Well folks, today's the day--Day #1 of my half marathon training. Today begins my 14-week long training plan to run the Bayshore Half Marathon on May 23rd. It's an exciting day for me as the race I will be training for over the next 2.5 months is the longest I'll ever have run in my life. And, as the weather forecast is calling for a high of 64 degrees F today (a good omen), it's a great day to kick off what is sure to be a grueling, yet fun, race to the starting line.
Lucky me gets to start my training with a 3-mile hill run. (Non-runners who may be reading this: Hill runs are exactly what they sound like. You run hard up a steep hill over and over to build strength and endurance.) Some people hate hill runs, I'm not one of them. I wouldn't go as far as to say I love them, but I don't dread hitting the road on a hill-run day. Last week, during my base training, I did a 20 minute hill run and it was exhilarating. There's nothing like running up a hill, strong and powerful, and getting to the top only to realize you want to turn around and do it again! My legs felt like powerhouses. In fact, when I got home from my run I sent a text message to my husband and said "I have powerhouses for legs!" (He replied with, "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!") It may all sound a little dramatic (and those of you who know me personally are fully aware of my flair for the dramatic) but it's just so amazing to feel your body changing and strengthening when you, at one point in your life, were completely out of breath after climbing the staircase to your bedroom and felt sorry and weak.
So, I think my training plan is going to be really good for me...I've looked it over, made changes and modified it for my life over the next 2.5 months. I tweaked Hal Higdon's Novice Half-Marathon Training Plan to give me a couple more weeks of training in case I injure myself or life gets hectic. Here's the basic flow of my training plan:
Monday--stretch and weight train
Tuesday--hill runs
Wednesday--moderately easy run
Thursday--run, cross-train and weight train
Friday--REST! TGIF
Saturday--moderately easy run
Sunday--long, slow run
I'm also taking a Physical Fitness class at the college I'm attending for Culinary Arts. My trainer is so excited about being able to help train an athlete (she usually just gets weight-loss students). On a side note: How cool is it that someone called ME an athlete?! Ha! We've gone over my training plan, which she thinks is pretty solid, and she's got me lifting weights and cross training each week. The weight training is mostly to strengthen my core so that I can run more efficiently as well as tone my upper body (I'd love to have arms like Madonna). I can already feel a difference in my running form and my strength from the weights. The cross training has turned out to be running's evil twin. I hate it--mostly because I'm stuck in a gym on a bike that doesn't go anywhere. I'm so used to the scenery changing as I run that staring at a red brick wall just doesn't do it for me for whatever reason. I'm considering buying a bike so that I don't have to endure that mind-numbing torture anymore. But, nonetheless, the cross-training has done wonders for balancing the use of my muscles; and therefore, my running has improved. Already, after just 2-3 weeks of weight and cross training, I've increased my average pace from ~11 min miles to ~10 min miles. It's unbelievable...really, I cannot believe I've gotten so much faster in such a short period of time.
My first goal for my half marathon is to finish. Above all else, I want to cross the finish line--even if it takes me 3 hours. But, as I'm pretty confident that I'll be able to finish, #2 and #3 goals focus on the time it will take me to finish. Goal #2 is to finish in under 2 hours 30 minutes. That would allow for an average pace well over 11 minutes per mile which brings me to goal #3--To finish in under just 2 hours (an average pace just over 9 minutes per mile). Now, I know that's a huge difference and may not be obtainable on my first attempt at a half marathon....BUT (and you know with me there's always a "but") if I continue to train how I have been and continue to improve in the same fashion, I just may be able to do it.
Running has brought a whole new world of hope and ambition to my life. I can't remember ever having felt so excited or motivated by something that I'm giddy with the anticipation. It's addicting, like my own healthy brand of heroine. I see other areas of my life beginning to light up with the same kind of spark as my running. For instance, cooking and culinary school. Yeah, I was always excited about going to school to learn to cook but I was only focused on the end--when I graduated, where would I work, how good would I be?--but now I'm just excited to go to school each day and see what new and exciting tidbits there are for me to learn. Running has helped me to learn to appreciate the road to the finish in addition to the achievement of completion. When you're training for a race, you can't only be focused on race day, you have to appreciate and love your run today, too.
So, fellow runners, when you head out the door today, be happy that you are healthy and able enough to go on that run rather than thinking about how much work it's going to be and "race day, won't you please come so I don't have to bare this any longer?!". Non-runners, try to appreciate today a little more. Rather than moping about the snow and the cold, and dreaming of greener pastures in warmer weather; take today for what it is, a day on this little blue planet that you're lucky enough to be alive and experience whatever it is you will experience with vigor and appreciation.
Run long and live happy,
Sarah
10 February 2009
08 February 2009
Meet the Jetsons
Do you ever feel like we're living in the cartoon "The Jetsons"? You know, they had robots to do all the housework, moving sidewalks, flying cars, and all things convenient, including food? Well, I don't know about you, but as a lover of all things tasty, I'm worried our increasingly obese, lazy, instant-gratification nation is obliterating the desire for good food and replacing it with convenience. Just yesterday I saw a commercial for a pill that "helps" you to fill up faster so that you won't eat as much and therefore, lose weight. I feel like this should be on a segment of the SNL Weekend Update's "REALLY?! With Seth". (I miss you Amy Poller!)
But seriously, do you really want to be popping pills to keep you from eating so much? Is that really going to stop you if you're someone who can't tell when your stomach is full in the first place? Okay, maybe you're not popping pills, maybe you're eating those new "energy/weight loss/protein/low carb" bars that taste like cardboard. In my humble opinion, I'd rather take the pill.
I digress.
I assume that the two or three of you who actually read this blog are runners (or people who love food) and I'm therefore preaching to the choir. BUT, I feel the need to educate those people who think the only way to weight loss is through a bottle of pills that there is a better way!!! I know too many people who have turned to supplements, protein bars, meal systems and otherwise "quick fix" programs for weight loss (I used to be one of them) that I deliver this message with a sense of urgency to plead with them to STOP! Our bodies are not artificial and therefore we should not ingest things that are anything but natural.
This is my solution: If you feel like you eat too much because you can't fill up on the "recommended" serving of food, commence your meal with a nice, big, hearty, delicious SALAD! Yes folks, I said the "S" word. Please note: When I say salad, I don't mean that plate of iceberg lettuce smothered with ranch dressing and a wedge of under-ripe tomato on the side. I mean a big, beautiful bowl of crisp, leafy greens, dark green spinach, shredded red cabbage, bright orange carrots, crunchy bell peppers, fresh bean sprouts, ripe, juicy tomatoes, roasted sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and just a smidgen of cheese, topped off with a nice drizzle of EVOO and balsamic vinegar.
Unlike other animals (like dogs who eat first with their noses, then their mouths, and frankly don't care what the food looks like), we humans eat first with our eyes, then our noses and finally with our mouths. So when you sit down for dinner and see a plate of iceberg lettuce drowning in a white sauce that is probably 75% high-fructose corn syrup, of course it's not going to look appetizing! Just imagine coming to the dinner table to find a bowl of salad that is alive with a symphony of color and aroma--wouldn't you be more willing to eat that everyday than the former? Me thinks yes. Plus, vegetables that are very colorful will typically be more flavorful as well; no more grainy, watery, tasteless tomatoes or iceberg lettuce that tastes the way it looks--like watery plant matter.
So you now know that salads can look, smell and taste amazing, but what about the real question at hand--why should you eat it?
Aside from filling our bellies up a little before an entree, salads also provide us with loads of fiber, nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. As a distance runner, my salad is extremely important to my running performance. Because I eat at least one salad everyday, I don't need to take any supplements to keep my body running like a well oiled machine. I get lots of iron, protein, fiber, potassium, calcium and just a little bit of fat to help my muscles work efficiently and recover quickly. Below I've listed the main ingredients that are in my daily salad and the components of each ingredient that assist in improved physical performance (obviously, you can change or substitute these vegetables with others...remember: bacon is not a vegetable).
Note: Even if you're not an athlete, these nutrients are essential to a healthy body.
Lettuce/Leafy Greens
-fiber
-vitamin K
-potassium
Spinach
-fiber
-Vitamin A
-beta-carotene
-Vitamin K
-riboflavin
-potassium
-magnesium
-folate
-Vitamin B6
-iron
Red Cabbage
-fiber
-Vitamin K
-thiamin
-potassium
Bean Sprouts
-protein
Carrots
-vitamin A
-beta-carotene
-fiber
Bell Peppers
-vitamin C
-fiber
-potassium
Tomatoes
-fiber
-vitamin A
-potassium
Sunflower Seeds
-vitamin E
-thiamin
Cranberries
-fiber
-calcium
-potassium
-vitamin A
-vitamin C
Olive Oil
-unsaturated fat
Balsamic Vinegar
-carbohydrates
Eating just one salad a day, in addition to the rest of your diet, can provide you with sufficient amounts of these nutrients, vitamins and fiber. Plus, it tastes heavenly. There's nothing more delicious than a cold, crisp salad loaded up with whatever kind of veggies you may have lying around in your refrigerator. (If you don't want to slave over a cutting board to prepare your salad, you can buy bags of washed lettuce and spinach, matchstick carrots, shredded cabbage, and tiny tomatoes that you don't have to cut; although, these convenience items are more expensive than whole foods. If you're really ambitious, I find that vegetables that I've grown myself always taste better than those from a store and are practically free, to boot!)
I know I've been talking about healthy muscle function and physical performance, but I've somewhat neglected why fiber is so important. #1 It helps to keep your arteries clean and healthy. #2 It helps to keep your intestines clean and free of build-up. #3 It helps you to pass stool more easily, so no more straining or constipation. #4 Because fiber makes you go "number two", it also helps to keep your belly flat....and who doesn't want that?!
The path to a flat tummy and easier weight loss is as easy as ABC:
A-always eat a salad
B-befriend the bathroom
C-check out that bod!
Okay...done with the lame-o jokes for today. Be healthy people, you have too much to live for to ruin your body with some dude's get-rich-quick/lose-fat-fast schemes.
Salads rule,
Sarah
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." -Michael Pollan
But seriously, do you really want to be popping pills to keep you from eating so much? Is that really going to stop you if you're someone who can't tell when your stomach is full in the first place? Okay, maybe you're not popping pills, maybe you're eating those new "energy/weight loss/protein/low carb" bars that taste like cardboard. In my humble opinion, I'd rather take the pill.
I digress.
I assume that the two or three of you who actually read this blog are runners (or people who love food) and I'm therefore preaching to the choir. BUT, I feel the need to educate those people who think the only way to weight loss is through a bottle of pills that there is a better way!!! I know too many people who have turned to supplements, protein bars, meal systems and otherwise "quick fix" programs for weight loss (I used to be one of them) that I deliver this message with a sense of urgency to plead with them to STOP! Our bodies are not artificial and therefore we should not ingest things that are anything but natural.
This is my solution: If you feel like you eat too much because you can't fill up on the "recommended" serving of food, commence your meal with a nice, big, hearty, delicious SALAD! Yes folks, I said the "S" word. Please note: When I say salad, I don't mean that plate of iceberg lettuce smothered with ranch dressing and a wedge of under-ripe tomato on the side. I mean a big, beautiful bowl of crisp, leafy greens, dark green spinach, shredded red cabbage, bright orange carrots, crunchy bell peppers, fresh bean sprouts, ripe, juicy tomatoes, roasted sunflower seeds, dried cranberries and just a smidgen of cheese, topped off with a nice drizzle of EVOO and balsamic vinegar.
Unlike other animals (like dogs who eat first with their noses, then their mouths, and frankly don't care what the food looks like), we humans eat first with our eyes, then our noses and finally with our mouths. So when you sit down for dinner and see a plate of iceberg lettuce drowning in a white sauce that is probably 75% high-fructose corn syrup, of course it's not going to look appetizing! Just imagine coming to the dinner table to find a bowl of salad that is alive with a symphony of color and aroma--wouldn't you be more willing to eat that everyday than the former? Me thinks yes. Plus, vegetables that are very colorful will typically be more flavorful as well; no more grainy, watery, tasteless tomatoes or iceberg lettuce that tastes the way it looks--like watery plant matter.
So you now know that salads can look, smell and taste amazing, but what about the real question at hand--why should you eat it?
Aside from filling our bellies up a little before an entree, salads also provide us with loads of fiber, nutrients, antioxidants and vitamins. As a distance runner, my salad is extremely important to my running performance. Because I eat at least one salad everyday, I don't need to take any supplements to keep my body running like a well oiled machine. I get lots of iron, protein, fiber, potassium, calcium and just a little bit of fat to help my muscles work efficiently and recover quickly. Below I've listed the main ingredients that are in my daily salad and the components of each ingredient that assist in improved physical performance (obviously, you can change or substitute these vegetables with others...remember: bacon is not a vegetable).
Note: Even if you're not an athlete, these nutrients are essential to a healthy body.
Lettuce/Leafy Greens
-fiber
-vitamin K
-potassium
Spinach
-fiber
-Vitamin A
-beta-carotene
-Vitamin K
-riboflavin
-potassium
-magnesium
-folate
-Vitamin B6
-iron
Red Cabbage
-fiber
-Vitamin K
-thiamin
-potassium
Bean Sprouts
-protein
Carrots
-vitamin A
-beta-carotene
-fiber
Bell Peppers
-vitamin C
-fiber
-potassium
Tomatoes
-fiber
-vitamin A
-potassium
Sunflower Seeds
-vitamin E
-thiamin
Cranberries
-fiber
-calcium
-potassium
-vitamin A
-vitamin C
Olive Oil
-unsaturated fat
Balsamic Vinegar
-carbohydrates
Eating just one salad a day, in addition to the rest of your diet, can provide you with sufficient amounts of these nutrients, vitamins and fiber. Plus, it tastes heavenly. There's nothing more delicious than a cold, crisp salad loaded up with whatever kind of veggies you may have lying around in your refrigerator. (If you don't want to slave over a cutting board to prepare your salad, you can buy bags of washed lettuce and spinach, matchstick carrots, shredded cabbage, and tiny tomatoes that you don't have to cut; although, these convenience items are more expensive than whole foods. If you're really ambitious, I find that vegetables that I've grown myself always taste better than those from a store and are practically free, to boot!)
I know I've been talking about healthy muscle function and physical performance, but I've somewhat neglected why fiber is so important. #1 It helps to keep your arteries clean and healthy. #2 It helps to keep your intestines clean and free of build-up. #3 It helps you to pass stool more easily, so no more straining or constipation. #4 Because fiber makes you go "number two", it also helps to keep your belly flat....and who doesn't want that?!
The path to a flat tummy and easier weight loss is as easy as ABC:
A-always eat a salad
B-befriend the bathroom
C-check out that bod!
Okay...done with the lame-o jokes for today. Be healthy people, you have too much to live for to ruin your body with some dude's get-rich-quick/lose-fat-fast schemes.
Salads rule,
Sarah
"Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants." -Michael Pollan
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