gear whore

My hair stylist once called me a product whore because I can always be counted on to buy crap that feeds into my dream of making my thin tresses look fabulous.

It's already been established that I am most definitely a carb whore.

And I was asked by one of my friends on dailymile.com if it's possible that I'm a cowbell whore.  My answer?  Oh my, yes!

Well, I think I may be turning into a gear whore.  I love getting new running gear - love the clothes, love the accessories (read: calf sleeves - but I really DID need them!), and love the gadgets (Garmin Electra!).... Hopefully, the husband isn't getting freaked while reading this.  I don't want him to think he needs to initiate an intervention. 

I'm going with, "the camera angle made my calves
look abnormally girnormous and misshapen."

Take a look at my sassy new calf sleeves!

Skins A400.  I LOVE them.

Absolutely NO calf pain since I started wearing them.  None!!

And just look at how sexy they make my legs look.

I was careful to not show the pasty fat stores  bulging out from the elastic constraints at the top of the sleeves.

But look at my ankles.  That lily white skin you see is not a trick of the camera - that's my actual skin tone.  Did you know that I'm a red headed Irish lass?  S'true!

And here we have my sweet new kicks!

Back in the Saucony's.  ProGrid Guide 4.  And Pink!!  So girly!

You'd hardly notice I'm wearing a frickin' size 12 because the pink makes them look so very dainty and princess-like.






  


I tried to get a shot of the new kicks in the sunlight but Jane wanted to get headed out on our walk.

Jane won.

Speaking of Jane, here's a shot of her channeling Santa's Little Helper (the Simpson's dog) while we were out on our Easter Sunday walk.

Back to my gear whoreness..... The only snag in my gear acquisition plan is that I hate to pay full price for stuff.  HATE TO.   So that constantly gets in my way.   I guess that makes me a frugal gear whore???  (Cheap just doesn't sound right.)  But oooOOOooo!!  FrugalGearWhore could be the subject/title of my next blog!  My frugality has limited me to two pairs of running shorts that I'm willing to wear in public, and one pair of running pants.  I know I'm going to have to bite the bullet at some point and get more clothes (regardless of discount status) because I can only do laundry so many times each week....

Anywhoo, I don't think I'm alone in my love of gear.  I just know there are p-l-e-n-t-y of you out there.

Speak up!  Tell me about your gear love!

And oh please - I need a sassy new outfit for Grandma's so if you know of any discount running gear places I should be haunting, tell me about that too!

the week ahead

So here's what my trainer, TenacityChris has in store for me this week.

Keep in mind, I'm supposed to baby my muscle tear and cut back on miles and/or not go too fast on my runs if that seems to be irritating it.  Injury recap: What seems to be happening is that I'm so worried about the chest wall hurting that I contort my body in unusual ways (more so than usual in order to protect the chest wall tear) and that's what is causing me to have all these new and interesting pains.

Liz, my postural restoration PT, wants me to take it easy, too, and really listen to my body and limit mileage as needed.  So I may or may not get that many miles in and it's highly unlikely that I'll do any kettlebell this week.

Anywhoo - here's what's on tap:

4/24 Sunday:
Off – Happy Easter!
4/25 Monday
Kettlebell
5 miles easy running (11:00 pace or greater)
4/26 Tuesday
7 miles running as follows (tempo)
Miles 1-2:  11:00 pace
Miles 3-5:  10:15 pace
Mile 6-7:  11:00 pace
4/27 Wednesday
Off day
4/28 Thursday
5 miles easy running (11:00 pace)
4/29 Friday
Kettlebell
4/30 Saturday:  Get in Gear Half Marathon
17 Miles Long Run
Miles 1-5:  11:30 pace
Mile 6:  10:45 pace
Miles 7-12:  11:30 pace
Mile 13:  10:30 pace (take time to have a drink, grab a banana, then finish the rest of your run…don’t let your body cool down)
Miles 14-16:  11:30 pace
Mile 17:  10:30 pace  Finish strong - you CAN do this!  Ice Bath!!!

Can I just say that TenacityChris CLEARLY has a mean streak? <even though she doesn't have a mean bone in her body>

Look at Saturday's run - I'm running a half marathon.  But 13.1 miles isn't enough mileage, so after I dazzle all the folks at the Get in Gear Half Marathon with 

This will be me at the
GIG half mary

my 

lightning 

fast 

speed, 

I get to grab a snack and then run another 4 miles.  That's gonna suck!  But at least I get to grab a snack.  So she's not completely heartless!

Yeah, I know.  I know. I KNOW that TenacityChris is doing her damnedest to turn me into a Honey Badger marathoner despite my lack of running talent.  And, oh how I LOVE her for that!  So, <crap> assuming all goes well and the body is behaving, I guess that means I have to hold up my end of the bargain and just suck it up and do it.

But I might I'll probably whine a little. 

those who can't run, cook

So I'm on limited mileage for the time being due to my (stupid non-running injury) chest wall muscle tear.  I guess I tore it while trying to fold the backseat in my car while sitting in the drivers seat. Then exacerbated it the next day while walking an overly exuberant Jane.  Jane likes squirrels.  When Jane sees squirrels she sometimes tears after them.  Holding Jane's leash can be an exciting exercise in itself.

I did manage to get a run in today - 3 miles, not the 11 that was on my training plan.  But still, I want to keep doing what I can while keeping the old body healthy.  It was a nice run around the lake the with the husband and Jane.

So anywhoo, since I didn't run yesterday, I decided to cook!  Here's what I made: Pan seared tuna steak served on white beans with fresh basil.  Bibb lettuce salad with fresh dill and english cucumbers with a lemon dijon vinaigrette.  And because I am a carb whore, bread - a lovely baguette served with olive oil and balsamic vinegar for dipping.  The tuna and white bean recipes are from my Williams Sonoma "The Weeknight Cook" cookbook and I just winged it on the salad and vinaigrette.  It was a tasty meal and even the kids liked it!

Mmmmm, tuna steak!

Here's the lowdown:

White Beans (makes about 10 cups cooked beans)
2 pound pkg of dried white beans
2 T olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Parboil the beans

Put the beans in a large pot and add cold water to cover. Bring to a boil over high heat, about 15 minutes. Drain the beans and transfer them to a dutch oven. 

Cook the beans

Meanwhile, in a fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 2 Tbs. oil. Add the onion and garlic and sauté until the onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the onion mixture and the 1 1/2 Tbs. salt to the dutch oven and stir to combine with the beans. Add cold water to cover the beans by about 2 inches. Cover and cook until the beans are tender (about 90 minutes). Adjust the seasonings with salt and pepper. 

Pan Seared Tuna

4 tuna steaks, each about 4 oz. and 3/4 inch thick

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

3 Tbs. olive oil

2 Tbs. minced fresh flat-leaf parsley (I opted for fresh basil instead of parsley)

Sear the tuna
Season the tuna steaks on both sides with salt and pepper. In a fry pan over medium-high heat, warm the 3 Tbs. olive oil. Add the tuna steaks and sear until crisp and browned on the outside, about 2 minutes per side for rare. Transfer 2 cups of the beans to a large bowl and toss with the parsley. Store the rest of the beans for later use ('cuz you're making about 10 cups of the stuff).

Divide the beans among 4 plates, top each with a tuna steak and serve immediately. Serves 4.

Bibb Lettuce Salad with Lemon Dijon Vinaigrette

Bunch of bibb lettuce washed and drained (or you can use a bag of bibb lettuce, that works too)

1 English cucumber, peeled and diced

Another view.  Guess I should have paid more attention to
 "plating," and maybe used cloth napkins!

big bunch of fresh dill, washed and chopped

for the vinaigrette

approximately 1 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 dollop Dijon mustard

juice of one lemon

healthy pour of Rice Vinegar

Sea Salt

fresh ground pepper

whisk all ingredients together and adjust amounts to taste - sorry this is so vague but I don't measure when I'm throwing stuff together!

Apply vinaigrette to salad mixture and toss right before serving.

By the way, I'm no cook.  So if I can make this stuff, ANYONE can!

Bon Appetit!

shut up and run

You know what a sucker I am for free stuff and this was one giveaway I just couldn't resist!!  Beth at Shut Up and Run is giving away a su-WEET piece of Sporty Girl Jewelry jewelry and I WANT IT!!!  My choice, should I be lucky enough to win, is the Joan of Arc quote necklace.

Here's the link to the SUAR post if you want to compete against me: http://twentysixpointtwoormore.blogspot.com/2011/04/winner-and-sporty-girl-jewelry-giveaway.html?showComment=1303568809373#c8521944377239696554

If you chose to compete against me and win, then I want you to give me proper credit.  And maybe whatever jewelry you choose.  That seems fair.

sunday synopsis

Freaking windy windy windy run!  Gorgeous sunny day though.

Today's 15 miler fell a tad short....

Pre-run.  The husband had to take a
picture of me in all my runner geek glory.  He
 also tracked me down on my run to give me
water and got ice for my ice bath.
Thanks love!!

I stopped at my brother & sister-in-law's (hey B & B!!) house to use their bathroom (this was at the start of mile 8), oohed and ahhed over their awesome new fridge and gawked at the ginormous dog (pony?) who was a puppy just yesterday....

Anywhoo, I paused my Garmin while I was there but because I took so damn long to get it going again, it shut itself off.  Then I overestimated how far I had gone and thus underestimated how far I had to go.... so the upshot of it is, I ran 14.5 miles, not 15.  Frankly, I don't think I could have gone another half mile.  After about mile 11, my left hip and my right calf were killing me.... Surprisingly enough, I wasn't physically tired - I was just too sore to move very quickly.  But the chest wall issue is so much better!  It was pretty painful at the beginning and hurt to take deep breaths but seemed to improve as the run unfolded.  I just hope my little legs can get stronger.  It sucks to limit the run because of pain.

Distance: 14.5 miles
Overall Pace: 11:19 minutes/mile
Gear: 
Tunes - The iPod was a savior today.
Fuel belt - I wanted to rip off my water belt and throw it far, far away for the first half of the run.  Damn thing kept bouncing up, shifting around.... it was SO annoying!!!  I found myself saying things to it like, "I hate you and your ass face!" <Ooo, name that movie!!> and "You, f-ing SUCK!!" quite a bit while I was pulling it down and adjusting it over and over and over.  After the sweat started seeping through my clothes the belt stayed put and did the job it's supposed to do which is to carry fluids without being a complete pain in the ass.
Shoes - I forgot to mention that I returned the Asics.  They just weren't doing it for me.  So I'm back in the old Sauconys and have ordered another pair, but this time in PINK!!  Can't wait for the new shoes to arrive.  I figure, better the devil you know....
Sustenance - Pre-run.  Oatmeal with banana and blueberries.  NO eggs!!  During run: GU chomps.  I felt like they gave me some good energy boosts and there were no GI issues at all.  Whoo hoo!!
Clothes - Moving comfort bra.  Success!  My ONE pair of long (almost long enough) pants - I wanted to keep my cranky calf warm.

Overall, I guess I'm satisfied with the run - my longest distance to date!!  I just need to figure out the whole pain issue.  The ice bath afterwards was wonderful!  (I still can't believe I love them as much as I do!)

And OMG was I wishing for the snot rocket skills today.  My nose ran like a fire hose.  My gloves are gonna need a good washing!

honey badger

I'm trying to be a tougher runner.  I want to be more like the honey badger - completely badass!  (plus, I just love this video.  I laugh every time!)

It's been tough to get tougher because I'm dealing with some injuries. Again.

This time I somehow torqued my chest wall by trying to fold up the back seat of the car while sitting in the driver's seat.  The pain is located right under my right armpit and radiates in a half circle from front to back ending at my shoulder blade.  Then I made it worse when walking overly exuberant Jane - she was Super!Excited!ToBeGoingForA WALK!!! - and pulled really hard on the leash several times. Which I was holding in my right hand.  Jane is strong!

Anywhoo, it's a strange injury because I can do planks but can't do crunches.  I can't lay (lie?) on either side in bed, I have to lie (lay?) on my back. It hurts to brush my teeth.  Not the brushing part, the curving the arm part to reach the teeth.... Hurts to cough.  Hurts to sneeze.  Hurts to take a deep breath.  So I haven't been able to go to kettlebell class.  And I LOVE kettlebell class!!  It doesn't hurt when I'm running, but it aches afterwards.... Strange.  With my history of osteopenia (a precursor to osteoporosis) I was a little afraid of having a cracked rib.  It's pretty unlikely but still.... So, feeling a bit like a hysteroid, I went to the doctor after several days of the pain not getting better.  She offered to do an x-ray but pretty much said I didn't need one.... so I didn't get one.  I think it's getting better.

Then there's my right calf.  It's been getting super tight and while not exactly painful, I was worried it might turn into something nasty.  I've been stretching and icing and using the foam roller on it but it still tightens up.  Then I made the mistake of doing an internet search for "calf pain" and seeing all kinds of horrible possibilities and the recommendation that I MUST take 7-10 days MINIMUM off from running.  So I called my PT Katie to talk me down for advice.  Katie thinks I'll be fine.  I need to just keep doing what I'm doing and listen to my body, and maybe try some compression socks.

purchase of this magnet was inspired by the honey badger

I'm getting SO AFRAID I'm going to do something to hurt myself and make it impossible for me to do my marathon.  Argh!!

I think it's just that achieving the goal of running a marathon is so important to me.  I was disappointed last fall when I couldn't run the TC Marathon but this is somehow different.... life is still complicated but running has really been a release for me.  Last fall running was a chore, a "have to."  It has now become a blessing, a "get to."

Tomorrow I get to run 15 miles!  I have never run that far so I'm looking forward to seeing how the body holds up.

It's time to relax and enjoy the journey.

And it's time to find and embrace my inner honey badger.  I know it's in there somewhere!

thinking like a runner

Things that make you go "hmmmmmm".....

So last weekend I was running my 13.24 miles.  At one point I passed a woman who had stopped along the trail, turned away from all us other runners and blew a massive snot rocket onto the grass.  From each nostril.

I was impressed.

My nose drips like crazy when I run.  I always have to have kleenex tucked into the waistband of my pocketless pants.  Said kleenex gets pretty damp on those long runs.  And once they get used?  Blech.  NOT pleasant to carry around.

It's not for everyone

Anywhoo, when she turned back towards us, I purposely took a good look at her face.  It was clean as a whistle!  I immediately thought to myself, "Damn, I wish I could do that!  How does she NOT get snot all over her face??"

OMG, I was ENVIOUS of her skill at forcefully jettisoning snot out of her nose.

In public.

With no shame.

Normal people don't wish for skills like that.

Is this an indicator that I have officially crossed the line to thinking like a runner?