neutrogena Acne Stress Control
Comments: Not gonna lie, I chose this product over others at the store because of its packaging. It looked new. It looked powerful. It looked liked it'll sucker punch those white heads. And I think this product actually lives up to its packaging. The scrubs are just the right texture for me; not too big, not too many, and not too coarse. It IS scented, which I don't like, but the smell is actually quite pleasant; it's light and refreshing. I use this product after a sweaty workout, after a long day in the sun, or when I'm feeling extra dirty and grimy. I feel like it "cleans me up". It doesn't dry out my skin, and I think it's good to use this product every other day or so.

Product: Creme de La Mer.
Comments: OMG. Let me just say this is THE BEST PRODUCT IN THE WORLD. Ever.
My mom swears by this stuff, and whenever she buys a jar for herself, she gives me the sample size one (I could never afford it on my own). This stuff is what the gods use I swear. It's thick, luxurious, and leaves your skin as soft and silky as a baby's ass. This stuff is simply ahhhhmazing. I could go on and on about this stuff. I use it about 2-3 times a week at night, before I go to bed. This stuff won't get rid of your acne/whiteheads, but it will make your skin soooooooo soft so that blemishes are less noticeable. If you ever happen to find yourself with extra $$, get this stuff. You will NOT regret it.

Product: Olay Age Defying Night-time Moisturizer
Comments: This is what I use for everyday use. I use it at night when I don't use La Mer, and in the mornings when I know I won't be spending anytime outside (oh the joys of working in a windowless cubicle). It's fine as a daily moisturizer. Nothing too special. Scented, but OK. Not too rich, but soaks into skin nicely, no greasy residue. I don't think it's claim to be "age defying" is true, but I can live with that. It's only like, 9 bucks at Target, so you can't expect too much out of it anyways.

My Routine:

1. Wake up, and wash my face with Olay cleanser. (I used to just wash my face with water. Upgrade!)
2. Apply Murad or Olay moisturizer.
3. Don't apply any foundation/bronzer/blush to face. (I'm only wearing eye make up and lip stick till my face gets better.) Concealer if I have a volcanic eruption.
4. Wear a baseball cap when going on my lunch time walks.
5. Remove make up before exercising.
6. Wash face immediately after exercising, with Olay and/or Neutrogena scrub.
7. Apply La Mer or Olay moisturizer
8. Apply zit cream if necessary.
   

So far, this regimen has been working quite well. I would say that my issues are about 75% resolved. The hardest part for me is remembering to wash my face as soon as I get home from working out, and to wash my face BEFORE as well. But I will continue with this routine since it seems to be working! (It's a HUGE departure from my old routine which consisted of merely water, vaseline, and occasional moisturizer, and occasional make up remover)

As far as workouts go, I went to the gym yesterday and had a good iron pumping session. And it is finally warm and sunny today so I hope to jump into the pool, but we'll see if the weather holds up or not. (keepin' my fingers crossed!) I think this post is long enough already, so I will save my workout description for a later post.

...speaking of the pool and the soup, now I am stuck with the image of Mankini in my mind. I have a feeling he and I are gonna have a long morning battling it out in my head..... haha

dang...!

Good golly its been a while since my last post! It's been a crazy couple of weeks. So much has happened in my life, yet so little has happened in terms of training. And that makes me nervous, Maui Half Marathon is only 25 days away. And only three long runs left. Gulp.

Since paragraphs are overrated anyway, here's what's been going down:

Knee:

Took 8 (!!!!!) whole days off of running. Longest non-running streak since like.... January?? But thankfully, all of the sharp pain seems to be gone, just a little bit of tenderness remains, esp during deep knee bends

Energy:

F*c&i$g Sh!t I haven't been feeling well. I feel like someone shoved a straw into my body and sucked up every last ounce of energy and life force out from my body. I actually had to take the morning off of work yesterday. I don't know why I feel SOOOOO tired even while my training is the least intense. I blame it on stressful work, and the fact that for the last 1.5 weeks, it's barely gotten warmer than 60 degrees, and now all of a sudden it is 80+ degrees. No bueno

Training:

With my knee injury and lack of energy, training was sh!tty. I went to the gym a couple of times and swam a couple of times, and went for a walk. That's about it. Dang.

Running:

I FINALLY went on a run yesterday. I was Extremely nervous/anxious/stressed about this run. Would my knee give out? Would my lungs remember how to suck air? Would my feet remember to keep moving forward? Would I be able to run over a mile?

I'm happy to report I ran a GLORIOUS 5 miles. I felt like I could go on longer, but duh, Julia, that's how you got injured in the first place! Pushing myself at this point is NOT wise. 5 miles felt PERFECT. I'm so glad I did it.

I left for the run telling myself I could quit at any point, or do the Galloway method if my lungs couldn't take it. But once I was running along the beach, all my worries melted away, and I was able to get lost in the rhythm again. When I looked at my Garmin back at home, I realized I had one of my fastest 5 mile splits EVER. WTF? I thought I was going so slow!? But I was glad to know that my 8 day hiatus has not wreaked havoc on my fitness.

Future Plans:

Taking it SLOW and GRADUAL. I absolutely DO NOT want to get re-injured before Maui. I am not going to try to "make up" for the miles I couldn't run in the last 8 days. I have 25+ miles to catch up on, but I am going to let those go, and just pick up where I left off. Pushing myself right now is not the best idea. This means:

• No fast repeats. I might do one session of 800's, but not at my usual speed.
  
• Use Galloway if needed
• Refrain from running if knee starts feeling painful
• IBUPROFEN!!!
• Lots of icing and stretching of quad muscles
• No sprinting (speed really hurts my knees)
• NO CHEAP FLIP FLOPS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Santa Barbara Triathlon:

On Sat, James and I were water aid station volunteers for the long course triathlon, which was a mile swim, 30 mile bike ride, and a 10 mile out and back run.

We were handing out waters for 4+ hours! It honestly did not feel that long, esp when huge groups of thirsty runners would fly by. And who knew handing out waters required mad skills? It really is not as easy as it sounds; to hand out little cups without spilling all the contents to people running 6 miles an hour who don't slow down! We kept jokingly announcing that we were handing out tequila and Grey Goose, and the runners seemed to like that. James told one guy he was handing out beer, and you should have seen the look of disappointment on his face when he realized it was indeed, just plain old H20!

Unfortunately, I didn't really have the chance to talk to any participants, since by the time we were done with our water station shift, it had started to pour, and 90% of the racers were done and had gone home. Still, I had a lot of fun, and it lit a fire under my a$$ to start training for one. James too. Now if we both just had bikes, we could start racing today!

Here are some pics:

5 minutes later, the sky started pi$$ing rain. Very unusual weather in SB.The water station. The fast runners are running back towards the start/finish line on the right hand side.

We went through Gallons upon Gallons of H2O

James: master water giver outer

It was fun, and I definitely would want to volunteer at more events. It was so inspiring to see people working so hard, and so motivating to see the super fast runners. I hope to fly like them one day too :)

Ok. I think I got mostly caught up. I'm still busy as heck for the next few days and I really cannot wait to catch up on everyone's blogs and training. I hope everyone is experiencing success! Only 2.5 more days till the weekend. I think I might be heading out of town, so I must find a way to fit in a long run sometime. I will make it happen! Wish me luck ;)
Thanks for still reading!

Oh and totally random, but Victoria's Secret is having 40% off on already super cheap bathing suits until today I think. I definitely need to get one before Hawai'i time!

Welcome to Nerdsville

And I am its Mayor.

Here in Nerdsville, you can openly admit to being a nerd, a dork, an oddball, and maybe even a dullard. Here, bedtime stories are read from reference books, and the Nerdsville Times Best Seller list will only include text books and magazines.

You will not get weird stares from anyone as you take a walk during your lunch break while reading a magazine cover to cover. In fact, you'll fit right in!

Haha. I really am a nerd. My latest favorite past time is reading a magazine front to back while taking a walk during lunch time. I'm actually quite fast; I pass plenty of people while reading! And it's a great way to stay entertained w/o an iPod, a great way to fit in exercise, and a great way to catch up on the latest issues of Triathlete Magazine and Runner's World all at once! Talk about killing 3 birds with one stone!

This month's Triathlete magazine has a story about the founder of Fuel Belts. I'm fortunate because by the time I decided to pick up running, iPods, Garmins, hydration systems, Gu's, Gatorade, lightweight sneakers, tech shirts, and... ah...errr....tampons.... have all been invented. Can you just imagine being a runner 28 years ago? That's probably why long distance running hasn't been too popular untill recently. Running in all cotton clothes that cling to your skin like plastic wrap, no iPod to pump you up through the rough patches, no Garmin to tell you how fast you're going, no yummy shot blocks to eat. I probably won't have picked up running either! Thank goodness for progress! Can you just imagine what it'll be like in 28 MORE years? They'll probably have Garmins you can hook up directly to your brain, and shoes that won't ever wear down or something cuh-ra-zy like that :) I found this article on Runner's World that kind of talks about the same thing. Run hard!

Knee update:
My knee tendonitis is starting to feel much better. I am taking ibuprofen three times a day, and trying not to bend my knees as much as possible. Which is quite a hard task when you work on the third floor and have to use the stairs. I cancelled my run yesterday, and stuck with the elliptical and strength training. Even the elliptical hurt a little bit after ten minutes, so I stopped at 15 min and moved onto strength training.
I was THISCLOSE to taking another rest day yesterday. I was so tired; I even fell aspleep at my job! oops. I'm feeling really sluggish and aenemic. It is that time of month afterall. However, I did make it to the gym, and though I was yawning like there's no tomorrow, I managed to have a decent workout.

Standing cable rows (3 sets, 12 reps, 80 lbs)
BOSU Ball mountain climbers variations (3 sets)
Biceps curls (various weights, various reps)
Side bends (2 sets, 12 reps, 25 lbs)
Skull crushers (2 sets, 10 reps, 12 lbs each hand)
Resistance band triceps (2 sets, 12 reps)
BOSU Ball plank variations (2 sets)
Triceps kick backs (1 set, 10 reps, 10 lbs)
Incline bench abs
Reverse sit ups
Stretching

As you can see, no legs! I was too tired and too uninspired to think of leg exercises that didn't involve any knee bending, so I skipped it. I just stretched the F out of them, cause they were still feeling tight from Sunday's race. My arms are kind of sore today, so I guess it worked!

I don't know how the rest of the week will look like, exercise wise. I am so busy and tired from work, and I can't run, and even the elliptical hurts, and it's only like, 55-60 degrees here, so WAY too cold for the pool. I just hope to keep some level of fitness up this week. We'll see.

I always thought running was hard. Who knew that NOT running would be harder?
Oh the things you learn :)

Happy Wednesday!

McConnell's Endurance Events Race Recap

Good Morning! I am trucking along in this SUPER busy week; I can't wait for it to be over so I can breathe, relax, and resume reading up on all of your blogs!

Before I get into the race recap, thank you so much for the well wishes on my knee. I tend to be extremely paranoid, borderline neurotic, armageddon is coming tomorrow! about injuries, so reading your words was very encouraging. I went to the Dr. this morning, and the winner is Ron, who correctly guessed my diagnosis! You are a PT extroadinaire! (ok I know, this isn't a contest, lol).

I don't have a stress fracture!

(Insert GIGANTOR sigh of relief here. ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh)

But I do have Bursa tendonitis. So that means No Running This Week. Maybe next week too. Yikes! Maui Half Marathon is only 4.5 weeks away! But I'd rather rest it now and be safe and well for Maui, instead of overtrained and injured. This little running hiatus is gonna be tough, but better now than later.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ok on to the race.
The race was a part of a series of events; there was a 5K run, a 5K walk, a biathlon, a 10K, a mile swim, and a kid's mile run. I did the 10K, and James did the Biathlon, which was the 10K followed by a mile swim.

The event was a rather small, very local affair, and it seemed like everyone knew each other there. I loved the small, non-intimidating atmosphere. And best of all, WE WERE NOT LATE!!!! That made me a very happy camper, and saved me from having to chew James' head off.

The run started at 9:30. The weather was very overcast and chilly. It was so foggy that it was practically raining. Whatever. Better to have a cool race than a hot one. James and I got there 45 minutes early, and ran a mile to warm up, and stretched. The gun went off, and we made a run for it; a straight and flat out and back.

Ahhh the adrenaline rush of a race! It's something that can never be recreated. The thunder of footsteps, the heavy breathing all around, the pounding heart, and the anticipation of the road ahead. I looked at Garmy, and it said 6:54. Woah Nelly slow down. For the first mile, I ran right behind a man who was running a straight 7 min mile. Who knew I could run that fast? I kind of surprised myself. However, that was too fast for me to maintain, so I then ran behind a lady who was running 7:30 miles. I stuck with her till mile 2. Even that was a little too fast for me to sustain. But I couldn't believe I had run two whole miles in less than 8 minutes each!

This was the first race with Garmy, and I absolutely CANNOT imagine how I used to race without this beauty. I kept checking my pace to make sure I stayed below a 8:20 pace. Unlike the Semana Nautica race, I kept getting passed, but I tried not to let it bother me. At around mile 2.5, I saw a black kitty, and that totally lifted my mood. In Japan, black cats are auspicious, and plus, I love cats. The road was flat and straight, which helped tremendously in keeping a steady pace. Pretty soon, I saw the super fast runners coming back from the turn around point. Man, they were hauling some maJAH a$$! I made sure to cheer the first 5 or so runners on. It was so inspiring to watch their form. I want to run like that!

At mile 3.1, I unwittinly blurted out "$uck yeah!". I was so embarrassed that's what came out of my mouth, and quickly followed by "oops, excuse my language!" haha. I WAS happy to turn around though. I was running faster than I ever have!

I tried hard for the next half to maintain my pace. I could not do negative splits, but I was extremely satisfied with my performance. I really wasn't thinking much at all, other than, 2.2 more miles to go. 2.15 more miles to go. 2.1 more miles to go. I was literally counting down every hundreths of a mile till the finish.

Around mile 5.6, I looked at my watch, and realized if I really pushed it, I could reach my goal time. I took a deep breath and just all out went for it for the last half mile. I got kind of queasy, but I was able to finish all 6.28 miles (woah, longer than a 10k!) at

49 minutes and 9 seconds!
7:55 average pace

My goal was to shave even 10 seconds off my previous time, but I had a secret desire to beat 50 minutes. And I did it! woo! A new PR! And good enough for a third place AG! (A secret goal is a "hopeful" goal that I won't be sad if I don't accomplish, but think it would be rad if I could. Does anyone else ever have secret goals?)

And congrats to James who rocked his first 10k at 44:44! He then moved onto the swim portion of the biathlon (this race is kind of unique in that it is a run THEN swim). There were only about 10-15 biathletes, so it was a very low key, very mellow race. James even swam it in his surfing wetsuit! We used a very helpful blog tip and sprayed the wet suit with Pam to make it easier to get into. He said it was very helpful!

First biathlon successfully finished

For getting third, I got to make and decorate my own cool visor, AND I got a coupon for free ice cream! LOL, at an event where there is free ice cream, the winner gets even MORE free ice cream!

For some reason, my eyes aren't open in any of my race photos. Apparently, I run with my eyes closed. How on earth is this possible?

Running strong

I really like this candid shot from the starting line. We both look nervous.
Race photos from SantaBarbaraPix.com

We both had A LOT of fun at this event, and we made sure to stuff our faces with free ice cream. Ok ok I lie. I made sure I stuffed myself with ice cream. (BTW, lots of COLD dairy right after a hard race = NOT a good idea) oh well lesson learned, haha.
This race also raised my confidence for the half marathon next month. I don't know how my knee issue is going to affect my racing/training, but I feel pretty good about it. I just need to remind myself to REST MY KNEE, and to NOT OVERTRAIN it.
I WILL be able to do this!

Happy Tuesday!

The good and the ugly

Oh boy. Have I been having blog withdrawals!

There is so much to catch up on, where do I begin?

Well.... let's see. I ditched working out on Wednesday. I felt bad about that on Thursday, so I was really looking forward for a run. Unfortunately, you can't run outside when it ASHING. Because of the LaBrea Fire, it was literally raining ash. I thought about running with surgical mask on. Yeah. Call me crazy, but that's how bad I wanted to run. But I thought the sight of a chick running with goggles and a surgical mask with a head covered in ash dandruff was too pathetic/desperate/crazy, so I resorted to running 6.25 miles on the treadmill (New treadmill PDR, BTW). The ash in the air did FUNKY things to the sunset; check it out:

The sun is glowing bright red

a closer view...

On Friday I ran 4.5 fast yet easy miles on the bluffs by the beach. One notable aspect of this run was knee pain I experienced. But more on that later. Saturday I rested again in preparation for the 10K race on Sunday. Three rest days in one week. What's going on here.....????!!!!! Gotta get back on the plan.

This morning was the McConnell's Endurance Events 10K run for me, and James' first Biathlon! We both had a GREAT time, and I'm gonna be a tease here, and leave the good news and a race recap for the next post. But we both have good news :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

But as with all good news, it must also be accompanied by it's evil twin.

I noticed a new twinge on my right knee a couple of weeks ago. I didn't think much of it, and it kind of disappeared. I thought it might be a mild case of "Runner's Knee", because it would only hurt when I bend my knees, like when going down the stairs.

I would also notice a slight discomfort/pain AFTER a fast repeat session, and after the fast 7 miler I did on Tuesday. Well, I've also been noticing a slight discoloration, not quite a bruise, but a little dark patch of skin, right below my knee, where the pain is.

AFTER the fast-ish run this Friday, my right knee was THROBBING! It didn't hurt one bit while running, but hurt like a $+*%%#! afterwards. I was able to kind of "walk it out", but when I got home I could hardly ben my right knee. The "bruise" was a lot more prominent, and it hurt like crap to touch it/apply pressure to it. After a while the pain would subside, and it would just be a dull pain/general discomfort, and only hurt when jumping/walking up and down stairs.

It still hurt on Saturday, and resting it seemed to ease the pain, but not make it go away. It stops hurting once it is warmed up, but deep knee bends still hurt.

It hurts right where the blue arrow is.

Well, after careful prodding, I've discovered that the pain is not in my knee, but on the upper most part of my Tibia bone, RIGHT UNDER the knee, on the inner side, not outer. The pain is in one very specific, localized spot. A quarter of an inch away from the point doesn't hurt at all.

I was able to successfully run my 10K pain free today, but my tibia has been dully aching ever since. On a scale of 1 to 10, with ten being "I'm gonna pass out" pain, I would say my pain is a 4, 6 at worst. It's hardly ever sharp pain.

I'm worried I might have a stress fracture?

I'm gonna call my Doc tomorrow morning, but I doubt I will get to see him for a few more days. If any one can enlighten me in this problem, Please. I'm all ears.

I have only been running 3 times a week, and have only been increasing my miles by 1 or 2 a week. I change my shoes every other run or so, and never experience pain WHILE running; only afterwards. I'm SUPPPPEEERRR worried, so please help. Thank you!

Lazy A$$

I did something bad yesterday.

I took a day off from training.

For no real good reason other than "I was tired." and "I was not inspired". I mean, I wasn't even THAT tired. I have no excuses.
I ditched a work out.
What did I do instead?
I went home and cooked and ate and cooked and ate and ate and ate until I couldn't breathe. haha.

Oh well. Today is a new day.

At least I busted out 7.25 miles on Tuesday, which I was able to do at my goal-ish pace. It was the longest run I had ever done alone without an iPod. And guess what? I didn't really miss it at all! I had so many thoughts and emotions to keep me company that I didn't feel lonely one bit.

I spent the run thinking about how many miles I had left to go. I also thought about how I would describe the run on the blog, and actually had a lot of good ideas that I no longer remember, now that I am actually writing. This happens to me all the time. I'll think of some clever thing to say on a run, but by the time I'm finished, I've forgotten all about it. Stupid brain!

I finished the run strong, in about the same time it's taking me to run 6 miles, so I was very pleased with my pace. I am really hoping to beat my PR for the 10K this Sunday. Not gonna lie, I'll be quite disappointed if I am slower. If I can beat it by even 10 seconds I will be a happy camper.

On Tuesday night, James and I got all ready for the Gregory Isaacs concert. I even put on make up, did my hair AND put on a dress! A real flippin dress! But alas, the concert was cancelled when we got there. Not wanting to waste a perfectly good outfit, we continued our date night at a nearby restaurant/bar. I got a coconut mojito and a futuristic dessert:

what Is that?

That, my friends is a flan on fire. The server lit a shot of brandy on fire and poured it over the flan. And yes. I got drunk off half a cocktail and a burning dessert. I'm telling you; SUCH A GRANNIE.

This dessert, the container of ice cream James and I polished after we got home, and the fact that my pants are even tighter still has got me thinking it's time for another nutrition reassessment. I think my problem is snacking too much. I've been making myself snack more, even when not hungry/full, because I am worried of not getting enough calories. But I think this can stop/be reduced, becasue obviously, if I'm still gaining, I'm in no worries of coming up short. I also need to cut back on the sweets yet again. I have been allowing myself A LOT more junky food this past two weeks cause I have been feeling kinda sad (like, about the interview and such) But gosh darn it, it's been two weeks already, so I have no more excuses to continue this behavior. With only 4.5 more weeks till I leave for Hawai'i, I really need to jump back onto the healthy bandwagon. Wish me luck, and please feel free to smack me across the face and tell me to stop eating that third waffle for dessert! Oh, and feel free to leave advice as well :)

I hope everyone is having a pleasant almost-Friday. I really hope to catch up with everyone's blogs in the next couple of days. I have not had time to read/leave comments, and I am having withdrawals! I need my bloggy-blog fix! :) haha.

Happy running!

I need to put my brain on a leash...

Because I keep forgetting to bring it with me. Yesterday, I was locked out of my house for an hour after work, because I forgot that my keys were still in my running pants from Sunday. I can usually climb through my window, but of course, I had locked it. When I finally got into the house an hour later, I realized I had forgotten to even close my bedroom door. Today, I was gonna take pictures during my lunch break, but whaddayaknow, I forgot my camera. I don't know why I am so scatterbrained! I seriously think I am losing my marbles.

Come back brain, I kinda need you!

Maybe I should wear a hat all day and make sure my brain is securely locked into place.

Moving on... till my brain leaves me stranded again.

I want to share my thoughts on my newest addition to my running family:

The Nathan Quickdraw Plus Handheld 22 ounce Bottle Carrier!

Isn't she pretty? (image source)

I got this bottle a few weeks ago from Amazon for around $15. (They now are about $17; I think I got it while it was on sale). I actually wanted a blue one, but for some reason, the pink one was about 5 bucks cheaper, so I went with the stingy/frugal/cheapo option, haha.

My thoughts: I am surprised at how snugly this bottle fits in my hand! The strap that goes around your hand (on the left side of this photo) is adjustable, and is made of a mesh material that is padded, so it feels comfortable on your hand. I've tried other options at the running store, but none of them had the same sort of padding and thus was not as comfortable/snug. I like the cushion-y feel this bottle provides.

Even when the bottle is full, I didn't really need to "grip" the bottle, so my hands do not get tired on runs. I've taken this bottle with me on two 12+ milers and one 6 miler, and it has been working well. I used to just carry a normal water bottle, but my hands and shoulders would get really tired from gripping it so hard. This bottle does not give me that problem. It's even easy to take this Nathan bottle off your hand and slip it onto the other hand mid-run if you need to.

The pocket zips closed to securely hold a few key items. I can fit my bulky car key in there along with 3-5 shot blocks. I can also fit my cell phone in there, but if I do, nothing else will fit. I usually don't run with a cell phone, so that's not such a big deal to me. I carry my Shot Blocks in there, and I have found it very easy to open the zipper and grab a block to eat without having to stop running.

Summary:
Pros:

• Cheap
• Doesn't make my hands/arms/shoulders tired
• Cushion-y feel, very comfortable, smooth
• Can hold a few key items (shot blocks, Gus, keys, etc)
  
• Gets lighter the more you drink! (Duh! but it wasn't so obvious to me at the start lol)
  
• You can detach the bottle from the straps
• I like the way it looks
• More snug than the other options at the running store
  

Cons:

• Can only hold 22 ounces; on longer runs you will need more water!
• The straps will need to be washed, because it will start to stink like sweat
• It got slightly deformed in the dishwasher, so I think it needs to be hand washed
• It has a "sport bottle top," so you need to use both hands to drink from it; unless you can run, lift that top yellow part up with your teeth, and drink at the same time. I'm not that coordinated.
• If you make the strap too tight, your fingers will get all tingly

Overall, I really like this bottle, and will continue to use it. I don't think I'll want to switch to another brand/another model. It works well for me. I think once I get to the point where I need more water, I will get a camelbak, or just hide some water bottles along the route. Maybe one day I'll get one of those belt thingies, but they just look really cumbersome to me, and I'm afraid they'll make my hips look gigantor! haha.

What kind of hydration equipment/methods do you use?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tonight I'm so amped on the Gregory Isaacs Concert. I loooove me some reggae music! There's a whole bunch of places in town that honor "Reggae Tuesdays," which I absolutely love. There are some great musicians who come through SB.
I'm kind of scared to be up so late (I am SUCH a grandma....) but have been looking forward to this for a while, so I gotta bring out my inner 24 year old back :)
7 mile run + Reggae Tuesday=should be a good one!
Here's some Gregory for ya:


Thanks for reading and happy running

We have a winner!

Is it January? Cause it sure feels like it over here. It is so foggy, so cloudy, so wet, and so cold, I honestly forgot we are in AUGUST! Come on weather; didn't you get the memo? It's SUMMER! haha.

Well, it's probably a good thing its cool right now. I think the cooler temperature worked to our advantage yesterday on our 13.3 mile run. Yup, that's 6 straight weeks of steady mileage increases, and 6 straight weeks of PDRs for James! A BIG pat on the back for him! And this week is my "Rest" week, of much lower mileage and much less exercising. This will be excellent, because I have my second 10K race and James will be doing his first Biathlon this Sunday!

So let's recap our half marathon yesterday. James and I were quite pumped for it, because we found a half marathon on Halloween day we really want to run. It's quite far away, so we don't know for sure if we can run it, but I sure to like the idea of racing in costume! We were so amped on the idea of half marathons, and couldn't wait to tackle the upcoming run.

Anyways... the run, the run.... We didn't make it out the door till 1:30PM. Much later than I was hoping for, but we ate too delicious and too big of a breakfast and needed time to digest! (I really need to open up a breakfast joint. My banana pancakes were too good! :) )
It was quite cool outside, so perfect for a long run. We decided to run the first 6.5 miles of the SB Marathon, and just run those 6.5 miles back.

For some reason, the miles flew by effortlessly. Most likely because it was cool, and we kept the pace nice and easy, and my heart rate was in the 140s/150s the entire time. And also cause James and I had a little fight while running about our plans post-run. All of a sudden we were shouting and flying uphill faster than we were running on the flat portion. Seriously, a whole mile was over in like, two seconds flat. As soon as we realized how bad-ass we were that we could fight about running while running, we had a good laugh and called it a truce. We later tried to recreate the fight for an extra boost of energy, but that didn't work too well, haha :)

We maintained a 9:50 average pace, and successfully tackled a few good uphills, and completed the whole 13.3 miles. Other than a cramped foot and a blister, it was a very good run. Chafe free too, since we FINALLY bought some Body Glide!

I can't believe I am now at the point where I can call a 6 mile run a "short" run, and I can put the words "easy" and "13 miles" in the same sentence. Woo! :)
(picture me twirling around in a victory dance)

As promised, here are some pictures from the Fiesta on Saturday. I had been looking forward to this festival food fest all year.
First up, the delicious Carnitas Burrito. Seriously. The best carnitas I have ever tasted. So effin wonderful. This got devoured in like, 3 minutes flat. The meat is so tender and juicy, and the frijoles are so creamy and rich. Yum-O! I wanted to ask the lady if I could buy the entire 10 gallon pot of it from her. Seriously. It's so good!


Next up we have the Confetti Eggs. Another one of my favorites. They are hand painted egg shells filled with confetti. You can buy them ALL over town, 4 eggs for a dollar. Then you smash the eggs as hard as you can crack them on top of someone else's head. This is supposed to be for good luck. But it quickly turns into a game of surprise attacks, and you never know when you're gonna be egged! Like in the photo above, out friends were innocently taking a cute photo together when they got a surprise confetti attack! haha. The entire downtown is just COVERED in confetti all week, and I think it makes such a pretty, multi colored carptet over the entire city.
Yup, we dragged our confetti covered selves into a club. Yup me, at an actual club/bar. Party animal, I'm telling you. Drinking water too. So hard core. :)

Workouts for Fri and Sat included the usual run and swim. Very uneventful stuff.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And NOW, I would like to announce the winner of the GIVEAWAY!
(Yes, I made you read all that before letting you know the winner! haha)

The winner of the Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes is....
drumrol.....

*suspense is building...***

***Gosh who is it already....***

****I just wanna know!*****

It is Eliza from Eliza on the Run!

Congrats! Please email me your info and I'll ship it out to you asap. (chocolateshoestrings at gmail dot com)

I have quite an exciting week coming up; product reviews, a reggae concert (!), a 10K race, and a class about writing. Woo! (yes, I am a dork/nerd and get excited about optional writing classes at work)

Have a good one!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway!

Go here to enter for a chance to win Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes!

Enter by midnight tonight Pacific time :)

Winner will be announced tomorrow morning 

Julia Squared

WOOOOOOO!
Tomorrow is Saturday! YIPPEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(*insert super tacky shimmy shimmy dance here*)

I have a super fun weekend planned, so I am anxious to get the work day over with. Only 6 more hours, but who's counting, right?

Yesterday I went on my bike ride, but I didn't go with my Garmin so I have no idea how far I rode. I've been so absent minded lately that I forgot both my sunglasses and my helmet. No Bueno! I was kinda freaking out the entire time that I was gonna end up as road kill. I did see a road kill snake though; that was seriously disgusting. I don't like bugs, but snakes scare the crap out of me even when they are smashed up and dried up on the side of the road. I got major goosebumps... I'm getting goosebumps again just thinking about it!

After the bike ride I got my fill of my Uber secret guilty pleasure: Real Housewives of Atlanta. Good golly do I love this show! (and the NY one, the NJ one, and the OC one) These women are such train wrecks and emotionally so immature, and so heavily clad in bling bling its blindening. The funniest part of it is that I got the boyf into it too. lol. Don't tell anyone though! I can watch Real Housewives all day long. It's just so oddly fascinating. I can't stop watching.

But tonight I am going to go watch something a lot more special.
I am going to watch:

Julie and Julia!

I have been looking forward to this movie very much. The main reason is because I am named Julia because of Julia Childs. I was going to be named either Monica or Erica. But while watching Julia work her magic in the kitchen while my mom was pregnant with me and couldn't eat anything but Thai food cause everything else made her sick, she thought, "Julia would be a pretty name." I'm very glad my parents decided to go with Julia, cause in my opinion, it is the coolest name ever (haha). PLUS, Julia Childs used to live in SB like me, AND I also love to cook. I told James I should have written the book, and I would have called it Julia Squared. :) I can't wait for some popcorn and a good movie!

And tomorrow we are going to the Santa Barbara FIESTA! The Fiesta is pretty much the biggest celebration here; it's a whole week long of partying. They have the BEST food stands, and you can bet your ass I am gonna be sinking my teeth into some super duper fantastic Carnitas and Churros. mmmmmmmmmm. I have been dreaming about it all year long. I promise there will be pictures!

And before I leave, I have to leave you with this little gem:
It's from Fail Blog, one of my favorite sites ever. Can you just IMAGINE looking in the mirror after going through all that pain and seeing THAT??? I just laughed for like 5 minutes straight.

Later Gators :)

PS go check out Running around Normal for a Larabar giveaway!

Welcome to the gun show

... I wish! haha. But I DID work the EF out of my arms yesterday. If spaghetti counts as guns, then yes, welcome to the gun show. In case it doesn't, please come back in about 6 months :)

Yesterday was a not-so-good, drown all your stresses in a chocolate chip muffin/big bag of candy kinda day. Oh well. But today, I think I got it ALL FIGURED OUT, finally. Phew! My living situation has cause one headache after another. Two more pieces of the puzzle (which should be relatively easy) and I'll be good to go. I also got to talk with my mommy, which was nice, cause I only get to talk to her like, once a month, and see her less than once a year cause she lives in Japan. I miss her sometimes.

To shake myself out of stress/funk/whatever, I took my own advice and unleashed it all at the gym. I had a really productive strength sesh.

on the menu:
Pacing back and forth around my house completely frazzled (hey at least it burned 70 calories! lol)
Standing cable rows (12 reps, 3 sets. 1 set at 75lbs, 2 sets at 80lbs. Yay! new lbs record)
BOSU Ball abs balance (3 sets)
Skull crushers (12 reps, 3 sets. 2 sets at 10 lbs)
Incline bench abs (3 sets of various exercises)
Side bends (12 reps on each side, 2 sets. 1 set at 20 lbs, 1 set at 25lbs. Yay another record!)
Biceps curls (too many to count at 15 lbs)
Cable triceps pull downs on BOSU ball (1o reps, 2 sets at 45 lbs)
Side squats with resistance band (3 laps)
Cable abs recommended by PT (12 reps on each side, 2 sets each, 20 lbs)
BOSU ball planks
Triceps kick backs
I think that's it

I'm so stoked that for two of the exercises, I was able to move onto a heavier weight. It's taken me quite a few months to move up to the new weights, but when I do, I feel so Baller! :) It's fun to see how much stronger you are getting. I can't wait to host my own gun show one day.

Speaking of shows, check out this funky sky we had:

Kinda gnarly, huh?

And speaking of gnarly, I had to hunt down and kill a cricket in my room last night cause it was being a loud little bugger. I absolutely detest bugs (eeeww!!) so having to squish one myself was quite traumatizing. I like to think of myself as a capable, independent woman... but when it comes to creepy crawly things.....ew.

I feel like my life has been so unexpectedly up and down recently. I wish things could be more clear; what path I'm supposed to take, how to deal with housemates, how to figure out what on earth is going on. But I am a firm believer that "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger", and this is just one of many life lessons I'm supposed to learn. I hope to just take things as they come, and keep an optimistic and positive outlook as much as possible. I'm convinced bigger and better things are just around the corner, and you can never truly appreciate the wonders of life until you have experienced its dark places as well. So here's to adventures to come! :)

It's almost Friday too!

Exercise motivation

Don't forget to enter my Endurance Sports Nutrition Giveaway!

So I thought my housing situation was all set, but yesterday after work I realized it was A LOT more complicated and I have no idea anymore if I am moving this month or not. This whole situation is really frustrating because so many factors are out of my control. This caused a 1.5 hour delay in my planned workout. I was feeling so stressed/frazzled/tired, the thought of skipping the workout danced around in my head. I literally had to drag myself to the gym for my 10X400 repeats. I was so out of it, I even forgot to bring my iPod. Drats! The dreadmill sans iPod is just pure torture.

Long story short, I sucked it up and did it. I was supposed to do 10 repeats at my 10k-55 seconds pace, but for mere running mortals like myself, that was just WAY TOO FAST to uphold for all ten repeats. I managed 5 at that pace, 1 at 7:30 pace, two at 8:20 pace and one at 8:40 pace. By that time, I had already run 5 miles, and my muscles were DONZO so I called it quits after 9 repeats. Oh well. Still glad I didn't give up on the workout completely. I foam rolled like there was no tomorrow, took some ibu, iced, and ate chocolate. lol.

Today is my weights day, which I am looking forward to. I seem to have the impression that runners don't really enjoy the weights room, and that it is often regretfully neglected. Without getting into the whole speal about why strength training is good for running (increase lean muscle mass, injury prevention, get stronger, etc) I thought I would list my advice for making strength training less of a chore. No more excuses! :)

1) Get PUMPED. I do this before long runs and speed sessions too, but making yourself stoked on the idea of training really helps to get the blood flowing, gets your mind into it, and generally makes it feel like less of a drag. I listen to some music, try to imagine myself with rippling washboard abs, I think of how my noodle arms could potentially look, etc to get excited about strength training.
2) Go with a PLAN. Before I go to the gym, I make a quick list on a post-it of the exercises I want to do. Try to think of the muscles you want to target. I try to group the exercises I can do on the same machine/same part of the gym together, so that I don't waste time wandering back and forth in the gym. If 5 exercises can be done in the same corner of the gym, do those together. I find that when I don't have a plan, I waste a lot of time just kind of walking around deciding what I want to do, and that in turn makes me lose motivation and focus. Taking just 3 minutes to decide your plan of action really helps in the gym.
3)Circuit style! Strength training can be fast paced and adrenaline inducing too, if you do a circuit style; which means you do a series of exercises back to back without resting. I usually like to have a set of three exercises (legs, arms, abs, or biceps, triceps, back,etc) and I'll do all three, rest for 30 seconds, and repeat for three sets. This will get your heart pumping like running would, and really keeps your routine from getting boring.
4) Try new things! I always try to incorporate one new exercise every time I go to the gym. Hey, I like to keep things fresh!
5) You don't have to be like those meatheads and pump super heavy iron. You can do light weights/body weight exercises that will be enough to help strengthen your muscles and keep them in running shape.
6) Listen to your iPod, and have motivating songs on them. I like Chingy's Dem Jeans. Don't judge!
7) Warm up first with jogging/elliptical/stationary bike for 15-20 min. Gettin' the heart rate up, feeling the sweat, and feeling the rush will for sure PUMP you up to pound those dumbbells. I know personally, if I don't work up a sweat first, I feel a LOT less motivated.
8) If all else fails, think of how much of a BALLER runner you would be when you are stronger!
If you REALLY don't want to strength train, just do the ones directly applicable to running.

I personally really enjoy strength training. I am a certified trainer (though not by profession), so if you need any exercise tips, motivation, moves, let me know! I might do a post later on my fave running exercise moves too. I don't know if any of these tips were helpful or not, but I tried! :)

If you have any tips, please share them in the comments!

Have a great Wednesday running friends! :)

Endurance Sports Nutrition Book Giveaway Time!

I woke up at the worst possible time today. I was dreaming about eating a mucho delicioso piece of cake. It was right in front of me, I had the fork in my hand, and I had just cut off a piece. Right as I was about to take a bite of delicious heavenliness, "BEEEEEP! BEEEEP! BEEEEP!" and I was shaken awake by that god-awful sound. My cake.....!!!!!!! Oh well. Maybe I'll get to actually take a bite tonight in my dream, lol.

Thank you for all the good luck wishes yesterday. Unfortunately, I don't have the good news I was hoping to have. It was pretty clear to me that this postition was not the right match for me. I was actually very proud of how I handled the questions, and I can't really think of anything that I would have said or done better. It just did not seem like the right fit for me at this moment in time. Not gonna lie, I am super disappointed. I saw it going down differently in my head, and yeah, I may have shed a tear or two. But I know the right opportunity will come across at the right place at the right time. It was a great learning experience for me.
Deep breath in, sigh. Deep breath in, sigh.
You live and you learn, right? Today is a new day with new potential.

And speaking of potential, let's move onto the fun portion of this post; the potential to boost your endurance power with proper nutrition!

I am so lucky to have won a few blog giveaways in the last month. To keep the good blog karma going, I am very excited to have my very first giveaway! One lucky winner will receive, courtesy of moi, a book that I have found very helpful:

Sports Nutrition for Endurance Athletes by Monique Ryan (Velo Press)

As you know, performance and nutrition go hand in hand. And as you also know, I have been struggling with my nutrition (oh cookies... I miss you! xoxo, Julia) I picked up this book on Amazon.com, because it had great reviews.

I have found this book to be very informative and very helpful. There is minimal "fluff" information, and is packed with directly useful tips and charts. The author does a fantastic job of providing enough scientific information to back up her claims, which is important to me.

She breaks down exactly how many grams of carbs, fats, protein, and water you need for varying intensities/durations of workouts. For example, your nutritional needs are different for a 60 min intense workout day, a 90 min moderate intensity day, a couple hours low intensity day, etc. This helped me realize that I was not eating nearly enough protein, and WAAAAY too much fat, and too many calories in general. I actually made an excel spreadsheet using her information, and planned out meals and snacks that would provide the right nutrients at the right time. This information has been invaluable.

Her chapter on hydration was also very illuminating to me, as I always forget to drink enough water! She does a good job explaining how much liquid you need at different points throughout the workout and throughout the day. She also breaks down what kinds of electrolytes you need. Very useful information, esp since it's summer and I'm sure we're all running in the heat.

She also has chapters specific to running, cycling, swimming, rowing, triathlons, and adventure racing. So no matter which sport or sports you participate in, I am sure you will find some useful information in here.

I found the charts comparing carb contents of foods, different gus/gels/sports drinks, sample meal plans, and meal timing to be extremely helpful.

I have used this book, and though my diet has made leaps and bounds of improvement. Though it's not super great by any means, I definitely have noticed a difference in performance by adding in more protein, and cutting back on fat/sugar. I know the more closely I follow her guidelines, the better I could perform, though right now, I am NOT ready to give up my daily sugar fix :)

I think you will find this book a great addition to your training!

So this is how you can enter to win:

1) Leave a comment on this post telling me what nutrition changes helped you perform better
2) Follow my blog
3) List my blog on your blogroll
4) Mention this giveaway on your blog and link back to my post, and then let me know that you did.

That's FOUR chances to win! Please leave a separate comment for each entry. If you already follow my blog and/or list me on your blogroll, please leave a separate comment telling me you already do.

This giveaway will end at midnight Pacific Time on Sunday August 9th, and I will announce the winner on Monday.

Happy training!

Brain dancing

First off, thanks so much for all the encouraging words for the interview! I am all nerves right now, so excuse me if this post jumps all over the place!

Yesterday, James and I set out for a 12 mile run. It's like, every week is a new record for me. I conquered a 6 mile "easy" run and a 12 mile run in one week. Mostly pain free too! Woo!

But lets go back to Saturday for a while. Before the Greek Festival, I was able to get a solid hour of swimming in. I can tell I am getting much smoother in the water. At the end of the work out, I even did 5 laps of all-out Michael Phelps style swimming. I felt like such a champ! :)

The Greek Festival was a blast. The entire place smelled like kebabs, and it drove me crazy with hunger! I got the chicken gyros, which was spectacular. But check out the desserts;


That is a baklava, and a walnut cake drenched in syrup. OMG talk about heaven. The walnut cake was so good I could have cried. Good thing they are not available year round!

Baklavagasm

OK. Back to the Sunday 12 miler. (I know I'm spastic today, sorry) We ran a new leg of the marathon, from Fairview to Modoc. There is a whole mile of downhill, which was awesome. If I'm running 26.2 miles, I'll take all the downhill that I can get! I also got to test out my new Nathan hand-grip water bottle. (review coming soon) The bottle was a great addition to the run, cause it was a HOT day, and I finally found a way to carry those shot blocks! I am definitely going to stick to the shot blocks; they give me no tummy problems. James also tried out a new drink which was inspired by Bree; Grape juice diluted in water with some sea salt. He said it tasted great; just like a raisin!

We started out too fast on the run, and paid for it during miles 7-9, when our pace dropped by over a minute. Out pace for this run was really inconsistent, but we finished strong, and with a little post run fuel, some ibuprofen, some ice and some strethcing, I feel hardly any tightness/soreness in my legs at all. I am getting more and more confident in my long runs, which is great news as well. Next week we will be running 13 miles, and I am confident I can rock it.

Ok my mind is dancing around. I also wanted to show you the Remanents T-shirt I recently won from Tall Mom on the Run. I straightened my hair and everything for you all for this glamor shot: (FYI I never straighten my hair anymore, so this is kind of A BIG DEAL, haha)
I really like this shirt. It says "Distance makes the heart grow stronger". It's really comfy, and it's long, which I like because I don't wanna be flashing anyone my belly button (um, so 90's!) haha. It's probably gonna become my new favorite shirt! Thank you Mel and Remanets! (PS- they have a lot of other cute running style t-shirts on their website)

Ok, one more brain dance and I'm out. Tomorrow I am going to be having a giveaway, so get excited! :)

All right. Time to go shake these nerves away!

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Week three recap
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 6X800 at 10K-45 seconds pace.
Wednesday: Weights+walk/run at lunch
Thursday: Spin+walk/run at lunch
Friday: 6 miles + walk at lunch
Saturday: 1 hour swim
Sunday: 12.3 miles
Total miles run: 23.6 miles
Total milestones: 2
Total calories burned: 4,800