This Runner's Confession
I'm sitting here right now on my lanai (that's what we call a patio on the rock for you mainlanders) listening to NoShoesRadio.com, drinking my 2nd glass of pink champagne and enjoying the twilight (the natural event, not the book - although I will admit that I enjoy that too. Don't judge.) I just finished my 250 calorie Lean Cuisine microwaveable deliciousness and flipping through the J.Crew catalog that came in the mail today. I am, in a word, content.
I ran on the track earlier today. I had a good little workout, but nothing especially noteworthy. I'll throw up the numbers later. And while I was sitting here, I got to thinking: If I had to pick a word to describe how I feel when I'm running, what would it be? Certainly not "content". And that led me to come to the conclusion that I am a naturally very lazy person (there was a longer stream of thought in there, but that's the end result). If I knew that I could lose weight by watching Mad Men on DVD and eating bacon, I would pick that over Lean Cuisines and running any day. Is that bad? I feel like as a "runner" I should be one of those people who are like "Oh, I have to run every day. Otherwise I go crazy!" but I don't think I am.
I remember when I finished my one and only collegiate season of cross-country. That crazy (and, in my opinion, stupid) coach had us running 70-75 miles a week to train for our weekly 5K race! You can do the math - that's over 10 miles every day for a 3.17 mile race. Stupid. Anyway, the first Monday after our last race weekend I remember thinking "Thank the Lord!!! I don't have to run today! I'm not going to!" And I didn't for 6 months. 6 MONTHS!!! I was just soooo done with it. I almost feel like that's how I'm going to feel after this marathon. Although I hope not. It would be a shame to throw all this training completely away.
ANYway, what I'm trying to confess is this: if my parents weren't runners, and if my mom had bought my ballet pointe shoes instead of Nikes and told me to go run around the block, and if I wasn't kind of good at it (thanks, genetics!), and if I was about 4 inches taller and naturally about 15 lbs lighter, then would I be a runner? I'm going to have to say no. I would eat cheesey bacon fries every day for lunch, drink a bottle of champagne every night (did I mention I'm on glass 3 now?) and enjoy being sedentary.
Is that bad? I'm just being honest. Always full disclosure on the blog.
But...
The flip side of all that is this: my parents are runners & I did grow up with running, Mom did NOT buy me ballet shoes (MuM - I love you and I'm joking -kind of- xo), I am kind of good at putting one foot in front of the other, I'm NOT taller or thinner. So...what's a girl to do? Spin class? Aerobics? Swimming? Vomit, vomit, vomit. I can't see myself doing any of that.
I guess that's why I run. Plus, running always feels GREAT after it's over ;)
Tuesday Track Day
Nothing special today, but it wasn't bad. My body is still recovering from Saturday's long run. I can definitely feel it. I told myself I'd do a one mile warm-up & cool-down and 4x800 and that's what I did. Here are my 800s:
1 - 3:29
2 - 3:28
3 - 3:26
4 - 3:22
Like I said, nothing major, but I did manage to make each one faster than the previous and that says something, right? Anyway, it's the first time I've run since the 15er and so I'll take anything my body is willing to give.
Now that you all know my secret and how lazy I am, I hope you all still love me! I love you, my loyalblog followers. I really am SO glad I started this blog. Since I am naturally disposed to sitting around, your comments and encouragement are super motivating. Thank all of you! Until the next time...xo
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Learn From Me - NEVER Run 15 Miles
Running 15 Miles...
...Sucks. It hurts. There's not a whole lot of good things I can say about my experience yesterday. I guess the one good thing is that when it's done, you can go around all day and say "I just ran 15 miles. What did you do?" and that gives me a smug sense of accomplishment. Oh, and it also burns a lot of calories, and that helps with the f*$&ing scale (which, today being Sunday, we will surely address in a minute). But, I can also say that I learned a lot during 15 miles. There's not a lot to do besides think when you're pluggin along for 2+ hours. Here's some of what I now know:
Lessons From The Road
First Lesson: I don't care how skinny you think you're getting, Ash - your thighs will never not touch. Therefore, you must apply BodyGlide, vaseline, or some other chub rub deterrent. Otherwise, this will happen:
If you can't tell, that the chafing on the inside of my left thigh (the inside of my right thigh looks quite similar). It wasn't quite an issue until around mile 11 and then it started getting to me. Chub rub was just one of the many ailments I was dealing with for the last 4 miles of my run. Please, read on. And please, please DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!! Chub rub can be avoided. Worst case scenario, compression shorts cure what ails the chubby.
Next lesson: DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Seriously. I know it sounds like common sense, but this mistake can happen even to seasoned veterans of the sport (yes, that would be me. I am seasoned veteran at 26. Don't argue.) Even if you think you've hydrated enough, you probably haven't. I knew before I took off Saturday morning that I hadn't drank enough water the day before. Hydrating the day before is key. If you think you can wake up the morning of a run, pound a liter of water and think it's going to do much for you, think again. I knew I was ill prepared, and yet I set out anyway. It could have been worse, I suppose. I had my hip runner's fanny pack which holds about a bottle of water total and that probably saved me. But my supply was exhausted by mile 13 & by the last mile all I could think of was water (well, and my chub rub and my bloody toe). I think I actually started speeding up just because I wanted some dang water so bad. HYDRATE people!!! It will be one less thing for you to worry about.
Next Lesson: TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you can't run without feet. So take care of them! Who would have thunk that a simple toenail trim before my outing could have saved me so much heartache? By the time I made it home and kicked off my shoes, I had one blood-soaked sock. The reason? The toenail on my little toe cut into the side of my 2nd-to-littlest toe. Ouch. Did I feel it while I was running? Oh yes. Around the last mile and a half I would say is when it really started sucking. Easily avoidable. Take care of your feet.
Next Lesson: Now, this is more personal. I learned that I hate those little GU Energy packs. Nasty, horrid stuff. I packed two gel packs in my little fanny pack, and at mile 5 ripped open my first one. Lemon Sublime, if you were curious. I was so excited for some energy, and all I could think of was that this crap was the consistency of snot and didn't taste much better.
Will everyone hate GU? Probably not. I'm sure lots of people swear by the stuff. But I learned that it does not work for me. Better to find out now than during the marathon, eh?
Next Lesson:
Now, these are the business. They're the anti-GU. My dear friend Tiffany sent them to me in a care package. I just happened to grab them in addition to the GU before I headed out the door and I am SO glad I did. This is my go-to energy source from now on when I head out on my long runs. Clif Bars were always my favorite, so it comes as no surprise that they would make these delicous little bite-sized bits of happiness that tast just like Gushers. Will everyone like them? Probably not. My long-run running buddy, Rob from work, says he hates chewing while he's running. The dude also likes GU. People are different. Find what works for you. I'm glad I found what works for me.
Final Lesson: 15 miles sucks. It hurts. It makes you crabby and question whether you can finish 26.2. But remember that time when you ran 10 miles and felt the same way? Now 10 miles is easy. None of the ailments that accosted me yesterday crept up until after mile 11 or 12. There will be a day when 15 miles is easy. I hope. After all, I have to train my body to run those 15 miles, plus another 11.2. I still have (or only have, depending on my mood) 3 1/2 months to make it happen. 3 1/2 months ago I know that I physically could not have run 15 miles. Go me. I'm getting better (even if it doesn't always feel like it)
The Weigh-In
Let's just get this out there:
135.8
Even with running 15 miles in one day, I still managed only to lose .4 lbs this week. I shan't complain, though. Any loss is good. At least I didn't gain anything. I've had guests in my house for 2 weeks and that means that the pizza and ice cream consumption has usurped the salad intake. Oh well. You only get one life and all that. I can't diet all the time. Next week will be the week. I can feel it ;)
In Other News
My friend Haylie just started a blog on the perils of healthy eating, so I'm going to tell you all to go check it out here.
And it got me thinking about my amazing friends who are also bloggers and wondering why on earth I've never mentioned them before. So here's another couple:
Ingrid writes about being a lady - and a fit, B.A. one at that. She was the only real, true, good lady friend I managed to get out of the navy. Read her blog here.
Stacey is wicked smart, a mommy with one little lady popped out and one on the way, and she cooks! And she loves God! And she blogs about it here.
There are quite a few more, but these are the ones that pertain particulary to diet, fitness, health, and well-being - and that's what I (try) to keep this little blog focused on.
I have smart lady friends in my life. I'm very blessed to know them. Go read their blogs. NOW.
...Sucks. It hurts. There's not a whole lot of good things I can say about my experience yesterday. I guess the one good thing is that when it's done, you can go around all day and say "I just ran 15 miles. What did you do?" and that gives me a smug sense of accomplishment. Oh, and it also burns a lot of calories, and that helps with the f*$&ing scale (which, today being Sunday, we will surely address in a minute). But, I can also say that I learned a lot during 15 miles. There's not a lot to do besides think when you're pluggin along for 2+ hours. Here's some of what I now know:
Lessons From The Road
First Lesson: I don't care how skinny you think you're getting, Ash - your thighs will never not touch. Therefore, you must apply BodyGlide, vaseline, or some other chub rub deterrent. Otherwise, this will happen:
If you can't tell, that the chafing on the inside of my left thigh (the inside of my right thigh looks quite similar). It wasn't quite an issue until around mile 11 and then it started getting to me. Chub rub was just one of the many ailments I was dealing with for the last 4 miles of my run. Please, read on. And please, please DON'T LET THIS HAPPEN TO YOU!!! Chub rub can be avoided. Worst case scenario, compression shorts cure what ails the chubby.
Next lesson: DRINK LOTS OF WATER! Seriously. I know it sounds like common sense, but this mistake can happen even to seasoned veterans of the sport (yes, that would be me. I am seasoned veteran at 26. Don't argue.) Even if you think you've hydrated enough, you probably haven't. I knew before I took off Saturday morning that I hadn't drank enough water the day before. Hydrating the day before is key. If you think you can wake up the morning of a run, pound a liter of water and think it's going to do much for you, think again. I knew I was ill prepared, and yet I set out anyway. It could have been worse, I suppose. I had my hip runner's fanny pack which holds about a bottle of water total and that probably saved me. But my supply was exhausted by mile 13 & by the last mile all I could think of was water (well, and my chub rub and my bloody toe). I think I actually started speeding up just because I wanted some dang water so bad. HYDRATE people!!! It will be one less thing for you to worry about.
Next Lesson: TAKE CARE OF YOUR FEET!!! I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you can't run without feet. So take care of them! Who would have thunk that a simple toenail trim before my outing could have saved me so much heartache? By the time I made it home and kicked off my shoes, I had one blood-soaked sock. The reason? The toenail on my little toe cut into the side of my 2nd-to-littlest toe. Ouch. Did I feel it while I was running? Oh yes. Around the last mile and a half I would say is when it really started sucking. Easily avoidable. Take care of your feet.
Next Lesson: Now, this is more personal. I learned that I hate those little GU Energy packs. Nasty, horrid stuff. I packed two gel packs in my little fanny pack, and at mile 5 ripped open my first one. Lemon Sublime, if you were curious. I was so excited for some energy, and all I could think of was that this crap was the consistency of snot and didn't taste much better.
Will everyone hate GU? Probably not. I'm sure lots of people swear by the stuff. But I learned that it does not work for me. Better to find out now than during the marathon, eh?
Next Lesson:
Now, these are the business. They're the anti-GU. My dear friend Tiffany sent them to me in a care package. I just happened to grab them in addition to the GU before I headed out the door and I am SO glad I did. This is my go-to energy source from now on when I head out on my long runs. Clif Bars were always my favorite, so it comes as no surprise that they would make these delicous little bite-sized bits of happiness that tast just like Gushers. Will everyone like them? Probably not. My long-run running buddy, Rob from work, says he hates chewing while he's running. The dude also likes GU. People are different. Find what works for you. I'm glad I found what works for me.
Final Lesson: 15 miles sucks. It hurts. It makes you crabby and question whether you can finish 26.2. But remember that time when you ran 10 miles and felt the same way? Now 10 miles is easy. None of the ailments that accosted me yesterday crept up until after mile 11 or 12. There will be a day when 15 miles is easy. I hope. After all, I have to train my body to run those 15 miles, plus another 11.2. I still have (or only have, depending on my mood) 3 1/2 months to make it happen. 3 1/2 months ago I know that I physically could not have run 15 miles. Go me. I'm getting better (even if it doesn't always feel like it)
The Weigh-In
Let's just get this out there:
135.8
Even with running 15 miles in one day, I still managed only to lose .4 lbs this week. I shan't complain, though. Any loss is good. At least I didn't gain anything. I've had guests in my house for 2 weeks and that means that the pizza and ice cream consumption has usurped the salad intake. Oh well. You only get one life and all that. I can't diet all the time. Next week will be the week. I can feel it ;)
In Other News
My friend Haylie just started a blog on the perils of healthy eating, so I'm going to tell you all to go check it out here.
And it got me thinking about my amazing friends who are also bloggers and wondering why on earth I've never mentioned them before. So here's another couple:
Ingrid writes about being a lady - and a fit, B.A. one at that. She was the only real, true, good lady friend I managed to get out of the navy. Read her blog here.
Stacey is wicked smart, a mommy with one little lady popped out and one on the way, and she cooks! And she loves God! And she blogs about it here.
There are quite a few more, but these are the ones that pertain particulary to diet, fitness, health, and well-being - and that's what I (try) to keep this little blog focused on.
I have smart lady friends in my life. I'm very blessed to know them. Go read their blogs. NOW.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Sometimes, It Just Clicks
Holy Smokes!
So yesterday, being Tuesday, was arguably my most dreaded workout of the week - Track Day. It very nearly didn't happen. I still consider myself to be in a running funk. The funk gets shaken up a little here and there when I get to do fun things like race, but for the most part I feel firmly plateau-ed. Walled. Lethargic. Un-motivated. So, when faced with the decsion to run really fast around the track yesterday or not, the decision seemed clear.
I grudgingly put on my running garb anyway, and walked (meandered, really) down to the track. After my 1 mile warm up, I was still undecided as to what exactly I was doing down there. I could cop out and do 4 short little 400s like last week, I could run some mile repeats, or I could try to knock out some 800s like I haven't done in what feels like ages. I stretched out, started my timer and took off. I didn't feel like I was moving particularly fast at all. I felt relaxed. And I hadn't really even decided what my workout would be until I hit the 400 mark and realized that I was right on track for sub-3:30 minute 800 (this is always the goal. I wrote about it here a while back). So, I figured "Why not?" If I felt like stopping, I would. By that time I had already done more than I thought I would.
And then the amazing happened! Behold, my track workout:
Warm-Up: 1 mile @7:44
800s
1 - 3:25
2 - 3:22
3 - 3:19
4 - 3:24
5 - 3:26
6 - 3:22
Cool Down: 1 mile @ 8:06
Go me. I don't know if any of these numbers I throw up here every once in a while make any sense to any of the rest of the world, but they make momma happy. Honestly, up until the last two repeats I didn't even really feel like I was giving it my all - and that says something since I hate running repeats on the track and it is never easy.
But, What Does It All Mean?
That I'm out of my running funk? That I'll be magically faster at my next race? That I can take today off? (oops...that already happened. My bad) Probably not. What it means is that for the first time in weeks I feel happy with myself after a run. It means that I did something I honestly didn't think I was capable of doing. Which leads me to question other things that I didn't think I could do - shoot, maybe running this thing in 3:30 is possible. Ok, maybe that's a little ambitious, but you get the picture.
And speaking of pictures, I feel bad when I write a lot about nothing particularly interesting and don't throw in some pictures for you. So I'll leave you with this:
That's Yours Truly Circa 2001. If you didn't know me then (or any time between the ages of 13-20), here's a glimpse. Blue hair. I LOVED it. I would still LOVE it. As soon as I'm retired or am independently wealthy, the blue hair will come back. Believe it.
So yesterday, being Tuesday, was arguably my most dreaded workout of the week - Track Day. It very nearly didn't happen. I still consider myself to be in a running funk. The funk gets shaken up a little here and there when I get to do fun things like race, but for the most part I feel firmly plateau-ed. Walled. Lethargic. Un-motivated. So, when faced with the decsion to run really fast around the track yesterday or not, the decision seemed clear.
I grudgingly put on my running garb anyway, and walked (meandered, really) down to the track. After my 1 mile warm up, I was still undecided as to what exactly I was doing down there. I could cop out and do 4 short little 400s like last week, I could run some mile repeats, or I could try to knock out some 800s like I haven't done in what feels like ages. I stretched out, started my timer and took off. I didn't feel like I was moving particularly fast at all. I felt relaxed. And I hadn't really even decided what my workout would be until I hit the 400 mark and realized that I was right on track for sub-3:30 minute 800 (this is always the goal. I wrote about it here a while back). So, I figured "Why not?" If I felt like stopping, I would. By that time I had already done more than I thought I would.
And then the amazing happened! Behold, my track workout:
Warm-Up: 1 mile @7:44
800s
1 - 3:25
2 - 3:22
3 - 3:19
4 - 3:24
5 - 3:26
6 - 3:22
Cool Down: 1 mile @ 8:06
Go me. I don't know if any of these numbers I throw up here every once in a while make any sense to any of the rest of the world, but they make momma happy. Honestly, up until the last two repeats I didn't even really feel like I was giving it my all - and that says something since I hate running repeats on the track and it is never easy.
But, What Does It All Mean?
That I'm out of my running funk? That I'll be magically faster at my next race? That I can take today off? (oops...that already happened. My bad) Probably not. What it means is that for the first time in weeks I feel happy with myself after a run. It means that I did something I honestly didn't think I was capable of doing. Which leads me to question other things that I didn't think I could do - shoot, maybe running this thing in 3:30 is possible. Ok, maybe that's a little ambitious, but you get the picture.
And speaking of pictures, I feel bad when I write a lot about nothing particularly interesting and don't throw in some pictures for you. So I'll leave you with this:
That's Yours Truly Circa 2001. If you didn't know me then (or any time between the ages of 13-20), here's a glimpse. Blue hair. I LOVED it. I would still LOVE it. As soon as I'm retired or am independently wealthy, the blue hair will come back. Believe it.
Monday, August 23, 2010
The Weekly Weigh-In
Therapy
I think I need some...of the massage persuasion. Maybe some mental/emotional/psychological wouldn't hurt either, but what I mostly need is a good massage. I don't know if the poor lumbar support of the cheap office chairs that I sit in every day are finally taking a toll, or if it's from my ever increasing mileage, but my back is KILLING me.
There has been this nagging pinch in the lower-left region of my back a couple of inches up from my derriere. It has gradually spread, and now my whole lower back is always just kind of achey. If I want to be honest with myself, I'm sure I would come to the conclusion that stretching more regularly (or at all, for that matter) would probably solve a lot of my problems. But, like I've mentioned before, stretching hurts. I'm not particularly flexible, and probably never will be. Sorry, Billy. But, the thing is now I'm dealing with a conundrum: it hurts when I stretch, and it hurts when I don't stretch. I want to just drop the $$$ and have someone fix this for me. I find that is the best way to solve most of my problems. If anyone has an suggestions for a good massage place on this rock, I'm now taking suggestions.
The Weigh-In
No progress in either direction. I am holding strong this week at 136.2. I'd like to think that, even though the numbers are telling me the same thing, my fat-to-muscle ratio is decreasing. Or increasing...wait - I'm having trouble figuring out the math there, but you know what I mean. Less fat, more muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, and therefore I could actually look better as my weight goes up. Make sense? Yeah, I know. It sounds good. But there is something so psychologically damning about those stupid little numbers on that stupid scale. Does anyone else out there know what I'm talking about? It doesn't matter if I can go out and run 15 miles - I'm still a failure if I don't lose weight. That's how it feels, anyway.
Maybe I really do need some brain theraby to go with my massage thereapy...
I think I need some...of the massage persuasion. Maybe some mental/emotional/psychological wouldn't hurt either, but what I mostly need is a good massage. I don't know if the poor lumbar support of the cheap office chairs that I sit in every day are finally taking a toll, or if it's from my ever increasing mileage, but my back is KILLING me.
There has been this nagging pinch in the lower-left region of my back a couple of inches up from my derriere. It has gradually spread, and now my whole lower back is always just kind of achey. If I want to be honest with myself, I'm sure I would come to the conclusion that stretching more regularly (or at all, for that matter) would probably solve a lot of my problems. But, like I've mentioned before, stretching hurts. I'm not particularly flexible, and probably never will be. Sorry, Billy. But, the thing is now I'm dealing with a conundrum: it hurts when I stretch, and it hurts when I don't stretch. I want to just drop the $$$ and have someone fix this for me. I find that is the best way to solve most of my problems. If anyone has an suggestions for a good massage place on this rock, I'm now taking suggestions.
The Weigh-In
No progress in either direction. I am holding strong this week at 136.2. I'd like to think that, even though the numbers are telling me the same thing, my fat-to-muscle ratio is decreasing. Or increasing...wait - I'm having trouble figuring out the math there, but you know what I mean. Less fat, more muscle. Muscle weighs more than fat, and therefore I could actually look better as my weight goes up. Make sense? Yeah, I know. It sounds good. But there is something so psychologically damning about those stupid little numbers on that stupid scale. Does anyone else out there know what I'm talking about? It doesn't matter if I can go out and run 15 miles - I'm still a failure if I don't lose weight. That's how it feels, anyway.
Maybe I really do need some brain theraby to go with my massage thereapy...
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
The Weekly Weigh-In (Intentionally Late)
Hump Day
Yes, I realize it's Tuesday. And I realize that I (almost) always post a weekly recap and my weigh-in on sunday. And I realize that Wednesday is most traditionally deemed Hump Day. Hear me out though: 3 months ago today, Billy left on deployment and Operation: Sexy Bitch began. So, 3 months into a 6 month deployment = Hump Day on Tuesday (as in "over the hump" for those of you not in the know...it's all downhill from here, theoretically). As for why this was not composed on Sunday, there are a number of reasons. Firstly, I was up at 4 a.m. for my first race of the marathon readiness series. Stepping on the scale was not in my groggy mind. Secondly, by the time I finally made it home and thought about said weigh-in, I decided that the scale wouldn't tell me what I wanted to hear (show me what I wanted to see. Whatever.) Thirdly, I thought it would apt to weigh in on Hump Day to see how far I've come in 3 months. So there.
The Weigh-In
136.2
Exactly 1 lb down from last week. This is good. Any time the scale numbers get lower, Ashleigh does the happy dance. However, as I mentioned last week, I really wanted to be 135 by now. 10 lbs in 3 months didn't seem like an unattainable goal. It's one thing to set unrealistic goals and fail; it's another thing to set attainable goals and come this close to making it and not quite getting there. It sucks, and it was the story of my life the past 3 days both on the scale and during my first race. Oh, and for the record: my official "goal weight" is 130. So I have 3 more months to lose 6.2 lbs. Again, should seem relatively easy but we'll see. If I end up being 131.2 I'll be pissed...I think.
The Race
Again, this close and didn't hit my goal of finishing 15K in 1:15 or less. My watch clocked me at 1:17:38 and my official time was 1:18:16. Soooooo close. I felt mostly strong and good throughout. At the end, I was passing people instead of being passed, so that's cool. But about 10 seconds/mile faster would have made me happier. GAH!
You can see my official results here and here. I finished 203 out of 784 overall. I finihsed 11 out of 63 in my age group. Again, I think about those numbers and am like "man, I should have been in the top 10 of my age group" and "if I just would have kicked it in a little bit earlier at the end, I would have been in the top 200 overall"
Still, I was faster than more people than I was slower than. And just look at all those boys I beat ;)
On A Side Note...
I discovered during this race that I LOVE passing those barbie runners almost as much as boys. Sometimes this is more enjoyable, in fact. You know what I'm talking about - those broads who prance around in their booty hugging shorts and their spaghetti strap jog bra with their bleached hair ponytailed above their matching pink visor (these ladies almost always seem to wear pink). I'm a running judger, I tell you. It's a problem. I'm working on it. Still...it gives me great personal gratification to blast past those gals. I'm sure they could be very nice people if I ever had a conversation with one of them, but probably not.
In Conclusion
Pray for me and my track workout this afternoon. I'm not looking forward to it :/ That's all I have for now. I'll let you know how it goes.
Yes, I realize it's Tuesday. And I realize that I (almost) always post a weekly recap and my weigh-in on sunday. And I realize that Wednesday is most traditionally deemed Hump Day. Hear me out though: 3 months ago today, Billy left on deployment and Operation: Sexy Bitch began. So, 3 months into a 6 month deployment = Hump Day on Tuesday (as in "over the hump" for those of you not in the know...it's all downhill from here, theoretically). As for why this was not composed on Sunday, there are a number of reasons. Firstly, I was up at 4 a.m. for my first race of the marathon readiness series. Stepping on the scale was not in my groggy mind. Secondly, by the time I finally made it home and thought about said weigh-in, I decided that the scale wouldn't tell me what I wanted to hear (show me what I wanted to see. Whatever.) Thirdly, I thought it would apt to weigh in on Hump Day to see how far I've come in 3 months. So there.
The Weigh-In
136.2
Exactly 1 lb down from last week. This is good. Any time the scale numbers get lower, Ashleigh does the happy dance. However, as I mentioned last week, I really wanted to be 135 by now. 10 lbs in 3 months didn't seem like an unattainable goal. It's one thing to set unrealistic goals and fail; it's another thing to set attainable goals and come this close to making it and not quite getting there. It sucks, and it was the story of my life the past 3 days both on the scale and during my first race. Oh, and for the record: my official "goal weight" is 130. So I have 3 more months to lose 6.2 lbs. Again, should seem relatively easy but we'll see. If I end up being 131.2 I'll be pissed...I think.
The Race
Again, this close and didn't hit my goal of finishing 15K in 1:15 or less. My watch clocked me at 1:17:38 and my official time was 1:18:16. Soooooo close. I felt mostly strong and good throughout. At the end, I was passing people instead of being passed, so that's cool. But about 10 seconds/mile faster would have made me happier. GAH!
You can see my official results here and here. I finished 203 out of 784 overall. I finihsed 11 out of 63 in my age group. Again, I think about those numbers and am like "man, I should have been in the top 10 of my age group" and "if I just would have kicked it in a little bit earlier at the end, I would have been in the top 200 overall"
Still, I was faster than more people than I was slower than. And just look at all those boys I beat ;)
On A Side Note...
I discovered during this race that I LOVE passing those barbie runners almost as much as boys. Sometimes this is more enjoyable, in fact. You know what I'm talking about - those broads who prance around in their booty hugging shorts and their spaghetti strap jog bra with their bleached hair ponytailed above their matching pink visor (these ladies almost always seem to wear pink). I'm a running judger, I tell you. It's a problem. I'm working on it. Still...it gives me great personal gratification to blast past those gals. I'm sure they could be very nice people if I ever had a conversation with one of them, but probably not.
In Conclusion
Pray for me and my track workout this afternoon. I'm not looking forward to it :/ That's all I have for now. I'll let you know how it goes.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
The Most Super of Women
My darling mother is celebrating 50 beautiful years of life today. She'll never admit it, but it's a big deal to her. If anyone asks, she'll say it's just another day - but don't believe her. It's important and it is NOT just another day. It should be a national holiday! My dear MuM has had the most amazing life and it's worth celebrating!
I wish more than anything that I could be in Utah for the festivities today but, sadly, one of the downfalls of living on a tropical island in the middle of the pacific is the logistics and the expense of getting back to civilization regularly. Rest assured, though, we will make up for lost time when I see her in Margaritaville in October. I will also buy a bottle of champagne and drink it in her honor. I may even let her other bebe girl - diddle bebe Gwen - have a glass as well ;)
In the meantime, I will celebrate with this little tribute blog. Happy Birthday, MuM!!! Here's to you!
50 Amazing MuM TidBits
1. Few folks out there have class anymore, but my MuM does.
2. No one ever cooks better than MuM.
3. MuM always knows what to do.
4. MuM gives the best advice - on anything and everything. From removing puppy stains on the floor to what to wear on an interview.
5. She has impeccable taste.
6. She ages oh so gracefully.
7. You know how some girls out there pray that they don't become their mother when they grow up? I pray that I do.
8. She loves like you wouldn't believe.
9. She is SOOOOOO B.A.!! See 10, 11, & 12...
10. She has run 5 - 5!!!!!!! - marathons!
11. Her fastest marathon she ran in 3:20ish. That's around a 7:37 pace. That's incredible, people. Like, beyond amazing.
12. MuM won a sit up contest when I was still just a little girl. She did 750. She would have kept going, but the skin on her lower back had rubbed off. BA!
13. When I mellow out someday, I will be exactly like my MuM ;)
14. She's pretty.
15. She's strong.
16. Her love for Jesus is inspiring.
17. She glows. Inside and out.
18. She loves literature & People Magazine just about equally, I think. Love it.
19. She's a very good letter writer.
20. In fact, she's a good writer PERIOD!
21. When I start grad school this fall, I will still email my essays and papers to my English Major mother who will make them perfect. Guarunteed A.
22. She's FUN!!
23. She has taught me more than I could ever list, but here's a few anyway:
24. She taught me that sometimes (shoot - most times!) the best Friday night is one spent on the couch with a book and our dear friend Kim Crawford.
25. She taught me how to appropriately use apostrophe's (j/k!)
26. She taught me that there are things I will never be able to do, and that's OK.
27. She also taught me to do whatever I am doing well.
28. She taught me that there's magic in a bottle of Chanel No. 5.
29. She taught me about perseverance.
30. She taught me about patience.
31. My MuM can turn bad days into good days.
32. To this day MuM is still my favorite shopping buddy.
33. She's also my favorite running buddy.
34. MuM is SO smart! She is a VERY intelligent woman.
35. MuM is the only person on the planet that I know who can smile with the corners of her mouth pointed down. It's true. You have to see it to know what I'm talking about.
36. My MuM is one tough cookie.
37. My MuM is a very generous and giving person.
38. When she sets her mind to something, she's the most determined person that I know.
39. MuM has the most amazing gift of hospitality. It really can't be described - you're going to have to go to Utah and visit her to experience it.
40. MuM knows things. And she doesn't believe in quantum physics when it comes to matters of the heart.
41. My MuM is very selfless.
42. It doesn't matter if I made a finger painting, wrote a poem, or was taking my knocks on the soccer field - MuM has always been my biggest fan (OK, she's tied for first with DadE)
43. MuM's style is always dead on. She is so classic, but with her own edge. I love it.
44. MuM looks hotter turning 25 this time around than the last time she turned 25. Like I said - she's aged so wonderfully.
45. I LOVE that all her vices are my vices (no coincidence, I'm sure): wine, bubbly, margaritas, black coffee, and a great bargain on shoes ;)
46. MuM is full of forgiveness, which is awesome, because I never ended up in jail or anything, but I gave her my fair share of grief and 'tude over the years.
47. She is my inspiration in running and life.
48. Every single decade of my MuM's life is worth celebrating! I shall be drinking bubbly tonight in honor of you, MuM!
49. There has never been a single day, minute, or second in my life that I have not felt loved my mom.
50. Everything I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother.
Happy Amazing 50th Birthday MuM!
Love,
xoxoxo
your very, very grateful daughter
Fitness, Fatigue, & The Inner Workings of Ash's Mind
A Day In the Life
This is what a normal human has inside their skull:
This is what Ash has inside her skull:
No lie. The hamsters. The GoshDarn Hamsters. They spin and they spin and they spin and they never get anywhere. And for some reason, the wheels that they run on inside my head are never properly oiled so they make the most annoying, incessant squeaking. You can hear them now too, can't you? It's ridiculous.
Yesterday on my pititful (but FAST!) 4 mile run, the hamsters were running much better than I was. They were on a roll. The thoughts were flying around at about a million miles per hour. I couldn't make the damn hamsters take a water break. They get going when I get stressed out. Usually it's about Billy, but sometimes it's about other things like work/grad school/what we're going to do with our lives/where we're moving next/etc.etc.etc. You may notice that a lot of those things are COMPLETELY out of my control. That's when the hamsters kick it into high gear. If I can just think in circles enough, somehow all my worrying will pay off and whatever it is that is causing the worry will be resolved. Funnily enough, running the hamsters to death in my noggin have never yet solved any of my problems.
So, this is what was going 'round&round in my mind yesterday as I was going round&round the track on Camp Smith:
You absolutely must must MUST weigh no more than 135 when you weigh in on Sunday. That's the "Billy's been gone 3 months mark" and if you can't lose 10 lbs in 3 months then you are a sad, sad excuse for a woman. And another thing, what the heck is this business going on with you right now? So, you ran 13 miles on Sunday so you think you can slack off all week? No way, sister. You now officially have less than 4 months til this marathon and your mileage this week is pathetic! PA-THE-TIC!! Plus, you skipped your track workout!!! You're never going to run faster than 3:45 if you keep skipping track workouts. Also, you need to run your 15K faster than 1:15 this weekend. If you don't, you are slow and will still be pathetic. Run more! Oh, what's that you say? You're hungry and fatigued because your stupid 250 cal lean cuisine lunch isn't hacking it? Well, you should have eaten more. You know this. But you can't eat more, because you HAVE to be 135 by this weekend. But if you don't have energy you can't run and burn more calories....did I mention that you're walking now? Stop walking! Run, dummy! You are now officially in a running funk. Uh-oh. This isn't good. But you're only in a funk if you think you are, so stop thinking you are. But you really ARE, so you can't stop thinking it because it's true.
Do you see how this can get exhausting?! Every night when you say your prayers thank the good Lord that he gave you a normal brain and not some hamster running on a wheel between your ears. When the dumb hamsters get going, it's hard to get them to stop. I lamented to my mother. She said my body is still recovery from Sunday. I called shenanigans because I needed my two hardest workouts this week to be yesterday (epic fail) and today (remains to be seen) so that I can taper down Friday & Saturday before my race on Sunday but if I can't even run the 6 miles I wanted to yesterday how on earth am I going to run 9.something on Sunday?! And what do you plan on eating for dinner tonight? It better not be pasta again, you need some lean protein in your life. Did you take your vitamins this morning...? GAH!!!! and it started all over again.
Fit
And yet, despite my funk, the hamsters, my body rejecting the idea of any physical activity EVER again...I had an epiphany a few days ago. I don't remember what I was doing, but the thought popped into my head (right in between the hamster wheels) that I finally feel fit. Now, I don't know the exact definition of "fitness" or what it means to be physically fit. I'm pretty sure it's just one of those things that you either are, or you aren't and either way, you know it. Maybe it came from running 13 miles. Maybe it came from feeling thinner. I don't know. But I do know that for the first time in a long, long time, I feel like I am "fit". Whatever that means. Small victories.
This is what a normal human has inside their skull:
This is what Ash has inside her skull:
No lie. The hamsters. The GoshDarn Hamsters. They spin and they spin and they spin and they never get anywhere. And for some reason, the wheels that they run on inside my head are never properly oiled so they make the most annoying, incessant squeaking. You can hear them now too, can't you? It's ridiculous.
Yesterday on my pititful (but FAST!) 4 mile run, the hamsters were running much better than I was. They were on a roll. The thoughts were flying around at about a million miles per hour. I couldn't make the damn hamsters take a water break. They get going when I get stressed out. Usually it's about Billy, but sometimes it's about other things like work/grad school/what we're going to do with our lives/where we're moving next/etc.etc.etc. You may notice that a lot of those things are COMPLETELY out of my control. That's when the hamsters kick it into high gear. If I can just think in circles enough, somehow all my worrying will pay off and whatever it is that is causing the worry will be resolved. Funnily enough, running the hamsters to death in my noggin have never yet solved any of my problems.
So, this is what was going 'round&round in my mind yesterday as I was going round&round the track on Camp Smith:
You absolutely must must MUST weigh no more than 135 when you weigh in on Sunday. That's the "Billy's been gone 3 months mark" and if you can't lose 10 lbs in 3 months then you are a sad, sad excuse for a woman. And another thing, what the heck is this business going on with you right now? So, you ran 13 miles on Sunday so you think you can slack off all week? No way, sister. You now officially have less than 4 months til this marathon and your mileage this week is pathetic! PA-THE-TIC!! Plus, you skipped your track workout!!! You're never going to run faster than 3:45 if you keep skipping track workouts. Also, you need to run your 15K faster than 1:15 this weekend. If you don't, you are slow and will still be pathetic. Run more! Oh, what's that you say? You're hungry and fatigued because your stupid 250 cal lean cuisine lunch isn't hacking it? Well, you should have eaten more. You know this. But you can't eat more, because you HAVE to be 135 by this weekend. But if you don't have energy you can't run and burn more calories....did I mention that you're walking now? Stop walking! Run, dummy! You are now officially in a running funk. Uh-oh. This isn't good. But you're only in a funk if you think you are, so stop thinking you are. But you really ARE, so you can't stop thinking it because it's true.
Do you see how this can get exhausting?! Every night when you say your prayers thank the good Lord that he gave you a normal brain and not some hamster running on a wheel between your ears. When the dumb hamsters get going, it's hard to get them to stop. I lamented to my mother. She said my body is still recovery from Sunday. I called shenanigans because I needed my two hardest workouts this week to be yesterday (epic fail) and today (remains to be seen) so that I can taper down Friday & Saturday before my race on Sunday but if I can't even run the 6 miles I wanted to yesterday how on earth am I going to run 9.something on Sunday?! And what do you plan on eating for dinner tonight? It better not be pasta again, you need some lean protein in your life. Did you take your vitamins this morning...? GAH!!!! and it started all over again.
Fit
And yet, despite my funk, the hamsters, my body rejecting the idea of any physical activity EVER again...I had an epiphany a few days ago. I don't remember what I was doing, but the thought popped into my head (right in between the hamster wheels) that I finally feel fit. Now, I don't know the exact definition of "fitness" or what it means to be physically fit. I'm pretty sure it's just one of those things that you either are, or you aren't and either way, you know it. Maybe it came from running 13 miles. Maybe it came from feeling thinner. I don't know. But I do know that for the first time in a long, long time, I feel like I am "fit". Whatever that means. Small victories.
Monday, August 9, 2010
The Weekly Weigh-In
Easy Come, Easy Go (Sort Of)
Greetings and happy monday evening to you, beautiful blog-followers! I apologize for being a day tardy with my weekly weigh-in from last week. Please trust that it was for a good cause that will be revealed later ;) At any rate, I usually try to bury this part of the post somewhere in the middle so that it will hopefully be skimmed over and no one will really pay attention to how much weight I'm losing. Or gaining. Or losing. Or gaining...you get the picture. So, without further ado, here it is front and center:
137.2
If you recall, that's almost exactly where I was before Estrogenfest 2010 kicked off. So, I put on 2.5 lbs in 10 days and took it off in just about the same amount of time. Not too bad, eh? I'm back at it, Grami is still closer to the coveted 135 mark than I am, but I'm closing the gap, and I still have no regrets about the calories consumed and the pounds gained during that glorious time. Check out some of the physical activity that did get accomplished while the ladies were here:
Estrogenfest 2010
Holly & I danced around the house. Drunk dancing counts as exercise, right?
We hiked up to Maunawili Falls in the mud....
We jumped off the falls (thats Katie on the left and me on the right)
And of course, we surfed! (Now THAT is a workout!)
And here's a little tip for all of you out there: if you're ever going to have an Estrogenfest of your own, or go on vacation, or are just hanging out, I HIGHLY recommend making sure you have a professional photographer in the group. Tiffany was ours. She is absolutely fabulous and very good at what she does. Go check out her website here to see more of her gorgeous work (all the above photos were taken by the lovely Tif). The memories she captured are priceless! We were all so glad she was here to document the adventures for us.
13.1
On a completely different note, let's talk about 13.1 miles. That's a half marathon, and it's also how far I ran yesterday. It was a real learning experience for sure. I honestly felt worse after I was done running. How strange, right? But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start with this:
That's the loot I bought in preparation for this endeavor. Basically, what you're looking at is my hip new runner's fanny pack, various gels and energy jelly beans, new socks, and an anti-chub rub stick.
I may highlight each of these products later, but for now I just don't feel like it and this post is already getting lengthy ;) The reason for all of this fanfare is because I knew that, eventually, I'd have to start taking in water and calories durning my longer runs. My first 1/2 seemed like a good time to start. So I had my little belt filled with water and a packet of Jelly Bellies (with caffeine!) and my new (microfiber!) socks and my feet and thighs had a thick layer of "BodyGlide" glopped on 'em. (Funny inside joke: whenever I look at my stick of "BodyGlide", all I can think of is AstroGlide and a certain HILARIOUS Christmas gift in Billy's stocking for his first Christmas at the Eppens house. Thanks, Dad!) And I made it through 13.1 miles with about the amount of pain that I anticipated.
More Than An Afterthought
The BIG trouble came later. I felt absolutely nauseated, pukey, and gross. Evidently, this is not uncommon amongst us runners. There's a lot of physiology involved: something about peptide and supressed acylated ghrelin. Basically, I was most likely under-nourished for my trek. I guess my pre-run banana and packet of beans was not enough while running that far. Good to know.
But, several positive notes: NO BLISTERS!!!!! Hazzah! Evidently, the key is to avoid cotton socks. Too many fibers cause fricktion. Get synthetic socks. Go figure. The "BodyGlide" (snicker snicker) helped too, I'm sure. I finished 1/2 a marathon with no chafing on my feet or anywhere else. Brilliant. But mostly, I know that I was mentally and physically prepared for this run, and that made it a good one. I'm proud of that run.
But...
When I was finished the only thing I could think was "Holy CRAP!!! I'm going to have go TWICE that far?!" Lord help me, I'm going to need it...
Want one last EstroFest pic just for funsies before I sign off for the evening? Me too! Enjoy! See if you can tell which one is me ;)
Greetings and happy monday evening to you, beautiful blog-followers! I apologize for being a day tardy with my weekly weigh-in from last week. Please trust that it was for a good cause that will be revealed later ;) At any rate, I usually try to bury this part of the post somewhere in the middle so that it will hopefully be skimmed over and no one will really pay attention to how much weight I'm losing. Or gaining. Or losing. Or gaining...you get the picture. So, without further ado, here it is front and center:
137.2
If you recall, that's almost exactly where I was before Estrogenfest 2010 kicked off. So, I put on 2.5 lbs in 10 days and took it off in just about the same amount of time. Not too bad, eh? I'm back at it, Grami is still closer to the coveted 135 mark than I am, but I'm closing the gap, and I still have no regrets about the calories consumed and the pounds gained during that glorious time. Check out some of the physical activity that did get accomplished while the ladies were here:
Estrogenfest 2010
Holly & I danced around the house. Drunk dancing counts as exercise, right?
We hiked up to Maunawili Falls in the mud....
We jumped off the falls (thats Katie on the left and me on the right)
And of course, we surfed! (Now THAT is a workout!)
And here's a little tip for all of you out there: if you're ever going to have an Estrogenfest of your own, or go on vacation, or are just hanging out, I HIGHLY recommend making sure you have a professional photographer in the group. Tiffany was ours. She is absolutely fabulous and very good at what she does. Go check out her website here to see more of her gorgeous work (all the above photos were taken by the lovely Tif). The memories she captured are priceless! We were all so glad she was here to document the adventures for us.
13.1
On a completely different note, let's talk about 13.1 miles. That's a half marathon, and it's also how far I ran yesterday. It was a real learning experience for sure. I honestly felt worse after I was done running. How strange, right? But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me start with this:
That's the loot I bought in preparation for this endeavor. Basically, what you're looking at is my hip new runner's fanny pack, various gels and energy jelly beans, new socks, and an anti-chub rub stick.
I may highlight each of these products later, but for now I just don't feel like it and this post is already getting lengthy ;) The reason for all of this fanfare is because I knew that, eventually, I'd have to start taking in water and calories durning my longer runs. My first 1/2 seemed like a good time to start. So I had my little belt filled with water and a packet of Jelly Bellies (with caffeine!) and my new (microfiber!) socks and my feet and thighs had a thick layer of "BodyGlide" glopped on 'em. (Funny inside joke: whenever I look at my stick of "BodyGlide", all I can think of is AstroGlide and a certain HILARIOUS Christmas gift in Billy's stocking for his first Christmas at the Eppens house. Thanks, Dad!) And I made it through 13.1 miles with about the amount of pain that I anticipated.
More Than An Afterthought
The BIG trouble came later. I felt absolutely nauseated, pukey, and gross. Evidently, this is not uncommon amongst us runners. There's a lot of physiology involved: something about peptide and supressed acylated ghrelin. Basically, I was most likely under-nourished for my trek. I guess my pre-run banana and packet of beans was not enough while running that far. Good to know.
But, several positive notes: NO BLISTERS!!!!! Hazzah! Evidently, the key is to avoid cotton socks. Too many fibers cause fricktion. Get synthetic socks. Go figure. The "BodyGlide" (snicker snicker) helped too, I'm sure. I finished 1/2 a marathon with no chafing on my feet or anywhere else. Brilliant. But mostly, I know that I was mentally and physically prepared for this run, and that made it a good one. I'm proud of that run.
But...
When I was finished the only thing I could think was "Holy CRAP!!! I'm going to have go TWICE that far?!" Lord help me, I'm going to need it...
Want one last EstroFest pic just for funsies before I sign off for the evening? Me too! Enjoy! See if you can tell which one is me ;)
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
It Can Always Be Worse
Greetings to you all!
Well, let me tell you something right off the bat: if taking one week off the track greatly improves my performance for the next week, then 2 weeks off the track makes me want to puke and die when I finally get back out there.
I should have known better, but I had hope that after giving my body a lot of rest over the last 2 weeks that I could strut right out onto the track and pick up where I left off - better than where I left off! But no such luck. 8x800 quickly deteriorated to 4x800. At least they were all 3:30. Oh well. I ran a 1 mile warm-up and two mile cool-down, so I still got 5 miles in and 2 of them were 7 minute miles, so I'm still happy with that. I know I still have endurance because of my ability to go out and run into the double digits without to much trouble. Now, it's just a matter of getting faster and stronger again.
Note to all of you: recovery is good! 2 week breaks are bad!
Learn from my mistakes, kids! It was painful, but there's always next week. I'll try to do 6x800 next week and then go up to 8x800 every other week until this whole race is over.
The Race
Speaking of the race, I checked out the Honolulu Marathon website yesterday for the first time in a long time and found all sorts of new fun things. You can check it out here. My favorite part is that ominous clock counting down in the upper right hand corner. My second favorite part is when you click on course map. SWEEEET! I cannot WAIT to run up Diamond Head during the 25th mile of a marathon. FRICKIN' AWESOME!!! (that was sarcasm, in case any of you didn't pick up on that).
In further my preparation for this adventure, I just registered for the Honolulu Marathon Readiness Series. It's series of 5 races leading up to the marathon to help you gauge how well you're coming along, I guess. The first one is August 15, and is a 15K. That's 9.32 miles. I'm getting ridiculously excited to race. I can't wait to see how I stack up against the rest of the people in my age group, and how fast I can run over a longer distance when I have a goal and I'm not just plodding along to rack up miles. Competing, even if it's all in good fun, makes training seem less like....training. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and makes it feel like you're actually getting results.
Plus, it's really, really fun to beat the boys ;)
*A quick note - This was all actually written and meant to be posted yesterday (which was Wednesday) but my stupid computer spazzed out and the last auto save was about half way through. So this morning, I had recreate it as best I could. Not that you really needed to know all this. Just for your info ;)
Well, let me tell you something right off the bat: if taking one week off the track greatly improves my performance for the next week, then 2 weeks off the track makes me want to puke and die when I finally get back out there.
I should have known better, but I had hope that after giving my body a lot of rest over the last 2 weeks that I could strut right out onto the track and pick up where I left off - better than where I left off! But no such luck. 8x800 quickly deteriorated to 4x800. At least they were all 3:30. Oh well. I ran a 1 mile warm-up and two mile cool-down, so I still got 5 miles in and 2 of them were 7 minute miles, so I'm still happy with that. I know I still have endurance because of my ability to go out and run into the double digits without to much trouble. Now, it's just a matter of getting faster and stronger again.
Note to all of you: recovery is good! 2 week breaks are bad!
Learn from my mistakes, kids! It was painful, but there's always next week. I'll try to do 6x800 next week and then go up to 8x800 every other week until this whole race is over.
The Race
Speaking of the race, I checked out the Honolulu Marathon website yesterday for the first time in a long time and found all sorts of new fun things. You can check it out here. My favorite part is that ominous clock counting down in the upper right hand corner. My second favorite part is when you click on course map. SWEEEET! I cannot WAIT to run up Diamond Head during the 25th mile of a marathon. FRICKIN' AWESOME!!! (that was sarcasm, in case any of you didn't pick up on that).
In further my preparation for this adventure, I just registered for the Honolulu Marathon Readiness Series. It's series of 5 races leading up to the marathon to help you gauge how well you're coming along, I guess. The first one is August 15, and is a 15K. That's 9.32 miles. I'm getting ridiculously excited to race. I can't wait to see how I stack up against the rest of the people in my age group, and how fast I can run over a longer distance when I have a goal and I'm not just plodding along to rack up miles. Competing, even if it's all in good fun, makes training seem less like....training. It gives you a sense of accomplishment and makes it feel like you're actually getting results.
Plus, it's really, really fun to beat the boys ;)
*A quick note - This was all actually written and meant to be posted yesterday (which was Wednesday) but my stupid computer spazzed out and the last auto save was about half way through. So this morning, I had recreate it as best I could. Not that you really needed to know all this. Just for your info ;)
Sunday, August 1, 2010
The Valiant Return of Yours Truly & The Weekly Weigh-In
A Disclaimer
Remember 7th grade English class when, on the first day, the teacher told you to pull out a piece of lined paper and pen and just start writing? It didn't matter what it was about; just write whatever popped into your head. This "stream of consciousness" exercise wasn't meant to churn out anything of great 7th grade literary significance, it was just to get your pen moving. I guess some great writers do this all the time. Whatever. I thought A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man was the most overrated piece of crap ever. I don't think I made it past page 10. But I digress. What I'm trying to say is, when I had to do this exercise, it usually went something like "um...I really think it's been a long day, I can't wait to go to soccer practice tonight, I like my new shoes..." And my point is that you can expect this blog entry to be very much like that. It's been so long that I've written on here, and there's SO much I want to write about, and I have no idea how I'm going to structer it all. Expect lots of rambling, run-on sentences and thoughts that might be good on their own, but are no way related to each other.
Whew. With that out of the way, let the rambling begin! I have my hookah, a very forgettable bottle of sauvignon blanc and a lot to get out there.
The Weekly Weigh-In
Welp, I skipped last week because I knew I wouldn't like what the little jerk-face scale would tell me. When I mustered up the courage this morning, I found it wasn't as bad as I thought. 140.0. I thought it would be much higher. That means that during the 10 day extravaganza that was Estrogenfest 2010, I only gained back 2.5 lbs. Now, I know that a month ago the scale told me 140 and I was freaking out because my initial weigh-in was 145 and that meant that I'd only lost 5 lbs in however many weeks and blah blah blah. I have a different perspective about 140 now. It's not that I'm happy with it - I'll be back on the proverbial horse tomorrow. I've got a running agenda to get back into, a freezer full of Lean Cuisines, and a competition to win (more on that in a bit).
But, here's why I'm ok with gaining 2.5 lbs in 10 days: Every single calorie consumed - and that means every mai tai, potato chip, bacon-wrapped, cream chesse filled jalepeno popper, glass of wine, cocktail, starch, carb, and sugar - was taken in with love and joy. It's one thing to have a 3rd glass of wine on a Tuesday night because I'm feeling sorry for myself or to eat french fries for dinner because cooking for one has gotten too depressing. It's another thing to be with a group of lovely ladies eating good food and drinking good wine and not running the next day because it's more important to get home, pick them up, and do it all again. In short, those 2.5 lbs were in every single way worth it.
Friendly Familial Competition
Right before The Ladies came swooping in, my lovely Grami Jane sent me a message on Facebook suggesting that, since 135 was our mutual ideal weight, we go ahead and see who can't get there first. At the time, I had whittled myself down to 137.5 and she confessed to be hanging out at 139. I haven't spoken with her since we discussed the terms of our little rivalry, but I think it's safe to say that I better get on the ball if I want to win.
Honestly, though, look at that lovely lady -
That's Grami in between her 2 favorite granddaughters at Little Brother's wedding in June. Isn't she perfect just the way she is?
*Side Note - this is about where the unmemorable wine just became too blagh for me to handle and I've switched to Malibu & Diet. Holly bought me a bottle that we were supposed to dip into while she was here in loving memory of our days in London. Unfortunately, we ran out of time while she was here. Fortunately, it's helping the "stream of consiousness" rambling that this entry is characterized by. Go Rum!
Running
Oh, right! THAT'S what this blog is all about. So, I guess I'll ramble about running a bit. Except that it's hard to do that when I haven't been running. Hardly at all. Here's how it's been on hiatus: I've run 10 miles every Sunday, hiked to Maunawili Falls once, and done the surfing thing every weekend. I'm really, REALLY hoping that this is one of those situations where I hit it this week and my body is like "YEAH!!! Go Ash! Thanks for the nice little break, I'm ready to do whatever you want me to!" Hey, it could happen right? Either I'm going to be amazing, or I'm going to hate the next week or two while my body gets back into it. I can say, however, that 10 miles anymore does NOT suck like it once did. In fact, I might almost be able to say that running 10 miles is no biggie (even hungover! ha!) And shoot, I still have 4 months and 12 days until this Marathon goes down, so I'm still waaaay ahead of the power curve. Now, there will come a day very soon when that whole "I have TONS of time" fallback will no longer work. But for now I can honestly say that I'm not worried about being unprepared come race day.
While we're on the topic, here's my tentative schedule for the week:
Monday - XTrain. Beautiful Tif brought me a copy of "Ab Ripper" one of those P90X things or something. My goal is to do that tomorrow morning before work to get back on the track to hard core, and then do some pansy cardio at the gym (pansy cardio includes stationary bikes, elipticals, stair steppers, and the like) in the afternoon.
Tuesday - Dun Dun DUUUUN! Dreaded Tuesday Track Day. 8x800, all faster than 3:30 with a 2 min. recovery, sandwiched by a mile warm up and cool down. Can she do it after 3 weeks off the track? Stay tuned...
Wednesday - Whatever comes my way. 6-8 easy miles most likely.
Thursday - Hill day. If there is a measure of fitness gained/lost it's this day. We'll see how it goes.
Friday - This used to be a complete rest day, but since Saturday a.m. surfing has usurped Saturday a.m. running, I need to fill Friday with some time of running so I don't have too many rest days. Maybe a nice little yog with the dogs after work and before my Friday night date with Don Draper and wine? ;) Any suggestions would be good.
Saturday - My new favorite reason to wake up at 5 a.m. on Saturday. Makes me wonder how I survived with my surfboard in storage in Utah for so long. Also makes me wonder if maybe Sally the Surfboard doesn't need a friend....hmmmm ;)
Sunday - 13.1 miles next week. I'm doing half. Go me. But I hear the first half of a marathon is the easy half...
Ok, well. I guess that's just enough rambling. The rum is telling me stop writing and go paint or something. I shall leave you with this, lovely blog followers. It's the official theme song of Estrogenfest 2010 and evidently has no music video but no matter. It's a darn catchy tune and conveniently comes on the radio out here once every 20 minutes.
(I also LOVE how this broad has thighs that make mine look skinny. You go girl. Own it)
Remember 7th grade English class when, on the first day, the teacher told you to pull out a piece of lined paper and pen and just start writing? It didn't matter what it was about; just write whatever popped into your head. This "stream of consciousness" exercise wasn't meant to churn out anything of great 7th grade literary significance, it was just to get your pen moving. I guess some great writers do this all the time. Whatever. I thought A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man was the most overrated piece of crap ever. I don't think I made it past page 10. But I digress. What I'm trying to say is, when I had to do this exercise, it usually went something like "um...I really think it's been a long day, I can't wait to go to soccer practice tonight, I like my new shoes..." And my point is that you can expect this blog entry to be very much like that. It's been so long that I've written on here, and there's SO much I want to write about, and I have no idea how I'm going to structer it all. Expect lots of rambling, run-on sentences and thoughts that might be good on their own, but are no way related to each other.
Whew. With that out of the way, let the rambling begin! I have my hookah, a very forgettable bottle of sauvignon blanc and a lot to get out there.
The Weekly Weigh-In
Welp, I skipped last week because I knew I wouldn't like what the little jerk-face scale would tell me. When I mustered up the courage this morning, I found it wasn't as bad as I thought. 140.0. I thought it would be much higher. That means that during the 10 day extravaganza that was Estrogenfest 2010, I only gained back 2.5 lbs. Now, I know that a month ago the scale told me 140 and I was freaking out because my initial weigh-in was 145 and that meant that I'd only lost 5 lbs in however many weeks and blah blah blah. I have a different perspective about 140 now. It's not that I'm happy with it - I'll be back on the proverbial horse tomorrow. I've got a running agenda to get back into, a freezer full of Lean Cuisines, and a competition to win (more on that in a bit).
But, here's why I'm ok with gaining 2.5 lbs in 10 days: Every single calorie consumed - and that means every mai tai, potato chip, bacon-wrapped, cream chesse filled jalepeno popper, glass of wine, cocktail, starch, carb, and sugar - was taken in with love and joy. It's one thing to have a 3rd glass of wine on a Tuesday night because I'm feeling sorry for myself or to eat french fries for dinner because cooking for one has gotten too depressing. It's another thing to be with a group of lovely ladies eating good food and drinking good wine and not running the next day because it's more important to get home, pick them up, and do it all again. In short, those 2.5 lbs were in every single way worth it.
Friendly Familial Competition
Right before The Ladies came swooping in, my lovely Grami Jane sent me a message on Facebook suggesting that, since 135 was our mutual ideal weight, we go ahead and see who can't get there first. At the time, I had whittled myself down to 137.5 and she confessed to be hanging out at 139. I haven't spoken with her since we discussed the terms of our little rivalry, but I think it's safe to say that I better get on the ball if I want to win.
Honestly, though, look at that lovely lady -
That's Grami in between her 2 favorite granddaughters at Little Brother's wedding in June. Isn't she perfect just the way she is?
*Side Note - this is about where the unmemorable wine just became too blagh for me to handle and I've switched to Malibu & Diet. Holly bought me a bottle that we were supposed to dip into while she was here in loving memory of our days in London. Unfortunately, we ran out of time while she was here. Fortunately, it's helping the "stream of consiousness" rambling that this entry is characterized by. Go Rum!
Running
Oh, right! THAT'S what this blog is all about. So, I guess I'll ramble about running a bit. Except that it's hard to do that when I haven't been running. Hardly at all. Here's how it's been on hiatus: I've run 10 miles every Sunday, hiked to Maunawili Falls once, and done the surfing thing every weekend. I'm really, REALLY hoping that this is one of those situations where I hit it this week and my body is like "YEAH!!! Go Ash! Thanks for the nice little break, I'm ready to do whatever you want me to!" Hey, it could happen right? Either I'm going to be amazing, or I'm going to hate the next week or two while my body gets back into it. I can say, however, that 10 miles anymore does NOT suck like it once did. In fact, I might almost be able to say that running 10 miles is no biggie (even hungover! ha!) And shoot, I still have 4 months and 12 days until this Marathon goes down, so I'm still waaaay ahead of the power curve. Now, there will come a day very soon when that whole "I have TONS of time" fallback will no longer work. But for now I can honestly say that I'm not worried about being unprepared come race day.
While we're on the topic, here's my tentative schedule for the week:
Monday - XTrain. Beautiful Tif brought me a copy of "Ab Ripper" one of those P90X things or something. My goal is to do that tomorrow morning before work to get back on the track to hard core, and then do some pansy cardio at the gym (pansy cardio includes stationary bikes, elipticals, stair steppers, and the like) in the afternoon.
Tuesday - Dun Dun DUUUUN! Dreaded Tuesday Track Day. 8x800, all faster than 3:30 with a 2 min. recovery, sandwiched by a mile warm up and cool down. Can she do it after 3 weeks off the track? Stay tuned...
Wednesday - Whatever comes my way. 6-8 easy miles most likely.
Thursday - Hill day. If there is a measure of fitness gained/lost it's this day. We'll see how it goes.
Friday - This used to be a complete rest day, but since Saturday a.m. surfing has usurped Saturday a.m. running, I need to fill Friday with some time of running so I don't have too many rest days. Maybe a nice little yog with the dogs after work and before my Friday night date with Don Draper and wine? ;) Any suggestions would be good.
Saturday - My new favorite reason to wake up at 5 a.m. on Saturday. Makes me wonder how I survived with my surfboard in storage in Utah for so long. Also makes me wonder if maybe Sally the Surfboard doesn't need a friend....hmmmm ;)
Sunday - 13.1 miles next week. I'm doing half. Go me. But I hear the first half of a marathon is the easy half...
Ok, well. I guess that's just enough rambling. The rum is telling me stop writing and go paint or something. I shall leave you with this, lovely blog followers. It's the official theme song of Estrogenfest 2010 and evidently has no music video but no matter. It's a darn catchy tune and conveniently comes on the radio out here once every 20 minutes.
(I also LOVE how this broad has thighs that make mine look skinny. You go girl. Own it)
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