Category Archives: Lifestyle

MSB Marathon T-Minus 10 Weeks: Hell Week, a Bruised Toe, and the Start of No Sugar November

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Only 10 weeks to go until the Mississippi Blues Marathon. This past week was a doozy with Orangetheory Hell Week Monday through Friday (recap here!).  Lots and lots of intervals, which were part of my 5K training plan, plus some good strength training.  I happily took my rest day on Saturday instead of Sunday.

Unfortunately, on Saturday evening I dropped my laptop squarely on my big toe.  Yikes.  Based on the amount of pain, I was questioning whether it was broken, but now I’ve decided it is just badly bruised.  (I’ll spare you the picture.)  As runners, we are often so scared about injuring our knees or dealing with IT band pain and shin splints.  But sometimes just having butterfingers is what will thwart you!

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Mapping (and Starting!) My Mississippi Blues Marathon Training Plan

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I’ll start by saying that there are millions of philosophies about race training.  Here I’ll share what has worked for me, and what I am planning to do for the Mississippi Blues Marathon, but this is not the only way (or even the best way) to train for a marathon.  I’d love to hear thoughts about what has worked well for other people.

In short, I like to make a rough sketch of a training plan for each marathon so that I don’t get completely off-track, and so that I can anticipate holidays, travel, and work events and prepare accordingly.  Usually I just jot it down on a calendar or in a Googledoc (or now, in a blog post).  The most important runs for marathon prep are the long runs, so I make sure to note what my goal long run is for each week, and then I have the option to do that run any day during the week (but usually Saturdays or Sundays).  I don’t generally write the week’s non-running activities (Orangetheory, pilates (upcoming post!), barre, yoga (also upcoming post!), swimming, etc.), or my run commute, in my training plan, and while I do sometimes put in shorter runs, all of those are subject to change.  Each week is different, and I vary based on my own schedule and how I’m feeling.  Missing a few runs isn’t going to totally kill your training.  Really.  I take at least one, but usually two, rest days each week. Continue reading →

Momofuku-Inspired, Almost-Gluten Free Corn Cookies

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I am not a good baker.  I will admit that.  I hate measuring.  I don’t time things.  I am imprecise.  I am messy.  But sometimes I just really like baking, and I figure that over the course of decades I will eventually learn enough of the science to get OK at the whole improvisation thing.  (On the flip side, my improvisation works just fine for non-baking cooking.  I make some pretty good stir fries and casseroles and soups.)

DC got its first Momofuku this past weekend, including a Milk Bar, which hubby and I happened to hit up on its opening night.  We had been to the Milk Bar and the Momofuku in New York and were familiar with the offerings. (CAN WE TALK ABOUT THE MUSHROOM BUNS???)  The last time we went in NYC, we had several cookies, and I wasn’t blown away with them.  Good, but not the best cookies of my life.  They are very chewy.  Maybe too chewy?  And I think the compost cookie tastes vaguely of trash… is that the point?  (Definitely caused by the coffee grounds.)  So this time I ordered “crack pie” soft serve with fudge.  Enough said.

We also ordered a few cookies to go, because well, we had waited in line for two hours so we thought we ought to.  One of our selections was the corn cookie, and it was my favorite of the bunch.  It also reminded me that we had a giant tupperware of frozen corn in the freezer from our crop share this summer.   Milk Bar uses a freeze-dried corn powder in many of its products, including the corn cookie, so I decided to dry some of our frozen corn and see what I could make.  (Milk Bar does sell its corn powder, but I ain’t a cheater.)

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Planning My 2016 Race Schedule

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First:  CONGRATS to everyone is who running/ran the Marine Corps Marathon today!  What a great race!  Hopefully it isn’t too wet out there today.  I saw folks picking up packets earlier this weekend and I got super jealous, but this morning I am cozied up in my home and sort of happy about it.

And now to the topic at hand: When possible, I don’t like to sign up for races too too far in advance, just in case something comes up and my plans need to change.  At the same time, I also don’t cut it so close that the race might fill up, and my plans are thwarted, or so close that I have the option of quitting the whole idea when I get to my 17-mile training run.  But even when I haven’t hit the “Register” button, I still need to map things out well in advance.  In fact, I have a nice little Google spreadsheet that I use to keep track of my races and states, completed and uncompleted.  Here is a snapshot:

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As you may be able to see, I have the columns sortable by state and month, so I can say “hmmm… let’s go to Indiana!  What’s there?” (No, really, that’s a question.  Any answers?)  Or I can say “February is looking open… let me choose a race then.”  I also include the city of the race because some of these states are damn big, and I might be excited to go to one corner but not the other.  And when the city doesn’t have an airport, but I’ll need to fly there, I include a reference to the appropriate airport.  Finally, I include a note if there is a lottery or qualification requirement for the race.  It doesn’t make sense to plan a whole marathon cycle around the New York City Marathon, especially if you forget to register for the lottery.

So now that 2015 is coming to a close, it is time to refer to my spreadsheet and really start thinking about 2016 and what races/states I’ll be tackling.

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Change of Pace (Heh Heh): Training for a 5K

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So… I am signed up for my first ever turkey trot.  I am not sure how I’ve avoided doing a turkey trot in the past, but I guess it boils down to the fact that if I want to run three miles, I usually just go do it.  Anyway, my husband and I are going to run one near his hometown along with his family this Thanksgiving, and I think it should be fun.  And of course I am not trying to break any world records… but I thought it might be a nice *change of pace* to focus for the next few weeks on increasing my speed at a shorter distance.  But it begs the question: what would my pace be for 3.1 miles?  And how do I improve it?

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Getting Back to “Normal” After a Marathon

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After a marathon, it is totally understandable that your body needs a break.  And you might find yourself really hungry and supersluggish for days after your race.  That’s fine.  Sleep in.  Eat what your body is asking for.

But sometimes we go beyond that, and for days and even weeks after a race.

At some point, we need to say,

“OK body, time to look ahead, not behind.”

So how do we get back to “normal” after months of training (and eating accordingly), then carb loading, then running 26.2 miles, and then trying to recover from it all?

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Why Running to Work is the Best Commute Ever, and How To Do It

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I will start by saying there is an entire blog devoted to this topic, and the blogger there covers this issue very, very well.  In fact, I read several of his posts before adopting the run commuter lifestyle.  So here you go:  The Run Commuter.

But I will add my few cents here.

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I started running to work about six months ago when I changed jobs.  My new office is 2.5 miles from my home, and there is not a particularly direct way to get there using the public transportation options.  In fact, I am not even sure if I could save time by using public transportation.  And it would certainly cost more than running.  Biking was another option, but I am less comfortable with city biking, and I would have to lock up my bike in a dungeon each morning and unlock it each night.  That sounded like a lot of time taken up by logistics for such a short ride.

I figured that if it took me about 30 minute to run to my new job, that was a reasonable commute time–very similar to my walk to my old job, and about what many people drive or Metro from nearby suburbs.  And of course I knew I was physically capable run the 2.5 miles (whether I would WANT to would be another question…).  Here are the main benefits I’ve identified:

  1. I get a minimum workout each day.  Most days, I have a nice, quick jog for 2.5 miles to work, and then I walk home in the evening.  I burn close to 500 calories just getting to and from work.  I can extend my morning run if I want, but even the shorter run has impacted my fitness.  I can tell that my legs are looking more toned, and my race time is back under 4 hours.  I still try to do some other workout about 4 days a week, including a long run if I am in training, Pilates, yoga, lifting at the gym, or Orangetheory.
  2. Instead of causing me stress, my commute helps me mentally prepare for work in the morning and decompress at the end of the day.  I come home at night having left the stress on the sidewalk.
  3. Running saves a lot of money compared to taking a bus or Metro.  I’ve only had to take an Uber a few times, usually during serious evening rain storms this past summer or if I am stuck at work super late.  The only cost of running was the initial investment in the backpack, plus getting shoes slightly more often.
  4. Good for the environment.  Keep your Prius; I’ve got LEGS.

But there is some planning that goes into becoming a run commuter. Continue reading →

The ABCs of Marathon Nutrition

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I am not a nutritionist.  But I’ve been running for a while, and I’ve tried a lot of different things during my training, races, and recovery.  Here are my best tips for marathon nutrition (or nutrition for any race or athletic event!), with links to some other reading that might be helpful.

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A is for Alcohol.  Yes, I abstain from alcohol during training and taper.  Because I just don’t need it, and it’s not helping me improve my performance.  That said, a cool beer to celebrate post-race or a glass of wine that evening can be a fabulous and well-deserved reward.

B is for (Chipotle) Burrito Bol and BGR (Veggie) Burger.  These are my favorite post-long-run lunch options.  They aren’t greasy and are the perfect portion size.  Think you can go to brunch and eat whatever you want post-run?  Think again.  By the time you are done that OJ and halfway through that stack of pancakes, you’ve probably eaten about the number of calories you burned, but you haven’t had much protein, fiber, or other nutrients that will help you recover and keep you feeling full.  I try to resist sugary and fried foods for my post-run meals.

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