bunnees

2/17

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 04:16:40 GMT

Skipped my 8 mile run today. So tomorrow is going to have to be a double, if I am going to be able to use Friday as my off-day.

8 miles am, 4 miles pm, 60 minutes weights pm.

2/16

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 21:18:24 GMT

Yesterday, 8 miles, 1:02:31! 7:49/mile pace. Outside on the lake path.

Today, 3 miles on the treadmill and 40 minutes of biking. Aiming for about 2000 calories.

2/15

Sun, 15 Feb 2009 20:20:20 GMT

It was a great Valentine's Day! Yay!

In running news:
Thursday = off
Friday = 6 miles, hill workout (pyramid style: warmup, 1 min each at 4,5,6/5,6,7/6,7,8/8,7,6/7,6,5/6,5,4% incline at 7.0 with 3 min recovery at 0% incline at 6.6 between each set, cooldown)
Saturday = 16 miles, 2:18:48

In food news:
Thursday = 1735 calories
Friday = 2450 calories (thanks to going out for drinks!)
Saturday = 2010 calories

Today will be 8 miles at marathon pace. Maybe 2200 calories in total?

2/8

Sun, 08 Feb 2009 17:12:03 GMT

10 miles yesterday, 1:24:33 (which includes time spent at stoplights during the first 1 and the last 5 miles, a misguided -- and slow-moving -- run through mud, and the fact that I had to climb a fence to avoid a flooded trail). Not bad! And the temperatures hit the 50s, so I got to go out in shorts. It is supposed to be 63 on Tuesday! This mini heat wave is making me incredibly happy. :)

So, since my 10 mile turned into 10 mile pace, I think I am just going to do an easy 7 miles today.

After the gym, I am going to see He's Not Just that Into You with a friend and then out to a restaurant with amazing chocolate desserts with another friend. Pretty girly day -- despite the fact that the latter friend is male.

2/7

Sat, 07 Feb 2009 19:53:09 GMT

I am going out for a run today. With my new Garmin 305. IN SHORTS.

2/6

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 19:35:34 GMT

I have been told (vague sentence structure!) that I need to keep a food log for this week that includes not only the items that I eat but the times at which I eat them. And I need to hit 2000 calories per day.

So, onwards:

Breakfast, 8:15am:
1. Oatmeal (250)
2. Asian pear (110)

Activity, 9:00am-11:00am:
1. Step class
2. Powerflex class

Lunch, 1:00pm:
1. Easy Mac (220) -- nice, huh?
2. 4 cups spinach with sweet and spicy tuna packet, ff catalina dressing (275)

Snack, 3:00pm:
1. Orange (70)

Snack, 4:30pm:
1. Apple (80)

Dinner at a restaurant, 7:00pm:
1. Split portion of dosai
2. Split portion of eggplant curry
3. 1/2 cup rice

Dessert, 3:30am!:
1. Cookie dough!

2/3

Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:29:49 GMT

Busy, busy, busy. I had a rough 14 mile run on Sunday, thanks to quite a bit of soreness in my knees. (But I felt much better after the Brazilian dinner!) I just did 60 minutes of cross-training yesterday. I am following Hal Higdon's Advanced I training program this time around, but with cross-training on Mondays instead of the short run:
http://www.halhigdon.com/marathon/advanced1/advanced1.htm
I am in week 6.

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal with banana (350)

Snack:
1. Hot chocolate (120)

Lunch:
1. Tofu (160)
2. Tomato soup (200)

Snack:
1. Apple (100)

Dinner:
1. Turkey meatloaf (400)
2. Spinach salad with light catalina dressing (140)

Dessert:
1. Orange (70)
2. Candied ginger (100)

Activity:
1. Running (60 minutes, 7.06 miles)

1/31

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 23:40:52 GMT

I had such a lovely date last night. Hurray! Presumably still in a daze from the goodnight kiss (haha), I forgot to pack socks in my gym bag for this morning. My poor blistered feet never would have made it, so I am doing the 14 miler tomorrow. This actually works out better, as I will be going to an all-you-can-eat Brazilian steak place that night: preemptive calorie burning, in other words.

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal with vanilla whey (325)
2. Orange (70)

Lunch (with my mom):
1. Turkey sub with red wine vinegar, lettuce, onion, tomato (350?)
2. Minestrone soup (300?)

Snack:
1. Baked apple with balsamic (120)

Dinner:
1. Jr. Cheeseburger from Wendy's (260)
2. Jr frosty (160)

Drinks:
1. Miller light (96)
2. Amstel light x 2 (190)

Later:
1. Tortilla chips (150)
2. Apple (100)

Activity:
1. Running (1 mile, 7:30)
2. Step class
3. Powerflex class

1/30

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 15:13:37 GMT

Busy, busy. Up a few pounds, thanks to going out and having fun with friends (and boys!). My size 1s are getting a bit too tight again, which is a sign to eat more cleanly.

(Of course, I have a date tonight at a Cuban restaurant. And my mom is coming down for a visit on Saturday. And I am going out Saturday night. And I am meeting the semi-ex at a Brazilian steak place Sunday night. Whew.)

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal (225)

Snack:
1. Cottage cheese (160)

Lunch:
1. Tofu (160)
2. Mixed greens with vinaigrette (75)

Snack:
1. Baked apple (120)

Dinner:
1. Jibarito!
2. Mexican hot chocolate!
3. Split portion of creme brulee!

Activity:
1. Running (60 minutes, 7.15 miles)
2. Biking (40 minutes, hill program, level 11)

1/28

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 15:17:00 GMT

I have a lunch date! I need to hit the gym beforehand, so I am already running late. :)

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal with vanilla whey (250)
2. Orange (70)

Lunch:
1. Turkey sandwich with avocado, chili mayo, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, sprouts

Dinner:
1. Oat bran cereal (290)
2. Mixed greens with vinaigrette (75)

Dessert:
1. Baked apple with balsamic (120)
1. Granola bar (180)

Activity:
1. Running (7 miles speedwork: 1 mile warmup, .5 miles @ 8.2/.5 miles @ 6.6 x 5, 1 mile cooldown = 58:39)

In my inbox...

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 21:37:09 GMT

Dear (bunnees),

This is to notify you that your entry into the 113th Boston Marathon on Monday, April 20, 2009 has been accepted, provided that the information you submitted is accurate.

You can verify your acceptance into the field by searching the 113th Boston Marathon "Entrants" database on the B.A.A. web site, www.baa.org/2009/cf/Public/EntryLists.cfm. Additionally, an acceptance postcard will be mailed to you via US Postal Service mail.

In early April 2009, an official Number Pick-up Card and extensive information regarding the B.A.A. Boston Marathon and related race week activities will be mailed to you via US Postal Service first class mail. If you do not receive your Number Pick-up Card (required to claim number) and brochure by April 11, please contact our Registration Office at registration@baa.org. Registration related inquiries may also be directed to 508-435-6905.

Note that bib numbers will not be distributed on Race Day. Your travel arrangements should take into account picking up your number at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston on Friday, April 17 from 2:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., or Saturday, April 18 or Sunday, April 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

We look forward to seeing you in April! Best of luck in your training!

Sincerely,

Boston Athletic Association

1/27

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 14:13:37 GMT

Bah. Ate cereal and two granola bars late last night. I was hungry -- but I probably wasn't that hungry. Just bored. But today is a new day!

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal with 1 tbsp "better than peanut butter" (200)
2. Banana (120)

Snack:
1. 0% greek yogurt (120)

Lunch:
1. Whole wheat pita with bean dip (280)

Snack:
1. Baked apple with balsamic (120)

Dinner (out?):
1. Empanada
2. Arroz con mariscos
3. Beer!

Dessert:
1. Cereal (290)

Activity:
1. Running (4 miles)
2. Biking (30 minutes, hill program, level 11)

1/26

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 13:28:12 GMT

Lots of work to do today!

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal with vanilla whey (250)
2. Banana (120)

Snack:
1. Two oranges (140)

Lunch:
1. Scrambled egg whites with salsa in whole grain tortilla (260)
2. Spinach with vinaigrette (75)

Snack:
1. Popcorn (130)

Dinner:
1. Greek pizza (450)
2. Sliced tomatoes (80)

Dessert:
1. Baked apple with balsamic (120)

Activity:
1. Running (6 miles)

1/25

Sun, 25 Jan 2009 19:52:41 GMT

I had such a nice time last night. I met up with the semi-ex (we have lapsed into this easy "hanging out" mode) to watch a movie at his place. Then we picked up another friend and went out for Greek food. Mmmm. This morning, semi-ex and I ran a lot of errands and got some Vietnamese food for brunch. Funny how the weekends always seem so less stressful, even though my work schedule isn't automatically any different!

In other news, I hopped on the scale for the first time in three weeks or so: 139.8.

Brunch:
1. Spicy stir-fried shrimp with onions, red and green peppers
2. 2/3 cup (approx.) steamed white rice

Snack:
1. Baked apple with balsamic (120)

Dinner:
1. Mixed greens salad with tuna, sliced orange pepper, slivered almonds, honey mustard vinaigrette (330)
2. Orange (70)

Dessert:
1. Sugar-free hot chocolate (70)
2. Granola bar (140)

Activity:
1. Biking (40 minutes, hill program, level 11)
2. Evil stair-climber (20 minutes, fat burner plus program, level 10)

1/24

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 16:17:46 GMT

Pre-run:
1. Oatmeal with vanilla whey powder (250)
2. Banana (120)

Post-run:
1. Starbucks grande tea latte with skim milk and sugar-free syrup (160)

Lunch:
1. Tomato soup (200)
2. Orange (70)

Snack:
1. Baked apple with balsamic (120)

Dinner (out!):
1. "Flaming" cheese and bread
2. 1/2 portion: Tomato stuffed with ground beef, rice, feta, pinenuts, tomato sauce
3. 1/2 portion: Gyros meat with onions and tzazaki sauce
3. Drinks! (2 light beers, 1 mixed drink)

Activity:
1. Running (60 minutes, outside!)

brrrr

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 04:41:02 GMT

So tomorrow morning is my first run with the training group. The run starts at 8am. According to weather.com, the weather is supposed to be as follows: 6 degrees (feels like -13 degrees), 18mph NW winds. Awesome. I am wearing the following: running tights (and probably a pair of lightweight fleece pants on top), long sleeve tech shirt, fleece zip-up sweatshirt, Nike winter running jacket, two pairs of socks, big thermalite gloves, fleece headband.

This is why I am a treadmill runner at heart -- at least for winter training.

Anyway, the group is scheduled to do 12 miles. Since it is still "zero week" for me, I am going to do 60 minutes instead (a bit under 7 miles, I imagine).

1/23

Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:45:59 GMT

I had a rough day yesterday. And then I totally forgot one of my close friend's birthdays. He even called me to see what I was up to last night. Gah.

Breakfast:
1. Scrambled egg whites with salsa on whole grain tortilla (260)
2. Orange (70)

Lunch (out at Cheesecake Factory!):
1. Lunch-sized Santa Fe salad, no cheese, vinaigrette dressing on the side (650?)

Snack:
1. Orange (70)

Dinner:
1. Healthy request soup (260)
2. Cauliflower (60)

Snack:
1. Popcorn (130)

Activity:
1. Biking (40 minutes, hill program, level 10)

1/22

Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:12:45 GMT

Breakfast:
1. Mini Lara bar (130)
2. Orange (70)

Snack:
1. Yogurt (80)

Lunch:
1. Oatmeal with vanilla whey powder (325)
2. Banana (120)

Pre-movie:
1. Chicken noodle soup (200)

Post-movie:
1. Buffalo burger with ketchup on whole wheat pita (425)
2. Sliced tomato (50)

Dessert:
1. Baked apple with balsamic (120)

Activity:
1. None!

1/21

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 14:10:24 GMT

Okay, back to work. Still a bit sick. I am going to let myself relax with a book and some tea until 10am, go to the running store (new shoes?) and the grocery store, and then come back home to get to work on my paper.

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal with vanilla whey powder (250)
2. Orange (70)

Snack:
1. Apple (100)

Lunch:
1. Spinach salad with "sweet and spicy" tuna, sliced tomatoes, celery (285)
2. Tomato soup (200)

Snack:
1. Mini Lara bar (110)

Dinner:
1. Buffalo burger with ketchup on whole wheat pita bread (425)
2. Celery (20)

Dessert:
1. Baked apple with balsamic vinegar (120)

Activity:
1. Running (20 minutes, very easy)

Booooo!

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 01:10:02 GMT

So I went online to register for the Boston marathon...and it is already closed! Apparently the race did not fill until late February last year.

Oh well. Looks like I will have more time to recover. Boston 2010, here I come!

I am signing up for Chicago the day it opens, by the way. ;)

1/20

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 14:36:10 GMT

Who said that running was a cheap sport? All in all, I probably spent $800 on the three day trip to Phoenix. Race registration fees are $25-110. Shoes are $80-100. Gels, beans, and bloks are $1-2 each. Gym membership is $30/month. And you have to buy socks and shorts and tech shirts and sports bras and pants and tights.

And, since I lost so much weight thanks to running, I have to count the cost of an entire new wardrobe in there too! :)

The reason for all of these thoughts: Boston is going to be expensive! I am looking at $250 minimum for the flight, $175 minimum/night for the hotel room, $110 for the race registration, $190 for the Adidas Boston Bound training program (a fee that I am happy to pay to my local running store, considering how helpful they are and this program will be). Plus food and other transportation and official merchandise and etc. Maybe I will see if my mom wants to come along. It would be nice to have company -- and someone with whom to split the cost of a hotel room! Haha.

Breakfast:
1. Oatmeal with vanilla whey powder (325)
2. Orange (70)

Snack:
1. Apple (100)

Lunch:
1. Vegetarian lentil soup (300)

Snack:
1. Mini Lara bar (110)

Dinner:
1. Lean Cuisine pizza (340)
2. Broccoli (130)

Dessert:
1. Vanilla whey powder (100)
2. Frozen strawberries (150)

Activity:
1. None!!!

Cold weather, a cold

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 02:56:11 GMT

I had heard that running a marathon is a huge shock to your immune system, making you much more susceptible to colds etc.

I woke up this morning with a stuffy nose and a headache. I have been sneezing all day.

On the other hand, my body itself doesn't feel that bad, all things considered. My knees are a bit achy; my shoulder is still sore; my leg muscles are all pretty tight. Going downstairs (or down an incline of any kind) hurts. I felt fine pedaling slowly on the bike and walking around, though. The main source of trouble seems to be my feet with all of their blisters.

1/19

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 20:38:58 GMT

Breakfast:
1. Apple cinnamon oatmeal (260)
2. Raisins (130)

Snack:
1. Mini Lara bar -- thanks marathon goodie bag! (110)

Lunch:
1. Tilapia (100)
2. Baked sweet potato with 0% greek yogurt (340)

Snack:
1. Protein powder (80)

Dinner:
1. Salad with tuna, celery, silvered almonds, balsamic vinegar (325)
2. Apple (100)

Dessert:
1. Mini Lara bar (130)
2. Sugar-free cider (15)

Activity:
1. Biking (25 minutes, hill program, level 8)
2. Lots of stretching!

Marathon race report: RNR Arizona

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 16:12:41 GMT

For those of you who aren't interested in the long race report, a summary: I ran my first full marathon on Sunday. Not only did I finish, but I also qualified for Boston!

For those of you who are interested, click

I never used to be a runner. More honestly, I never used to like to run. When I decided to get into shape in September 2006, I figured that running would be the best way to lose some weight. I started out only being able to jog for 2 or 3 minutes at a time. By June, I worked my way up to being able to run 3-5 miles on the treadmill at a 10:00-11:00 mile pace. I entered my first 5k in August, and I finished in 31 minutes.

And then I got hooked. I worked my way up to 8k and 10k distances. I got faster. Eventually I did a half-marathon in May 2008, finishing in 1:42. I figured that the marathon was next. My summer training didn't go very well, so I knew that a fall marathon was out of the question. So, somewhat randomly, I decided to sign up for the PF Chang's Rock 'N Roll Arizona marathon in January. The weather in Phoenix/Scottsdale/Tempe had to be nice, at least!

It was. I arrived in Phoenix on Friday, and the temperature was 75 degrees! In contrast, the weather when I left for the airport that morning was -17 degrees with the wind chill. So I spent most of Friday wandering around outside at the Tempe Marketplace and lounging by the pool. On Saturday, I went to the expo and ate a pasta lunch. (Dinner consisted of animal crackers, oatmeal raisin cookies, and a banana. Whatever works, I suppose!). I went to bed that night at 7pm, totally worn out.

On the day of the race, I woke up at 3am. I was too nervous to go back to sleep, so I ate a leisurely breakfast and got ready. The hotel shuttle left at 5:15am, arriving at the starting line around 6am. The race was not set to begin until 7:40am, so I killed some time wandering around, stretching, listening to music, pinning my Gu packets into my shorts, and using the bathrooms (4 times!). Despite all of this extra time, I only made it into my corral 90 seconds or so before the race began, due to a final bathroom visit.

The gun went off, and we were off. I started in the back of Corral 2, right behind John, the 3:40 pacer. I knew that it would be important for me to follow the pacer if I wanted to earn a Boston qualifying time, especially since I did almost all of my training for the race -- including all of the long runs -- on the treadmill. I told myself that I would just imagine John as the front of the machine. For the most part, that worked.

The first few miles were pretty easy, considering the fact that we were running a bit slower than pace. We started to speed up to 8:16-8:20/mile around the 3 mile marker. The weather was nice, and I was feeling pretty good. We ran straight north for about 5 miles, before turning right. And then we ran straight for another good stretch of time. I took a Gu at the 6 mile mark. Honestly, I don't remember much about the scenery here. There was an accident, though, in a parking lot of a gas station. And a couple of close calls (squealing tires, etc) due to all of the congestion on the roads.

Somewhere before the 9 mile mark, we ran by a shopping area (Macy's, etc). I normally don't like Coldstone, but the idea of an ice cream sounded pretty good at that point. More miles peeled away. Lots of bands, lots of JV cheerleading squads. I hit the half-way point at a little under 1:50, meaning that I was still on pace -- and I was in front of John by 15-20 seconds, actually. I remember thinking that the half-marathoners had it easy. (This was just a flash of bitterness, of course). I took another Gu.

Miles 14-17 were fine. Mile 17 was rough. I started walking through the water stations. We hit downtown Scottsdale at mile 18, which the race description refers to as having an "array of fabulous restaurants, unique shops, exquisite art galleries and pumpin’ nightclubs." All I saw were weird southwestern trinket stores and antique shops. And open fire hydrants, which made me worry that my wet shorts were going to start chafing my legs. Oh well. I was really struggling.

They handed out Gu at mile 19, which got me to mile 20. This was now officially the longest that I had ever ran. I knew that if I kept on pace I would only have about 50 minutes to go. I used this knowledge as a motivator, telling myself that walking would only increase the time that I had to spend on this course.

Miles 21 and 22 were very hard. I would fall behind John at every water station and then have to struggle to catch up. Someday I will master the ability to drink and run at the same time. John went over to give his mother a hug at mile 22, and we all wished her a happy birthday. Mile 23 is a blur. We did cross under a freeway, though, which provided some nice shade. It was probably in the 60s at this point, temperature wise.

I hit the wall at mile 24. I took my last, "emergency" Gu. There was a long incline, and I was really struggling. John dropped back to a slower pace, since we had "banked" some time in the first 20 miles. I ended up going ahead, knowing that I was really having some trouble and would need to walk fairly slowly through the last water station. My knees and hips were sore and my calves were starting to twitch. My right shoulder was even hurting.

Mile 25 was so very hard. I was starting to zone out on my feet, and it took a lot of effort for me to snap back into things. Finally, I saw the Mile 26 marker. Only .2 miles to go! But I had nothing left. I was really starting to worry that I would blow it in the last 2 minutes! I kicked it as hard as I could, rounding the corner and approaching the finish line. And I made it. My clock time was 3:40 and some change (which, oddly enough, is also showing up as my chip time: I might have to challenge this, as I know that I crossed the start mat a good 40-50 seconds after the gun went off).

But I QUALIFIED FOR BOSTON!

I thanked John and then hobbled to the medical tent. I made the mistake of sitting down to ice, meaning that I could not get up off the ground for 20 minutes or so. I noticed that I bled through one of my shoes, thanks to some blood blisters (I had a variety of other blisters as well). I hobbled around the finish area, picking up some samples -- but missing out on my free beer! -- before I walked 1.3 miles back to my hotel. I knew that the walk would be good for me in the long run, but I mainly just wanted a double-double, animal style, from In-N-Out. Yum.

I am sore today, but I am so proud of my body and what I accomplished. I am strongly considering Boston this year. And Chicago. :)

food thursday

Thu, 15 Jan 2009 14:46:06 GMT

Breakfast: low-fat peanut butter and banana sandwich on flax bread (79g)
Snack: two pears (43g)
Lunch: mix of oatmeal and kashi honey almond flaxseed cereal, banana (106g)
Snack: baked potato with 0% greek yogurt (67g)
Dinner (out): ???
Dessert: "breakfast" cookie (57g)