Veggie Life

Summer friday (in the rain) large group work lunch field trip to...

Fri, 24 May 2013 15:21:07 -0400

Summer friday (in the rain) large group work lunch field trip to Madison Square Eats!

Clockwise from top left- Bluepoint Summer Ale, pesto/mozzarella rice ball, veggie ball slider with african onion sauce, vegetarian bun. For dessert, Melt Bakery ice cream sandwich with crackly chocolate cookies and malted chocolate rum ice cream.

Amazing/expensive lunch. I brought healthy lettuce wrap tacos every other day this week, so I guess now it’s a bit of a wash, health-wise.

I made apple crisp for breakfast at work. Let’s not even...

Fri, 24 May 2013 10:56:59 -0400

I made apple crisp for breakfast at work. Let’s not even pretend that it’s not the exact same thing as making oatmeal with apples in it.

But also...

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:26:56 -0400

monsoon thunderstorm means no running. Or at least no running outside.

Treadmill trudge it is?

Motivation (or mother nature's sabotage?)

Thu, 23 May 2013 16:17:08 -0400

I was going to go to Yogurtland for the best self-serve frozen yogurt (now that Yogurtland is in NYC I don’t have to pretend that 16 Handles is as good. It’s just not.) But it’s monsooning outside, and today my hair looks the best it’s ever looked. Pretty much ever, in my life.

So quinoa taco salad it is!

This is my 2-minute “I’m late for work”...

Wed, 22 May 2013 11:21:11 -0400

This is my 2-minute “I’m late for work” breakfast sandwich. Toaster waffles, microwave egg, microwave veggie sausage, drizzle maple syrup.

About 350-400 calories (I didn’t measure anything, but I can estimate) and 20something grams of protein.

Looking forward: summer fitness plans.

Tue, 21 May 2013 17:19:22 -0400

I’m trying to think more than a month ahead with my post-Brooklyn Half plans.

Last summer I gave up running cold turkey, in favor of half-hearted attempts at weight lifting and riding my no-gears bicycle around my impossibly hilly neighborhood. I guess I did a few bouts of treadmill intervals, but at most once every other week. I think one nice day in July I ran about 3 miles outside because it wasn’t 100 degrees so I wanted to celebrate.

I have 3 short-ish races coming up in June. First the mini 10k (which, after the BK half, I have a tentative interest in PRing). A few days later, I have the JP Morgan Corporate Challenge, which is the totally normal race distance of 5.6k. But work is paying for it and giving me a tshirt, so cool. Then at the end of the month is the LGBT 5-miler in Central Park. So obviously I can’t stop running altogether.

June goal: 3-mile run twice a week, Sunday 5-6 miler.

July/August goal: treadmill intervals 3x/week, one 3-4 mile outdoor run once a week. If there’s a nice 70-ish day, take an easy run outside if I’m free.

My summer goals are based around the fact that I know I hate running outside in the heat. But I also love running in the fall, so I want to put in more effort to keep my miniscule “base.”

I also intend to focus more on strength training- I think I’m going to jump back into New Rules of Lifting for Women, but skip the sloooow phase 1. I do well with a plan, but I fell out of this routine around phase 5 or 6. I’ll hop back onboard and really try to dedicate effort to making my workouts shorter and more intense. Also, I’d like to ride my bike more.

In general, I feel a sense of balance in my life (aside from the nights I drink too much or weeks I eat too much junk) and I don’t want to focus on “weight loss” per se, but I do know that I hold most of my weight in my thighs so if I want my shorts to fit comfortably I should put a little effort into burning some far and gaining some muscle.

Brooklyn Half: the stats

Mon, 20 May 2013 22:34:00 -0400

That first estimated finish- if only! I know I can’t hold the same pace for 13 miles than I can for 3, but damn it would’ve been cool to take another 5 minutes off my time! Maybe next time.

Proud moment #1: My average pace per mile barely changed between 10k and the end. Obviously it varied within that, but it didn’t just gradually get significantly slower.

Proud moment #2: Almost half an hour faster than this same race last year, which was my last half.

Proud moment #3: My pace per mile was 1 second faster than my 10k in April. So in a little over a month, I could run more than twice as far, faster than I could then.

Proud moment #4: This goes completely against comparing myself to others, but it’s more that I use my obscenely fast friends as a reference point. My last half was 2:46:29. My friend from work’s last half was 1:41:something. This one, I was only about 10 minutes slower than her. I know it’s because she was pacing a friend, but closing that gap does make me feel pretty awesome even if I know it’s stupid.

So, I may not have made my goal time. And maybe it stung a little seeing my average pace and realizing that if I’d gone 6 seconds faster per mile I could’ve made it. Maybe if I’d held my pace better through the park I’d have made it. Maybe if I’d run with music I could’ve picked it up more on Ocean Parkway. Maybe if I’d picked it up more in the beginning I would’ve burned out sooner.

I can’t answer any of those questions without a time machine, so all I can do is be proud of the times that I pushed myself, and the fact that I walked less than I’ve walked in any other half marathon. As usual, I spent about an hour thinking about how I’d like to never do this again, but within seconds of finishing I was already thinking about the next one.

Dinner is egg in a hole and a bunch of broccoli. This is now a...

Mon, 20 May 2013 21:54:32 -0400

Dinner is egg in a hole and a bunch of broccoli.

This is now a blog of me remembering what vegetables are after last week’s “all carbs all the time!”

Lettuce wrap tacos for lunch. Inside: roasted garlic guac, and...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:06:53 -0400

Lettuce wrap tacos for lunch. Inside: roasted garlic guac, and tofu/black beans/quinoa cooked with chipotle peppers and roasted garlic.

Brooklyn Half Marathon

Sun, 19 May 2013 13:38:00 -0400

I’ve had big plans for this race since I ran it last year and knew I could PR on it if I actually trained. In my new year resolutions, I set a goal of 2:18, which would mean 10:30 miles. Aside from the 2 weeks I was sick, I followed my training plan pretty much to a T. My 12-miler felt great, and I felt ready.

Jenn came over to crash closer to the start line (approximately 10 feet from my apartment) and we pancaked it up. In the morning, Jocelyn stopped by to pick us up on her way to the start. As we left my place at like 6:58, my roommate and her girlfriend (who were both running) were just getting up. Roommate was eating a bowl of cereal, and girlfriend walked out with us…so she could run to the deli on the corner. I found out later that they both made it to the race and finished, but I was a little worried about them for a while!

My favorite coffee shop had this sign up, and this is why it’s my favorite (also their cold brew coffee, and the fact that they have almond milk.)

I had a moment as we crossed the start line with the second wave and I began running when I thought “Oh, fuck. I’m going to be doing this for the next 2+ hours.” But we took off down Washington and circled back up towards Grand Army Plaza where I saw Betsy and Amanda.

One thing I like about this course is that it sections itself off into manageable pieces. There’s the pre-park section, which is about 3.5 miles, which flies by because I’m just waiting to get to the park. There’s the park, which is 3.5 miles, which goes quickly enough because it’s the park and I run it all the time. Then there’s Ocean Parkway, which is the last 5-6, and the only time I missed having music on my first-ever unplugged race.

At the first 5k I looked at my phone and saw I had a solid 10:15 pace. If I could keep this up I’d be golden for my goal time. Miles 4-5 were a little tough for me with the Prospect Park hill, and mentally may have reminded me that this is where it all started to fall apart for me last year. I slowed down enough that my pace after the park averaged 10:30ish.

Coming out of the park, I got a high five from a friend. As I mentioned earlier, the next part on Ocean Parkway was the hardest for me this year. I only stopped to walk once (aside from a brief stop for shot bloks at mile 8 & 11 and a few steps of walking through water stations so I didn’t choke.) But I counted to 10 and started running again.

At mile 10, I knew I wanted to be at 1:45. That would give me 33 minutes for the last 5k, so as long as I had 10:30 miles I’d make it. When I passed the mile marker, I was at 1:45:55. I knew my goal was within reach, but not with out a LOT of effort, so I refused to stop aside from scarfing down my mile 11 shot bloks. The only thing that kept me from walking was the fact that I wanted to be able to tell myself I had actually tried my hardest, that I’d pushed myself beyond my comfort zone to really, truly try as hard as I could to make my goal.

As I hit the 800m sign (which I HATE because it tricks you into thinking you’re closer than you are) I wanted to stop but I kept hearing spectators say things like “Finish strong, you can walk as much as you want when you’re done with this!” I wanted to tell them to shut up, but they were right so I kept going. Betsy and Janelle saw me and yelled my name as I rounded the corner to head up to the boardwalk around 400m, which was a nice boost.

Once I hit the boardwalk I was terrified of falling (at this point my legs were dead so I was pumping my arms to force them to move, which meant I was in great danger of tripping on boards) but I could see the finish SO CLOSE so I watched the boards and just ran as hard as I could. I’m sure my finish line picture is terrible because I probably looked like I was about to cry/vomit/pass out simultaneously. But I was done!

Phew! I knew from my phone that I definitely didn’t make my 2:18 goal, but I was so proud of myself for pushing through discomfort the last couple miles and really working through the mental block of wanting to walk that I could never be disappointed in myself. I’l post more about the stats I’m proud of later because this is already a novel.

I met up with Jocelyn and Jenn at the finish, and we eventually found Janelle and Betsy to hop on the subway.

There were no bagels at the finish line (come on, NYRR! Pretzels?!) so I grabbed one from my favorite local bagel store as a pre-brunch snack before showering and adding Ellen, Drew, Caroline and Johnna to our posse for brunch at The Farm on Adderly. They were offering free beers to runners, so I had a delicious saison paired with a fancy grilled cheese, a poached egg and great conversation with old/new friends!

Definitely a great day and an excellent start to a (somewhat sore) weekend.

runningbeautiful: yogawarriornyc: Finishers! #brooklynhalf (at...

Sat, 18 May 2013 12:44:35 -0400

runningbeautiful:

yogawarriornyc:

Finishers! #brooklynhalf (at Brooklyn Half Marathon Finish Line)

we did it!!

Weirdest ever look on my face, but yay!

yogawarriornyc: Ain’t no party like a pancake party cuz a...

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:56:45 -0400

yogawarriornyc:

Ain’t no party like a pancake party cuz a pancake party don’t stop!

Going back for seconds. Pumpkin/pecan and blueberry pancakes!

Real talk.

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:23:28 -0400

My goal for pre-Brooklyn Half was to run any race with a pace under 10:00 so I could move up a corral. I didn’t quite make my goal, ending up with a 10:06 that probably wouldn’t move me out of my good old 10:20 corral that I’ve been in for 2 years (though also my BK bib still says 10:20.)

I should be fine with this. I generally don’t compare myself to other people. I’m pleased with the improvements that I’ve made in my running this year, and I’m proud of how consistently I trained (until I got sick, at least.)

Of ~40,000 runners, my bib number is still in the 35000s. Based on projected pace, there are fewer than 5000 people who run slower than I do.

Am I crazy? That just seems so unlikely to me! Are other people really that fast? With half marathons becoming increasingly popular and more new runners doing them, shouldn’t I be in a higher percentile than that?

I’m not judging myself, or down on my time, but just a little frustrated that even as I improve I’m still so far in the back of the pack.

Yesterday.

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:14:00 -0400

Went to the Brooklyn Half “expo.” It was much hyped, so I expected perhaps a Larabar table or some crap with free things. Noooope.

My heart filled with dread when I saw the dude giving me my bib, wearing the Brooklyn Half tshirt. It looked like it was sized the same as my NYC half shirt from last year.

(Brief recap, NYC Half ‘12 shirts are awesomely bright green, but super wide/short. So short I’ve literally never worn it, though it was my best and most expensive/anticipated Half. Brooklyn ‘12 shirts are a dull grey, but fit AWESOME and have a ferris wheel on them. Was my worst half ever but I wear it all the time.)

I ended up getting a large, in hopes that it would at least be long enough. The shirts are also the same mostly-see-through white that the (also unwearable, though at least long enough) Jingle Bell Jog tech tees are. It turns out they’re (barely) long enough so I guess I can probably wear it, but I do plan for this to be my NEW best half so I was hoping for a super great tshirt. Like last year’s, but a bright color.

In addition to post-race tumblr brunch, a few people who can’t make brunch suggested a group photo. I don’t know what time everyone projects they’ll finish, but I love that plan if we can make it happen. Maybe with the boardwalk, beach or Luna Park in the background? If you guys are interested I’ll pick a time (think we’ll all be done by 10:30? That’s cutting it close to the course limit but I don’t want to leave anyone out!) and a meeting place.

Last taper run (last of 2, this has been a lazy taper) of about 2 miles last night. Gonna do some good stretching tonight and tomorrow to make sure my hips are nice a loose for Saturday.

(edit)

livemylove replied to your post: Yesterday.

I HATED the NYC Half shirts (I looked like a square - the shape, not the dull/boring type - in it). Boo to hearing the Brooklyn Half ‘13 shirts seem to be the same.

They are slightly less terrible. If you size up, I would say they are long enough to be wearable (as long as you don’t have a particularly long torso.)

Hydration nudge post-it for half marathon week. I’ve been...

Tue, 14 May 2013 15:55:30 -0400

Hydration nudge post-it for half marathon week. I’ve been having my last cup of water at home this week. Working on it…today I should make all 4 at work.

(My bottle is 16oz)

At the gym

Sat, 11 May 2013 15:28:28 -0400

I was finishing a set of dumbbell bench presses and saw in a mirror that the dude using the lat pulldown was done and standing up.

I turned around and he’d put the hand sanitizer on the seat so no one could use it while he alternated sets.

Don’t be a jerk, jerk. If there’s only one of something, you don’t get to “reserve” it for yourself. Share the room. Jerk.

Last long run of half training means it’s tapir time! Am I...

Fri, 10 May 2013 12:32:04 -0400

Last long run of half training means it’s tapir time!

Am I doing it right?

[source2][source3][source4]

I don’t know- I had my handheld water bottle so I wouldn’t be depending on them. I know...

Fri, 10 May 2013 09:16:00 -0400

I don’t know- I had my handheld water bottle so I wouldn’t be depending on them. I know they’re back on in Central Park and Prospect Park, but it’s definitely frustrating! The greenway is used by so many cyclists and runners, both of whom need water and bathrooms! (And Moxy, I ended up stopping at the World Financial Center but I will keep your offer in mind for next time!)

Trust me, I don’t make a habit of it. It just was just makeup time for the 12-miler that I missed on Sunday while I was on vacation. I decided I’d rather suck it up and get it done mid-week than miss another 2 days from my already shortened taper.

11.something

Thu, 09 May 2013 23:14:00 -0400

I am so, so, so glad I did this run. A few people commented on my Tuesday post that I didn’t really need it. And there’s some truth in that- one can run a half marathon with 10 miles as your longest long run. But I don’t know if I can. Running is so mental, and if I don’t feel prepared I’m just going to set myself up to fail.

Fortunately, I feel good and prepared now.

With how great I felt, I really thought I was going faster, but this is still very good for me. (If I can repeat that in the half next Saturday, I’d have a time of 2:19:18. I’m hoping for 2:18 or faster, so hopefully race day adrenaline (and not having to stop/start at lights) will get me there.

I took an espresso Gu right before running (it was gross.) The weather was beautiful- about 60-65 degrees, sunny, no rain, nice breeze off the river. Perfect running weather, in my opinion.

I had half a pack of Gu chomps around mile 5- I’ve found that I really prefer chomps/shot bloks to Gu, but the only downside is that I have to walk to eat them. But Gu has a tendency to mix with my water and bounce back into my throat so I never stop tasting it, which I do not enjoy.

My only complaint is that literally every bathroom on the Hudson River Greenway, from 96th st down to the World Financial Center, is closed. Are they doing construction? Do they close at 6? I have no idea. I tried to duck into a ferry terminal near my turn-off point for the bridge, but the women’s room was out of order. Just the women’s. Are you kidding me?

The other half my chomps on the bridge, and I was back in my own borough. It was a bit of a bummer to get to the end of the downhill off the bridge and realize I actually had to use muscle to move my legs instead of just gravity. By this point my legs were pretty sore. I think it’s my IT band, which I don’t normally have issues with, sore because I took way fewer walk breaks than usual.

From there it was just slightly uphill for a mile and a half to get ~~home~~ to my burrito. It waited for me while I stretched and foam rolled a bit, and has since been devoured in my bed while I ice my knees.

TL;DR, this was the strongest I’ve ever felt on such a long run. I really only stopped to walk 3 times (2 of those were for eating my gummies) and had good luck with lights so I only stopped for those a couple times.

Playlist:
Butch Walker & the Black Widows “Every Single Body Else”
We Are the Fury “Now You Know”
Mann f/ Jason Derulo “Text”
Young Statues “Pretty Girls Make Raves”
Sugarcult “Daddy’s Little Defect”
Thee Armada “Magnet to Misery”
Fountains of Wayne “Stacy’s Mom”
Take Cover “Escape Artist”
Kelly Clarkson “Mr Know It All”
Take Cover “Back Pedal”
Take Cover “The Whole Story”
The Starting Line “Decisions Decisions”
Amy Winehouse “Tears Dry On Their Own”
Tokyo Police Club “Wait Up (Boots of Danger)”
We the Kings “Heaven Can Wait”
The Starting Line “Somebody’s Gonna Miss Us”
Zebrahead “Jag Off
Something Corporate “Straw Dog”
Vinnie Caruana “Somehow The World Keeps Turning”
Valencia “Spinning Out”
One Direction “One Thing”
311 “Don’t Stay Home”
The Starting Line “Hello Houston”
Jessie J “Abracadabra”
Whitney Houston “I Wanna Dance With Somebody”
Timbaland f/ Fall Out Boy “One and Only”
Sum41 “Motivation”
Wiz Khalifa “Roll Up”
Thee Armada “Lala”
The Starting Line “Up & Go”
Beyonce “Love On Top”
Young Statues “Spacism”
You, Me, and Everyone We Know “The Puzzle”
Kate Nash “Kiss That Grrl”
Suicide Machines “What I Like About You”
Something Corporate “I Want to Save You”
Straighter Than Pete “Centerfold”
Valencia “The Space Between”
Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer “How Bout It”
The Starting Line “Island”

I. Am. Exhausted.

Thu, 09 May 2013 17:44:34 -0400

The only thing convincing me to run 11 miles after work is the idea that it makes more sense to run it now and spend the next 9 days resting (and getting well, should these 11 set me back in illness recovery) than to put it off.

I went to a concert at Carnegie Hall last night, and I told myself if I was home before 10:30 I’d try to run in the morning instead of after work. Concert got out at 10, so by the time I got home, at some late dinner, and got into bed it was about midnight. I slept until almost 9, but I’m still just zonked.

Help me, espresso Gu!