Chasing the Kenyans

Chasing the Geriatrics

2013-05-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

Probably the only time my rib cage will be so prominent.

If I remember correctly that's the L5 vertebrae. Fan-freaking-tastic. Time for some complete rest; no more upper body either. Good bye man-shoulders and the ability to do pullups! I will have to start all over on those. But, if it means being able to run in the future (near-future preferred) it's a sacrifice I am willing to make. I'm told this is capable of healing itself (with rest) and that all the upper body work probably kept it from getting better sooner. In addition to resting, I'm spending a few minutes a day on an inversion table - talk about nauseating.

The 'funny' thing is the medical doctor who took this x-ray said it looked fine and diagnosed me with piriformis.... and you wonder why I was reluctant to go do a doctor 4+ months ago!

An Update and a Giveaway

2013-05-11T18:53:00.000-04:00

It's been 6 weeks since my last post. I never thought I'd be one of "those people" who A) got injured for months on end or B) disappeared from the blogosphere. But here I am, crawling back and begging for your attention. Can you believe I missed National M&M Day?!? Horrors. I made up for it by overindulging in M&M's on and off, don't worry. I hope you all remembered to celebrate without me.

So what's new? (not much)

I'm still injured. Sucky-suck-suck-fest. I am soooo tired of not being able to run and could definitely do without the set of spare tires I've accumulated around my midsection.

I've spent a good chunk of money trying to figure out what's wrong and how to fix it at various doctors, weekly massages, and newly-started PT. I've gotten 4 separate diagnoses (although 2 of them are related as far as naming body parts) and so far nothing has helped. I've taken fish oil for inflammation (can't take NSAIDs), tried Kill Cliff for inflammation (it tastes a heckuvalot better than fish oil), I've iced, I've heated, I've rolled, I've lacrosse-balled, I've tried to stretch it, I've tried to Jane Fonda-exercise it, I've gone to the chiropractor (though I should have been going more frequently), I've taken almost FIVE MONTHS off of lower body exercise... with absolutely NO IMPROVEMENT. I did get a stand-up desk at work though, so one minor victory in this mess?

Ok, so I could still cash in my life savings and get an MRI or CAT done, but I'd rather spend that money on M&M's (and no doctor has mentioned doing one yet).

For all you google-certified-physicians (like myself) or actual-health-experts, here's a brief recap:
- Pain is in glute; hurts when standing up after sitting. Lower back won't stand fully straight right away.
- Sharp/shooting pain when sneeze while sitting.
- Get a sharp pain in glute when bending over (ie: to tie shoe). Yes, hamstrings are tight but I assume mostly from not being used in months; pain isn't in hammies).
- Current/latest diagnosis is something in SI/hip (I don't remember the exact term/location) is aggravating the piriformis which is possibly irritating my sciatic nerve.

On a lighter note, I have something to giveaway! Whoop whoop! I was contacted by tshirtprinting.org and offered a shirt with my logo on it as they were looking to promote their new business/tshirt printing services. They are a UK-based business but shipping was quick coming across the pond.

They were kind enough to send an extra shirt with my new Africa + foot + Kenya flag logo on it to giveaway! (It's pretty sweet if I do say so myself.) It's a women's medium (Gildan softstyle, 90/10 cotton/poly) but you men can still enter for your wife/girlfriend/sister/daughter/friend (or if you wear a women's medium but I don't think I have any 10 year old male readers).

Just mention in your comment below that you would like to be entered to win the t-shirt and be sure to check out tshirtprinting.org for your custom shirt needs!

(And I'd love it if you later sent a photo of you doing something fun/awesome in the shirt!)

CrossFit Games: Gimpy Style

2013-03-20T09:00:00.000-04:00

Although I've been dealing with my OI injury/gluteal bursitis and avoiding lower-body activity, I was still easily convinced to sign up for the CrossFit Games. It's not like I'll even get a good idea as to where I stand amongst the CrossFitters of the world because I can't (/shouldn't) do the workouts as prescribed.

Nevertheless, I paid the $20 and signed up. Then I paid another $20 to buy the t-shirt...

Bathroom selfie for the win

The "main" part of the Games is the Open. These are the first 5 weeks (held March-April) with 1 workout each week. Anyone who wants to participate can. The top 60 in each Region move on to more advanced stages of the Games but with 4,000+ ladies in my Region it's safe to say I won't need to worry about that level. The workout is announced each Wednesday evening and you can submit your score (typically # of reps) by Sunday evening.

13.1 - No, not a half marathon. As many reps as possible (AMRAP) in 17 minutes of:
40 burpees
30 snatches (45 lbs for women)
30 burpees
30 snatches (75 lbs for women)
20 burpees
30 snatches (100 lbs for women)
10 burpees
AMRAP snatches in time remaining (120 lbs for women)

My score: 2 (burpees)

I was smart and didn't push it. Technically I could have gotten at least 100 reps but loading up my glute/hammy in all those burpees and snatches would not have been wise.

In the days following I was envious of my friends who got to fully attempt the workout and see their ranking. (Insert suspenseful music) When the next workout was announced I was ecstatic - the first exercise was upper-body (the rest was stuff I shouldn't be doing). You can probably guess what happened next...

13.2 - AMRAP in 10 minutes of:
5 shoulder to overhead (75 lbs for women)
10 deadlift (75 lbs)
15 box jumps (step ups were allowed thanks to one of the top competitors breaking her foot)

My score: 209 (not smart)

one-legged rainbow bright

I probably irritated some of my friends by scoring just as well as they did with my one-legged deadlifts and step ups, but my left leg was spaghetti at the end of those 10 minutes. I've been in some new kinds of pain these past few days. 70 one-leg deadlifts when you haven't worked out your legs in 3 months? Not the brightest idea.

Here's hoping there are upper body moves in the three workouts to come!

I know Kovas and Bob Harper are also trying their hand at the Games, anyone else?

Pain in the Rear: A Diagnosis

2013-02-25T09:00:00.000-05:00

(At long last...)

I finally went to see a guy about my glute issue. I asked around for recommendations to a good sports doc in the area with no luck. Corey has a good friend that's a PT but then I learned that you have to have a "prescription" from a doctor in order to see the PT. Lame. I'm a little jaded when it comes to doctors because I haven't had good experiences with most of the ones I've gone to see (uh, how about the one who tested me for arthritis? Yeah...) so I've become more reliant on raving recommendations from friends vs. doctors on my health care provider's list.

My former cross-country coach from high school suggested I see a guy whose clientele includes George Hincapie. He is a huge anatomy/kinesiology geek and my "one hour" appointment quickly turned into three while we discussed my butt and a number of rabbit trail sidetracks (like baseball shoulder injuries). I also cracked a few jokes about steroid use and he told me he gave Hincapie a hard time about steroid-induced-impotence when he last saw him.

The Diagnosis: An angry Obturator Internus, and some bursitis underneath it. Basically (in my non-anatomy-expert words) the OI is injured, inflamed and putting pressure on the bursa under it. The bursitis is being more of a diva than the OI as far as causing pain.

I have an exciting regime of "exercises" and stretches to do. I got excited because he said I could do leg exercises... and then found out he doesn't define them quite the same way I was thinking (they are even less-intense than Jane Fonda leg raises).

We ran through the stretches and exercises during my marathon appointment and I could feel those muscles working and even getting a little tired. It's been a little harder to remember how to do all of them and I am constantly referring to the handouts he gave me. The more I do them the more the area will calm down and stop irritating the bursa. I could take anti-inflammatories to help with the inflammation but I'm on methotrexate for my skin and you can't mix meth with NSAIDs. I know fish oil can help with inflammation so I picked up a bottle (yum) to see if it will help on that front.

It's great to feel hopeful about getting better! I won't lie the exercises are boring, but hopefully with some diligence I'll be back to running and cross-fitting sooner rather than later. If it's feeling better in a few weeks I can test out running; I can't wait.

Rants and Raves

2013-02-08T09:00:00.000-05:00

I've done a few product reviews over the past 4.5 years (!) of this blog and I have always been honest with my opinion. However, marketing companies and manufacturers don't exactly want to give you 2+ years to test a product, for understandable reasons. Now that it's been a few months (or even years in some cases) I thought I'd circle back around on some of the items and see how my thoughts have changed for better or worse.

Edibles (or something like it)
Vega bars and shakes
I still think these products are pricey, but the acai-berry bars are convenient (and tasty) and I'll sometimes buy them from Whole Foods for a work snack.

Phenom Coconut Water
I didn't like it the first time around and was crazy enough to give it another shot (at my own expense). Still didn't like it.

Cafepress Sigg water bottle
I like this water bottle, but I have a thing (personal preference) against drinking out of a stainless steel-type bottle. If anyone wants a twice-used water bottle I'd be happy to mail it your way! (Shoes not included)

Mix My Granola
I love granola. It's tough for me to find granola at the store due to my soy and nut allergies. Unfortunately MMG was recently purchased by Element Bars and the options to "build your own nut-& soy-less bar" are limited. Custom bars are $2.99 each but then they make you order a minimum of 12 ($35.88). Popular combinations are 12 for $23.88 and, surprise, they all have nuts and/or soy.

Gu Chomps
Yum. I still eat these (and Gu gels) as a snack (sometimes).

Wearables
New Balance Coolmax socks
I still like these socks, but they are taller ("ankle high") than my normal "no show" socks so I feel a little dorky when I wear them to the gym.

GoLite Drimove Baselayer shirt
This shirt started "pilling" but then again I've had it for 3+ years. I wore it a lot that first winter in Kentucky - being on a construction site doesn't have quite the same heating luxuries as a typical office. It hasn't gotten much use lately because I've been benched from running the past two winters, but I'm sure I'll use it again one day.

Ahh, the hotel-living days!

Sugoi Moxie shorts
I still love these.

Sugoi Verve shorts
I liked these at first - colorful, reflective stripes, pockets for Gu - but they haven't held up well. The elastic of the underwear lining is not so elastic-y anymore and the reflective logos peeled off. Sure, I've had them for 3+ years but I also have Nike Tempo shorts that are 6+ years old and the elastic is fine on those. (Dear Nike, don't you want to send me workout clothes?)

Overall things have held up reasonably, but I am a little disappointed in the Verve shorts. The loose liner is annoying. And why doesn't Nike want us fantastic runner/fitness bloggers to review their goodies?

Cleaning My Plate (Again)

2013-02-04T09:00:00.000-05:00

January has come and gone and the ol' glute/lower back pain still persists. I've committed myself to 'suffer' through this layoff as my stubbornness to continue working out at my normal intensity is what (I believe) got me here in the first place. The good news is it's a little less painful when I stand up from sitting, so I take that as improvement. I'm still going to the chiro 1-2x/week, getting massages, rolling out, doing stretches and (sometimes) doing the Jane Fonda-style lower back/glute strengthening exercises. Admittedly I've slacked on those a bit.

After 4-weeks of upper-body-only workouts you'd think my arms and back muscles would be ripped, but they're not. I'm know that's because of the less-than-stellar eating habits I can't seem to shake even though I'm $10 and 1-month into a friendly weight loss competition. I want to eat healthy and clean, but danggit those m&m's, chips, and cookies keep jumping into my shopping cart while I'm not looking.

As of today I'm starting back up on my clean-eating rules. (Because you can't start anything unless it's a Monday, right?). When I did this in the summer/early fall my punishment was 100 burpees if I 'cheated'. Since I can't do burpees right now my punishment is 100 calories on the airdyne bike.

No - "Processed foods" (oreos, cheesy poofs, cereal, etc), Dairy (because it's an "inflammatory food" and I have more than my share of allergy problems), Refined sugar (this should be mostly eliminated by avoiding store-bought snacks as I already use agave/honey at home).

Yes - Real food (vegetables, sweet potatoes, eggs, chicken, turkey, fish...), More water

Random January Numbers:
miles run - 7.3 (very early in the month before deciding to take time off)
pushups - 856
pullups - 354 (some with band assistance, some without)
ring dips - 150
bench press - 115 lbs (3 rep max)
rope climbs - 5
m&m's - (1) 56 oz bag

Getting My Rear in Gear

2013-01-16T09:30:00.000-05:00

I finally decided to wisen up regarding the glute ache that has been plaguing me since I hurt my lower back last August-ish. It's gotten to the point where it is near impossible to stand up after sitting down for awhile (yay desk job). I have to stand in place and wait for the pain to subside before moving as it is unbearably painful to try and move right away. It feels better once I've been standing up/moving around and locks up again after I sit down for any period of time (15 minutes or longer). Because it feels better when I move around, I had continued to workout at my normal intensity, but the pain was increasing after sitting. Eventually I determined that the current "plan" of ignoring it (for 4+ months) wasn't working and I needed to take a new approach.

I'm forcing myself to rest. It's not easy!

I'm so tone now; 2% body fat.

I ran twice in the first week of the new year but am now taking some time off - hopefully no longer than the rest of the month. I also took a week off of any lower-body exercise at the gym and had a lovely (grimacing) massage. After one week of rest there was barely any improvement (but there was a little) so I'm resting it a second week, although I am incorporating a few air squats and glute strengthening exercises (read: Jane Fonda style) based on my made up theory that a little exercise will help.

I roll my glute, hips, and IT band with a trigger point roller and/or lacrosse ball daily. I ice, heat, stretch and some days take Tylenol (I'm kinda already killing my liver and kidney with the meds I'm on for my skin so I try to limit the pain meds). I also visit the chiropractor regularly. I don't see the value in going to a sports doctor as I assume they'll tell me to do all the things I'm already doing. I probably shouldn't have jumped right back into heavy weighted squats and deadlifts while it was nagging me back in the fall.

It's hard not going for a run and realizing that I won't be training for a fast spring half. It's hard walking into the gym and watching everyone else beast out a WOD while I do a modified workout that a 60 year old could do (and does, as we have people of all ages at the gym). Hopefully sacrificing January will do the trick. I keep reminding myself that I want to run a (fast) marathon in the fall and that won't happen with ongoing glute pain.

More or Less in 2013

2013-01-04T09:30:00.000-05:00

I never set goals in 2012 because I wasn't sure how much running I would get in with all that was going on health-wise, and by the time I thought about making goals it was March. I enjoy setting goals for myself, even if I don't attain them all. I don't think the point is to get them all, because then shouldn't you have set some harder ones?

In 2013 I aim to:
Stretch/roll more / sit less - This should be easy enough since I tend to ignore all mobility work. Be able to downward dog and grok squat with heels on ground (currently they pop up thanks to tight muscles and joints). There is no reason why I can't roll out while watching TV instead of sitting on the couch.

Donate more / clutter less - Continue to get rid of things. I say this every year, and I do get rid of bags of things, but I still could declutter more. I admit that I'm a bit of a hoarder - wearing pajamas from my freshman year of college and still owning t-shirts from 3rd grade field trips. My problem is that whenever I start going through things I do not set 'those' rules such as "if you haven't used/worn it in a year". Yep, hoarder.

More hard work / less excuses - I am entirely too good at making excuses. No more! I will do what I can and own it - whether I finish first, last or somewhere in the middle.

Be more uncomfortable / worry less - Already working on stepping out of my comfort zone, in baby steps of course. As for worrying less, guess I'll have to soak in the tub a lot more!

And specifically:
Run a lot.
Improve my pullups. (10 in a row)
Get a muscle up. (Preferably on rings)

Focus on posture. I'm on the fast track to hunchback.
Eat clean. (Veggies, fruit, lean protein; occasional romances with pasta/chips)
- Can't decide if I should allow for 2 cheat days per month or 1 cheat meal per week?
Run a marathon. (But only if I actually train for it)
PR in said marathon.
PR in the 10k and half too. (All three of these PRs are from 2009 and practically irrelevant!)
Do what I enjoy and enjoy what I do.
Use capitalization.

Bonus goal:
Run a 2nd marathon.

2012, maybe?

2012-12-31T17:15:00.000-05:00

hot off the presses!

let dj ctk's latest beat carry your ~~dancing~~ running feet into the new year and enjoy this year's "year in review".

[dedicated to b.o.b, as this was her favorite hit of 2012]

now it's the end of the year

somebody get me a beer

i have no reason to cheer

my mileage is so low

i tried elimination

m&m's, my temptation

it was a big frustration

lost all my cardio

your posts were crowin'

long runs, pr's growin'

meanwhile i'm plateauin'

so i tried eating paleo

hey, i don't know you

and this is crazy,

but here's my number,

so track me, maybe?

i ran some 5k's

as an "ali"

and as a diva

brought home a trophy

hey, i went a year,

and it was crazy,

without m&m's,

i survived, maybe?

and all the other boys,

try to chase me,

in my bikini,

some sunscreen, maybe?

i went on meds for my skin

went for a ride on my schwinn

dyed wedding dress in a tin

made my own pizza dough

running may have felt betrayed

when i drank all the kool-aid

i didn't know i'd be swayed

by other cardio

your posts were crowin'

long runs, pr's growin'

meanwhile i'm plateauin'

so i tried eating paleo

hey, now i crossfit

and this is crazy,

i'll double under

please no more burpees

still hard to run fast,

like a grand prix

but i do pullups

in a big tree

here's to the new year,

and lots of running,

a fall marathon

new pr, maybe?

and all my other goals,

i'll chase after,

achieve a muscle up,

and six-pack, maybe?

blog superlatives 2012

2012-12-30T13:00:00.000-05:00

[continuing what i started in 2011 because it's not like i've done any running of note this year. thanks, skin]

most popular (/viewed) post: paging dr. house

class clown: reader request: running in bikin

most likely to lead to my new career at blue sky studios: boom

biggest imposter: ali asname

bestest blog friends (most referrals): angry runner and maurlene on the run (they flip flopped spots from last year). third place goes to sun safety barbie.

most studious countries (most # of readers):

united states
canada
united kingdom
spain
india

most involved (us states by # of readers):

south carolina
california
virginia
new york
massachusetts

most likely to succeed (top common searches):

chasing the kenyans
gu chomps review
dr house/dr. house (um?)
thanksgiving funnies (how do these result in a success?)

most clueless (randomest search hits):

40's vegetable people
how to draw a giraffe
belly suck in eat
boobs popping buttons
long ugly toes
my boobs grew
my boobs shrank
activewear for older women
alligator eating cereal
can people see in between the gaps of the bathroom stalls
men who need sports bra
m&m a good pre workout snack (duh)
sports bras that work your arms as you run
how to pop a squat on the side of the road
fat girl trying to eat cookie off shoulder

(did i really talk about boobs that much in 2012?)

a tale of two marathons

2012-11-30T09:00:00.000-05:00

new york marathon
no, not for me - josh made it in the nyc marathon via the lottery. when the nyrr said the race would go on, we kept our travel arrangements. friday late afternoon we were at the expo and overheard a girl say "oh my gosh they just cancelled the race". josh returned the $140 jacket he had just purchased (who wants apparel from a race you didn't run) and we hightailed it out of there.

don't get me wrong, i agree with the decision to cancel the race. however, what was up with the numerous people on facebook, twitter, etc calling the runners "selfish" for being disappointed in the handling of the decision-making or later for wanting a refund? and those same people saying that runners should "do something useful with their time" and go volunteer/buy things for sandy victims? i'm curious how much time and money the people making these comments donated to the hurricane relief...

the french (i assume) new york marathon on saturday

my first time "banditing" a race
on sunday morning we ventured over to central park to get a run in and found ourselves in the midst of the "run anyway marathon". there were tons of runners (mostly foreign and charity runners it seemed) and spectators - it was great to see the community come together and not let their spirits be crushed by all the negative people. some spectators were even handing out bottled water, gatorade and candy. it was a very upbeat atmosphere and josh and i ran an easy 7.5 miles. note: we did not take refreshments from anyone.

my first (and second) box visits
while in nyc i took advantage of visiting other crossfit boxes for workouts. if you are a member at another crossfit affiliate you can drop-in for a class at another box without having to undergo the "elements" (fundamentals) again. i went to crossfit nyc: the black box ($25) and reebok crossfit 5th ave ($40). i was intimidated walking in to each workout but left feeling great (it helped seeing i could hold my own with nyc crossfitters!).

charlotte thunder road marathon
unlike some people (*cough*), josh actually trained for his marathon with the pre-requisite long runs and wanted to cash in on all those saturday morning runs. when we returned from nyc he took advantage of the "displaced runner discount" offered by the charlotte thunder road marathon and we headed up for the race. i was tempted to sign up for the half-marathon at the expo (you know, since i did that one 12-mile run...) but since "i didn't pack running clothes for racing", and the fact registration was $105, i decided not to. i also briefly contemplated banditing the race.

it was chilly and windy race morning and josh forgot a long sleeve shirt. i offered to meet him around mile 10 to get his running jacket from him (due to the course i did not think i would see him before mile 10). i saw him off at the start and walked back to the car while re-consulting the course map. i decided if i hustled i could surprise him at mile 3.5-ish so he could ditch his jacket sooner.

my second time "banditing" a race
i tried to hustle, but arrived at mile 3.5 too late - just before the 4:15 pace group. i assumed he was running ahead of them, so i hopped in the race. i knew he was aiming for a 9:00/mile pace (sub-4:00 marathon) and when i got to the 4-mile split clock i saw i had some serious catching up to do, i was 4 minutes off a 9:00/pace. ouch.

i chased down red shirt after red shirt for the next 6+ miles (while avoiding the water stops of course). i was impressed by the splits my garmin flashed at me (7:30's), and at some point between miles 3.5 and 10 i managed to sprint right past josh. i caught up to the 3:45 pace group and hoped he was not running that fast because i was quite tired from the 7 mile sprint. i pulled over at mile 10 to wait, much to the confusion of the runners i'd just passed. sure enough, he came running up 1-2 minutes later and i hopped back in to run with him for a bit. eventually i peeled off and headed back to the car to try and find food/water. i hadn't fueled before or during my 11-mile run and i was hungry.

my attempts to find food failed but i did see josh at mile 18, still hanging on to the sub-4:00 pace. i anxiously waited for him near the finish as the clock ticked through the 3:50's. i yelled 'inspirationally' to him "only a quarter-mile to go, go get it!". he looked mad at me but later claimed he wasn't. he cruised in at 3:56 and i was relieved i wouldn't have to hear him complain about not running a sub-4:00. later in the afternoon he started to analyze if he would have run faster in nyc because it's less hilly and he wouldn't have had an awkward extended taper; sign of a true runner.

october 2012

2012-11-01T09:30:00.000-04:00

miles run: 94.15 (again with the "10%" increase)

this month's diagnosis of the glute pain is related to the "deep six". prescribed treatment is massaging it with a lacrosse ball.

other workouts: bootcamp/crossfit (21x); hiking (once)

days off: 3

netflix/tv obsession(s): oh so closely following the all-star season of dancing with the stars.

artistic/creative outlet/new thing i tried: painting, vaguely, and practicing handstands.

new food i tried: i've fallen off the healthy-eating wagon. this includes eating a half-gallon of ice cream in two days.

book(s) read: thirteen reasons why by jay asher

some of the reviews of this book complained that the main character's reasons for suicide weren't substantial enough, but i don't think that's a fair judgement of the book or of those who commit suicide. you never know how something affects someone else just because it would affect you differently. moral of the story to me: "be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle" (john watson).

number of blog visitors: 698

number of doctor visits: 4 (+ chiro visits)

number of postcards received: 5! edinburgh, wisconsin (x2), chicago and salt lake city. maurlene was kind enough to include a 'gift' with her postcard.

favorite wod: 50-40-30-20-10 x (wallball, box jumps, kb swings)

highlight of the month: 12 mile run, sub-9:00/mile pace

my garmin must be broken. 12 miles at a sub-9 pace? i was pretty ecstatic when i finished. i've only been running 15-22 miles per week for the past month so it wasn't exactly a) smart to run 12 miles or b) expected that my legs would make it all the way home, but we all know i'm hard headed. the sub-9 miles were a surprise too but my hr was staying low so i ran with it (har har).

lowlight of the month:

rest in peace ck

sucking wind

2012-10-08T09:30:00.000-04:00

i ran a 5k on saturday night. my sister ran/walked the race too (6 months prego!) and won the 0-under age division. it was a "benchmark" race for me, since i've taken so much time off and only been running easy (10 min miles) these past few months. i was also curious to see what influence the high-intensity crossfit workouts would have.

since i've only been running easy, i didn't know what kind of pace to expect to run and i didn't want to go out too fast and fade. i started out in the very back and had the pleasure of consistently passing people the entire race.

i ran a semi-comfortable first mile in about 7:38. then i told myself to settle down and run a consistent second mile, 7:28. close enough? i eyed runners in front of me and slowly picked them off. with a little over a half mile to go, i told myself i only had an 800m cashout (give-it-your-all) run and started to pick it up. third mile, 6:53. i passed another 3-4 women which (i think) landed me in 7th overall for women. two spots away from taking a cash prize! if only those kenyans hadn't shown up...

i thought i felt relatively good throughout the race but my race photo seems to say otherwise --

skeleton face sucking wind / awkward photo

i finished in 22:45-ish (7:19), good enough for first place in my age group. the comeback bar has been set and now to only improve from here!

september 2012

2012-10-01T09:00:00.000-04:00

miles run: 69.45. because 4.5 miles in august + 10% rule = 69 miles, right?

my back is better but i'm still having that glute pain. i roll it/sit on a lacrosse ball occasionally. it only hurts when i lift my leg certain ways (like to get into the car, or during hanging leg raises) and has more of a sharp, nerve type pain (i think?). so basically i don't know what to do.

other workouts: bootcamp/crossfit (18x); yoga (once)

days off: 2 (holy crap! did i really do this?)

netflix obsession(s): gossip girl (new episodes). why yes i have the tv taste of a 14 year old.

artistic/creative outlet/new thing i tried: 'competiting' in crossfit. not sure if you can call my remedial level competing though.

new food i tried: organic m&m's? (does that count?)

book(s) read: uh, more training for work as we prepare for an audit? hooray.

number of blog visitors: 1,164 (international m&m day must have driven up traffic)

number of doctor visits: just chiro visits :)

number of postcards received: sadly 0, but i've gotten a lot this year so far and am grateful for each one!

favorite wod (workout of the day): 20 wallball, 400m run - 6 rounds for time

though many of my runs are short (3-ish miles) or part of crossfit wod's, i got in a few great runs this month. on my birthday / international m&m day i squeezed a 4.4 mile run in between eating m&m's and bootcamp. that was the closest i've come to puking in awhile. i've also been getting in a "long" run of 5-8 miles on the weekend.

fight gone bad

2012-09-28T09:30:00.000-04:00

i competed in my first crossfit "competition"* last weekend and it's taken me this long to recover enough to type out an update. kidding, of course, but it was quite the beating. let's just say you won't be seeing me in the crossfit games anytime soon. these people are crazy!

the competition was really a fundraiser for a sick baby and sooo much fun. my soon-to-be-official crossfit coach had shirts made for us and it was cool to be part of a team again (even though crossfit isn't a team sport).

fight gone bad is one of crossfit's benchmark workouts. it's 17 minutes of work, and it's hard.

3 rounds of 1-min each:

wall balls
box jumps
push press (45lbs women/75lbs men)
sumo deadlift high pulls (55lbs women/75lbs men)
row

rest 1-min between rounds; every rep is a point except the row is for calories. bad form will get you no-repped, which is the worst. the clock doesn't stop as you move from one apparatus to the next so you must keep moving.

still don't follow? luckily i have prepared some visual aides:

wall ball: squat, stand up, hurl medball 10 feet in the air

box jumps: self explanatory. try to be graceful.

push press: push bar overhead and try not to drop on yourself.

sumo deadlift high pull: don't throw your back out.

rower: it's completely degrading how slow the calories tick.

how you might feel after round 1

after round 2

round 3

we did a trial run of the workout earlier in the week, i scored 241. on game day i tallied up 222. the women who won scored over 300... out of my league!

fellow upstate bloggers - my gym officially becomes crossfit-affiliated in october and i would love to have you come as a guest to a workout!

*while i am totally loving my crossfit workouts, running is still my true love. i definitely think the cf'ing has helped with my running (yes, i am running i just never have time to blog about it). the day after fight gone bad (sunday) i went out for a run and didn't come back for 8 miles! i can't complain about the beastly chin ups i can do now either.

keep your chin up

2012-09-21T08:30:00.000-04:00

do not fear my friends, i have not died of m&m overdosing.

the ceremonial ribbon cutting

a dorky video of me eating my 1st m&m

i was so nervous to break the streak

it's been one week of being back on crack (m&m's) and man, it's a little hard to stop!

i "only" ate the 19oz bag of plain m&m's (and shared some too) over the weekend. at work earlier this week i ate the rest of the 56oz bag that has been sitting in my desk drawer since last september when i stopped eating them (there weren't that many left). one year old m&m's still taste alright, for the record.

i've made a deal with myself that i can only eat m&m's when i'm traveling on a trip (further than an hour away), when someone else buys them as a legit gift (not a shady under the table deal just to get a fix) or if it's truly a life or death situation (like if i'm lost in the woods and all i can find are m&m's to hold me over until i'm rescued). i hope this will keep me from falling back into my bad habits of eating a 12oz bag daily...

in other news -- (because there is more to life than m&m's lindsay)

i did my first real chin-up! no weight assistance, no stretchy band - just me and the bar. i actually did about 2.5. i feel so accomplished.

international m&m day

2012-09-14T09:00:00.000-04:00

while march 1st is national m&m day, today is international m&m day. that's right, you canadians can join in on this one.

m&m face says mm(m) for m&m's

as most holidays are created to celebrate the joyous victory over trials and hardships, international m&m day is no different. i have made it 365.242 days without eating a single m&m which basically equates to the suffering of the great depression.

today we must make our forefathers & foremothers proud and indulge in that 56oz bag of m&m's.

care package from my old running partner to ensure the day is properly celebrated

if mars, inc. was publicly traded, yesterday would have been a good time to buy shares.

no more suffering

2012-09-10T09:00:00.000-04:00

i went for my first 'real' run in awhile (since june) and jesus came with me. typically, top 40 hits will pop in my head during a run, such as b.o.b's favorite call me maybe, but during this run it was the chorus of arise my love by newsong.

arise, my love.
arise, my love.
the grave no longer has a hold on you
no more death sting
no more suffering
arise...arise...my love.

if you've been reading my blog for any period of time you would know that i don't push the bible on anyone (i'm far from perfect myself), but i had to post about this run. if i lose a follower so be it. i felt great throughout the run (no, i am not saying a song made me feel great) and had goosebumps as the chorus played in my head and i charged up the last hill of my route. it was a cool moment.

i choose to believe that i will have no more suffering (and running setbacks) from my skin problems. a little hokey? sure, maybe. but it's a positive way to think about it and this song popped into my head from nowhere (i haven't heard it in years vs. hearing 'call me maybe' every other hour).

anyway, i had a great time and enjoyed being able to run more than 2 miles. the first week of september was a success all-around (...and then i tried to run sunday with a 100.7° fever, i still haven't found the key to being un-hard-headed).

miles run: 15.25
bootcamp workouts: 6
burpees burped: 307

keeping it weird

2012-09-05T09:15:00.000-04:00

i am happy to report that september is off to a good start - i've wheezed my way through (modified) bootcamp classes and gone on a few (short) runs. i'm already ahead of august's mileage! (not that the bar was set high, ha). there is plenty of room for getting up early to run instead of snoozing until the last possible minute for work, but at least i can pretend it's getting cooler and less humid outside for evening runs.

over labor day weekend i drove up to asheville, nc to visit with the lovely amanda of runninghood (aka marathon mommy) and mr. runninghood who were visiting on a mini-vacation. the lexington ave arts and fun festival was going on, bringing out a unique mix of... characters. asheville hadn't gotten to them too much yet as amanda was still wearing a bra and shirt.

i would love to hear your thoughts as to what's going on here;

amanda spun a tale of suffering and oppression.

after browsing the festival tents we headed over to the laughing seed on wall street for a late lunch (yum) before eventually parting ways so that the 'hoods could get in their romantic sightseeing plans. (and house browsing, that's kind of romantic right?).

august 2012

2012-09-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

miles run: 4.5. oh yeah, you're impressed.

re-strained back and spent too many days benched or on the stationary bike. it is amazing how much you can't do when trying to heal back muscles. also i am still having an odd glute pain (not constant). time to self-diagnose (i can't believe i haven't gone to see dr. google yet for it).

[source]

other workouts: airdyne (stationary bike) too many times; bootcamp (baby workouts); walking

days off: 8

netflix obsession(s): white collar (season 3) and pretty little liars

artistic/creative outlet/new thing i tried: still haven't even hung the water colors

new food i tried: sweet potato brownies and coconut flour pizza dough (with sauce and cheese, not plain dough, i'm not that weird). i thought i was missing cheese during the past month of clean eating but having full fat mozzarella on my pizza just wasn't satisfying. it is good to know i'm not addicted to cheese anymore.

my dough-making skills leave something to be desired.

book(s) read: does a book for work count? "global oem principles to save time and make money" - a training requirement for work. zzz.

number of blog visitors: 719 (you guys are always rockin')

number of doctor visits: 2, i think (+numerous chiro visits); the count is going down! and hopefully staying down.

number of postcards received: 1 from jess of cuban running crisis; thanks jess!

though august was consumed by rehabbing my geriatric back, i've been able to do more intense workouts (...than stationary biking or walking) the past few days. i'm trying hard to stay smart, lose some stubbornness, and get back into a regular workout routine without setting myself back, again.

i did a good wod friday morning that i really liked -- 10 martian makers (light weight due to back), 75 wall balls, 75 (modified) burpees, and 10 martian makers. the fact that i'm still sore from it today makes me like it all the more. it appears that "martian makers" may be a made-up term because i can't find a video to demonstrate them, but they're basically a hang clean-squat-thruster. i don't do as deep of squats because of the back/glute and i step out/in for burpees instead of jumping legs out/in. i was going to try to run a couple miles today but i may just spend the day rolling my sore muscles instead.

this ish is bananas

2012-08-24T09:00:00.000-04:00

hello world! i'm popping in because i haven't in awhile and i just know you all missed me dearly.

i'm still nursing this back strain which (i think) is re-healed after i brilliantly thought it'd be ok to do 65lb deadlifts and set myself back a few more weeks. i can sneeze without pain again but a weird, sometimes sharp, pain pops up in my right glute depending on how i move. i'm rolling, massaging and stretching my lower back, glute and hamstrings in an attempt to get back out on the streets and cross fitting asap. yep, another month of no-running, this is not fun.

i went to a super sweet j.crew warehouse/sample sale. it was crazy and required camping out on the sidewalk at 3am, but i got a lot of new clothes for way less than advertised.

there are no dressing rooms so you try stuff on over your spandex. but everyone's doing it, it's totally normal.

my car broke, but josh saved the day. some cable came loose and the shifter thingy wouldn't change (clearly i moonlight as an automechanic). josh figured it out and luckily it was an easy fix. i also got to use my emergency car kit for the first time ever (well the screwdriver, not the flares).

and now for something entertaining since you've endured the above drivel.

i found this banana slicer on pinterest. somehow it got review bombed and they're hilarious; please enjoy your friday workday reading the reviews.

oh, and i'm still eating clean too.

totes amazeballs

2012-08-08T08:30:00.000-04:00

i'm only 14 years late to using that super cool vocabulary, but these brownies were awesomesauce.

yes, brownies. and yes they qualify for this primal/paleo eating (although josh says they defeat the purpose of this 'diet').

sweet potato brownies

from paleomg. aka my soon to be new best friend.

ingredients:

1 sweet potato (i only used half)

3 eggs, whisked (that means mix it up good after you dump in other ingredients, right?)

1/4 cup coconut oil, melted (i used evoo)

1/3 cup raw honey

1/2 cup enjoy life chocolate chips (plus a handful to snack on)

3 tbsp coconut flour

2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

note: cocoa powder is not delicious by itself. do not bother to lick the measuring spoon. you may end up like glozell.

~~bake~~ microwave the sweet potato as you would normally. peel skin and mash it up. i neglected to mash mine up well so there are "surprise" chunks of sweet potato throughout the brownies.
add wet ingredients and then add dry ingredients.
stir it up. pour into an 8x8 pan. bake 30-35 minutes at 350°.
do everything possible to not eat the entire pan in one sitting.

and i swear i am not turning into a foodie. c'mon i was too lazy to fully follow the recipe. besides, wouldn't you rather discover a delicious healthy brownie recipe instead of hear about my whopping 1-mile run? exactly.

i did run a mile on tuesday though; it took forever. i also did 50 assisted (with a band) pull-ups.

clean on the road

2012-08-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

this weekend josh and i drove (yes drove) to binghamton, ny for a wedding. what should have been an 11-hour drive turned into a 13-hour drive thanks to "road construction" in pennsylvania. we split the drive on the way up and stayed in harrisonburg, va so that wasn't bad, but the 13-hour drive home sunday was just boring.

binghamton on the other hand must be the other armpit of america. granted i only saw the "downtown" area - deserted and full of sketchy folk. they were hit pretty bad with a flood last fall so i guess i'll cut them some slack.

not my photo (from facebook)

anyway, as the title of this post suggests it was a bit of a challenge to eat within my self-set dietary constraints. there aren't exactly paleo/primal/real foods fast food restaurants on the interstate ya know? i brought some baby carrots and peaches, and picked up pumpkin seeds, sweet potato chips and grapes on the road. friday's breakfast was complements of the hampton inn 'buffet' - scrambled eggs and mixed fruit. i also took a couple bananas for later. both rehearsal and wedding dinners were salmon with salad or veggies (i skipped on the potatoes both nights).

careful, don't fill up on the 4 grapes and 1/2 apple

my back is feeling better again (good enough to workout somewhat normally) but i'm still taking it easier until it fully heals. i did a little workout saturday before the wedding - running a whole half-mile on the hotel treadmill while oscar pistorius ran his opening heat in the 400 and qualified for the semi finals. i followed that up with a cross fit style workout: 21-15-9 man-makers (20lb weights), squats, and push-press jumping jacks (21 of each, 15 of each, 9 of each). the man-makers wore me out.

i didn't get to watch as much of the olympics as i wanted due to being busy with wedding festivities, and streaming them over my phone on the drive home didn't go over as well as i had hoped. not the clearest picture but as josh pointed out - i was watching a live event taking place many miles away while driving down the interstate.

women's 400m hurdles (heat) i believe. what you can't see them?

july 2012

2012-08-01T10:00:00.000-04:00

miles run: 15.30. it's hard to run when you strain your lower back! (but it's improving)

other workouts: bootcamp (x12)

days off: 13

netflix (/tv) obsession(s)/fail: pawn stars and of course the olympics!

artistic/creative outlet/new thing i tried: finally finished (my first ever) water color attempts to hang in the living room. i've hinted at these in the past; i'm finally content with how they turned out.

actually hanging them on the other hand may take 2-6 months

new food i tried: actually cooking for a change - egg cupcakes and coconut flour pancakes.

book(s) read: none. slack.

number of blog visitors: 671 (you guys are always rockin')

number of doctor visits: 5 (+numerous chiro visits)

number of postcards received: 11! thank you andrea, ginny, diana and non-blogging friends!

unlike june, july wasn't as kind to me what with straining my back and then trying to do too much too soon. i still got in a few good workouts and august will surely be better! it certainly can't be any worse than august 2011.

i think i've had my share of hurdles over the past year but i will continue to fight to get back up. i still have 40 more states to run and a sub-3 to achieve!

coconut pancakes

2012-07-31T09:30:00.000-04:00

today i am here to show you that you can eat "breads" while eating primal-ish/paleo-ish/whole foods/whatever you want to call it.

don't worry, this won't turn into a foodie blog. c'mon now. you know i can't cook.

last night for dinner i made coconut pancakes (from paleospirit). they turned out pretty good, though i think they would have been better with some honey or pure maple syrup on top (i didn't have any so i ate them plain).

4 3 eggs (i only had 3)
1 cup coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp ~~coconut nectar (coconut sap)~~ agave
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
+ 1/4 tsp nutmeg (i found this in the pantry while digging out the cinnamon and threw it in)
~~coconut oil for frying~~ too lazy. and they weren't sticking to the pan.

makes 6-8 pancakes

they were hard to flip neatly though

they look dark but i don't think they were burnt (tasted fine). i had the heat on "4" out of 9 and didn't leave 'em on long.

nutritional info:
serving size = 2 cakes
calories - 200
fat - 9g
carbs - 19g
protein - 11g

[i used the sparkpeople recipe calculator to determine nutritional information]

the bag of coconut flour has directions for cookies on the side... i probably need to experiment and see how those turn out right?