Brie Fit

People often wonder why on earth I would run 10+ miles on a treadmill.

Here is why.

Please note the following in the picture above.

• There is no shoulder on the road.
• There is a steep drop-off into a ditch instead of a shoulder.
• There is tall grass that hides snakes in the ditch that is there in place of a shoulder.
• There are hills.
• When there are hills, and no shoulder on the road, a car can come roaring over the hill, not knowing you’re right there.

See also…

Yeah.  Average heart rate should not be 174 for an “easy” 3 mile run at a slow (for me) 11-minute-mile pace.

WI run outside here, I seriously feel like I’m taking my life into my own hands!  There is a relatively safe half-mile loop around my neighborhood, but it gets boring, quickly.  There’s a longer one-mile loop I can do,  but again, I’m bored with it.  I tried being more adventurous today, and it just wound up being scary and way harder than I wanted it to be.   And it was hot.

I can’t wait to move out of this house and hopefully somewhere more runnable. 

Anyway, all I wanted for lunch afterwards was a giant mixing bowl of fruit salad.  And some cheese.

I want to buy a treadmill.  Sigh.

Do you live in a runner-friendly area?

I love Saturdays.

I woke up at a half decent hour and Tim and I had pancakes and coffee.

I took last night off the gym because I was feeling pretty gnarly and forgot my running shoes at home.

Thankfully, this morning, I was feeling better, and it was PERFECT running weather out—67 degrees, sunny, with a nice breeze.

A few days ago, I looked at the course map for the Nike Women’s Half and it kind of scared the shit out of me.  Behold:

I am not looking forward to mile 6.  Yikes.

Anyway, it’s time to stop pussing out about the hills in my neighborhood.  Yes, they are  really damn hard, and yes, it’s not the safest area to be running.  But I need them now.

I’ve always avoided running in our neighborhood because the hills combined with no shoulders on the roads is kind of a scary combination.  If you’re running uphill, a car coming your way won’t see you until it’s on top of the hill!

Anyway, I was safe and ran into traffic and wore bright colors  and had my headphones on super low so I could hear what was going on.

And it was hilly.

Despite living in Kansas City, we actually live in a fairly rural area.  Like, horses and stuff.

I actually saw TWO snakes on the road today.  I’m not really afraid of snakes, but it is a little jarring to almost step on a five-foot-long black slithery thing. 

(We googled when I got home and neither was poisonous, but what the hell are you supposed to do when you see a snake on a run?  Pepper spray?  Yell?   Make yourself look really large?)

Anyway, I was planning on 6 miles, but thanks to some unexpected construction on a road I wound up picking up an extra .75 miles, and by the time I was at my door at at 6.75 miles I said, “Well, this is dumb,” and ran .12 miles out and .13 miles back to make it an even 7.

I finished 7 miles in 1:13:41.  There were some walk breaks here and there, but I’m pretty happy that I maintained a half decent pace on such crazy hills.  And as proof that this workout was hard, check out my average heart rate!

I also burned 986 calories. 

In graph form.  Green is the elevation.

Or:

I don’t really have a running training plan for the summer.  I want to focus on cross-training, a little speedwork, and maintaining my distance base, so I think I’ll likely do one speedy run and one longer run (6-12 miles) every week…plus lots more swimming, lifting, and resting!

Nothing really sounded good afterwards, so I had kind of a weird lunch, but it hit the spot:

A giant bowl of pineapple, strawberries, Greek yogurt and Kashi; two dinner rolls and butter, and a giant glass of Gatorade. 

We’re going to Chipotle for dinner, so here’s the plan for the rest of the day.  There might be another snack thrown in since I burned so much this morning:

This week’s workouts in sum:

• Sunday: rest
• Monday: 40 minutes of swimming
• Tuesday: crappy 1.5 mile speedy run, 20 minutes of HIIT on elliptical
• Wednesday: full-body lifting
• Thursday: 40 minutes/1000 yards swimming
• Friday: rest
• Saturday: 7 mile hill run

Not too shabby!

What’s the weirdest/scariest thing you’ve ever seen on a run?

Hi guys!  I’ve taken a few days off because I’ve been a little stressed lately, but I’m back!

Yesterday, Tim and I ran the Westport St. Patrick’s Day 4 Miler with our friend Sarah who was visiting from St. Louis.

One of my favorite parts of the race?  It started at 10 am.  Sleep in a bit, and then run? Yes, please!  Getting up at 6 am on a Saturday is not my favorite thing to do.

(Confession: I took zero pictures.)

Anyway, we made it to packet pickup by 9:15 and got our numbers and shirts.

I’ll admit: this was my third race in fourteen days and I slept horribly the night before.  I was not exactly thrilled to be running it.

I do like the shirts, though. They are nice and lightweight—I hate heavy t-shirts—and will make a good “bumming around the house” shirt.

Anyway.

The atmosphere was very festive.  Most people were wearing green, and I was happy I remembered to wear my obnoxious lime green tech shirt.  Lots of runners were also having beer beforehand, which made me think that this would be a fun race.

And it was!

Sarah, Tim and I all started together, but the first mile of this race was CROWDED.  Like, more crowded than the Disney Princess half.  I couldn’t do more than a very, very light jog for the first half mile, and there were many point where the course bottlenecked and I was stuck walking behind jogging strollers and dogs on extendable leashes (worst. idea. ever).  The crowd split us up pretty quickly, and I was behind Sarah and Tim.  I kept them both in my sights for the first mile but then lost them.

Since it was Tim’s first four-miler, I let him borrow my Garmin to help him pace, so I was running my first “naked” race in a long time.  I’ve also stopped racing with music, because it annoys me more than helps me, so I said, “hey, let’s just run by feel this time.”

Anyway, most of the severe congestion had cleared up by mile one (though it was still a VERY crowded course and I did a LOT of jockeying the whole time) and we’d hit the hills.  There’s no such thing as a flat race in KC, unfortunately, but I just went with the strategy of “slow up, fast down,”—in other words, conserve energy on the uphills and ride them fast on the way down.

At mile two, I saw Tim on my left.  He was doing great, but I passed him and didn’t see him again until the finish line.  I never saw Sarah!

Miles two and three felt really long, and I kept wanting to look at my Garmin, but I didn’t have one.  It was a weird feeling, but oddly liberating.

At mile 3.5, we passed an ‘unofficial aid station’ handing out beer and green jell-o shots.  I said, “well, why the hell not?” and took two green Jell-O shots—I did one right there on the course and ran with the last one until the finish line.

I didn’t realize how close I was to the finish line because you couldn’t really see the sign due to the hills, but as soon as I did, I said, “Well, huh.  Let’s kick this bitch!” and was able to sprint past a whole lot of runners.

Final finish time?  39:08, good for an over 2 minute PR from my first (and most recent) 4 miler in 2009.  I’m surprised at how easy it felt, too, and that I was able to do it given the congestion and hills.  I’m quite proud, altogether.

I was able to turn around and watch Tim finish with Sarah right behind, both a hair after the 41:00 mark. 

And now let me get a little philosophical.

I realized yesterday that as much as I have good races and bad races, I learn something from each one.

• At my first race, the KC Zoo Run, I learned that I was totally capable of running in public without humiliating myself.
• At my first 10K, I learned that I am capable of running a smart race and using my head to pace myself carefully.
• At my first half marathon, I learned that I can do things I never imagined I could.
• At my second half marathon, I learned that I am human, and not invincible, and sometimes bad races just happen.
• At the Chicago Marathon, I learned that running is so much bigger than just me.  It takes a community—not just runners, but those around them, to make this sport a success.  And that the memory of my father can carry me when I can’t carry myself.  (You can’t bury a man in running shoes and think he won’t become the savior for his running daughters.) 
• At the Disney Princess Half, I learned that I can dig really deep just to give myself a good race.
• At the Diva Dash 5K, I learned that I should probably NOT start a race next to someone wearing a Boston Marathon jacket.

And at this race?  Well, I don’t know if it’s a learning thing, per se, but I think I am starting to suspect that I’ve been selling myself short.  I keep telling myself, “You can’t run fast on hills!  Don’t even try.  Just hit the treadmill and be safe.  You’ll never be a fast runner, you’re too big!   Stick with your 10:00 miles and get on with your bad self.” 

But I want to push myself.  I want that speed and I’m beginning to think I can do it.

So, henceforth:

• At least one speed workout a week.  Tempo.  Intervals.  Will Google Fartleks and Yassos and maybe figure out what they mean and do them.
• No pussing out.  Period.  Unless I am doing a designated recovery run.  At the Disney Princess Half and this weekend, I’ve finished with gas left in  the tank.  I’ve sprinted like a madwoman at the end and felt totally fine a minute after crossing.  I want to finish races with nothing left.  I don’t want to save it.
• Positive mental attitude.  I’m not the 200 pound girl I used to be. 
• Get outside.  Now that the weather is good and we have more daylight, I’m going to run outdoors more and tackle those hills rather than live chained to the treadmill for another year.

And I may or may not be thinking about a fall marathon.  True story.

So, that’s that.

How do you balance giving a race all you’ve got but not burning out too soon?

Ugh.

I realized today that this, right here, today, is why I weigh myself every day.  When it’s an every day thing…it’s just a statistic, and I say whatever, and move on with my day.  But after a few days off the scale, I was anxious about what happened weight-wise while I was traveling. 

And when I saw a gain (or, who knows if it’s a gain, maybe it’s just a fluctuation) I had a horrible morning.

Okay, there was other stuff. I woke up with no covers on, freezing (ahem Tim and Milhouse).  My contacts felt like tiny stabby knives in my eyeballs.  I had a pile of work on my desk that no amount of coffee could make okay.   But man, that little gain started me off on the wrong foot today.  I KNOW that number doesn’t represent my self-worth; but it does represent my efforts lately, and I’ve been trying so damn hard, and it sucks to be discouraged.

It’s just so hard to see stuff like that and go to the mental place of, how on earth is it fair that I run 11 miles and track calories and STILL can’t lose weight, or I wish I was naturally thin, why not just quit, you’ll succumb to your genetics eventually anyway.  It’s a slippery slope, and even though I generally have pretty healthy self-esteem…it’s just hard not to get angry when you’re giving this your best shot, and there are some skinny jerks out there who never see the inside of the gym.  You know?

Anyway, breakfast was the usual, and lunch was an “I’ve missed you, fresh produce!” kinda meal.

Yogurt mess, carrots and hummus, tons of spinach with balsamic, a tiny Babybel gouda, and a tangerine.

(PS: Is it just me, or does all orange citrus taste very similar?  I am pretty confident I couldn’t tell the difference between an orange, tangerine, clementine, and blood orange in a blind taste test.)

I snacked on a Vitatop in the afternoon.  They’re better still half-frozen, I think. 

After work, it was still super gorgeous outside—about 58 degrees and partly sunny with a nice light breeze.  So I went for a run just to kind of loosen things up and move and clear my head.  No iPod, just me and my Garmin and a neat trail I finally took the time to explore near my office.

It was fairly slow, but that’s okay.  I had two great runs this week already, and for some reason, I had some muscle soreness in my hips and butt this afternoon.  I’m not sure where it’s coming from, but whatever.  It felt good to get outside again.  Next week I’ll be doing some tapering for my half!

Dinner was our traditional Friday night homemade pizza.

Today I also registered for two more races!

• I will be doing the Diva Dash 5K which benefits Girls on the Run KC on March 5.  Any KC readers/bloggers care to join me?  It’s an all-girl race (and for a great cause, and HELLO, packet pickup is at Lululemon!), so Tim will be at home dog-sitting.  It looks like a fun one!
• Tim and I will be doing the Westport St. Patrick’s Day 4 Miler on March 12 with our friend Sarah. 
• I’m also planning on registering for the Rock the Parkway Half Marathon on April 2.  I haven’t yet for budget purposes, but I’d like to do at least two more halfs this year after Disney Princess, and this looks like a fun one!

(PS: I’ve started tracking my vitamin daily just to keep an eye on whether I’m getting enough calcium, iron, etc.  Yes, it’s a prenatal vitamin, and no, we’re not trying for a baby yet.   It’s good for the hair and nails, and, well, wishful thinking.  It’s good to have the baby-related vitamins built up in advance of trying, I’ve heard, so what the hell.)

And the run estimate:

What do you do when you get frustrated with healthy living or weight loss?

Happy Valentine’s Day! 

This was my Valentine from Tim.  We are in money saving mode so there are no roses, chocolates, or cards this year.  And my poor Valentine is in bed with a migraine right now.  Sigh.

Breakfast:

There is no picture of lunch because instead of catching up on Google Reader during my lunch hour, I had to go to a work luncheon thing.  There was the standard sandwich in a box, which I hate with a passion.  Nothing skeeves me out more than deli meat that’s been left out for godknowshowlong in a box.  It was slimy looking and the bread was so stale it disintegrated in my mouth.

I ate half of a turkey sandwich on “artisan” bread (it was puny—seriously, just slimy turkey and a little bit of bread), a small bag of Baked Lay’s (hey, at least they went with baked chips) and maybe a third of a small chocolate chunk cookie (yum).  I’m fairly certain these calorie estimates are way off, because I was still starving, but these things are always an inexact science, right?

Part of the reason I know I was off was because I crashed at about 3 pm and shoved every morsel of food I could find in my face.  That doesn’t happen when I eat lunches that are big enough, calorie-wise.

I ate a banana with PB…

…and a giant navel orange and a tiny Mr. Goodbar.   Hey, if I’m gonna go crazy shoving food in my face, at least it’s (mostly) fruit, right?

I felt kind of sick afterwards.

But…it led to a really good run!  So there’s that.

It was a beautiful 50-ish degrees out after work, so I decided to get in a quick run (had lots to do tonight!) outside on the track.  It was so nice to get outside—even though I do a lot of treadmill running, I suspect the cold winter air and snow and ice have impacted my runs anyway.  I just haven’t been really feeling it lately.

Until tonight!  I KILLED it, if I do say so myself.  I warmed up my first mile at a 9:50 pace.  My second mile clocked in at a 9:30, and my final mile was a speedy 9:09!  For the last mile and a half, I jogged the curves of the track and sprinted the straightaways.  It was fun and really helped break things up nicely.

Also?  You know what I realized tonight, guys?  And this is probably dumb.  But if you pump your arms when you run, like, with purpose, you go faster.  And it propels you forward.  And that discovery alone shaved probably :20 off my mile time alone.  (hangs head in shame.)

Total, including .22 mile cooldown walk.

Our romantic Valentine’s dinner included steak and leftover mac and cheese.

In other V-Day news, I got this from my boss:

Truffle+fudge+brownie?  Yes please.   

And more brownies from my sister.  I love her card.

I’m off to tend to my sick Valentine and pack for my business trip tomorrow.  Fun!

Do you have the winter blues?  How do you shake them?

So you know how some people lose weight/get healthy and then suddenly all things they previously liked are suddenly “oh my gosh, that’s so disgusting, I can’t imagine that I used to eat that”?

Yeah.  That never happened to me.  Which is why, when I see crap like this in the supermarket, I am still overcome with a huge sense of “whoa, that looks delicious” and not “whoa, those red dyes will make any children I have in the future nutso.”

Red velvet flavored milk, guys.  It’s the color of blood but looks so delicious and I want to buy it every time we go to Super Target.  Save me from myself.

Did you know that ever since I tried breakfast cookies a year ago, I’ve eaten them every single weekday morning since? 

As much as I love them, I’ve gotten a little sick of them and the prep work they involve (plus, protein powder isn’t cheap).  And I’ve found a substitute for a cereal I loved in my not-so-healthy days—Captain Crunch with Berries = Kashi Toasted Berry Crumble.

A bit high on sugar, but lots of protein and fiber and I find it really filling (and delicious).  Win!

I took today off work because I worked too damn much in November.  I did relatively little, although I did make myself get out for a run.   I ran two miles, and then stupid November allergens got to me and I had an asthma attack and had to go home for my inhaler.  Rather than scrap my workout altogether, Milhouse and I went for a nice long walk to keep my heart going.

Not groundbreaking, but I moved, so that’s something.

I’ve also been getting back into a hobby I’ve neglected for awhile—counted cross-stitch.  It’s totally old-ladyish, but it’s so relaxing for some reason.  Unfortunately, all the patterns I can find are…errr…not my style, so I give them away to my mom and aunts when I’m done. 

  (Nail polish is OPI’s Diva of Geneva!)

I also took Milhouse’s Christmas picture.

Poor guy is still recovering from Thanksgiving and has had some nausea today, but seems to be recovering nicely.

What foods are you ashamed to still love?  I’m pretty sure you will have to tear the occasional boxed macaroni and cheese out of my cold, dead hands someday.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

We started the day with church.  As much as I loathe getting up early on Sundays, I usually enjoy church once we’re there.   (Subtext: thank you, Tim, for dragging my ass out of bed.)

Since I work Saturday this week and next (and then get one full weekend, and then another half-weekend), I decided to do a little shopping to bolster my fall/winter work wardrobe.  When I first got a job last fall, I raided the Ann Taylor outlet and got tons of stuff for dirt cheap…but now it’s all falling apart.  Sad.

I wound up with 2 cardigans ($15 each, and they seem pretty substantial!) from Old Navy, and a camisole and necklace from Loft.  Hooray!

Then I spent the rest of the morning running various errands (and NOT cleaning my house, like I told myself I would.  Ugh).

Around 3:30, I got home and thought, “Man, I wish I’d had time for a run today.”  And then I realized I was being an idiot, because 3:30 is perfectly acceptable running time.

And then I performed the greatest multitask of my life.

I really, really hate getting my oil changed.  I know it’s necessary, but it always feels like I’m flushing my money down the toilet because I don’t GET anything out of it!   The waiting rooms are always boring and dirty and smell like gas (both human and car varieties).

So, I dropped my car off.

And then I investigated the brand new trail (okay, paved path, but whatever) that runs right by the oil change place.

Literally, this trail came out of nowhere…conveniently, AFTER my marathon.  It’s not exactly scenic, but it’s safe, paved, well-lit, and in an area where I don’t feel isolated.  Score!  It’s super hilly, but fun.  I’ll definitely go back in the future.

I ran a mile and a half out and then back again.   My goal today was to run for fun.  Honestly, the idea of running hasn’t appealed to me much in the last few weeks.  I’ve been enjoying other forms of exercise and focusing on work, which has been nice.  I think I achieved my goal—I saw lots of fall leaves, enjoyed the cool weather, and generally had a great time!

And by the time I was finished, my car was ready and all I had to do was pay.  Perfect!

Unfortunately, the tendon in my foot that was bothering me post-marathon is a bit achy tonight.  Boo.  Also, I took off my toenail polish to realize that my right big toenail (which felt bruised after the marathon, but looked normal) is dangerously purpley-black and will probably continue to blacken and fall off again.  Double boo.

We’ve had a steady stream of trick-or treaters all night and about half of our candy is gone—and all the kids were polite, said thank you, and were in costume!

Anyway, I’m off.  I’m baking a French Silk Pie from scratch in honor of Hangry Pants Macaron Monday!

Do you believe in giving out healthy treats on Thanksgiving or do you espouse the “it’s a holiday, enjoy it” view?

Ran two miles today in 19:00 flat.  I guess I was feeling speedy today!

Reminded me how much I miss running short distances faster.  I think that after marathon training is over and I’m all recovered, I am going to attack my sub-27 5K goal with lots of short, fast runs.  But we’ll see!

The bad news is that my knee felt like it was out of place afterwards and was kind of achy.  It feels better now, but I need to seriously not push too much this week.  Bad Brie.

Today I’m feeling mostly excited.  When I let negative thoughts slip in, I am pushing them out and instead filling my brain with some things I personally find incredibly inspiring.

Such as…

1. Healthy Ashley!  Her Gasparilla Marathon recap reminds me that even if I am not feeling strong along the race, it doesn’t have to turn into a bad race! I am determined to finish happy, proud, and having fun, no matter what my time is.  She is such a great example of good sportsmanship and a positive attitude.
2. The story of Team Hoyt.  I think about what my life would be like if I couldn’t run, and then I stop feeling sorry for myself and obsessing over how fast I will be.
3. Jerry from Spirit of the Marathon.  He runs to have fun, and is a great role model.  I want to be still chugging away when I’m his age!
4. Kathrine Switzer, the first woman to challenge the male-only sport of marathoning.  She threw elbows so that I could run and I am grateful to her.
5. My dad.  For some reason, the phrase, “this is not your race” has been running through my head all week.  This race belongs to him.  I am running because he can’t.  I have no doubt that if leukemia didn’t take him away from me eighteen years ago, he’d be running by my side on Sunday.  Although I find the concept of the deceased "being with me” or “smiling down on me” a bit creepy, I do feel that wherever he is, he will be watching live race coverage with a beer in one hand and his Nikes on.  (My dad was known for following three sporting events at once—one on TV, one on the radio, and one on his Walkman.  If heaven has technology, I bet he is getting live text updates, watching the race on Tivo, and stalking footage online come Sunday.)

I am ready to go.  Eeep!  We fly to Chicago Friday night, Saturday is expo and BFF’s baby shower day, and then Sunday is the big day.  We fly home Monday!  I hope to have a recap up sometime late Sunday night or Monday—we’re staying at my mom’s house, and she does not have internet, so I’m going to have to sneak away to a Panera to get anything posted before we get home Monday night.  We shall see!

What inspires you?  Links, please!  I need all the help I can get this week!

If you know me, you know I don’t give a shit about pumpkin.

Crunchy apples and juicy pears are my fall treats of choice!  I enjoyed my first Honeycrisp of the season today as a snack at work, with a bit of almond butter to keep me full.

Now, I’m not firmly in the “OMG Honeycrisps are the best thing ever” camp, but after eating (okay, biting in and throwing away) five straight mealy, flavorless (but cheap!) Galas, I decided to spring for the good stuff.  And it was good!  I guess you get what you pay for.

Pretty soon I’ll have to make some homemade applesauce.  Mmmm…

After work I did an easy, slow (but hilly) three-miler outside.  Nothing too taxing, but it felt good to get moving on a beautiful day.

In other news, I have begun overanalyzing every single pang in my body.   Random ear pain?  Is totally going to turn into some horrible infection.  Hamstring twinges?  OHMYGOD need to foam roll for half an hour right now.  Zit on face?  It’s probably leprosy.  Welcome to tapering.  Let the paranoia begin.

What’s your favorite fall treat?

Is anyone else looking forward to the weekend as much as I am? 

It’s not that this has been a bad, or particularly long work week, but we have some fun stuff planned with Tim’s family and I’m looking forward to some good old family time.  I’m also getting an overdue haircut and brow wax on Saturday.  I have had some unpleasant PMS-related (I think/hope) lately and need a little relaxation.  I can’t wait!

Now, story time.  About my wonderful, wonderful husband.

I have been in pursuit of the perfect purse for a loooong time.  I have a big work bag, but nothing weekend appropriate that isn’t dirty or falling apart or three years old.  I am picky about purses—I like nice leather ones, in a fun color, with very little riffraff on them.  And then today, I found one! 

But, it was $140 (marked down from $348), and Tim and I are trying to  both save and pay down some stuff.  So I consulted Tim, and he reminded me of our goals, and I was sad.  But then I sent him another (cheaper) purse (that I didn’t really like very much), and he was all “nooo don’t buy it” and when I asked why, he said he was going to buy the one I initially liked for me for a marathon finishing gift and surprise me with it.  Surprise ruined.  Good going, Brie!

And then I felt like a huge douchebag for whining about needing a purse.

(So we bought it anyway tonight.  Good thing, because I think it was the last one!   I can’t wait for it to get here!)

And that is the story of how I got a new purse, and how my husband is awesome.

After work run was WINDY! 

I did it on the track.   I like running on the outdoor track. 

Off to watch fall TV!

What’s your favorite accessory to shop for?  I love purses, but the ones I like are always out of my budget!