Run Fail

This week has been a really crazy week for me to get things done. I feel like I am sprinting everywhere. Even now as I write this I have to head to the gym for class in four minutes, but I am taking the time to get this blog post started so I can post it for my loyal fans. I really need to post more photos for you guys. This is one of my goals in the upcoming year. Once I get a new cell phone, with better picture resolution, hopefully it will get easier.

Lets start out with the failures this week. I wanted to do an eight mile run this past week end on Sunday, but went out late with friends Saturday night. I also had plans to watch football with friends on Sunday so I didn't have much time to squeeze in a run. Turns out I slept in too late and only had time for a four miler. Sleep = more important than running (most of the time, and since I slept so long I think I really needed it). I did five miles on the treadmill the next day as my punishment. It was not fun, but I did it. One of my good friends told me five mile on the treadmill equals 15 miles outside. I like that math.

My eating habits have been okay. My thought process is I am never on a diet. I just try to eat as healthy as I can in any given situation. Football has had a big impact in my eating too. We had pizza on Sunday for lunch. I made an effort to fill up on the fresh fruit that was also there before I went for the pizza. When we went out for dinner the same night I got a veggie burger (which I have fallen in love with again since last fall) instead of a real one. I did not drink any beer, but did have rum with Coke Zero (and two cocktails the night before). It could have been worse and I am not officially training for a race right now, so in my mind the little extra indulgences are okay.

Even though I am feeling slightly disappointed about the past week, I did do some things well. I worked out five days in a row. I could have easily skipped a work out. I don't like to do that many work outs back to back. I find I have higher quality work outs if I have a rest day after two or three days, but my schedule didn't allow it.

My runs did go pretty well. I was able to do that five miles on the treadmill, even though it felt like torture (my heart rate got up to 191!). I did a four mile run that goes up and down hill most of the time (300ft elevation). Usually on the up hill portions my pace is in the upper 10 minute or lower 11 minute mile range. I stayed under 10 minutes the entire time. During my interval training on Tuesday I was easily able to stay at a 9 minute mile pace. Granted I probably should have speed up, but at this point I was happy to even be doing it. I think I should be able to make my 9 minute mile pace goal for my 5k I have coming up in two and a half weeks.

Overall my pace is getting faster and I can tell I have been pushing myself since my heart rate is getting so high. Here is to a week of some quality training (and the next two days off!).

Thursday - Rest
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 3m run (weights too if I have time)
Sunday - 9m run
Monday - off
Tuesday - Intervals on the treadmill, 3.5 miles
Wednesday - Gravity and Elliptical for a warm up

New iPod Nano Review and Music to Run to

For Christmas H bought me the new iPod Nano. My 3rd generation Nano was on its last legs and the new Nano is so small it is great for running. There are a couple things I don't like about it though. The touch screen does not work with sweaty hands, so my old method of just skipping the songs I do not like does not work so well. I also have not found a great place to clip it where I am not terrified it will fall off. I am allergic to many metals, so if I clip it to my waist band I will probably get a rash. I have settled on clipping it to my pocket I used to keep my old Nano in. That seems to work pretty well. Other than that it has the same enjoyment of any other iPod I have ever had. I keep it in my old iPod sock so I do not lose it and to prevent it from getting scratched. Because of the touch screen issue I am going to have to make a lot more play lists to keep me entertained. Since H got me the iPod, this play list is inspired by him. :)



80's Butt Rock Play List

Living on a Prayer Bon Jovi
Welcome to the Jungle Guns N Roses
Round and Round Ratt
Pour Some Sugar on Me Def Leppard
Talk Dirty to Me Poisen
Kickstart My Heart Motley Crue
Girls, Girls, Girls Motley Crue
Panama Van Halen
Here I Go Again Whitesnake
Rock You Like A Hurricane Scorpians
I Love it Loud KISS
Up All Night Slaughter
You Give Love a Bad Name Bon Jovi
You've Got Another Thing Coming Judas Priest
Bang Your Head Quiet Riot
18 and Life Skid Row

Healthy Eating - Soups

I have been cooking a lot this week (well for me). H cooks all the time. We eat pretty healthy, but I wanted to try some new things. Plus we have a lot of Spinach and some Zucchini to eat we got from our Sound Organics bin. I wanted to make sure it got eaten.

The first recipe I made I got out of my Sound Organics bin. This recipe is NOT clean eating compliant, but could easily be altered to be so.

Chicken and Spinach Soup

Ingredients
6 oz of chicken breasts
6 oz of fresh spinach
4 cups chicken stock
2t soy sauce (I used the low sodium kind)
2t spring onions (I used yellow onions), chopped finely
2t sugar

Instructions
Blanch the spinach in boiling water, until they are just wilted
Pour cold water over spinach leaves
Slice chicken breasts thinly
Boil chicken breasts (in a different pot) for about two minutes, until they are white and slightly firm
Drain spinach and chicken
Bring chicken stock to a simmer, then add soy sauce and the sugar
Add spinach and chicken
Bring soup back to simmer, then add onions
Serve hot

The soup turned out pretty good. If I had to make it again I would probably add some tofu. It reminds me a lot of Miso soup with chicken it.

The other recipe I made is a chicken tortilla soup recipe from my new favorite blog, Clean Eating Machines. The only thing I changed from her recipe is I added yellow onions to this one too and I did not double the zucchini. H probably wouldn't eat it if I did. I am looking forward to eating left overs tonight for dinner.

Amazon Store Launched

I am really impressed with Amazon.com these days. There are often times when I link to items in this blog and think of how nice it is for me to give free publicity to their products. Amazon has launched a feature called Amazon Associates. It works where I can link to a product in my blog. When a reader clicks on the link it takes you to my store at Amazon.com to buy the product. In the interest of full disclosure, if you buy the product I get a very small commission on the sale. Cool huh? The hyperlink to my amazon store is on the right hand side of the page. There is not much in it now, but I plan to add more as I think of stuff. There are just a few of my favorite items in there now and some things I have talked about on the blog here already. I am not too tech savvy so it may take me some time to make it look "pretty". I will do my best.

Races for 2011 so far

I just signed up for my first two races this year. The first one is going to be the Valentine's Day Dash 5k around Greenlake in Seattle. The second race is the Seahawks 12k in Renton Landing.

This will be my first 5k race and my first Valentine's Day Dash. I am shooting for just under a nine minute mile pace.

Last year at Seahawks I my time was 1:13:19. That is a time I am really proud of. I think it worked out to be about a 9:33 pace per mile. I am hoping I can repeat that, but it is pretty far off.

I am starting to pick up mileage a little bit again. I am mostly just lengthening my week day runs to have the shortest be 4 miles instead of 3 miles. I am still doing a maximum of nine miles on the weekend.

Planned training for the rest of the week:

Saturday - Long Run (8 miles) or 4 miles and cross train (depending on weather)
Sunday - What ever I didn't do Saturday
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 4 to 5 miles
Wednesday - Gravity with my favorite trainer and elliptical to warm-up
Thursday - 4 mile treadmill intervals (1 mile warm up, .5 mile at 8:30 pace, .25 at half marathon pace, repeat, .5 mile cool down)
Friday - Rest

Looking back on 2010 and goals for 2011

Last year was the year I took my fitness to a whole different level. Here is what I accomplished in 2010:

1) Ran eight races, one 4 mile, two 8ks, one 10k, two 12ks, and two Half Marathons
2) My fasted recorded mile is 7:15
3) My 8 to 10k pace is between 9:15 and 9:30
4) Half Marathon pace is still hovering around 10 minute miles
5) I ran a total of 785 miles.

I would say my two best races this year were the Torchlight 8k and RNR Seattle Half Marathon. These are the races I felt the best. I am most proud of my time for Torchlight, with a 9:08 pace for five miles. RNR was my first Half Marathon and definitely got me addicted. I wish I would have pushed harder out of the gate, but I think I felt so good at the finish because I started slow.

These are my goals right now for 2011:

1) Run 1,000 miles
2) Run my first 5k (it is so weird to think I have never raced one) AND my first sub nine minute pace at it.
3) Run my first full marathon (shooting for Portland in October)
4) Just be happy and stay healthy with what ever I accomplish

H is also talking about doing a triathlon in Eastern Washington. I will probably join him if he puts it together. Running is my weakest skill, so I think I will be a natural at it. We will see. Here is to a new year full of running and new friends!