Flying Pig Half Marathon Recap

This past weekend I ran my third half marathon (well 4th but I don't count that stupid dnf)! My dad and one of my parent's good friends came along and we drove 12 hours to get there. This is officially the longest time I have ever been in the car and hopefully the longest ever. I don't think I am a fan of road trips. But thankfully I didn't have to drive or pay for a plane ticket to I guess I'm actually really lucky. We left the house at 3:30 AM and got to the expo in Cincinnati almost exactly at 3:30 PM. The expo was really nice but also very overwhelming. I also think I didn't realize how tired I was.

REALLY excited to be out of the car

Anyway, runners got a very nice short sleeve tech shirt (women's specific cuts :) :) ),  a really big lunch bag, and a poster. There was also a lot of free food and lots of fun photo ops. They really milk the pig theme there. I probably would have shopped around more but I was really hungry and tired. We ate a pasta dinner early at a local restaurant and then crashed at the hotel. Luckily, we were staying very close to the race start and could have walked, but there was a shuttle even closer so we took that.

We rolled in to the start about 15 mins before the race started which was awesome because I hate waiting around. I was feeling a little nervous because I hadn't run since Monday. With finals coming up I had very little time to train. In addition, my shin had been bothering me all week so that made me nervous. Luckily, my shin didn't bother me at all, and looking back, I think this could have been totally mental because It hasn't bothered me since.

The race started and went almost immediately over a bridge into Kentucky. This was my first time in Kentucky ever and also my first time in Ohio that wasn't the airport. It's also the farthest West I've ever been. It was very humid out and looked like it was going to rain all day. This made breathing a little difficult. I remember for the first 3 miles I was not happy. My Garmin wouldn't work, I felt like I was moving too slow but I couldn't tell how slow. In addition, I felt like I was working too hard, especially in the beginning. I distinctly remember thinking at the mile 4 marker, "I really don't want to do this right now." I know that negative thinking is my downfall and this was my first half marathon running by myself so I didn't have the luxury of anyone to talk me through this. Luckily, Flying Pig has a LOT of spectators. At mile 4 the crowds really started. I turned off my music and just had the crowd motivate me which really worked! Miles 6-8 were really hilly and I wasn't even upset. Someone handed me an orange wedge and some water and another guy high-fived me right before the crest of the hill. At the top there were a bunch of people from a Lululemon store with the best signs! I totally rebounded from my bad attitude. Mile 6 was slow because I conquered a pretty big hill (read: no hill training for this chick, better change that up) But miles 8-11 were run around a 9:15 pace which I was just fine with. I hung around the marathon pace group for 4:10 for a little while but then the marathon splits from the half at mile 8. There was still crowd support the entire way. I stupidly forgot to eat anything during this run until mile 11. I'm not including the orange I ate because I really just drank the juice. I took a couple sport beans at about mile 11 but I think it was probably too late for that. So begins my first "kinda-sorta-almost-hitting-the-wall" moment. My foot started to cramp up. It was a really weird experience, I couldn't move my toes at all. I pretty much shook it out but at mile 12 I had to stop. My toes wouldn't stop curling down. I didn't take my shoe off or anything but I tried to wiggle my foot around- with mixed results. Finally, this lady walked up to me and told me that I only had a mile to go and I would be able to see the finish line right after I went under the overpass. So I just kept running. I saw the clock and it read 2:11:30. I desperately wanted to get there under 2:12 because that's my previous best and I also knew that it took me a few minutes to even get to the start. My over all time was 2:08! I'm really happy with that time considering everything that happened.

photo credit

My dad also pr-d in the marathon! I waited for him to finish and then we took the shuttle back to our hotel. One 12 hour car ride, a million radio stations, and a trip to WAFFLE HOUSE later, I was back home- at 2:30 AM. Luckily I have the nicest boss in the world and she let me come in to work late. I'm feeling pretty sore today but I went on a nice walk. I will run for the first time tomorrow AM and then Look forward to some shorter races before my triathlon at the end of the summer and my next half in November.

awesome medals! photo credit

Sometimes biting off more than you can chew is a good thing

So I abandoned this blog for a couple of months. In all honesty, I started it because I thought it would be fun to keep track of my running and my fitness and hopefully my art at some point. But then it became too much, so I took a step back. I'm a firm believer in if something begins to feel like work, you should really take a step back and evaluate how important it is to you. This blog is important to me, but less important than maybe some other things. I am very lucky to go to such an amazing school but sometimes I feel like the bar is set at an impossibly high standard. I would be surprised to here that there are many other schools with as many students as I know that balance an internship, a job, and twenty credits.
I started an amazing internship at Erica Sara Designs, where I am doing social media and some graphic design. It is just AWESOME getting to work with other runners. I am realizing that I can love running and love graphic design, which is a subject I have struggled with for some time.
I'm also training for the Flying Pig Half Marathon in  one week and learning how to sew. So, okay, maybe I hold myself to a very high standard. I understand that no one is forcing me to do any of these things, I'm taking it all on myself. And that's good, one of my goals for this year was to be more brave, so I'm being more brave. And while maybe I've bit off a wee bit more than I can chew, I feel like I can successfully say that I am starting to finally get a grip on things.

And I'm going to learn how to sew, maybe.

I learned how to push fabric through a sewing machine so that means I can sew now? Right? Ha! I'm thinking of buying a sewing machine and will definitely be taking a class. AND I'm starting a new sweater. Waiting on the yarn to arrive.... COME SOONER! Soon, all I'll need is a couple of cats and I'll be on the fast track to a crazy spinster lady.
It has been SO cold here, and thus going out for a run has been harder and harder. This is the time when I really start to need motivation. Luckily, I have a 5k in less than a week and a 10 miler in less than a month. Also, I started using my food diary again so I when I sit down and eat a huge piece of chocolate cake (cough, cough, everyday of my life) and then don't workout all week, I can feel shamed. Once I'm out there, I'm fine. It's the waking up early out of my warm bed that's the problem. O_O

No but really, I've been using My Fitness Pal for a while now ( I think since I started this blog) and the worst part is when you eat something and then have to record it and the food is SO bad for you. Case in point, I went to Shake Shack with my friends on Saturday and had a black and white shake. When I went to record it it was 700 calories. Now I never want to drink a milkshake ever again. This is both a very good thing and a very bad thing. I get very upset when I have a bad eating day, partially because I feel like a failure, and partially because it bums be out that I would rather have ice cream than fruit any day and this decision is likely to make me fat. I know that it's very important to keep a balanced diet and not get too obsessive so when I start to feel this way, I look up recipes for things that are genuinely healthy that I also want to eat. I got a Pinterest and now I can find recipes pretty easily. This week I made vegetarian chili with low fat cheddar cheese and homemade corn bread. The chili has only vegetables and  a few spices. It tastes good and has lots of good stuff in it like beans and onions and zucchini. The recipe is from Martha Stewart. I skipped adding the chips and sour cream and had some corn bread instead. It's really easy to add a lot of fatty things to chili and totally negate it's healthiness so I picked my spots. Who doesn't love corn bread?
I did two longish runs this week and will continue this week. My ten-miler is in five weeks!!!!

Running from my bad mood

I've been in a funk lately- I think it's this bad weather. NYC keeps getting hit with these monster storms. I think we got about a foot of snow but it was so windy, that it was difficult to really be able to tell. I didn't get a Friday run in because by 3:00 pm, it was so windy out, school was closed. What do my roommate and I decide to do? Go to Pinkberry! We're so smart, nothing like a massive storm and some trendy froyo.

Walking to Korea town to get my froyo was the extent of my workout on Friday. Saturday afternoon, however, I got out there. For anyone who cares, they **do** plow the Hudson River Park. My run from my apartment to the park, however, was a total mess. My legs were killing me by the time it was over- all that pulling your feet from the snow over and over. After that, my friend called me and asked if I wanted to go on a walk. We went on a ridiculous 3 hour walk all around Central Park. This is my first time living in NYC and seeing a real snowstorm. If you recall, it only snowed once in NYC last year and it was in October right before Halloween. It all melted the next day. Central Park was GORGEOUS. I'm glad I didn't miss out, even if by the time I got back to my apartment,  was ready to sleep for the rest of the weekend. But I went out a second time for more punishment on Sunday, though the conditions were a bit better as the temperature went up a bit.

Yesterday we got freezing rain, which was nasty and I couldn't get myself to run. The weather started to really bring me down. Luckily, I was saved by a friend who texted me and asked if I wanted to go spinning with her. I always forget we have spinning at my school. The class was okay but I was so happy to have a running buddy. When you have no motivation, what you really need is someone to drag you out. If she hadn't texted me, I probably would have skipped my workout.
Oh, I also baked blueberry muffins. What? I bake when I'm stressed. Okay, I also eat when I'm stressed. You got me.

OH AND YOU KNOW WHAT?

-The Americans is a really good new show
-I just got a new Pinterest- now I can procrastinate even more
-I need a new book to read
-WHAT? The Postal Service is releasing a 10th anniversary cd???
-Coogan's Salsa Blues and Shamrocks 5k is just around the corner
-Should I bake something for Valentine's day? No I'll be celebrating February 13th, Gals day, made famous by Leslie Knope on Parks and Recreation (look it up)

over and out

Apple hand pies and a 15 degree run

I start class tomorrow! Technically the semester started today but I don't have class on Monday. I spent my last day of freedom on a project I have had saved for a while. Apple hand pies! They are just so cute and bite-sized (Not that this will probably stop me from eating four or five lol. This recipe is from Faux Martha, a really awesome food blog. I want to make more of her recipes asap!!! I think mine came out pretty well, though maybe not as pretty. I did use a Sil-Pat while baking. This is such a great tool and if you love baking, I definitely suggest buying one- your cookies and other baked goods will come out so evenly baked.

Yesterday, I went on a run outside for the first time in many days. it's been especially cold here the past few days, between 10-20 degrees all week. With the added wind from the city, it was almost impossible to go outside, let alone run in it. Well, a bunch of friends finally convinced me to go out and we did 6 1/2 miles in the snow at Rockefeller State Park. It's such a beautiful park. Afterwards, we went out for a group breakfast. I was wearing tights, a skirt, compression socks, an Under Armour long sleeve, a jacket, hat, and gloves. Hahaha we were all SO bundled up!

photo of my run from here.

Back to class tomorrow and maybe a race on Saturday if I can get my butt into gear!

Crying when you watch tv...

...Is a thing that I do. Fringe ended last night for good and it was amazing. I cried more than once. I am one of those people that is waaaay too emotionally involved in television. But really, I was amazed by how well the writers were able to tie up so many loose ends to a show that has been so crazy. I mean, they've reset the timeline more than once and have alternate universes. This is not my first time watching a series finale. The ones I remember the most, besides this one, are Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Battlestar Galactica. All were satisfying endings that left questions but made you feel like things were resolved. I think Fringe will be one of those shows that will eventually become a cult-classic. I know I will recommend it everyone I know :)

In non obsessive tv news, I'm going back to school on Tuesday. I have three days left at the gym and then a week of leading orientation before classes start. le-sigh. I'm excited to back but too comfortable here. I just signed up for Coogans 5k in March. Now I have three major races and one small one signed up for this year. I'm sure all add some 5 and 10ks to the mix but I'm pretty happy with a half and a 10 miler for this year. If the half goes well, maybe I'll add a fall race. This is going to be the year that I stop worrying about my abilities because I know that I have them. I'm going to really push myself to compete and be a more active member in the running community.

Also,  I made quiche for my mom's birthday! I started out using one recipe, but ended up actually blending a bunch of recipes and making my own up, which is my first time really doing this. I'm still working out the kinks but here it is

Rachel's bacon, zucchini, and gruryere quiche

Ingredients

- You can buy frozen pie dough or you can make your own. I really like this recipe from Martha Stewart.

-5 eggs
-1 cup creme fraiche
-1 cup whole milk
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp black pepper
-1 tsp dried thyme
-5 slices of bacon, cooked according to package
-2 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise, 1/8 inch thick
-1/2 cup gruyere cheese

Directions-

-Preheat oven to 375 degrees
- make pie crust and fit to pan or take out frozen pie crust
- cook bacon in pan according to package instructions. After cooking the bacon, remove from pan but keep grease and cook zucchini in pan until it shrinks and is slightly browned (about 5 minutes on each side)
- blind bake pie crust in oven at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. You can cover the crust with foil if it starts to brown too much. I don't own pie weights so I use pennies or beans wrapped up in foil.
-combine the creme fraiche, whole milk, salt, pepper, and thyme in mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add eggs and combine.
-Strain egg mixture through a fine sieve
-place cooked bacon, cooked zucchini, and shredded cheese at the bottom of the crust. Then, pour egg mixture on top.
-Bake for 20 minutes and then reduce heat temperature to 325 degrees and bake for 45 minutes

Back to reality... sort of

I have been blogging less this month because I have been home and most times I am **gasp** away from my computer. Sadly, my month off is coming to a close. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad to go back to NYC and school, but I will definitely miss my family, the gym, my car, and just chilling all day.
I'm filling my schedule before I get back. I've been doing a LOT of Spinning, I've been running (of course), going to Body Pump, and also going to Boot Camp. I love boot camp. It's basically a one hour, intense cardio workout that also incorporates weights, but mostly body weight. We do crunches, push ups, dips, lunges, squats, and then some kick boxing-ish stuff in between to keep the heart rate up.

Oh yeah, I got these babies over the weekend! SO JAZZED! I was skeptical CWX when they first came out, but after trying them on and then actually working out in them, I'm converted. I got the knee support type and since everyone knows I have the most messed-up knees, this has been awesome. Has anyone here noticed that my love of the gym is probably the same as my love of workout gear? Oh well, at least it's a healthy addiction.

I'm also reading this book- The Cure for Everything by Timothy Caufield. I will probably be talking about it for a while. In his book, Caufield tries to untangle the myths behind fitness and health. So far the most important topics he's discussed include-

-You can't lose weight just by working out, you need to diet as well
-It's practically impossible to get the abs that celebrities show on the cover of magazines. The industry is selling sex and easy ways out, not being healthy
A good diet comes from eating less, knowing portions, counting calories, and cutting out processed foods
-The best workout is one that is really difficult, moderate exercise is okay, but it won't do much.

I was pretty much aware of most of this but it's nice to here that "hey! don't feel bad if you don't have washboard abs." Just saying. Also, the book has inspired me to do more HARD strength training and more interval workouts. The book actually says that it's better to get in a shorter, harder workout, then a long, easy one. Obviously any kind of workout is good, but you shouldn't go on an easy 40 minute run everyday. When I'm at school, this gets challenging for me so using my Garmin, I'm going to try to do intervals and also hit the gym more at school to do some sort of circuit.
So that's the workout plan. In other news, OHMYGODTOOMUCHTVWHATAMIGOINGTODOWITHMYSELF?!?!
#firstworldproblems

No but really, T-minus 3 days until Fringe Finale. I will most likely cry. In fact, no one plan on calling me after 8pm on Friday. Girls started this week and it was really good. I already like where this season is going. Shameless has also started up again. Next week, almost all of my regular shows are back on, as well. One might ask, "where does this girl find the time to watch so much television and also go to college and train? Well I'm not 100% sure. I would guess I just sleep less and procrastinate more.
How are everyone's workouts going/ Am I the only person in the world that watches this much tv?