Saint Ralph

Saint Ralph (2004)
★★★ / ★★★★

Written and directed by Michael McGowan, “Saint Ralph” stars Adam Butcher, a boy who believes that if he can perform a miracle by winning the 1954 Boston Marathon, God will take his mother (Shauna MacDonald) out from her coma and everything will be okay again. What I loved about this movie was that it started off pretty funny. Ralph was not exactly the model student: he got into trouble by “accidentally” masturbating in the swimming pool (did I mention he attends a Catholic school?), his peers constantly made fun of him, made forgeries with his best friend (Michael Kanev), and lied about his dead grandparents. But as things started to get serious, the director slowly showed the audiences how Ralph forced himself to be more mature and eventually run the marathon. I liked that he had occassional slip-ups because it showed that he was still a fourteen-year-old and not someone who turned into a saint overnight. I usually don’t like movies that glorify religion because most of them are too preachy. However, although this film was set in a religious school and community, it was really more of an inspirational story about someone who desperately needed an outlet for his negative emotions and channel it into something good. I was touched by his relationship with Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), the teacher who helped him to get better at running, and was infuriated with Father Fitzpatrick’s (Gordon Pinsent) attempt to put Ralph in an orphanage. I also thought that Jennifer Tilly as Nurse Alice was pretty good; she became more like a mother figure to Ralph and I thought it was a nice that she was playing a different sort of character compared to her other movies. I have to admit that the end of the picture made me tear up in so many ways because I wanted Butcher’s character to succeed so badly. There’s just something about characters in movies who work really hard because they want to achieve something that gets me every single time. I guess I can easily relate because I used to feel like I always had to prove myself to people that I’m good enough. (Which reached its climax in my high school years.) After the movie, I was just overwhelmed with many different emotions and I was really happy that I saw it.

Training --- The Hills Are Alive

Distance: 6.4 miles
Time: 50:40
Pace: 7:55 mile

Started the day with a two mile run through Brentwood and ended up at my current favorite hill to get in some incline work.

I don’t really like doing hill work, especially hill repeats. Part of the fun of running is seeing new things and feeling like you’re exploring. But the LA Roadrunners seem to think hills are an essential part of training, so I don’t mind throwing them in once a week.

I needed to do 40 minutes of hill work today, so I did 8 up-and-downs. The first couple are always difficult, but, as it is with my distance running, the last few hill repeats go a lot faster. I think it’s partially knowing I’m almost done, but I think it also helps when my muscles acclimate to the exercise.

Need to rest up—Saturday marks my first ever double digit run. 11 miles!

New clothes

I went for a run in my FREE (!!!) new Craft base layer yesterday. It was 40 degrees out and I was positively hot. Working at a running store sure has its perks, and I’m not as afraid of winter running as I was a couple of months ago. Did I mention that the shirt is purple?

I love running into people I know on runs. (That was a slightly strange sentence grammatically, but I’m going to keep it.) On the way to a friend’s, I met a guy I went to school with, who seemed shocked out of his mind to see me. I guess I haven’t really told everyone I’m back yet. And the other day, I ran into a coworker who was just starting her twelve-miler.

I still have some slight heel pain, probably from running in my year-old Asics. Hopefully my dog-doo-free Veronas will fix that problem within the week. It’s kind of sad that I was SO lazy that I risked injury instead of cleaning the shoes. On the other hand, the dog doo was REALLY gross!

I will definitely have to be careful during the next couple of weeks. I’m ridiculously happy to be out again, and I tend to get overexcited and do too much when that happens. We’ll keep it at fours and fives for now, and then…the real training will begin!

Changing My Perception

I realized this morning that I consider anything over 3 miles as a long run, and I would like to change that perception. I want to feel like 4 or 5 miles is nothing. In order to start working on this goal, I suddenly decided after work that I was going to run 5 miles today at the gym. I didn’t want to overthink it or give myself any time to worry about it. I just wanted to do it.

My plan was to run the first mile at 6.0 (10:00 pace), next three miles at 6.5 (9:13 pace) and the final mile at 6.0 (10:00 pace). The goal wasn’t to be super speedy, but I did want to increase my pace a bit in the middle of the run.

I started out feeling OK, but I was nervous about how my butt (sorry, awkward!) was going to feel after Sunday’s run. For the first couple of miles, it didn’t quite hurt but it felt uncomfortable. Thankfully that subsided over time, and it made me really happy that I took yesterday off.

Honestly, my biggest problem during the run was my energy. As much as I wanted to continue the 9:13 pace for the fourth mile, I knew that it wasn’t worth trying. I wanted to make sure that I finished the 5 miles, and I was afraid that I might stop if I continued at that speed. With that in mind, I took it back down to 10:00 for the final 2 miles. I was so happy when I was done!

I used to only want to run on the treadmill but now I love the ease of running outside. It allows you such better control over your speed. I’m not going to constantly change my pace on the treadmill, but outside, I do what feels good at the moment. Over time, I’m sure that I’ll do better with my “longer” runs on the treadmill.

After my run, I spent an extra long time stretching and it felt great. I used to never stretch, so I’m trying to focus on this more. Then, I did a quick ab workout and push-ups (3 sets of 15).

I love that Megan includes goals for the week in her Monday posts! She asked me what mine, so I think that I’m going to jump on the bandwagon.

Goals for This Week:

1. Drink more water. I am honestly so bad about remembering to stay hydrated. This week I want to make sure that I drink water with breakfast, lunch and dinner. I know that this sounds simple, but I often forget to include water with my meals.
2. Go to the gym five times this week. Normally I go to the gym six times a week, so at first glance, this doesn’t sound like much of a goal. However, I already took yesterday off to give myself a much-needed break, and I’m going to be traveling for work this weekend. This means that I’m going to need to go to the gym in the morning several times this week. I don’t love it, but I think that I can do it!
3. Eat decently healthy while working this weekend. This is a challenge for many reasons, but now that I’ve put it out there on the blog, I think that I will hold myself more accountable. We’ll see how it goes!

Training Totals - 10-25-09

Recap – Though my running numbers are still nowhere near the level of respectable, I feel good about the training I have been able to do this week, both on the road and in the gym, and I am going to return to the longer form training summary.

This week felt good. I lifted and rowed for the first time in forever which felt really good. As of now, with the mileage being so low, I think I have time to fit in a fair amount of cross training, and I hope in the coming couple of months to get in a lot of rowing and bodyweight work along with some limited weight training.

I have some big plans for how to stay fit (and hopefully lose a couple of pounds) here in the last months of 2009. I’ll be posting more about that in the near future.

Training numbers for the week ending 10.25.09

This week’s training numbers are brought to you by my beloved 6.5 mile Rock Creek Park loop.

Weekly Data:

Average Weight – 188

Running Miles: 12.5 miles in 1:53:30 hours

Row Meters: 5,000 (3.1 miles) in 23:45

Weight Training and Bodyweight work: sets of push ups, pull ups, dips, crunches, dead lifts, squats and overhead presses in a total of ~ 1:15:00

Total exercise time: ~3:31:15

Next Week’s Goals:

1. Increase run mileage by ~10% to 13.5

2. Increase row total to 7,000 meters

3. Do body weight work three days

[Dream] 102509

I was running on a path covered in powdered sugar. Everything around me was also covered in this white, sugary goodness. I was wearing white. And I was free. I started thinking… “Hey, I want to see my footprints.” So I started running backwards and the footprints behind me were weird looking with the toes really spaced out.. esp. between the big toe and second one. I look up as I’m running backwards and I see BlueCar running towards me in white. I slow my pace and wait for him. I drop to my knees and he drops to his. His eyes were the bluest I’ve ever seen them and his smile was breathtaking. We started making out immediately and then we smashed in the powdered sugar.

Second run

Today I went out first thing, before I had a chance to find an excuse. The day ahead is pretty busy, and I managed to oversleep. I coudn’t get to sleep last night, the usual side effect of meeting this particular person and *not* having this particular conversation. In yoga you learn about attachment, and letting go. I could really use some of that, I know it in theory, but in practice the monkey brain pulls and pulls.

Anyhow. The running. It was good, slow but good. I ran for 20 min, same as last time, a slightly different route. I put sunblock on but no hat, which was a mistake. I also need to get sports sunglasses, the sun was hurting my eyes. Running is good when you feel grumpy and sad and frustrated (and guilty, and jealous). It helps you work through the feelings, burn the sadness and the frustration with the exertion and the breathing and the movement. Yogic breathing does the same thing, and meditation, which I need to start doing again. No yoga so far today, no time. Maybe later. I feel my body craving a good stretch, my mind craving a good emptying out, some space, some time to breathe and live in the moment and stop thinking about the past and the future.  Stop worrying, stop analyzing.

It’s good though, training for the triathlon, it makes me feel like I am looking after myself. It’s only been three days and already it feels like a habit. Like this is something I’ve always done.

Run 27, plus a digression about opera

I was not at all efficient enough to run this afternoon, when I frankly should have, but it wasn’t such a bad thing to be pushed onto an evening schedule. Unlike my last two evening runs, this one had 60-degree temperatures, and felt great both environmentally and bodily.

It doesn’t seem as though that made me faster, but the measurements I have are indirect. I was more than a mile along before I noticed I hadn’t set my stopwatch, so my estimate of my start time comes from the end time of the phone call I made before embarking. That was a five-minute affair which I spent hemming and hawing about whether I’d attend a cinema broadcast of the Met’s Tosca on Wednesday. The only thing I know about it is that it occasioned boos from its original audiences, but that might not be relevant evidence – maybe one has to be a proper opera fan, and knowledgeable, before one would bother being bothered by this Tosca. So the chief reason I might not go doesn’t fit well…but the reasons I do go to operas as a non-operaphile don’t fit either. Sometimes I go because I feel obligated to keep my girlfriend from going alone when her mother or others can’t go, sometimes I go as a way of expanding my awareness of cultural touchstones, and every once in a while I take the initiative. This plan originated among a trio that didn’t include me, so she won’t be soloing; I don’t feel Tosca is as salient as Carmen (Quantum of Solace notwithstanding); and I traditionally advocate for well-reviewed comic operas, most recently a praiseworthy L’Italiana in Algieri. My impulse is not to go, and I have permission to decide only once she’s fully ready to buy, when a few responsive e-mails have come in from others.

I couldn’t, however, just measure from the end of that call to the time I returned to my car; I was interrupted on Hackett by a call from a neighborhood parent who needed to give me a schedule for what I’m doing with his son tomorrow morning. My final time, which was normal enough that I don’t doubt it, came from checking that call’s length and subtracting it from the basic number.

The Yins and Yangs of adidas KOTR

When adidas decided to release the race kit during its running expo it was a “make or break” situation—it was the first time that a race event held a running expo (similar to races abroad) giving a chance to the company to “make” a good impression, but at the same time being a first there was a lot of chance to “break” their reputation.

Day One, “Yin:” Last Saturday’s distribution of race kits by adidas during the first day of its running expo at the SM Megamall Megatrade Hall 2 drew a lot of bad remarks from runners, and that was putting it lightly.  It was an utter mess!  Runners have to be on queue much longer than they would run their races with turn-around time of four to six hours!  Other race organizers also had problems like these during distribution but none of them can compare with what happened with adidas.  I was there personally to claim my kit and for the 20 minutes I was on line it only moved about a foot.   Call me impatient but my time is important so I had to walk out without having my kit (I still had my claim stub anyways).  It was literally hours before QCIM so I don’t have the luxury of time and just went home empty handed—I can’t imagine how people who waited six hours must’ve felt.

The queues of day one

Day Two, “Yang:” Sunday, the last day of the expo.  After my six-hour-full-marathon-pacer-duty at the QCIM (to be posted later) I prepared myself to be standing in line for two hours.  After all the post run regimens I headed off to the expo and was delightfully surprised on how organized it was—far-fetched from the day before!  Everything was easy, smooth, and fast, although the food stub issue seemed to persist—thankfully they made it easy to fix.  In just a few minutes I was able to get my kit and food, and was seating conveniently near the stage for the program while eating (too bad I wasn’t able to connect to the mall’s WiFi for a “live” blogcast).  I even got to join the contest and won some prizes from Gatorade.  It was a complete turn-around and made me feel pity for those who endured the previous day’s chaos.

The much smoother process of day two

Coach Ani de Leon for Running 101

All in the name of adidas KOTR singlets?!

It’s highly likely that there were more exasperated runners than those who are not judging by the volume of runners during the first day so it’s only natural that adidas receive a lot of condemnation from the community in general.  As such the organizers issued a public apology to those concerned and in fairness to them they did acknowledge the problem and acted aptly to fix the problem.  With the problems that the organizers encountered with the distribution all of us can only hope that they’ve learned their lessons and it would translate into a better race.  Until then we can only wait and hope for the best.

Defining a runner

This week in the news there were reports on the three deaths in the Detroit Marathon.  These reports make running a marathon sounds very dangerous, but if you read a little more about the runs you’ll find that fatalities are rare.  I’ve been reading up on marathons for a while now, and after watching the Chicago Marathon I’ve decided to add running one to my life list.  I recommend watching one yourself if you get the chance to for some major inspiration.

Since I’ve started running again, and especially since watching the Chicago Marathon, I’ve been thinking about the definition of a runner.

It was at the gym not too long ago that I spotted a girl and turned to my friend and said, “Now those are some runner’s legs.”  My friend looked back at me like I was crazy and said, “I thought runners were supposed to be skinny.”

I was shocked by her comment because in all honesty, this girl was in great shape.  As a runner, I’ve always thought of runners as having a muscular, athletic build because that’s what I usually saw on the runners around me.  Runners come in all shapes and sizes, and that is what got me asking the questions, “What (or who) is a runner?”

Personally, I have two different definitions- one for a runner and another for someone who runs.

A runner: Someone who lives and breathes running.  This person looks forward to running and feels lost without it.

Someone who runs: A person who runs because they feel like they have to.  This person dreads their daily run and can’t wait until it is over.

Those are pretty black and white definitions, and I definitely think there is some gray space in between there.  The best part about running is that you can really start anytime you want, and if you put some effort into it you could become a runner someday.

A great way to start running is using the Galloway Method which basically uses a run/walk pattern to work you up to a higher level of running.

New week

Monday is here. Hoping for another good week, starting with an easy run this evening. Of course, “easy” is a relative term. Even at a slow pace, it sure isn’t easy pounding the hard pavement for an hour. But it isn’t supposed to be easy.

Only 2-3 hard weeks left. Then it’s taper time.

Quote of the day: “I run so I do not lose the me I was yesterday and the me I might become tomorrow.” (George Sheehan, Going the Distance)

Two 5k's in Mt. Pleasant on Oct. 24

If you are local runner, there are two opportunities to run in a 5k event on Oct. 24.  Susan Bailey is conducting the Big Bigby Bolt 5k near her home at Cross Bridges.  This event is to attempt to raise money for a scholarship in the name of Josh Bailey who died tragically a few years ago.  The location is about 3 miles north of Mt. Pleasant on Cross Bridges Road at the intersection of Hwy 412 and Cross Bridges Road.  The 5k starts at 8:00, and there is a 1-mile race for elementary kids at 7:30.  Cost is $25 unless you can find a brochure to pre-register for $20.  There is a website and a telephone number of 931-698-5889 is given.

The other 5k will be conducted from the square of Mt. Pleasant.  This coincides with the Scarecrow Festival and the Scarecrow Century (bicycle tour).  The Mt. Pleasant High School Boosters are attempting to raise money to pay for a field house under construction.  This event will start at 9:00.  The cost is $25 unless you can find a brochure to pre-register for $20.

If you are ambitious, you may be able to run in both due to the start times!

Both races promise a t-shirt but neither mention scoring, awards or a certified course length.

Thoughts On Death

It’s unfortunate that i’m writing my first “real” post in light of a friends death.  Recently a good friend of mine took his own life, he shot himself the week before thanksgiving. The first thoughts that come to mind are how could i have changed that? Or what could i have done?

Another thought though that popped into my head is, where am i in my own life? Where does Jesus fit in, if at all? It made me really take a good hard look as my life as one who loves Jesus.

What i realized was that  even though i love Jesus and profess to be a christian i wasn’t really living for him, reading my bible and praying to get closer to him. Even as i write this i’m convicted that i need to take time to get into the bible more often. Even the thought that were supposed to share our faith, our Jesus with people hit me hard to. Ironically the only people i talked to Jesus about were my christian friends and family.

Which is dead wrong we should be reading our bible, reading books by people who love Jesus and have a better understanding and knowledge then you so you can learn from them. We should be in constant daily prayer with Jesus, in community with christian family and friends but also talking about Jesus and living for Jesus in a way that is not preachy or over bearing but a life that makes non christians asking whats different with you, why don’t you party? Why don’t you have sex before your married? It’s better to work with those created openings that Jesus gives you then try and create your own by preaching at people.

Even though i lost a good friend Jesus can still take a terrible situation and work it for his good, his master plan. Jesus is ultimately the answer the one we should be running to and living our lives for and by.

My hope in this blog is to bring Jesus to the front of our minds and our hearts so we can realize where he belongs. If you feel or have felt the same way, if you have comments, questions, good, the bad, the ugly post a comment i’d love to talk to anyone further.

Micah 4:2(NIV)

Many nations will come and say,

“come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob. He will teach us his ways, so that we may walk in his paths.”

I Miss My Kitchen!

Run, Run, Run!

Good evening, everyone!  Since there was nothing on the conference schedule until lunch, I woke up to eat an energy bar and drink some water, then went for nice run!

Distance: 4.95 miles

Time: Appx 54 minutes (Seriously, a Garmin would be awesome!)

If I can run 5 miles, I can run 9.3 miles in a week, right?    I only had time for the rest of my Apple Cherry Pomegranate Juice from the Farmer’s Market, then it was time to shower, get ready, and go to the Conference!

SWE Conference, Day 2

Don’t we all look nice?

I was impressed by all the fresh veggies and HUMMUS at lunch!  I didn’t feel like the vegetarian pizza, because there was no way it was going to measure up to yesterday’s pear and gorgonzola pizza, so I went with a cheese sandwich (aka, a turkey sandwich with the turkey removed… no veggie sandwiches available!)

Big pile of fresh carrots, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and jicama with hummus.

Veggies, with my sandwich (still with turkey–I removed it right after this picture!), and dessert…

A baby brownie and baby chocolate cookie.  Yum!

And lots of water, because I’m not used to running in this heat and humidity!

The sandwich was relatively dry, but I was very impressed by the veggies and hummus.

After lunch, a few of us went to a great workshop called “Trendy Stress?!” I’ll be doing a post on the topic soon, because we got some great tips!  We had a meeting for everyone from Region H (all members from Wisconsin, Minnesota, the Dakotas, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, and Michigan), then went out for dinner at P.F. Chang’s.

I got the Coconut Curry Vegetables, with brown rice (rice unpictured). The tofu was pretty good, and the sauce was decent, but overall the meal isn’t one I think I would order again.  But I did get some protein, grains and veggies in the meal!

Kelley wanted some ice cream to soothe her sore throat, so we stopped at Coldstone on the way back to the hotel.  I was hungry, but not feeling ice cream, so I was pleased to see that they now have Tart Frozen Yogurt!  Check out these nutritional stats for the Like It size:

Calories: 140

Fat: 0 g

Sugar: 24 g

Protein: 3 g

A little low on protein and high in sugar, but as far as frozen desserts go, it isn’t half bad!

I had it mixed with strawberries and bananas. Yum!  And now, my stomach is no longer growling.  However, my later snack of toffee peanuts may have also contributed to this. 

Giveaway!

Megan at Runner’s Kitchen is having an awesome Chobani Giveaway.  Chobani is by far my favorite Greek yogurt, so you should go check it out!

Home

I am having an excellent time at the conference, and loved hanging out with Kari earlier this week, but I have to say I am really looking forward to getting home.  I desperately want my kitchen back — both so I have total control over what I eat, and so I can stop spending money on eating out!  Plus, I haven’t seen Dan since we made the move official, and I want to have a celebratory dinner while we look for apartments!

Question

Would you be interested in an occasional wedding update on my blog?

NBR Gets to the Point!

NBR rocked the Greenpoint 5K this past Sunday, picking up no fewer than 6 trophies and a case of Brooklyn Lager in the process! And yes, there were some dance-offs.

With a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place sweep in the Women’s 20-29 category, high fives to Beth, Jen, and Aja! Misha and Matt place 2nd and 3rd in the Men’s 20-29 category and Mike E. placed 3rd in the Men’s 40-49 category, woohoo!

Our friend Miriam B. was the top overall female finisher! Yeah! 

Thanks to all of those who came after the Staten Half or otherwise and cheered on the sidelines and hung out after. (And congrats to Karl and Anna M. who ran qualifying times in the Half that morning!)

Check out the photos and dance-off video!

Click here for full results from the Greenpoint Get to the ‘Point 5K.

Coins (a.k.a. "living the dream")

The day before any marathon should be completely relaxing. The key, if possible, is to continue to prepare for the race, yet not think about it too much. At this stage of the game, the only real preparations focus around rest and nutrition.

The day before the Victoria marathon, I got up and ran for 20 minutes around Beacon Hill Park with Jon Brown. After breakfast, I grabbed a coffee and sat in the harbour reading a book. I was quickly distracted, and for the next hour and a half made notes about the scene that was unfolding in front of me. It kept me busy and, fortunately, had nothing to do with running:

A man wheels a fully-laden parcel trolley and stops in front of me. The man is in his sixties, with a full head of thick red hair and a face weathered in equal parts by sea air and cigarettes. He stacks twelve identical briefcases on a stone ledge before unfolding and erecting a table. The briefcases are uniformly and deliberately arranged on the table as the man whispers “that one goes there, and this one goes here, and you, you go there.” Each briefcase has one side replaced with glass. The man pulls out a spray container of Windex and some newspaper. He gently cleans the glass surface of each case. The briefcases are opened and large sponge rectangles are removed. The rectangles which protected his wares are now stacked in a pile which become the man’s seat on the stone ledge.

The man props each briefcase slightly ajar by wedging the clasp in the bracket where it would normally seal. It creates an angle to the now transparent glass windows. He erects a large magnifying glass, carefully lays out some tools – a few small saws and files – and plugs a drill into a generator. As he sits back on his sponge chair, the man lights a cigarette, crosses his right leg over his left and sips coffee from a squat thermal cup with no handle. The man waits.

People wander by his table. Some just glance and keep moving, more pause momentarily, occasionally long enough to ask the question “so what are these that you are selling?” The man sells Canadian coins – of every denomination and from every year – each one meticulously polished and fashioned into something ornamental: a tree, a maple leaf, an inuksuk, a peace sign. All retain the year in which they were franked. Many date back as far as the 1940’s. You can buy a coin from the year you were born, the year you were married, the year you visited Canada. The coins “start at $10 and vary in price up to $20, depending on how much work I’ve put in. I mean a tree like this I can do in an hour. But the inuksuks take me twice as long. So I charge a little more for those.” It’s well-rehearsed statement that I hear repeated at least ten times in half an hour.

The coins generate a moderate amount of interest, but no sales. An Asian couple release an audible gasp when told the coin they are interested in costs $20. Their two children laugh, as though the idea is preposterous. A young, overweight and precocious kid challenges the man “is what you’re doing legal? I mean, that’s government property that you’re defacing.” The man smiles politely. After an hour the only thing he has sold are twenty freshly minted nickels – he sells them to a young boy for a twoonie.

Another man approaches from the right. He’s no ordinary guy. With the exception of a purple tie, gloves and sunglasses, he is dressed entirely in yellow. His entire face is sprayed to match. Purple and yellow is all you see. He carries a yellow wooden circle on which are written the words “Gus Saffron.”

“That guy is all yellow. Look, there’s the yellow man. Hey, yellow man. Shit – they think I’ve never heard any of it before.” The man with the coins laughs and they exchange greetings. “Probably be the last weekend out here for me.” They nod in agreement. “Well, I suppose I’d better get on before the other guy shows up – I figure that I’ve got a good hour at least.”

Gus moves about twenty feet away, lays down his wooden circle and places a yellow box in front. He shakes his arms and legs, and then stands on the circle. With his right hand out-stretched, his left hand at his hip, he adopts a slightly forward lean before freezing into a human statue. A crowd gathers immediately. It’s mostly children that are interested. A coin in the box is rewarded by movement from Gus – a hug, and a photograph if you want it. The coins flow. Some children are anxious and afraid to approach. A woman walks up and gives him a sharp prod and is genuinely aghast when she discovers that he is real.

The man trying to sell his coins watches with a broad smile on his face. Gus is immediately popular and rather successful, but there doesn’t seem to be any envy. After an hour and a half, I am about to leave. A heavy, thickset man approaches the table. He stretches out an over-sized hand and buys a 1951 nickel for $10. A hole is drilled through the coin and a piece of string threaded through. The man leaves wearing it around his neck.

As I climb the stairs out of the harbour, a person dressed as Darth Vader is playing a few bars of the Star Wars theme tune on a violin. He repeats them over and over again. Another man, dressed in a waistcoat and frilly shirt approaches me and, in a mock British accent, says “well hello there fine chap. I say, could you spare a little change?”

30min. Fett verbrennen

Durch meine heute Spätschicht war nur ein kurzer Lauf drinnen. Da ich aber schon lange nicht mehr langsam gelaufen bin, war heute mal wieder so einer fällig. Immer schön unter 139bpm bleiben und das Fett verbrennt wie das Holz im Ofen

Das ist mir heute mehr als gut gelungen. Mein Durchschnittspuls lag bei 129bpm und das bei einer Pace von 6:25min/km. So langsam macht sich mein Training bezahlt. Von diesem Puls bei dieser Zeit hätte ich vor 6 Monaten noch geträumt.

Old City, New Run

Hello All! I’ve had a pair of really great weekends that have totally jump started my mood. As I mentioned in my last post, I was back in Philly last weekend. As many of you know, I lived in the City of Brotherly Love for about a year and a half  after I graduated from college.  I moved there to take my first job as a writer.

I learned so much doing that job and I grew and gained so many great experiences and insight and just an overall sense of self. I also sacrificed a lot and wore my body to the core working as much as I did. Why I am here and not there anymore is irrelevant – what matters is the place this City has in my heart.

I’ve returned twice since I moved away almost exactly a year ago. Each time was spent predominantly outside the City in the King of Prussia area where I lived. My most recent return was spent entirely in Philly and just as I predicted, I was flooded with nostalgia and I was so happy to be back.

Despite a late arrival and bed time Friday, I was up around 8:00 a.m. Saturday practically bouncing out of bed with excitement. The trip was pretty much a spur of the moment decision for me but once I knew I was going, I told myself no matter what, I would go running through the City one, if not both, mornings. I geared up and ran about 20 blocks from our hotel on Front Street to City Hall. The streets were packed with tourists – but of course I didn’t mind. I was so pumped to be running a new “course” just taking in all the sights and sounds I once took for granted.

I was pretty happy to start my day off right. The rest of the afternoon we wandered around South Street before returning to the hotel to go to the Pink concert, which was the whole point of the trip!

There is much debate about where to get the “best” Philly cheesesteak – in my opinion it’s Jim’s on Fourth and South. No matter what, if it’s your first time, you have to get the cheese wiz! It’s just not authentic otherwise.

I wish I could say I ran Sunday morning as well, but I had a little too much fun at the concert

This week I’ll continue training for the Thanksgiving Race! I am going to run outside for as long as my lungs and my body can tolerate it – another stadium loop tomorrow!

How To Press Tofu and A Killer Workout!

Hey everyone! I have had a productive afternoon/evening. After work, I headed to the gym to get in a workout. I ran 4.3 miles on the treadmill while watching a special on Beyonce. It was actually really interesting and kept my attention. Running on the treadmill was not so bad, but no where near as great as running outside. After the run, I went to Body Pump. Gah! I love this class. My legs were beggin’ for mercy during the lunge track! Does anyone else HATE lunges as much as I do? My legs were shaking by the end of this track. This was a killer workout for sure! I felt amazing leaving the gym, the the way only a killer workout can make you feel.

After leaving the gym, I stopped at a fruit stand and grabbed an apple, I was really hungry. I didn’t get a picture of it…sorry. Once I got home I hopped in the shower, returned some calls for my part time job and then got dinner started.

I decided to do a tofu post after my friend Lauren’s mom asked me about how to cook tofu and I tried to explain it. I realized that a lot of people that are interested in trying tofu, don’t because they are not sure how to prepare it. I stir fry it a lot and I know I have posted MANY posts of my tofu stir fries. But, I am going to take you guys step by step of pressing tofu and then baking it.

HOW TO PRESS TOFU:

Here is the tofu I usually use, but there are many, many other great brands out there.

Step 1: Cut open the package, drain the water, and place the block on a cutting board.

Step 2: Cut the block into smaller pieces (I usually do 8 pieces).

Step 3: Lay out a thick stack (3 or 4) of paper towels and place tofu pieces on top.

Step 4: Place another paper towel over the tofu.

Step 5: Place a large skillet on top to press out the water.

Step 6: Press on the skillet a few times, just to make sure that the water escapes.

Pressing tofu is something you should do regardless of how you plan on preparing it. I put two servings right in the freezer (yup, you can freeze tofu)! and baked the other two (one serving for lunch tomorrow).

WHAT?! You guys want to knowhow to BAKE the tofu too?! Wow, you are really pushing it…ok ok!

I usually marinate the tofu during the day while I am at work, but since I didn’t decide I wanted it until today while at work, that was not an option. I decided to make baked buffalo tofu. So I poured some buffalo sauce into a little mug (hey, I gotta use what I can).

I used a brush to apply some sauce to the tofu, on both sides.

Then I placed them on a cookie sheet.

which they shared with some sweet potato fries.

I baked the tofu at 350 for fifteen minutes, flipped it and cooked it for another 15 minutes. I forgot to spray the foil with cooking spray, so a bunch of the fries did not come off. oops!

I enjoyed the tofu with some brown rice, green beans and a few sweet potato fries.

The rice was Uncle Ben’s, cooked up in 90 seconds and was awesome. You would think I cooked it the long way. If you like quick and easy rice, I recommend it! Dinner was fantastic and so was dessert.

Stoneyfield chocolate frozen yogurt with some mini peanut butter cups and coconut. Yum!

I am happy to say, I have all my summer stuff packed up for the change over tomorrow. I also gathered ALLLLLL the stuff (mostly work clothes) that I need to get taken in. After almost a 30 pound weight loss, it is a lot of stuff and will have to be done in waves, because I am not made of money.

Well, night, see you in the am, I am sleepy!!!

...take time...

1. Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever, ever giving up. –Amby Burfoot

2. You don’t need a reason – you need a road. Believe in the run. –Nike ad

3. You have to wonder at times what you’re doing out there. Over the years, I’ve given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement. -Steve Prefontaine

4. Racing teaches us to challenge ourselves. It teaches us to push beyond where we thought we could go. It helps us to find out what we are made of. This is what we do. This is what it’s all about. –PattiSue Plumer, U.S. Olympian

5. What distinguishes those of us at the starting line from those of us on the couch is that we learn through running to take what the days gives us, what our body will allow us, and what our will can tolerate. – John Bingham, running writer and speaker

6. Runners just do it. They run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first. –Author Unknown

7. You have a choice. You can throw in the towel, or you can use it to wipe the sweat off of your face. –Gatorade ad

8. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. –Helen Keller

9. If you ever get a second chance in life for something, you’ve got to go all the way. –Lance Armstrong

10. The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win. - Sir Roger Bannister, first man to break the 4-minute mile

11. The truth is that running hurts. –Unknown

12. Frustration is the first step towards improvement. I have no incentive to improve if I’m content with what I can do and if I’m completely satisfied with my pace, distance, and form as a runner. It’s only when I face frustration and uses it to fuel my dedication that I feel myself moving forwards. –John “the penguin” Bingham

13. If you’re starting out or trying to get to the next level, surround yourself with people who keep you motivated and energized – people who inspire you to achieve your best every day. When you do this, you can’t lose. –Anthony Famiglietti

14. People begin running for any number of motives, but we stick to it for one basic reason-to find out who we really are. –George Sheehan, M.D.

15. There is no time to think about how much I hurt; there is only time to run. –Ben Logsdon

16. Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine. –John Trautmann

17. I ran and ran every day, and I acquired a sense of determination, this sense of spirit that I would never, never, give up, no matter what else happened. –Wilma Rudolph

18. I focused on reminding myself I was running my race and not trying to keep pace with somebody. It’s about your journey—not everybody else’s journey –Jennifer Beals

19. Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness and self-reliance. Independence is the outstanding characteristic of a runner. He learns the harsh reality of his physical and spiritual limitations when he runs. He learns that personal commitment, sacrifice and determination are his only means to betterment. Runners get promoted only through self-conquest. –Noel Coward

20. Good things come slow—especially in distance running. –Bill Dillinger

21. No one ever drowned in sweat. Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts. -Dan Gable

22. Only think of two things – the gun and the tape.  When you hear the one, just run like hell until you break the other.  ~Sam Mussabini

23. In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that. -Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder

24. “Ask yourself: ‘Can I give more?’. The answer is usually: ‘Yes’.”
-Paul Tergat, Kenyan professional marathoner

25. “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.”  -John Bingham, running speaker and writer

26. “Running is real and relatively simple…but it ain’t easy.” – Mark Will-Weber

27. “There are clubs you can’t belong to, neighborhoods you can’t live in, schools you can’t get into, but the roads are always open.” – Nike

28. “Run like hell and get the agony over with.” – Clarence DeMar

29. I always loved running – it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs. – Jesse Owens

30. Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, ‘Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?- Peter Maher

31. Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent  of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge. – David Bedford

32. Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it. – Oprah Winfrey

33. Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop. -Lewis Carroll

Training: October 6, 2009

Distance: 6.1 miles
Time: 56:24
Pace: 9:15

COMMENTS:
Oh boy, what a day. Felt terrible from the beginning, both mentally and physically. I took two days off from running*—something I won’t do again—and mentally wasn’t in it. Then, I didn’t rest long enough after my lunch at Chabuya with a friend and got cramps. So it was bad, all around.

I believe the issues are fixable, though. For one, I need to not take off two consecutive days from running and I’m even considering making Monday a short run day, say 2 or 3 miles, which leaves Friday as the only non-run day. Doing so, I think, will do wonders for me mentally on the days when I have to run longer. Physically, I obviously need to time my meals better and take into account what I eat at my meals. My favorite pre-run food of an apple with honey (and now a few nuts), can be eaten about an hour before a long run with no ill side effects, as I do on Saturdays with LA Roadrunners. But a giant Chabuya chashu rice bowl…? Well, I should wait at least 3-4 hours and today I waited only 2 hours.

Four weeks in and I’m still learning! But it’s fine. I enjoy finding new things about what my body can handle and taking notes and being diligent will definitely help me come marathon time.

—
*Sunday was a cross-training day, Monday was a non-run day.

Find my run log here.

The Challenge

You probably thought that I disappeared.  It’s cool, I also kind of wondered.

Waaaaay back in March when I started Transition Therapy, the need was different.  I yearned for a creative outlet where I could transform the discomfort that I was feeling about being “in transition” into something that felt…I don’t know…helpful.  To me.  To others.  To anyone who needed help.

And that motivation worked for a while.  I could sit down and write about lessons that I was learning and how seemingly unrelated themes and events overlapped.  But sometime around July that motivation started to seem outdated and I quieted down for a while.

Then things happened:  Joe and I were out of town a lot, he moved to a new place, I relocated to a new city.  The excuses, they are endless.

But I’m back.  Starting today. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve been thinking and reading a lot about hard work and discipline.  They are values of successful people.  Because I am not the most disciplined person on the block, I’m trying to internalize it as a personal trait.  To help, I’ve relied on a running schedule that I borrowed from Women’s Health.  But the truth is:  I don’t want to make a career out of running.  I just want to be healthy.

So I decided (as I was beginning the last paragraph actually) that I should come up with a disciplinary exercise that might feed a career interest:  every weekday for the next six weeks, I am going to write a blog post.  

That’s it.  That’s my disciplinary exercise.  It may not sound like a lot, but for me it’s just enough of a challenge to keep me motivated.  Because I’m not one of those people who signs up for a marathon when they can’t run to the mailbox, I’m the girl who finds a 7 week program that prepares her to run for 30 minutes.

The Vineyard Run

As we were walking hand in hand towards the registration table, I was kind of freaking out a little bit.  I wondered out loud, while surrounded by swarms of people stretching out their quads and hams and doing warm up runs in the parking lot, if I was going to be the only person at the entire Vineyard Run who was running her first 5K.  No, no, Zack assured me.  There were a lot of people at this run that were doing their first 5K.  I was all, Are you sure?  Cause from the looks of this buzzing crowd, everyone is going to shoot off the starting line and sprint their way around the 3.1 miles.  I’m pretty damn sure of it.  Besides, I reasoned, there’s no other reason for that 80 year old man to be taking that warm-up lap around the Hobby Lobby’s property line.  But once again, Zack was correct.  Turns out that over half of the 900 some-odd people that showed up for Grapevine’s Vineyard Run were really just there for a good time.

Zack decided not to run the race with me.  Primarily he didn’t run with me because he didn’t feel like chunking down $25.00 to pay for something he could do for free.  I suggested that perhaps he just run with me anyway–to forego the tee-shirt and the free wine tasting at the end, and “bandit run” the 5K as my support system.  But the rule-follower in Zack won out; he decided to be the official “carrier of stuff” instead of running.  I suggested that he also be the official event photographer, too, but turns out we left the camera at home.  We were forced to use the camera phone to document my triumphant entry into The Runner’s Club.

Soon after arriving, Zack and I tracked down our friend Lindsay who also signed up for the race.  As we found our spot in the Start Line crowd, I was feeling totally buzzed on all the excitement.  I thought, “Oh my gosh! This is going to be a snap!  I am so pepped up on adrenaline I’m going to be able to break all kinds of personal records!! Exclamation Points all over the place!”  I expressed some of these sentiments to Lindsay.  She was all Exclamation Points too!

Then, the starting pistol!
Then, the palatable excitement of the crowd!
Then, the running.

And then, some more running.

Then it was minute 3, and I was all, MAN. THIS IS STILL JUST LIKE RUNNING.  THE THRILL IS GONE. ADRENALINE MY BUTT.

Not long after the start of the race, Lindsay had to fall into her own pace.  She’s in constant negotiations with a cyst (?) in her knee, and sometimes it requires her to stop running for bit to conference.  She warned me before we started that it might be the case that she would have to stop, and if that was the case I should go on without her.  Despite everything that I’ve learned from Band of Brothers, I did just that when she had to bail at about minute 5.  After that I was just on my own.  Running.  Wondering what I was supposed to do with my hands when I didn’t have Scout’s leash to occupy them.

I won’t bore you with the rest of the details. (We ran. We ran up hill. We ran down hill, etc.) But I will say (for those of you who really care about running) that I was proud of myself for finding a couple of people that were right about my pace and keeping them in my sights for the rest of the race.  I would have been able to finish with them (instead of 20 seconds behind them) but they dropped me on one of the hills.  The only other slightly interesting part of the actual running of the race is that I almost choked to death twice.  They had two aid stations (seems a twee bit on the side of overkill, considering it was just a 3 mile run but WHATEVER), and both of them were right at the top of the two hills.  While I realize that it might make sense to have the aid stations at the top of the hills (i.e. a light at the end of a tunnel?) but in reality, it’s just about impossible for me to drink a gulp of water whilst I am gasping for air after just having run up a massive! impossibly steep! (short with moderate incline) MOUNTAIN! (hill).  Is there some black magic that I’m unaware of that makes it possible to drink a dixie cup of water while running?  Is this something I can’t do because I’m an embarrassingly under-trained novice?  I even paused at one of the stations to see if that would help me to get a little water down the hatch, but I was unsuccessful because of the breathlessness.  Mostly, I just rinsed out my mouth, then spit it all out.  I also made myself look like an earth-friendly nerd at the first aid station by using the Trash Can.  I had no idea that if you’re a COOL 5K runner, you toss your dixie cup on the side of the road.  LEARNED.

Here’s me coming across the finish line, looking unmistakably happy miserable:

Here’s Lindsay and me, 15 minutes later, with a dixie cups of wine that we were successfully ingested.  At 9:00 AM:

See that smile on my face?  That’s not the smile of a woman who has just completed her first 5K run.  That’s the smile of a girl who has a dixie cup of wine before most people have poured their morning Cheerios.

My name in print:  #42 in the 25-30 age group and #432 in the overall standings.

P.S.: Future race reports to expect:

October 31st, 2009 – The 3rd Annual H.A.N.K. Run in Fort Worth, TX (4 Miles)
Thanksgiving, 2009 – The Turkey Trot (8 Miles) in Dallas, TX
And then, if I’m feeling especially crazy, December 13th, 2009 – White Rock Half Marathon in Dallas, TX

Today is the first day of the next seven months of my life!

When I arrived home last night I was surprised to find an acceptance letter for the 2010 Virgin London Marathon

I’ve run three London Marathons in the past – 1997. 2006 and 2007. The first two went quite will, finishing around 3:30 both times. The more recent race was a very challenging experience. The weather was blisteringly hot; the organisers had brought in significantly more water and doctors. I managed the first 13 miles in a reasonable time given the heat. But the second half of the race was a nightmare of immensely painful cramps in my calf muscles. Thanks to sheer determination and massages from St John’s Ambulance volunteers at almost every mile I managed to finish.

So after a break of two years it’s time to start preparing for another marathon. I’m glad to say that I am already relatively fit. With seven months to prepare all it takes is lots of hard work.

So today’s morning run before work:

• Time: 01:28:12
• Distance: 11.16 miles
• Avg Pace: 07:54 min/mile

The first challenge is to raise my distance – marathon training is all about time on your feet. Speed work comes later. I hope to be up to 20 miles by the end of the year. If I can do that, and maintain that distance, then January to April can be spent on increasing my strength and speed.

Time: 01:28:12 Distance: 11.16 mi

Good Luck Perianne!

We have an Olympic hopeful from the town of Almonte, just about 10 minutes down the road from here. Perianne Jones is a cross-country skier heading for Vancouver for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and the town held 5K and 10K fund raising races for her last weekend, on September 27th. It was a cool and rainy morning, but over two hundred runners showed up and braved the weather. The photo to the right is just after the start of the races, and it made the front page of the local paper as well as being chosen as a featured photo by WeSay.

September runs

September has been tough in terms of training. 82 miles, just about half of August’s distance. Nine days off. Longest run was 7 miles. Hopefully October will be better! It better be, because November is just around the corner.

Been very busy at work these days. People are conveniently assigning me tasks outside of my main responsibilities. I don’t know if they realize that I, as does everyone else, have a finite time to do a finite amount of things. It would be great if they ask me, “Do you have time for this?” before they tell me to do things.

Oh well. It is what it is. I can only do what I can and then forget about work after the clock stops.

Since last night till this morning, it was raining 12+ hours straight. Though it makes the ground wet, it also bring a cool weather, which is great.

5/2 x 4

Tonight’s run was 5 min run 2 min walk times four. I did okay. I struggled some. My foot hurts. It’s tolerable, but noticeable. I don’t notice it as much when actually running. That’s when I’m mostly focused on breathing. But after the run, there it is. I’m going to ice it tonight and see how it feels tomorrow. May have to make an appointment with a podiatrist soon if it doesn’t start to feel better. Distance tonight was 1.85 miles at a 15:10 pace and burned 155 calories. Then it was PIM appreciation night at Luke’s Locker. They offered a 20% discount, so I got two pair of socks and two shirts. Socks are very important when running. You can’t just throw on any old pair of socks. Cotton is not your friend. It holds moisture and can cause blisters. I got one blister from a pair of cotton socks on a hot day earlier in the summer, and I have never made that mistake again. Good running socks average $9 to $15 a pair, so getting them at a discount is nice. It’s funny, when I buy stockings for work, I get a box of 10 pair for $5, but I will spend $9 on one pair of socks. I think I have more running clothes now than I do work clothes. Running clothes are fun. Work clothes, well, not so much.