Playing Hooky

Today, I'm playing hooky.  Hooky from work, from workouts, from myself.

Instead I'm hitting the open road with my BFF and heading to the beach for the day.

I've sort of been in a major funk this weekend. I had two great workouts, during which I felt great and had a positive attitude.  I also got to babysit my sweet niece Natalie.  But aside from those times, I've been borrowing Eeyore's gray storm cloud too much the past few days.  I've been down on myself for a number of reasons, not least of which is my inability to snap back into my healthy eating routines. So today I'm going to take a deep breath, enjoy the moment and jump waves while Amie boogie boards until her heart is content.

Here's to playing hooky.

Bricks are a Beast

I've latched onto a new form of torture: the brick workout.

The brick workout is the foundation (pun intended) of a triathlete's or duathlete's training.  It's when you ride your bike for many miles and then immediately hop off of it and start running.  Its purpose is to get your legs in shape for the bike/run portion of your tri.

Transitioning from biking to running is the hardest part of a triathlon (or my upcoming duathlon on Aug 27,) because of the way the longer bike routes really tire your legs out, and then YOU'RE STILL EXPECTED TO RUN.  Add on top of that, my slow-as-molasses running skills and, well, I could use some better preparation.

This is the hot mess I was after the brick.  In South Carolina. In August.

I only did one or two bricks before the triathlon in May, so I've decided that Saturdays in August will be dedicated brick days.  And because my upcoming du' is a run-bike-run, I've also decided to follow that format for my bricks. That and I biking and then running is clearly just not enough sweating for me.  I need to run then bike then run to really get in a good workout.  Now before you have a panic attack on my behalf, please know that I only ran one mile before biking 13 and then running another mile.*

Today was my first true brick and I realized two things:
1) I must really love my friend Daniel to agree to do this duathlon with him, which involves more running, which I hate, and less swimming (or none), which I love.
2) The juxtaposition of 13 miles on the bike next to a measly mile run makes the mental part of running entirely more do-able. It also makes me realize just how horrible it would be to run a half marathon, which also happens to be 13 miles.


* The upcoming du's race distance is two miles running, 13 biking and then another two running, if you're curious.

Photo Fridays: August 5

Despite what she looks like, she was not sad to be eating ice cream. My adorable niece.

This is why people have two children, folks. I was supposed to be babysitting, but she did all the work of keeping the baby entertained.

One of the beautiful new places I explored during Saturday's run.

It turns out racing may be easier than race photography. I tried to snap a good photo of my bro at the finish line of his 5k, and I completely lost his head.

Got to see my lovely friend Stephanie Hardy one more time before she flies back across the pond.  Can't wait to see her again, you know, the next time I'm in Europe.

PS this is my favorite dress from my recent wardrobe boost.

At a sophisticated wine bar, my friends ordered some lovely wines.  I classed up the joint with the  King of Beers instead.

Beginning to Run Part II

So I had some interest expressed in my running post, and, well, I get pretty excited when people express interest in my blog topics, so I thought I'd write a follow-up post about getting started running.  After all, I really just barely scratched the surface in that first post, right?

Q: Is it okay to walk some when I'm supposed to be running?
YES!  Never, ever feel discouraged if you have to slow down to a walk when you're running. In fact, if you are just starting out or starting back to running, you should do walk/run intervals.  Google run/walk intervals to find a specific training plan, read Running for Mortals or just run for the length of one song on your ipod and then walk a song. It really depends on you and what your body is telling you.  There's a delicate balance between pushing yourself and pushing yourself too far.  These intervals may actually be better for your calorie burn (according to lots of research that I can't specifically site here. Just trust me.)  Bottom line: anything that gets your heart pumping is good for you.

Q: Is it okay to call myself a runner if I'm only jogging? Going for a run sounds so much cooler.
YES! Who the heck knows where the line is between jogging and running? I'd wager a bet that I'm technically just a jogger, because I'm slower than molasses.  But the term "jogging" conjures images of 80s dudes wearing a sweat band over a perm and running shorts on top of sweat pants.  And that image just doesn't jive with the image I have of myself of my running (in my head, I'm always gliding along with gentle breeze blowing through my hair.)

Q: Don't you think running is boring?
Um, a lot of times, yes.  I have yet to experience the infamous "runner's high." Running is hard work. 50% of that hard work is mental, so I try to distract myself.  That's why running buddies (shout outs to Monica, Jess and Cindy!) are AWESOME.  You can talk to someone else and the time goes by faster. (Side note: if you can't talk while you're running, you're pushing yourself too hard.)  If you don't have a running buddy and you don't live near me (BECAUSE I WOULD TOTALLY BE YOUR BUDDY), then try making mental to-do lists in your head, or jamming out to music.  Anything to distract yourself from the agony of running (just kidding, it's great, you'll love running!)

Q: Isn't it too damn hot to run? Can I run on a treadmill instead?
Yes, technically, you are allowed to run on a treadmill, but I will, personally, do anything in my power to avoid them.  Nothing sounds more horrible to me than running miles while at the same time STANDING IN ONE SPOT. Plus, I did a lot of my running on treadmills when I first started and it actually sets you back when you finally get out on the road.  See the road doesn't have a motor and a rotating band that actually gives you a little extra boost. You're expected to propel your own self forward (lame, I know). Plus, the road has things called hills. Lots of times people hop on the dreadmill and fail to hike up the incline factor, which leaves them horribly unprepared for the real world.

Q: How do you know how far you've run?
I have an awesome phone with apps that tell me how far I've run.  There's also fancy (and expensive) watches you can buy. If you have a simple Ipod you can wear the Nike+chip on your shoe (At about $25, it's a great investment. If you don't have the shoes it fits into, they sell pouches that attach to your laces for app. $10), and it will measure your steps and translate that into miles run and calories burned, etc.    Or you could just map out your route in advance (or after your run, if that's more your style) either using your car's odometer or www.mapmyrun.com or Google maps.

Q: Does running give you sexy legs?
Yes.

Q: Will you be my running buddy?
Yes. As long as you remember I am slow, and I like it that way.


PS Let me know if you want to be running buddies. For reals.

What's Up Wednesday: Blogs

For today's What's Up Wednesday, I'm wondering, what's your favorite blog? 


I mean, of course, besides 100lostandnotfound.blogspot.com.  Because that one is clearly your favorite. 


I don't read a whole lot of other blogs regularly, mainly because I don't want to surreptitiously steal ideas from them, but I do have a few that I love and check regularly.   Just in the last week or so I've become addicted to reading one my friend Monica told me about: www.sweatonceaday.com  


It's written by Sweaty Emily, a really inspiring marathoner and triathlete.  She just finished her first Ironman triathlon last weekend.  For those of you who don't know, an Ironman includes a 2.4 mile swim, 112 miles of biking and 26.2 miles of running.  It took her just under 14 hours to complete it.  


Sweaty Emily is super inspiring and funny and she includes lots of pictures.  


Her blog is so great that it's made me want to find other amazing people who spend their free time writing about their own world for the world to read. So I need your help, what are some of your favorite blogs?


Oh, and of course, make sure you've checked out the other What's Up Wednesdays:
Body Parts
Motivation
Healthy Snacks
Guilty Pleasure Food
Celebrity Doppleganger

Beginning to Run

I don't know how many of you out there are runners.  It doesn't seem like many of you are, because I'm sure if you were, we'd be running buddies, right?  I'm always looking for new running buddies.

So clearly, if you are not already a runner, you want to be, right?  Okay, maybe not.  While running is still incredibly hard for me (I know, I know, you've heard it a hundred times), I keep at it.  Sometimes I'm not entirely sure why, but I think it is partly the challenge and partly the way you can squeeze in a workout anywhere if you just remember to pack your shoes and a sports bra.  You don't need fancy machines or special equipment and you get to see new places.

While (DISCLAIMER) I am not a running expert, I've come up with two tips to help you if you want to become a runner that I've learned from experience.
1.Build up slowly.
2.Be consistent.

That's it. If you can master those two things you, too, can be a runner some day.  They're simple  tips, but let's break them down.

Build up slowly.  If you have not been exercising or running, you simply should not go out and attempt to run a mile.  I saw them do that on the Biggest Loser once and I was appalled.  These people who are extremely overweight show up at the ranch for the first time and are told they have to run a mile.  I'm surprised no one has died on that show.  You should start with a run/walk program and add no more than 10 % to your mileage each week.  If you push yourself too hard too fast, you're much more likely to get injured. Check out a reputable running plan.  There's the very popular Couch to 5k beginning running program or Jeff Galloway has some great run/walk programs. I had the most success with the run/walk program in Running for Mortals.

Be consistent. Even if you are building up your stamina and distance slowly (when I first started the Couch to 5k program I often did the same week's program for 2 or 3 weeks in a row before I could progress), the key is to be regular in your workouts.  You should NOT run or run/walk every day, but you should run or run/walk three times a week.  Even if it is hard, commit to going out and trying your best three times a week, and you will get stronger and faster.  Just stick with it.

One last piece of advice: if you work hard and become a runner, don't ever stop.  When ever I start to relax after a race and take a few weeks off from running, I seem to lose all ability to run.

If you're a runner, what do you love about running? If you're thinking about trying running out, what's been holding you back?

Recovering

It's interesting the patterns that start to emerge when your really start watching/analyzing your food habits.  I seem to do this little trick over and over:

Have a great weekend.  Enjoy the people and the places I'm with/at.  Don't think about food choices at all and therefore make plenty of unhealthy food choices.  Get used to delicious and unhealthy food that I am choosing and the not caring about the consequences. Go back to work on Monday exhausted from the good times and used to eating bad foods.  Have a hard time snapping back to being "good."

That is the case this Monday morning for sure.  I had a super stupendous great weekend, being a fun aunt with two of my nieces and nephews.  Helped my nephew learn to walk and had many a wonderful discussion with my chatty three-year-old niece. I also cheered on my big brother at his first 5k race!  That was a big highlight of the weekend, especially when he came in second overall! He even got a medal, which makes me just the tiniest bit jealous. I'm so proud of him for having the courage to start running.


But now it's Monday, and I was back to reality today.  Tiredness is my number one trigger, so as you can imagine I did not fair so well in the realm of diets. I wish I could find the balance, the way to live a full life and not go overboard with food.  This living in the gray is harder than it looks.


PS. Can you believe it is August?  Quite possibly my least favorite month of the year. Just the sound of the name conjures images of sweatiness.