It's a very slow process - two steps forward, one step back - but I'm inching in the right direction. - Rob Reiner

November 17, 2011

Three Things Thursday X 2 + 1

I got my new Brooks yesterday!! Can I just say that I LOVE them!!  They are so amazingly comfortable.  I took them out for their first trial run this morning.  I was conservative and only ran 1 mile in them.  I can definitely say that they work different muscles – almost immediately I could feel my calves, and about half mile in I could feel my hamstrings really working.  I will definitely have to transition into the slowly.  But overall, I am really happy with the purchase. It felt so weird when I took them off and started running in my normal running shoes.

  • Winter is here!  I am not ready for this weather yet.  It was 25 degrees this morning.  When I came home from my run I had ice crystals on my gloves…..not used to that one!  Brrrr……..


  • My Breaking Dawn midnight movie buddy had to cancel on me, but have no fear I ended up changing my plans and I’m going to an 8pm pre-screening tonight.  I am however going all by myself.  But I’ll be surrounded by literally thousands of other fans so it will still be fun!

  • My pace times are actually decreasing instead of increasing.  This is very frustrating.  I suppose it’s a combination of running with pain and the colder weather.  Jim informs me his times get slower in the winter too.  I am struggling to maintain around a 13 minute mile pace – even on my shorter runs.  Just a few months ago I was hovering around 11:30…..it sucks!  I did a “speed” run yesterday and my average pace was around 11:50 – I was doing those around 10:30 not that long ago.  Arghh……

  • I do think my new Dr. is seriously on to something.  He discovered a very tender spot in my abdomen – tender as in, when he applies pressure I can hardly stand up from the pain.  It’s weird because I never even knew the pain was there.  He thinks I might have an adhesion.  I am having a few other medical tests done just to rule out other causes, but he’s still kind of working on it.  For sure I have very tight rectus abdominus and psosas muscles.  I did a little internet research on issues that can be caused by these muscles being tight – first thing mentioned for the rectus abdominus muscle is shoulder instability – what!!  Crazy right?  It’s amazing how interconnected our bodies are.  The Psoas causes pain in the hip flexors.  So anyway, still working on strengthening my core and going to ART a few times a week.  I am not seeing over night improvement, but I didn’t expect to – I am however seeing some improvement so that’s encouraging.

  • I have 19 miles on tap for Saturday!!  This will take me approximately 4 hours+.  I will be experimenting with eating actual solid food while on the run.  Since I am a slow runner and my marathon will take me between 5 and ½ and 6 hours I knew I wouldn’t be able to make it on gels alone, so I figure I better start getting it figured out now.  It’s only 8 more weeks til marathon time! Do any of you eat during a long run?  I know it’s not common, but I’m going to be out there a long time.  I totally bonked on my 17 miler and almost couldn’t make it in the door.  After I got some food in me I felt much better.  I’m hopeful this will help me finish a little stronger this week.

  • Weight loss update.  I've been doing Weight Watchers 3 weeks now and I'm down 6 pounds!  Woot!  It's not a ton of weight, but I'm going in the right direction!

24 comments:

  1. I'm excited for Breaking Dawn too but I can't make it until Saturday! Congrats on your weight loss! Which marathon are you doing?

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  2. I like to eat fig newtons on my run. I cut each of them up in 4 and put them in a zip lock bag.

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  3. Six pounds is a lot--congrats! I felt sure that I would immediately start losing weight upon returning to running, but I am now so hungry all the time, I'm not so sure!

    Love the Brooks pure line...I have the connect. A perfect transition shoes.

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  4. Nice job with the weight loss, that is just fabulous!! Those shoes are absolutely gorgeous. And I run slower in the winter too. The cold definitely slows us down.

    And lastly I think eating real food is actually very smart. Good luck with your 19 miler. :)

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  5. I have a friend that is an avid runner and she was having problems at in the middle of the marathon. All she was taking was gels, but someone told her she needed to get some protein so she wouldnt be sick at the end of the marathon. She now eat a little protein as she is running the marathon and doesnt get sick at the end. It was just what she needed. Congrats on the weight loss.

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  6. Your dedication is impressive! I also run slower in the winter, and need to eat on long runs-- usually a granola bar works for me.

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  7. Congrats on the weight loss! That is awsome. Love the shoes! I have not gotten to the point of really considering a full, so I have no advide for you there.

    Happy to hear you may be finding some answers on some of your issues.

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  8. Great job on the weight loss. That is awesome.

    I have gone to ART for two weeks and my hips and more importantly my right calf feels 100% 'healed' and I can't stop smiling.

    As for Gels.....throw them out! Get your hands on EFS Liquid Shot. They are flasks that hold 400 calories and 1600+mg of electrolytes. If you are going to be out there for 6 hours you will need 3 bottles as you should get ~200-250 calories per hour.

    I liquify it in a larger handheld and it is perfect. No need for solid food. The problem with solid food is the amount of time it takes for the body to break it down and thus if you are eating solid food at the 4 hour mark it is probably not going to help you if you finish in 5.5 hours.

    The liquid gets the calories and electrolytes right into your blood stream and working.

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  9. I want a pair of Pure Cadence as well!!!

    Congrats on the weight loss

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  10. I want those brooks they look awesome! and I can't wait to hear how you tackle the 19mile run on sat :D I have no clue at what distance I'm supposed to fuel and or how to lol

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  11. I have a friend who eats real food during training and events. She makes little sandwiches out of white bread (easier to digest) and jam or has pikelets (thick pancakes). This has worked really well for her.

    Couldn't you talk Jim into going to the movies with you? I guess I'd have a tough time talking Iven into seeing that one as well.

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  12. Nice job on the weight loss! 6lbs is nothing to sneeze at! I know how hard it is to lose that much, for sure. I think your new Brooks look super-sweet~ I'm gonna' have to try some of those since my Nike Frees have just about reached their life expectancy.

    So glad that you are figuring out some things about your injuries... so glad!

    I don't have any info on fueling for long runs like that... you'll have to fill me in on what works when I can finally tackle a distance like that. You go! I'm cheering for you!

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  13. i am seriously loving your shoes! they look great and i am so glad they are working for you :) congrats on the weight loss! 6lbs sounds huge to me! i hope that your pain will continue to decrease with the trips to the doctor!

    as far as eating during a run...i have tried protein bars before and they usually go okay. during my marathons i have also eaten bites of banana and that has really helped in the past! good luck on your run!!!!

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  14. Have a great 19 miler!!!
    And Woot on the weight loss!!

    p.s. I received my gift card. Thanks again!

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  15. Don't worry about your weight being lost. I found it.

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  16. 6 pounds is awesome! Congrats! When you say 'solid food', what are you going to eat? I have a friend who did an Ironman eating a turkey sandwich on the bike... she hates 'fake' stuff. Good luck with the 19 miler!

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  17. Summer is here by me in full force! The runs are getting warmer and warmer. I eat during long runs. I'm very slow so I eat PB sandwiches, biscuits, chocolate, jelly babies and other sweets on offer sometimes. Good luck with the 19 miles!

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  18. Woohoo on the weight loss! I need to drop a few pounds before the holiday season ramps up, but I fear I may not manage it at this point.

    I ate a half a banana during my last marathon at mile 16 and it was so awesome to get real food in my belly. When I train for my next, I plan to try the real food thing too.

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  19. I have my breaking dawn tickets for tomorrow and I'm so excited! As for food on runs, I usually stick to my Bee Stinger chews, but I have participated in group runs with things like fig newtons and potato chips on the course and it seemed to hit the spot! Congrats on the weight loss...WW is awesome!

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  20. Hey, congrats on the weight loss! Good luck with your long run this weekend.

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  21. Congrats on the weight loss. I LOVE those shoes, by the way. (Yeah, I know, running shoes are more about function then fashion, but can't we have both?)

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  22. 6 lbs! that is great! congrats!
    Good luck on the LR, I hope it goes well...I have never gone pass 13.1...but I want to do a full marathon before I am 45 so I need to get ready!!!! I use sports beans for now.

    did you try the EFS liquid shot I sent you?

    please post about how it went!

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  23. Isn't it sad that I'm like the last person to comment on all of this? I might have to try those shoes again. I really want to like them because they were super comfortable!

    I CAN NOT believe it's only 8 weeks till your marathon. Wish I could go.

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  24. Those shoes are super cute! :)

    I do eat on the run. I'm a solid foods kind of girl - biking and running. I have tried everything. One of my favorites is Uncrstables (they are PBJ pockets). They are easy to carry, easy to eat and 250 or so calories. Also, fig newtons. It takes some practice and some getting used to!

    Congrats on the WW! I love that program and lost 30 pounds on it before! Keep up the great work!

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