Ocean Skater

Perseverance and Patience

2013-02-20T20:22:00.001-05:00

Life is hectic, friends. New job, training for that job, a very heavy semester at grad school - everything else has to be minimized and/or pushed to the side.

Like running. And writing.

I desperately miss both.

Life feels hard right now. Maybe it's grief (my father passed away November 9th), or the move, or the location change, or the classes I chose this semester.

But I'm drained. And tired. That kind of fatigue that creeps into your bones and lingers.

Running is therapeutic for me. Something happens on my long runs of 13+ miles. At a certain point, my mind completely clears. Nothing matters anymore. Nothing seems too difficult. Life becomes manageable.

I have not experienced that feeling since September. That was my last training run of 13+ miles. The farthest I've gone since the marathon is 12 miles.

I've shared before that I've been having some trouble with my legs for some time now. I remember exactly when it started. March 16th, driving home from an early St. Patrick's Day breakfast. It began as excruciating pain in my right hip and inner knee. My husband said he'd never seen me in such pain (which is saying a lot, considering we saw me through an unmedicated homebirth).

Through several rounds of PT, visits to the doctor, and rest days galore, the pain moved from my hip to behind my knees. It's stayed there. Sometimes coming around front, but mostly hanging out in the back of the knee(s).

So, I've been doing cross-training. Spin class, interval training, walking, elliptical, and most recently Piloxing (a combo of Pilates and boxing). One of my strength training teachers told me that due to my legs being different lengths and my severe hip weakness, running is setting me up to need hip replacement.

Not really what a runner wants to hear.

Yet I cannot escape the fact that I am a runner. I will likely never place in a race (unless I'm 80). I'll always be a mid-to-back-of-the-packer.

But I'm still a runner. I've become one. Through and through.

The day after I was told I'll likely eventually need hip replacement, I ran 8 speedy miles with friends. One mile was 8:28. The cross-training is making me stronger; for that, I'm thankful. But it's difficult to avoid discouragement.

I'm going to try some new things. A new strength and stretching routine. A training plan with less running that is more concentrated. Some dietary tweaks. We'll see if anything helps.

Despite the challenges, I have had some beautiful runs. Just a bit shorter :) I'm enjoying running in new territory, making new routes, learning new places.

See the deer?

I'd love prayers as well. I've experienced miraculous healing before. I'm certainly open to God doing that again.

More than anything, as always, I deeply desire that God be glorified.

My psalm this year is Psalm 25. Verses 4 & 5 are literally carrying me these days. I encourage you to read them out loud with me.

Show me your ways, O Lord,
teach me your paths;
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my Savior,
and my hope is in you all day long.

All day long, Lord. All day long.

The Cost of Homemade vs Store-bought Sauerkraut

2013-01-22T16:28:00.000-05:00

I have been without a food processor since our move here to Virginia. Ours was acting up in Boston in that it would turn on all by itself (dangerous!), so we left it behind.

Since we lived for over a month in a hotel with limited food and kitchen options, I decided it was imperative that we eat quality, raw, fermented vegetables to keep our gut flora active and healthy.

This meant I needed to buy them from the store.

Thankfully, the Wegmans here has an amazing natural food section, including whole food gluten-free options and raw fermented foods.

We absolutely fell in love with this Wild Brine Madras Curry Cauliflower Sauerkraut Salad. It is amazing! We also had already had Bubbies Sauerkraut several time, and knew it was quality.

Cost? $6.99 for each, both jars less than a quart.

Yikes.

For Christmas, I received a new food processor (yes!), and decided to do a cost comparison of the money saved by making my own sauerkraut, as I made a batch recently.

Supplies I purchased for this batch of sauerkraut:

2 pounds of red cabbage

7 pounds of green cabbage

4 carrots

1/2 onion

4 cloves garlic

Stuff I had on hand:

Sea Salt

Yellow curry

Dill

Caraway seeds

JJ thinks fermenting is fun!

Here is the per cup cost of the store-bought kraut:

$2.54/cup for Organic Curry Cauliflower Sauerkraut (2 3/4 cups @ $6.99)

$2.09/cup for Bubbies Sauerkraut (3 1/3 cups @ $6.99)

Here is what I purchased to make my kraut:
Red Cabbage: $1.50 (all @ $.79/pound)
Green Cabbage: $5.60 (1 1/3 heads @ $.79/pound)
Organic Carrots: $.46 (4 carrots out of a package of 20 @ $2.29)
Onion: $.15 (1/2 onion, 10 onions in 3 lb bag @ $2.99)
Garlic: $.13 (about 4 cloves)
Spices: $1.50 (4 T curry: $.50, 10 T sea salt: $.50, 2 t dill $.25, 1 T caraway seeds: $.25)

Total cost: $9.34

Wow. This made 5 1/2 quarts.

"Take my picture again!"

Per cup cost for the homemade kraut? 42 cents.

A couple of things to factor in:
Spices: The cost of spices is approximate. If you had to buy the individual spices, the cost would be more (Wegmans has small containers of spices in the natural foods section for $1.99/spice). You could also just make plain kraut with sea salt which would cut down the cost of spices and ingredients.

Organic Vs. Conventional: I wanted to do this experiment with organic cabbage, cauliflower, etc., but I do not have a Whole Foods close enough to get them. The cabbage used in the curry kraut by Wild Brine was organic, but all the other ingredients were conventional. I did buy organic carrots (a preference of mine), but given that cabbage is on the Clean 15 list (conventional produce that is the "cleanest" after washing in terms of pesticide residue), I'm not too concerned about it.

Tools: My new food processor is fairly typical and cost about $100. Our last one cost about $50 and lasted 10 years. If you don't have a food processor, a typical cheese grater would work fine. That would cost you about $10 at Amazon.com or Walmart. The jars cost about $1.50 a piece this time of year, but you can get them for less than $1 during canning season.

Time: Some people might factor in time. If you're super busy or don't enjoy projects like this, you may ask, is it worthwhile for me to spend the time making this myself? This might take about an hour to make, up to an hour and a half. It depends on how many varieties you are making (I made 4 different types of kraut).

Still, is it worth it to make your own sauerkraut, if you have the time and the resources? Absolutely. Even if you have to purchase tools to make it happen, you can easily make up the difference within a couple of years, if that.

Life After A Marathon

2012-11-06T18:14:00.002-05:00

On October 13th, I completed my first marathon.

I trampled on child sex trafficking by raising (to date) $3371.85 for Happy Horizons Children's Ranch in the Philippines. I trained for over 4 months for that marathon, with about a year of training before that.

I wanted to share some issues I've faced since the big race and before.

Maintaining Injury-free Fitness
In March, I started having severe pain in my right leg (mostly a burning in my hip). I went to the doc, to a physical therapist, to another doctor, to a different physical therapist with no relief. I did find out there is nothing structurally wrong with me: no bursitis or anything like that.

I knew before I completed the marathon that something in my fitness routine needed to change. I did start cross-training, doing some spin classes and using the elliptical. I also lowered my mileage. Despite this, the pain increased, move down my leg to knee and a bit in my shin.

I can run through the pain. I'm not really getting too much faster, but it's not really affected my speed. But as I told someone last week, I want to still be able to run when I'm 60 (or 90 if I'm still kicking!). I don't want to just power through it and end up unable to run.

I have taken my sweet time getting back into running post-marathon. We left for Virginia 5 days post-marathon and have been staying in a hotel. After a week of no running (except for that day when I almost missed the train), I've been slowly easing back into both the elliptical, treadmill running, and trail-running (W & OD, baby!). The feet platforms of the hotel elliptical seem a bit awkwardly placed. I'm realizing they hurt my knee as well.

So until I can get to a sports medicine doctor, I plan on being very consistent in doing my stretches and strengthening exercises.

Weight Maintenance
Racing makes me gain weight, and I'm up almost 8 lbs from my weight a couple of months ago. 8 lbs is not a ton, but it's enough to make even my looser pants tights.

I am feeling out of shape. Living in a hotel with limited cooking facilities does not help! They also provide meals that aren't always healthy. But I can't use that as an excuse.

When I went back to Boston last week, I returned with my Blendtec (yay!) and bread machine. I also brought back my bathroom scale and my Weight Watchers food scale.

You all know I am a Lifetime member of Weight Watchers. I'm also an employee. I know what to do to get back on track. It's simply a matter of putting what I know into practice during an emotionally challenging time.

What's Next?
The last thing I've been pondering is: what's next? What does one do after completing a marathon? What's my next goal?

I don't race much. Over the past year, I've only raced 1 10K (I'm not counting fun runs) and 3 half marathons. I think I'm going to try and run some 5K and 10K's, starting (hopefully!) with a Thanksgiving 10K I ran last year. I think living so close to the amazing W & OD trail will help me train in that regard.

Today's Green Smoothie

I'm getting down to business, people! Who's with me?

ING Hartford Marathon Race Recap: Trample On for the Kids!

2012-10-14T21:03:00.004-04:00

This is the ING Hartford Marathon Race Recap.

I decided to run this marathon in order to raise funds and awareness concerning child sex trafficking. On race morning, we had almost hit our 2nd goal of $3275 ($125/mile run) over at TrampleOn.org.

I found out on Friday morning that the weather was likely going to be about 34 degrees at race time. Training all summer for a fall marathon had not prepared me for this. I ran to the basement to try and dig up some winter running clothes. I also made my family go pick me up some $1 gloves while I was at a speaking engagement Friday morning.

After the engagement, we went to the XL Center in Hartford to pick up my race packet.

It was nice to see LaraBar and Food Should Taste Good there, as well as Navitas Natural (all things my kids can eat!). We then went and stayed at a friend's house about 30 minutes from Hartford.

I woke up early on race morning to have breakfast and get ready. I wanted to read something, but wasn't sure what. I remembered that my friend Heather had suggested, about a week before when I was feeling discouraged about something not marathon-related, I might find Psalm 56 helpful. This is what I read in the translation I had open on my Bible app:

Be gracious to me, O God, for man has trampled upon me;
Fighting all day long he oppresses me.
My foes have trampled upon me all day long,
For they are many who fight proudly against me.
When I am afraid, I will put my trust in You.
In God, whose word I praise,
In God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid.
What can mere man do to me?

I cried. I didn't even know the term "trampling" was in the Bible! And yet, I choose "Trample On" to be my theme for fundraising. I thought, This is why I run today, that those whose lives have been trampled on by man can find hope. Jesus, be my strength.

We got there early and parked, and after several port-a-potty stops, it was time to line up.

I decided to take a screen shot of the weather on my phone before I handed it over (I didn't run with the phone).

Cold.

Ready to go!

Kids not all that happy about getting up in the dark before 6 AM!

Am I yawning already?

I hung out with the 4:20 pace group (that's total running time, about a 10-minute mile), since the race predictor had me at 4:13. I hoped to do between 4:20 & 4:30 if nothing went wrong.

And we were off!

As I've said before, running is almost always hard for me. Even with tapering and barely running for the last 3 weeks, it felt hard from the beginning.

My family caught a glimpse of me at mile 5. I was SO happy to see them!

I was already hurting, so it was great to see familiar faces.

This is what my kids did for at least 2 hours of the race:

They slept :) Understandable since we dragged them out of bed so early.

Around mile 7, I decided to try and take off the long-sleeve shirt I was wearing under my Trample On tank. I ran for about a mile like that, but it was too cold. In this process, I lost the pace group. I tried to catch back up, but it felt like too much.

I reminded myself, This is my race. Not the pace guy's race, not any of my running club friends' race. It's my race, and if I need to slow down, I will.

Everything in my body started to really hurt. Not only did my legs hurt, it was so cold I kept coughing very painful coughs, as if my lungs and throat had freezer burn. I was dehydrated, even though I had my water belt and was taking 1-2 cups of water at every water stop.

I desperately wanted to stop.

I thought of the kids, and I convinced myself to keep running until mile 10. Then the stomach upset began. I decided to look for a port-a-potty around mile 12-13.

They say running is mostly mental. They are right.

I had done all I knew to prepare. And yet the running was torture. This is part of why I wanted to try & run with a pace group. If I allow myself to run too slow, it's actually harder than pushing myself to run a faster pace. I kept just talking myself into going another mile.

I was so happy to cross the halfway mark (13.1 miles) at about 2:16. Even though I was in pain and my stomach was upset, crossing the halfway point made me feel as if I could really do it. I remember happily jumping over the chip timer (though not too high), knowing my family would be getting a message that I was still on my marathon journey.

At mile 15, I started experiencing shortness of breath. I wasn't sure what to do. One of my secret fears was that something would happen to me while running. I did have an eating disorder and had some trouble with my heart at one point. I thought of the Schiebers. I do not know these people (they are friends of friends), but Sarah lost her husband and the father of her 3 kids Chad when he died running the 2007 Chicago Marathon.

I did not want to quit. I wanted to finish - for the kids. But I also was scared.

I decided to walk.

I decided I could walk 11.2 miles if that's what needed to happen. I knew I could do that. My health was not worth trying to get to the finish line at a specific time.

So I walked for a while. I started running again slowly. I would run through the chorus of a song playing on the iPod, and then I'd walk again. After a while, I felt as if I could take a full breath again, so I challenged myself to try and run a mile.

After this point, I'd run a mile and then run/walk the next mile. I was starving, so I focused on consuming a gel and some more of my energy chews, as well as chugging water every chance I got.

I got to mile 20 - another moment of joy! Only a 10 K left! You can see my pace, which was 10:26 at the half, was now 10:57. I didn't even care. My stomach was getting more upset from the chews/gel and the water (this is within the realm of normal for me), so I found another pit stop. I continued to run a mile and run/walk the next mile.

I did this until mile 23, at which point I saw the 5:00 pace team. I decided I would try and run the final 3.2 with them, since I hoped to run the last 2.2 anyway.

We ran on some roads and eventually got to the bridge back into Hartford, which we ran over out of town toward the beginning of the race.

Oh, what a beautiful sight the city was!

Then the shortness of breath came back full force. I was less than 2/3rds of a mile from the end (I asked the pace leader).

I decided, once again, to walk.

I watched the pace team take off in front of me. Honestly, I didn't care that much. My pride wanted to run the whole thing anyway, so that I could say I did, but clearly, my body was not up for it. I continued to walk for a little while, and then alternate running and walking as I had before.

When I got a bit closer to the end, I decided I could handle a continuous slow jog. I really wanted to run across the finish line. I turned the corner, saw the end, saw the clock said 5:00:08. Then I stopped looking at the clock and started to look for my fan club :)

I saw Olivia, cheering for me! She took this picture.

There I am, trampling on child sex trafficking as I crossed the finish line of the Hartford Marathon, giving all the glory to God.

For the kids!!!!

I was so happy!

Someone wrapped me in a wrap thingie that they give you at the end. Someone else gave me a ING Hartford water bottle. I was looking around for my family, feeling a bit confused. I walked almost to the exit, and decided instead to turn around and go to the medical tent.

I just wanted to be safe.

They gave me chicken broth (yummy warm goodness!), took my pulse (the guy couldn't find it and used the machine - very high, of course), blood pressure (also high, especially for me), oxygen saturation (100%), listened to my heart, listened to me breath, and said I was fine, that I probably just got freezer burn of the lungs and throat. I still couldn't inhale fully, but I was released to go.

I exited the tent and went to find the actual exit from the race. Then I saw the people with the medals! I had completely forgotten that I hadn't received my medal yet!

It took me a while to find my fan club because we forgot to make a plan about meeting. Plus, I had no phone and no way to tell them I was going to the med tent, so they were a bit frantic, trying to locate me.

But they found me! And Olivia gave me a wreath she made for me!

Yes, I felt as bad as I looked. This is the next shot of me and my glorious finish.

At a certain point, I realized the clock at the finish line was the time from start of the race, not my chip time from when I actually crossed the start (several minutes difference). So I thought, Maybe I did cross in under 5 hours!

So we went to see if we could find my actual time.

And there it is!

4:58:18! Not fast, not glamorous, not what I hoped for, but not bad at all for the first time out!

The lady with the times asked if we wanted a family picture.

I learned a lot this race, which I will save for another post :) Most of all, I finished the race - for the kids!

OK, and now to make a long post even longer :)

I want to thank Pastor Craig Burns for inspiring me to run for God's glory! He started running ultra marathons (distances over 26.2 miles) in his 50's after being diagnosed with lymphoma. He often raises money for causes while racing, and he tends to be a "back-of-the-packer" like me :) I started attending his church in Virginia in 2000 during a visit to my dad's because it was the only church with the service time in the yellow pages.

Also want to thank Colleen, Heather & Damian for challenging me that day last March in TGI Fridays after the Half of Quincy to consider running a marathon.

I'm forever thankful for all my friends and family who supported me in so many ways in running this race, especially Roy, Bear, JJ & Olivia!

And I will forever be inspired by my wonderful father, Jack, who has fought the good fight with courage and perseverance. Dad, you make me aspire to goodness. I love you so much. I could not have asked for a more amazing father.

I added my marathon bracelet next to my LIVESTRONG bracelet that he gave me, which I never take off.

Thanks, everyone! You inspire me to live my amazing!

There is still an opportunity to give, if your heart is moved to do so. The kids & I thank you!

Posted at imperfect prose on 1/9/13

Marathon Training: 18th & Final Week

2012-10-11T17:10:00.000-04:00

Week 18.

Physical marathon training ends.

Let the mental and emotional and spiritual training continue.

I run for the kids.

Have you given yet?

I met my goal of raising $100/mile and have set a new goal: $125 per mile.

I need $558 more to hit that goal.

Have you given yet? For the kids?

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: Rest

Wednesday: 3.46 miles

Thursday: 4.2 miles

Friday: Rest

Saturday: Rest

Sunday: 2.5 mile walk

I traveled 10.16 miles this week.

Hartford*, here I come. 2 short days away.

For the kids.

*I was originally going to run the Baltimore Marathon, but because we haven't moved yet, I signed up for Hartford.

Marathon Training: Week 17

2012-10-05T22:38:00.001-04:00

Week 17.

Beginning the taper.

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 4.25 miles

Wednesday: 4.35 miles

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 3 miles

Sunday: 11.75 miles - final long run before marathon

I ran 23.35 miles this week.

Hartford*, here I come.

*I was originally going to run the Baltimore Marathon, but because we haven't moved yet, I signed up for Hartford.

Marathon Training: Week 16

2012-09-27T19:18:00.001-04:00

I ran 20.86 miles this week, including the awesome Zooma Half!

Monday: Rest

Tuesday: 4.3 miles

Wednesday: 3.46 miles

Thursday: Rest

Friday: Rest

Saturday: 13.1 miles: Zooma Cape Cod Half Marathon

Sunday: Rest

Zooma Cape Cod Half Marathon: Redemption

2012-09-24T19:47:00.005-04:00

On June 3rd, I ran the hardest race of my life.

It was likely a combination of factors. I was experimenting with my diet to try & reduce the inflammation in my leg. I was physically tired due to various factors. I didn't sleep well. I started too fast and pushed too hard.

Who knows exactly what happened. All I know is it was a half marathon, and it was awful. Hard. Horrible. Wretched.

I cried. Literally cried I felt so awful. Do you know how hard it is to run when you are crying? I only kept running because it meant it would be over sooner.

Needless to say, I had mixed feelings when I won an entry to the Zooma Cape Cod half marathon through the running club I'm in.

We drove down Friday afternoon to stay in a place my husband vacationed at as a child.

A few miles away, we came upon this:

Do you see that rainbow off in the distance? It almost looked like a reflection from one of those prisms you hang in a window. Soon it became this:

And then this:

A double rainbow.

I couldn't help but wonder: would this race bring a redemption of sorts? Would it restore my confidence in my body's ability to run a race?

Everyone told me not to race. Treat it as a training run, they said. The marathon is only 3 weeks away, and you should be tapering.

So I had no expectations. I was hoping to run a 2:05 half, but hadn't even done the math to figure out what pace that would be. My previous half marathon times were 2:12-ish, 2:00:00.0 on the dot, and 2:09-ish (the hardest race of my life). I figured I could likely do 2:05 without pushing myself too hard.

I got to connect with Colleen Fit Bee before the race (love that woman), and we hung around and chatted for a few.

Before we knew it, it was time to run.

So I ran.

My legs felt heavy the whole time. They usually do. Running does not come naturally to me; it never has. It has always been hard work. I've never had that "light" or "fresh" feeling that runners talk about. I keep running because I can & others can't.

So I wasn't concerned that my legs felt heavy. I was maintaining about a 9:05 pace initially. Then the hills set in and my mapping app sort of lost me.

This race was hilly. Very, very hilly. We didn't have a serious downhill until after mile 6. And then we went right back uphill.

Around that time, I decided I felt good enough to push myself a little harder. I kept telling myself I could slow down if I needed to. At about mile 7 or 8, my phone said I was running a 9:14 pace. It was more like 9:20 based on the difference between the course markers and the miles my phone thought we were running (i.e. much shorter miles!).

I just kept running. I ran fast up the hills, even though it was hard. I ran & ran & ran.

At mile 10, I timed a mile. 8:35. Not bad at all. At mile 12, my phone said I'd been running somewhere around an hour and 50-51 minutes. I couldn't quite read it. I did the math and figured out I was pretty close to getting a personal best.

So I really, really ran. I figured if nothing else, I could get in really close to 2:01 or 2:02, which would be amazing on such a difficult course.

I was near the end and rounded the corner. The big clock said. 1:59. 1:59????? Would half marathon #4 finally break the 2 hour barrier?

I sprinted and gave it my all.

Almost done - check out that joy!

The clock read 1:59:24. I gave all the glory to God.

Redemption.

My official time was 1:59:13. Amazing!

You can see my dear friend Colleen in the reflection! She's so speedy she PR'ed with 1:39 AND placed 2nd for her age group! And did I mention she has lost over 100 lbs? An inspiration!

Thanks, Zooma ladies, for contacting Parkway Running Club & giving me this amazing opportunity! The race was unique in so many ways. It was almost all women. There were pacers! I've never seen pacers in a race before. In fact, after mile 12, we did a little out & back down a side street. Seeing the 2:00 pacers let me know I was close! Instead of a race medal, we got a cool running necklace that said "Run" on one side and "Zooma 12" on the other. There was food, music, and lots of fun!

I run because I can.

If you haven't yet read about why I will run a marathon in 19 days, please do. I will be running 26.2 miles to raise awareness & funds in order to trample on child sex trafficking. Please consider giving to this great cause.

Marathon Training: Week 15

2012-09-24T18:59:00.001-04:00

41.82 miles.

Those are the numbers one would expect to see from someone training for a marathon.

41.82 miles.

I woke up on Sunday of this week with a very sore back, so I did not run Sunday or Monday. Tuesday, I set out for a brief jaunt, and by Thursday, I was at 95%.

Because I was running in a friend's 30th birthday 5K on Sunday, I needed to run 20+ on Saturday. It would be my last opportunity to attempt over 21 miles (my longest run a few months prior).

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 3.56 miles (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 7.75 miles (Longer Run)
Thursday: 4.9 miles (Rest)
Friday: Rest (Cross-training)
Saturday: 22.51 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 5K/3.1 Miles (Long run)

My fellow Weight Watchers employees who ran the 5K:

Why I Run: Today's Featured Story is Yours Truly!

2012-09-18T19:56:00.002-04:00

Hey folks!

Head over to Jennifer Luitwieler's blog to read my "Why I Run" story and hear about how I'll be trampling on child sex trafficking on October 13th.

Why I Run

22.5 Miles

2012-09-17T15:48:00.007-04:00

This is what 22.5 miles looks like, people.

My husband texted me toward the end of the run to say they were leaving for Whole Foods Dedham. I got my phone out of its baggie (it rained) and stammered, "I'm on the corner! Wait for me." I then staggered to the back porch and made him take my picture.

This is also what 22.5109 miles looks like:

You may not be able to tell from this iPhone photo, but my lips are blue. This is apparently my new post-long-run norm. And I wasn't cold, despite it raining for the last 7 miles of my run.

I learned in this run that I can run at least 5 miles on completely exhausted legs. I also learned I can run 22.5109 miles (4 hours 1 minute and 57 seconds) with no music.

Soon I will introduce you to the cause for which I will run 26.2 miles on October 13th.

Marathon Training: Week 14

2012-09-10T08:57:00.001-04:00

Rough week. Rough several weeks.

Tuesday night track was cancelled due to rain, so no run. Friday & Sunday mornings, I had to be at work quite early, so no run.

This week on Thursday morning, I got up to go running and realized my dog was very sick. I took him in to be checked out, and he died in my arms in the waiting room.

So this is all I conjured up this week.

Monday: 8.35 miles (Rest)
Tuesday: Rest (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 45 minutes elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: Rest (Cross-training)
Saturday: 7.19 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: Rest (Long run)

I ran 15.54 miles this week.

We miss you, Noodles.

Noodles, when we adopted him

Marathon Training: Week 13

2012-09-06T18:01:00.000-04:00

Week 13, marathon training.

I was still sick for much of this week. I was also having calf pain from the severe dehydration.

So I went out and got some compression sleeves.

I love them! Got me through 12 miles on mostly functional calves.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Rest (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: Rest (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: Rest (Cross-training)
Saturday: 1.5 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 12 miles (Long run)

I ran 13.5 miles this week.

Marathon Training: Week 12

2012-09-02T18:01:00.001-04:00

8.29 miles.

That's how far I ran this week.

8.29 miles.

It was a rough week anyway, and then I came down with the plague on Saturday night, which made a Sunday long run impossible.

So here it is.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 6.8 km track workout: 400m warmup, 6x1000 at tempo, 400m cooldown (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 46 minutes elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 2.03 miles (Cross-training)
Saturday: 2.03 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: Sick as a dog: no miles (Long run)

Marathon training at its best.

Marathon Training, Week 11

2012-08-27T17:49:00.000-04:00

I am a week behind!

On Tuesday night, I put on my new running shoes (pair #2), and my toes still hurt. So I called the running store, and they said, "Sounds like your shoes are too small."

Yep!

On Wednesday, I went back for pair #3.

I ran a few short runs and decided to go long on Sunday to see how the shoes held up.

I headed out on a route I'd done once before. I decided to try to keep a good tempo, under 10:15 minutes/mile.

Around mile 9 or 10, I saw some wild turkeys.

I ended up running 17.39 miles at an average pace of 10:07 and decided I really liked the shoes :)

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 5.2 km: 400m warm-up, and then 3x1600, first at threshold, second at tempo, third half tempo, half speed. Serious business! (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 50 minutes elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 3.5 mile run, 20 minutes swimming (Cross-training)
Saturday: 4.3 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 17.39 miles (Long run)

I ran 28.42 miles this week, swam for 20 minutes, and did 50 minutes on the elliptical.

Marathon Training, Week 10

2012-08-14T16:35:00.002-04:00

I mentioned last week I was discouraged. I wasn't sure my new running shoes were a good fit and was unsure what to do.

At Tuesday's track workout, the coach mentioned I was running strangely and I told him my concerns about my shoes. He said, "Take them back." So I took the rest of the week easy (and in my old shoes) until I could try to find some different shoes on Saturday.

Monday: 45 minutes elliptical, 1.65 mile treadmill (Rest)
Tuesday: 2 x 400m warmup, 1 x 400m @ THRESHOLD, 1 x 800 @ TEMPO, 1 x 1600 @ TEMPO, 1 x 800 @ TEMPO, 2 x 400 @ SPEED: 2nd one was 1:39! (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 4.35 mile run (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 50 minutes elliptical (Cross-training)
Saturday: A few short jaunts up & down the street and under the block, trying out shoes (Shorter run)
Sunday: 10.61 miles run, 2 mile hike, during which I carried the dog 90% of the time (Long run)

I really like my new shoes. Really, Really. That's likely evident by the fact that I went out & ran 10.61 miles in them the day after I got them, missing the men's Olympic marathon. The only issue is they might be too narrow. The insides of my big toes hurt afterwards.

They are Saucony Hurricane 14's, basically the new version of the shoe I've run 3 half marathons in.

Yesterday was a rest day, but we'll see how tonight's track workout goes in my new shoes :)

I ran 19.85 miles this week, did 2 cross-training sessions on the elliptical, and hiked 2 miles, carrying my cocker spaniel.

Marathon Training, Week 9: Discouraged

2012-08-06T16:36:00.000-04:00

Here's how this week shaped up.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Track workout: 800m warmup, 400m @ THRESHOLD, 800m @ TEMPO, 1600m @ TEMPO, 800 @ TEMPO, 2 x 400m @ SPEED, 400m cool down (ran one 400m @ 1:44) (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 45 minute hill workout on elliptical (Longer Run)
Thursday: 4.5 mile run to the running store (Rest)
Friday: 2 mile run (Cross-training)
Saturday: 2 mile run (Shorter run)
Sunday: 3 mile run (Long run)

I'm actually feeling pretty discouraged in my running this week. I knew I needed new shoes, so I took it easy. The shoes I decided on are completely different than my last 3 pairs (which were 3 pairs of the same style of shoe), and my legs are struggling to adjust. I also either hurt my back on Saturday, or the shoes are making my back hurt, and as of today, it still hurts.

In general, my legs hurts most of the time, even when I'm not running, whether I run 10 miles a week or 40. It especially hurts to sit or drive. I will be going to a doctor Friday to find out if anything is actually wrong.

So, yeah. I still have well over 2 months to train and at this point, I could likely walk 26.2 miles even with a sore back. But it's hard not to feel discouraged.

I ran 14.98 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 8

2012-08-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

I traveled this weekend and knew I couldn't do a long run, so I shifted the schedule a bit and rested.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 400m warmup, 1x1600 threshold, 2x800 tempo, 4x400 speed. Only timed one 400m, but did it in 1:46 :) Not bad! (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 4.15 miles (Longer Run)
Thursday: 3.01 miles (Rest)
Friday: 45 minute spin class, 15 minutes elliptical (Cross-training)
Saturday: 3.5 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 45 minutes elliptical (Long run)

I ran 13.89 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 7

2012-07-25T17:35:00.001-04:00

Challenging week in marathon training land.

Due to some leg issues, I'm doing quite a few exercises for strengthening my legs. I have a standing desk at one of my jobs, so I do strengthening and stretching while I work.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Track workout, 400m warmup, 3x1600 with 800 @ threshold, 400 @ speed, 400 @ threshold, another 800m at tempo (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 6.46 miles (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 15 min elliptical, 45 minute spin class, 1 mile treadmill (Cross-training)
Saturday: 4.25 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 16.73 miles (Long run)

My long run on Sunday was HARD. Very HARD. Did I mention it was HARD? I think it has something to do with the fact that I need new shoes. Not only a new pair of shoes, but a whole new style and fit of shoes.

I will be away this weekend, and my mileage will be way down. I hope the rest will help with my right leg pain and the IT band pain I'm having in my left leg.

I ran 32.17 miles this week.

Marathon Training, Week 6

2012-07-21T21:00:00.000-04:00

Lots going on this week. A delayed update :)

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: Track workout, 400m warmup, 6x1000m, 2 at threshold, 2 at tempo, 2 at speed (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 9.08 miles (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 15 min elliptical, 45 minute spin class, .5 mile treadmill (Cross-training)
Saturday: 2.03 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: 12.04 miles (Long run)

I ran 31.92 miles this week.

Cranberry Bean Hummus

2012-07-17T20:28:00.003-04:00

I picked up a bag of dried cranberry roman beans at an Amish store in Pennsylvania for 40 cents. I remember buying them before at a post-Thanksgiving sale and liking them.

I couldn't remember what I made with them last time, but googling found me this. I used its vague memory to create this recipe.

Cranberry Bean Hummus
1 pound dried cranberry beans
1/2 small onion, peeled
2-3 dried bay leaf
1 large zucchini {about a 9 inch veggie}
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons tahini
2-3 small clove garlic, chopped
Juice of 1 freshly squeezed lemon juice
Sea salt

Soak the beans overnight. Drain, rinse, and put back in the crockpot. Add sufficient water, the onion and the bay leaves with a pinch of sea salt. Cook until cooked :) Mine cooked on low about 8 hours because I was at work, but I think they're done a lot faster than that.

While the beans are cooking, wash and chop the zucchini into stick-shaped pieces. Saute in olive oil until soft. I actually cooked these the night before for ease. Set aside.

Once the beans are cooked, drain again, saving some beans water. Take out the bay leaves, but leave the onion. Put beans and onion in food processor with zucchini, tahini, garlic and lemon juice. Puree. Add sea salt to taste. Add beans water if you want a thinner consistency. Mine was quite soupy, but very yummy.

This is great served warm or cold. You cannot taste the tahini (a plus for us because my husband isn't a huge fan). Even my 4 year old loved it. We dipped veggies in it.

My Weight Watchers Story: 60 Pounds Lost

2012-07-16T15:54:00.002-04:00

I've been wanting to post my Weight Watchers story for a while. Having just passed my one-year anniversary of becoming a Lifetime member (lingo explained later), I figured this is a great time to share!

I weighed 183.5 the day after I had my second son. In the euphoria of having a HBAC, I somehow gained 10 pounds in 6 weeks post-birth.

My precious 6 week old

Baking with the 2 1/2 year old

4 months after that, I was back at 183.5, but not budging. This was in May 2010. These pictures are from around those times.

Still drinking green smoothies

My almost 6 month old

I knew something needed to change because what I was doing wasn't working. My reservations about signing up for a formal diet program were that I had an eating disorder for well over a decade, though I had not been symptomatic in 7 years at that point. I had several friends with disordered eating history who had success with Weight Watchers, so I started doing it "unofficially" (this was the old Points program, so points were easier to figure out), just counting points every day based on the info I found online. I did that for about 2 weeks, lost weight, and my head was still in a good place.

Weight Watchers On-line
At that point, I signed up for the on-line Weight Watchers program.

I was pretty active, chasing 2 little boys and taking lots of walks, so I lost about 10 lbs/month until I reached my goal (about 3.5 months later), which was just under 150. My weight had generally been in the high 150's into the 160's for most of my post-esating disorder years, but my doc had told me years ago that a good healthy range for me is 138-150, so I thought 150 was a good goal.

This was in about October, 2010. I introduced more high-fat foods into my diet and ended up losing about another 7-10 pounds.

Trying Weight Watchers Meetings Out
I fluctuated a bit after that until in April, 2011, I decided to join Weight Watchers meetings. I wanted to try the different type of support and accountability, as well as learn about the new program (I was still following the Points program, not the new PointsPlus system). I was about 155-156 at that weigh-in.

I lost more slowly with the new program, but I made my initial goal weight of 148 in about 2.5 months. If you attend meetings, once you hit your goal weight and stay there for 6 weeks, you become a Lifetime Member and can attend meetings for free. I made Lifetime in June of 2011. I continued to lose weight and have lost about 60 pounds total (I still fluctuate a bit within a 5 pound range).

Personal Reflections on the Program
I love the new PointsPlus system. I love that almost all fruits and veggies have a zero PointsPlus value (so green smoothies are now free!). I like that protein and carbs are now factored in, so that the PointsPlus value has a better overall nutritional value.

I also love that every Weight Watchers member can make Weight Watchers their own within the construct of the program.

I've always eaten a mainly whole foods diet and have been able to continue that easily with Weight Watchers. I do eat a more fat than most people I know who do Weight Watchers. This is how I feel my best, and I adjust my Daily PointsPlus Target to account for this.

And that's the thing I love about Weight Watchers. If I feel like having a banana with peanut butter, I can. Dark chocolate? Sure! Full fat cheese occasionally? Yes! I even sometimes put whole milk in my coffee (I prefer it black ).

I have really grown to love the meeting environment. I love hearing others' success stories and what works for them, as well as getting to share my own experiences. I have found I also need the accountability of getting weighed at a meeting.

Still The Same Joyous Brenna
Though I have struggled with my weight for about 25 years, I still lived a very full, mostly happy life before losing weight. I cannot say, as some do, that my life began because I got thin. Far from it. I have an amazing, blessed life now as I did 2 years ago.

I share this mainly because Weight Watchers is a tool that has worked for me and empowered me to have a more sane relationship with food than I have had in the years since the eating disorder. Weight Watchers has taught me a lot, and I've found new habits and hobbies that will carry me for a lifetime.

Here are some more recent pictures of me. It seems the only time I get a full-length shot is at a race! I did get my husband to take the nice, sweaty shot below :)

Close-up, it was our anniversary :), December 2011

Half of Quincy with Heather of Run Faster Mommy, March '12 (we both PR'ed!)

Today, after walking home in the 90 degree heat carrying too many groceries, looking very serious

I'll talk more about the work of maintenance, my final weight goal and my newly discovered love of running in a separate post :)

Marathon Training, Week 5

2012-07-09T21:35:00.004-04:00

How is it week 5 already?

It seems every week, there's some reason to not follow the schedule exactly. I'm OK with that :)

This week was preceded by Saturday and Sunday being rest days. There was no track on Tuesday, due to so many running the race on Wednesday. I am taking the train to work now, so it is difficult to do my Friday cross-training and get to work at a reasonable time. I had to do my long run on Saturday because I was leading the music at church on Sunday (long runs mess with my hydration and thus my singing voice).

Monday: 2.5 miles (Rest)
Tuesday: 3.5 miles (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: Four on the 4th road race (Longer Run)
Thursday: Rest (Rest)
Friday: 3.46 miles (Cross-training)
Saturday: 21.27 miles (Shorter run)
Sunday: Rest (Long run)

Yes. Saturday, I ran 21.27 miles. I was aiming for 20, but MapMyRun lost me at a certain point. It was not easy, but I finished.

I ran 34.73 miles week 5 of marathon training.

Marathon Training, Week 4

2012-07-02T21:35:00.001-04:00

This week was a bit strange because I was in Minnesota for the Exodus conference.

Monday: Rest (Rest)
Tuesday: 5.37 miles (Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout)
Wednesday: 3.25 miles outside in the MN heat & 1.12 mile on treadmill (Longer Run)
Thursday: 6.31 miles (Rest)
Friday: 20 minutes on the elliptical (Cross-training)
Saturday: Rest (Shorter run)
Sunday: Rest (Long run)

Total miles: 16.05

Marathon Training, Week 3

2012-06-25T21:35:00.003-04:00

This is week 3 of training for the Baltimore Marathon.

This week was a little different. I already knew Thursday wouldn't be a rest day because my running club was doing a fun run as part of "Try the Y[MCA]" week. Then my car had issues and I couldn't get to the gym on Friday. I also took the train 2 days rather than commuting for 45 minutes in stop & go traffic. This really alleviated some of the pain I've been having in my right leg.

Below it says what I was scheduled to do and in parentheses is what I actually did.

Monday Rest
Tuesday Morning yoga/stretching and evening track workout (minimal yoga & 3.72 miles of speed work)
Wednesday Longer Run (7.66 miles)
Thursday Rest (3.13 "fun run" in 95 degree heat!)
Friday Cross-training (5.51 mile run)
Saturday Shorter run (3.58 miles)
Sunday Long run (19.08 miles)

Prior to this past week, my longest run was 17.3 miles. Sunday, I found a good training pace that felt a teeny bit challenging, but not too slow: about 10:15 minutes per mile. I felt great and decided to go for 19. It was a very encouraging run!

I will be traveling out of town tomorrow early and am not sure what my running week will look like. I was planning that my mileage would be down this week anyway, as I was advised to drop the mileage to about half every 3 weeks.

Total miles: 42.69