Happy Memorial Day (and the Weekly Recap - Wk.2)

Greetings and welcome back! I know it's been a few days, so let me just get this thing crackin - I have to be up early tomorrow!

First of all, THANK YOU and GOD BLESS to all those out there serving this fine country and keeping me free to run every day. And of course, the same goes for those who have gone before and served and given their lives. I know that the liberties that I enjoy are brought to me courtesy of their sacrifice.

Secondly - here's what I've been up to since Thursday:

Friday: Hills (the picture doesn't do it justice - it's rough, I promise)

After a 10 minute warm up, I ran up this bad boy 5 times (each time took about 2:30) and jogged down. This is one of the many, many hills at Camp Smith in Aiea (also known as "Camp Stairmaster") I did the workout on my lunch break and then went back into the office where I was reminded that, no matter what kind of week I have, at 2 p.m. on any given Friday, I have the best job in the world:



Saturday: I hiked up to Maunawili Falls with Amanda. All the pictures we took are on her camera, so you'll have to wait, but here's what we got to see when we got to the top:



Definitely worth how sore my glutes have been ever since! I'll post the pics as soon as I can.

Sunday: Day off. An essential part of the training process. Usually my long run is on Sunday, but since I had today off, I did it this a.m. instead.

In Conclusion...
So far, I'm putting in more miles in the week than The Training Plan calls for, so I'm feeling ahead of the curve and good about life. I've made some purchases this weekend that will not only aid in my training, but makes for good blog fodder as well, so stay tuned for product reviews and training tips in the week(s) to come.

While the running has been going great (I don't even need to take Advil before I head out anymore!), the diet has been less than great. Amanda in town + Beautiful Teresa's birthday + Memorial Day cookout = Several steps back for this gal. No worries though! Nothing can be done but to do better in the coming week. We're only 2 weeks into this, so I won't let it get me down too bad. (Sneak peak: one of the purchases this weekend was a scale, so prepare for full weight disclosure. Painful as that may be for yours truly).

Happy Memorial Day!

The Non-Diet Diet

If you're anything like me, just the thought of the word "diet" makes you cringe and want to grab the nearest cupcake out of spite. No one likes to "diet". "Dieting" implies deying oneself, being hungry all the time, and just general unfun-ness. And then, of course, there's always some new, hip, GUARUNTEED new diet that will magically make you lose weight. Ever had one of those conversations around the office water cooler that go something like:

Annoying Co-worker: Hey Ash, how's that diet coming along?

Ash: Meh. I miss carbs/fat/dairy/sugar/[insert whatever you've given up here]

ACW: Wow. Well let me tell you about this *shiny new diet* that my cousin just told me about.

Ash: Oh yeah?

ACW: Yeah, he's a trainer in Los Angeles and he knows this one guy who visited the hairstylest for the trainer for Jennifer Anniston and J-Lo and he says the new rage is the wheat grass-snow pea-acai diet. How it works is, you eat nothing but wheat grass, snow peas, and acai-infused hipster beverages and then you do this new cardioyogalates that's just SUPER intense.

Ash: Whoa. That does sound intense.

ACW: Naw, it's great! And it really, really works! Look at me! I lost 15 lbs in a week! (and then gained back 30, no big deal though)

Know what I'm talking about? I'm thinking about alleviating the word "diet" from my vocabulary altogether. The truth of the matter is: it doesn't matter where you get your calories from, in order to lose weight you need to take in fewer calories than you burn. Any gimmicky diets are just trying to mask that fact with glitter and a pretty, B-List spokesperson.

I recently picked up a copy of Runner's World that has a section on weight-loss myths. I'll go ahead and recap the best ones for you:

Myth: To lose weight, cut carbs or fat
Fact: See above. It basically says the same thing.

Myth: Mini-Meals are better than hearty ones
Fact: People think that eating smaller meals a day is a no-fail way to not be hungry, but research has in fact shown that people who are between-meal snackers are more likely to gain weight over a period of time. Bam. Again. Calories in have to be less than calories out over a period of time.

Myth: You have to ban "bad" foods
Fact: You will only take my carbs, wine, and cheese when you pry them from my cold, dead fingers. [that's not what Runner's World said. It said something about an overly restrictive diet will only lead you to over-indulging]

Myth: Eating at night causes weight gain
Fact: It doesn't matter when calories go in, as long as more calories go out. Direct quote: "As long as you don't take in more calories than you burn in a day, you won't gain weight"

So, really, what it's all about is being healthy. Eat less, move your body more. There's no short cut or cheat sheet - it's just the way it is. And with that said, I'm going to go move my body. Up a BIG hill. 4-5 times. Looking forward to it (not so much). I'll make sure to let you all know how it goes ;)

Ouch!

Ah...so here we are. Getting into the nitty-gritty, "running with a purpose workouts". I was on the track today at Camp H.M. Smith, which is pretty lovely as far as tracks go. It's not the nice cushy track material, but it's regular pavement and that's fine and it has a beautiful view of Pearl Harbor and the Pacific. It's also and odd size and length - .44 miles. However, if you start at the designated "start" line, then the 400s (or quarter miles...whatever) are marked out for you as long as you run in a clockwise direction. Anyway, here is my workout that I did today:

3 very easy laps (just over 1 1/4 miles) to warm up

4x800 aiming at 3:30 per 800*

3 very easy laps cool down

Total: 10 laps or 4.44 miles (I jogged to and from the track, so I'm going to go ahead and say I put in 4.5 today)

How did I fare, you may ask? Well, I was dreading this workout all day because track workouts have always been my least favorite. Throughout my entire high school and collegiate running career I never ran track, only cross country. I'm not a fan of running in circles. So, I tried not to psych myself out, but I'm afraid I kinda did anyway. Here are my times, and the accompanying songs from my precious (3 of the 4 are on Ashleigh's Definitive Kick-Ass Running Mix:

1 - 3:22 {"Anytime" by Eve 6}

2 - 3:28 {"Definition" by Blackstar}

3 - 3:32 {"Sugar, We're Goin' Down" by Fall Out Boy}

4 - 3:40 {"Mr. Brightside" by The Killers}

As you can see, the middle two were right on the money, but the first one was overly ambitious, and I definitely hit the proverbial "wall" on the last go-round. All in all, not a horrible workout, but I can definitely tell that my speed is WAY down, as well as my ability to find a good pace and sink into it. But, that will take time. And since it was my first track workout in ages so I won't beat myself up too much over it.

Extra Bonus: track workouts only come once a week so I'm done with that for 7 days! Woot Woot!


*3:30 is the magic number today because that's a 7:00 minute mile pace. My goal is to run this marathon somewhere between a 7:30-8:00 mile pace the whole time (rather ambitious I know, but it's early on and I'm still all glassy-eyed and dreamy). A lot of running articles I've read tell you to determine how fast to run your intervals based on percentage of max heart rate. Since I have yet to procure a heart rate monitor, I just went ahead and picked what I felt was an obtainable goal faster than my goal race pace (it has to be faster because it's only for a short distance. Man, this is the longest footnote ever. I think I'll have to dedicate an entire post to interval workouts)

Glam it Up

Did anyone else see this?


For those of you who didn't, that's Venus Williams at the French Open the other day. Now, I've never been a huge tennis fan (I can't even tell you if Venus is the older or younger of the Williams sisters) but I LOVE this! Here is a professional, elite, strong woman athlete who decided to be a little pretty and wear a lil' lace thing for her opening match. Nothin' wrong with that!

This is one of those things that I used to scoff at as well. Who gets all prettied-up just to get all sweaty and nasty, anyway? Then I spent a couple of months in the desert. When I first arrived and saw all the pretty little Air Force girls in the bathroom with their blow dryers and eye-liner, I was judgey-ms.judgster. Where did these girls think they were, anyway? Perhaps no on else noticed that we were in the bowels of hell and not headed to the mall.

I lasted about 3 weeks before calling and emailing my mom and my best girlfriend to send me makeup, lotion, pretty underwear, anything to make me feel pretty again - like a girl again. Because, after all, I am a girl and there's nothing wrong with wanting to feel like one - even if you're in the desert. Even if you're competing in the French Open. Even if you're out for a run with your dogs.

Now, I have yet to engage in any "pretty running" yet. (Up at 5 a.m. and "no frills", remember?) But I think I might give it a try sometime. Especially since Gwen Stefani said she always wears her signature red lipstick - even while running (another reason to love her - she runs!). And hey, in this girl's opinion if Gwen Stefani does it, it's at least worth a shot.



I'll make sure to capture the moment when I do decide to go "pretty running" and share it with you here. Who knows? Maybe I'll like it! Maybe red lipstick will help me run 26.2 miles faster? What do you think?

The Weekly Recap

Greetings to all of you! How was everyone's weekend? Mine was glorious, but as always, too short! I think 3-day weekends should be every weekend. I started my Sunday morning by waking up at 7 to get a long, slow run in before church. It was just over an hour long, but I had to stop for about 6 minutes in the middle to swap out dogs. It's a little counter-productive to run with two dogs sometimes - I feel like I spend more time untangling and scolding them than actually moving in a forward direction. I'm sure somebody somewhere has beautiful, charming, well-behaved beasts that trot obediently next to them while they run - Brando and Gwen are not those beasts.

Brando:


Gwen:


I know, they look pretty mellow here, but don't fooled. I tried all weekend to get a good picture of them outside, but they wouldn't hold still long enough for me to do it!

After church, I came home and whipped up this salad (you can see the super easy recipe for the fish here)

When the fish was ready, I just threw together what salad ingredients I had on hand (organic mixed greans, red bell pepper, cherry tomatoes, and red onion) and threw it on top and sat on my lanai and had a lovely lunch with the dogs before I took a very, VERY long nap ;)

The End of Week 1
Every Sunday I'm going to try to recap the previous week and how I feel I'm progressing as far as marathon training and dieting. There's not a whole lot to report this week, since the only goal was to get out the door and run. I guess since I did that every day except for Thursday and Saturday, I'm doing alright for now. The diet has been going alright as well. I'm trying to be more aware of the calories coming in, and cutting them out where possible. However, I don't have to diet on my birthday, so on Friday my dear friend Teresa and I were allowed to have all the cheese we wanted and 2 desserts from my favorite restaurant on this island, Vino. Well worth it ;) Also, Saturday should have been a cross-training day, and if you count drinking too many margaritas and dancing around the house with the dogs while I clean, then I did well. If that doesn't quite count as a legitimate workout, then I'm going to play the birthday card for Saturday as well!

The Ultimate Running Playlist
As promised, I'm going to reveal my super-motivational running mix. I need to make some more, because this one in particular was developed for 5 miles in 37:30 on a treadmill, but it is pretty amazing, so let me share:

1. Anytime - Eve 6
2. Definition - Black Star
3. Go! - Common
4. Pour Some Sugar on Me - Def Leppard
5. Sugar, We're Goin' Down - Fall Out Boy
6. I'm Real - Jennifer Lopez (with Ja Rule)
7. Alright - John Legend
8. Touch The Sky - Kanye West ft. Lupe Fiasco
9. Raver Girl - Locale A.M.
10. Glow - Alien Ant Farm

I was going to link all of these songs to wear you can buy them on iTunes, but now I just want to go and have a glass of wine on my lanai, so (since I know my readership is of above average intelligence) you can figure it out on your own. Or, better yet - just let me know and I'll burn you a CD and you can let me know if it works as well for you as it does for me.

Happy Sunday!

Birthday Love

Thank you everybody for all the Birthday love on Facebook! Man - 26! I'm practically dead! But it's such an ego boost to log on there and see 45 "Happy Birthday" messages. I have the most amazing family and friends in the world. Lots and lots of love to all of you.

Today I'm going to talk to you about my "preciiiooouuussss" (read in creepy gollum voice). It's my sexy little yellow Ipod Nano 5th generation. It is such an amazing little device. Billy bought me the 16GB one (it also comes with 8GB for about $30 less), which is enough to hold every single song I have in itunes with some more room to spare. It also records video - how cool is that? VERY cool.


So why I am rambling on about this to you? To make you absolutely envious? Because I get royalties from Apple to plug their products? Hardly! Because I asked for said gadget (with accompanying sexy Nike headphones and neoprene armband) specifically for this marathon training experiment that I have embarked upon.

Now first you should know a little something about me: I am a no-frills runner. Some flashy shoes in high school was about as trendy as I ever got. It always seemed silly to wear fancy gear and have electronics strapped to your head because to me the beauty of running is the simplicity of it: you don't need any equipment besides some good shoes, your legs, and the ground beneath your feet. No rackets, clubs, balls, goggles, pads...you get the picture. I always secretly mocked those Under Armour bedecked people I'd see running along the side of the road with their ipods and fanny packs. "Unplug yourselves!" I'd say to them from out of earshot in my car, "For crying out loud, enjoy the day! Why do these people think they need to be plugged into something electronic all the time?" I'd lament to anyone lucky enough to be passenging with me at the time.

And then I started thinking: sometimes running just sucks. It doesn't suck on beautiful mornings when I'm running with my dogs and we're out for a leisurly 30 minute jaunt and are free to chase the frogs and crabs on the beach and pick up seashells. But running does suck on a track - circle after monotonous, painful circle; or while doing agonizing hill repeats; or if circumstances call (God forbid) for you to run on a treadmill (we'll talk about treadmills later. I'm convinced that's where runners' dreams go to die).

The last time I was subject to such soul-crushing workouts, I was on Concordia's Cross-Country team, and before that in high school. Being on a team running up a grueling hill is MUCH better than doing it by yourself. There's camaraderie and support and motivation. I am not going to kid myself into thinking I am motivated enough to endure the most craptastic of workouts without some sort of help. And that's where my precious comes in. To keep my mind distracted enough during to finish my workout on the days when running just sucks.

I even have "Ashleigh's Ultimate, Definitive, Most BAD-ASS Running Mix" saved and it's come in handy so far while I put in laps on the track at Camp Smith. Would you like to know what this lady listens to while she's plugged in? Stay tuned...

Wake-Up Call

One of the biggest challenges I've faced so far this week in my attempt to get back into the training state of mind is the early morning wake-up call. If you're a working professional, student, or someone who enjoys their slumber, perhaps you have this problem as well. For the past 4 mornings, my alarm has greeted me at 5 a.m. For 3 of the past 4 mornings, I've reset it to 6 and said "Screw it! I'll run on my lunch break."

Now, while it's really not a big deal for the time being, it will be when my workouts start getting longer and will take up more than my little lunch break. So, I really need to start convincing my 5 a.m. brain to just suck it up and get out the door.

In order to help myself, I've compiled a little list of reasons why it's best to just get my butt out of bed and get moving:

1 - If I just wake up and do it, then it's done. I can feel justified for the rest of the day and I don't need to think about it anymore.

2 - It's the perfect time of day to run weather-wise. It's nice and cool and that is especially helpful if you live in a place like Hawaii where people who run at noon are insane.

3 - Traffic. Or, the lack thereof. There's not a whole lot of people competing for road at 5 in the morning and that's very helpful when you run with two 4-legged beasts who have apparent ADD and like to chase everything that moves. Which brings me to...

4 - The poor beasts. Brando and Gwen (my running partners) are locked up in their kennel 10 hours a day while I'm at work. It makes me feel sad for my active little dogs. When I run at work, they're stuck in jail. So for their health and well-being it's best to wake up and get them running.

5 -

This is the reward I get if I manage to haul myself out of bed! Worth it, don't you think?

The Game Plan

So.

First things first. Billy is gone. He made it safely to Kadena yesterday evening, which was really 3 pm this (Tuesday) afternoon. Confused? Yeah, me too. It's been tomorrow over there for half a day already or something like that. Stupid international dateline. It's all sorts of mind numbing to try to figure out. Anyway, I've gone for 2 runs since I dropped him off yesterday morning at Hickam AFB. First, I cried, then went for a run before work. Then, fully intended to wake up at 5 a.m. and round up the beasts to go for a run, but sleeping for an extra hour seemed like a much, MUCH better plan - so, I ran on my lunch break instead. Both runs were about 40 minutes - which I would love to believe is 5 miles, but I'm afraid it is not so. This is my "get back into it" week. It's the first week of my training plan for the Honolulu Marathon. "What's that?" you say? "You have a plan? Of course I do! What did you think? That this was just some chump operation? NO! This is Operation: Sexy Bitch.

THE PLAN
I'm going to be roughly following the Runner's World Rookie Marathon Training Plan. Makes sense to me, since this is my rookie marathon attempt. Since the plan is a 4 month training regime, and I have more than 4 months before December 12, 2010, I have some room to tweak it a little bit. As I said, this week is "just get out the door and run" week. It's the "I won't step on a scale until I run for one week" week. It's the "I can't even think about training for a marathon unless I can get into the habit of running ever day again" week. Get the picture? This week time doesn't matter, distance doesn't matter and hills and track workouts are not on the agenda. Next week I'll get crackin' on the plan. This week, I'm just running and getting into the swing of my diet. Which brings me too...

THE DIET
Ready for your math lesson for the day? Because if you're one of the 3 people reading this, you're going to get it. Here's how yours truly is approaching her diet:

No matter how you slice it, you need to burn more calories than you take in to lose weight. Besides liposuction, this is the only way -

Calories In < Calories Out

Now, according to popular science, it takes about 3,000 calories to lose one pound of fat (crappy return, I know). So, all I need to do is consistently be burning 3,000 calories!!! SOOOO easy, right? HA! Maybe not so much. But...

If a person my size burns approximately 100 calories per mile she runs and say, to begin with, I run 20 miles/week. That's 2,000 calories in one week from running. Let's say I also sacrifice 150 calories every day from my diet: I switch back to skim milk (which Billy doesn't drink. we're 2%ers while he's around), steak sunday is put on hold, I *gasp* reduce my latte intake, or even (and I can hardly type this) not drink a glass of wine every night...you get the picture. If I can consume 150 calories LESS per day than I was before, in 7 days, that's another 1,050 calories. And BAM! There's my 3,050 calorie deficit. Or 1 pound in 1 week (PLEASE note that there's a lot of "ish" in this logic).

IN CONCLUSION...
The only way to lose weight is to eat less and exercise more. And that's what I plan to do. Training for a marathon will certainly help. Another Note: the number on the scale is NOT the most important thing, either. We all know that muscle weighs more than fat and blah blah blah...we'll get into that as the weeks progress and I procure myself a scale and a tape measurer (I dread the proportions! I've been called "square" in the past due to my boyish frame)

I hope the math lesson didn't bore all of you. Stay tuned for more interesting topics such as the debate over running shorts or skirts, the best solution for chub rub, and why I judge every other runner I see...

Operation: Sexy Bitch

there is a universal truth among us military wives. more powerful than the desire to lose weight for swimsuit season (which, in hawaii, is all the time), or to fit into a wedding dress, or to look good for a high school reunion: the deployment diet.

if you're on the deployment diet, you fall into one of two columns: either you are the one deploying, or your spouse is. last deployment cycle, i belonged in the first column. there is no skinny like deployment skinny. it's too hot in the desert to eat much, and there's nothing to do to waste time besides work out. i now am in the second column. i am no longer in the navy, but billy (my heroic, self-sacrificing, heroic, naval aircrewman husband) has left for japan for 6 months. therefore, i am going to not only dedicate the next half year of my life to not only losing weight and getting in shape to look super, SMOKIN hot by the time hubby gets home, but i'm going to do so primarily by training for the honolulu marathon, which is in december.

and i'm going to chronicle my progress here. because when your spouse is gone, you have a lot more spare time on your hands....