I AM A RUNNING GODDESS!

Okay, let me start by saying that my run after work today--was fucking AMAZING.  I really feel like I made up for my down days being sick.  The Nyquil/Dayquil haze the past three days has paid off.

Perfect weather (for me, anyways--75-80s--delish), cruising up and over the hills without a problem--I felt like I came up out of my body and saw myself running and was like "Damn!". Planned on 5, went 6.  Totally zen, totally awesome.  I wish I could explain the feeling better, but I'm just feeling good.  A day after my dad's twelve-year anniversary, maybe it's cheesy, but I'm going to go ahead and say he was hanging in there with me today, seeing as yesterday he was up north protecting my family from the hurricane--making things not as serious as they could have been.  I'm not religious or anything--but I'm going to just go with that reasoning :).

Either way, as the title suggests I ran into the house after my run and exclaimed to my husband, "I AM A RUNNING GODDESS.  I AM A MACHIIIIINNEEE!!" *hands thrown in the air*  No joke.

Too awesome not to share with you all today--so there you go, thanks for reveling with me.



Tomorrow is Halloween--I am completely serious about wearing my cheetah footie pajamas to work and making a makeshift set of cat ears.  Easy-peasy, cheap, and---pajamas at work? Uh, score. 

I have no shame.



I'm so excited to be in our home this year in a friendly family neighborhood--we're actually going to get trick-or-treaters!  I went a little bat-shit with the candy buying, and have the BIGGEST bowl of goodies for the kids.  I'll be honest I grabbed a few pieces here and there, but even with those couple of pieces I'm candied-out. 

Also, I bought our Chihuahua, Gizmo, a dinosaur costume. Yeah.  Pictures to come, I promise, because it's too hilarious not to share with you guys.  Our two other dogs won't let me dress them up, and being a little bigger I can't get it on with one hand.  Gizmo is still a baby and doesn't know any better then his mom dresses him up in some crazy-ass shit. :D

Alright, that's a short one--Hope you all coming out of the storm are doing alright up there--power, cable, stuff in general...that stuff you'll get back in time. Try to put that all into perspective when you think that there are 50+ people that lost their lives to this storm so far.  Thoughts are with ya'll <3


With love and affection,
Go Fork Yourselves,

Krissy

So much for a long run...

Well, guys, after my week of fun with family and busting through 75 miles--my body has decided it doesn't want to work anymore. 

Yesterday I was feeling like poo (not quite shit, yet) when I woke up.  Thursday it was 90 degrees outside--awesome, right? With it being 60s/70s at night now I pop open the windows for some fresh air.  Yeah, this bitch dipped down to 50-something degrees by the time I was getting ready for work.

Sore throat, running nose, sneezing. 

Trying to convince myself it was just allergies, I sprayed my nostrils up with Flonase, downed a Singulair (allergy med) and hopped in the car.

As the day wore on, I still felt blah--but I knew I was only planning on two miles when I got home, so I just kept telling myself to suck it up.

Did the two miles (in record time, no less!) in the crazy cold air (I'm a puss when it comes to cold weather).  Came home took a nice hot bath and just started going about planning for my long run tomorrow.  Sneezing away, I put all my crap together on my dresser--Clif bar by the bed with it's coinciding alarm at 5:30 ready. 

By 9 that night, the poo had turned into shit--just as I was feeling.  My throat, my nose, my body just felt off and all I wanted to do was sleep.  I pretty much passed out as soon as I laid down.  Though, I kept waking up to wet my whistle, since the throat soreness pain was waking me up.

*5:30 ALARM* "Oh, for fucks' sake."

Still feeling like a pile of crap, I was determined to get some Clif bar down--convinced it would help.  I ate about half--that hellish half that scraped my throat the whole way down.

Now, generally (the ONE time I've done this so far) I set the alarm 1 1/2 to 2 hours before my long run to get some snackage down the hatch.  So--7-7:30 would have been a great time to get up and go, right.

Yeah, 10 o'fucking clock.  Even then I was glued to the bed by drool, trying to breathe and keep warm under the covers.  The next two hours after this, I just kept dozing off. 

"Oh, yeah, I'm so gonna go...ZZzzzzz..."

Around 12 I finally got my ass up and told myself to wash my face, pop my contacts in and just go.  My husband shook his head (I didn't see it, but I'm convinced he did) and told me to take a chill pill and rest the sickness off.

"NEVAH! I've already taken my two rest days this week!"

So, off I went.  I was FREEZING at first (47 degrees, gtfo.) and about a half mile in felt ridiculously hot.  My idea then was to head up the track, take off my jacket and run easily around that.  Sounded nice, thought I could pull off the long miles if I just eased the route up. 

Nay.

Assholes locked up the track.  So, I ran back to the main road, and followed a usual route.  By mile 2, my goose was, as they say, cooked.  I was chilly and overheated at the same time, I couldn't stabilize my breathing, and I just ached.  I felt like a loser, but I had to head back and lie down.

And that's what happened. 3.3 miles today. THAT'S IT, FOLKS.  I feel like I totally failed--and yes, I know I'm sick, but still.  This week still went alright though, considering all the stuff I'd been doing since last Saturday I still managed to work in 17 miles--which is only 5ish off my usual weeks, lately.  Plus, the whole "Hal Higdon Half-Marathon" training thing says I should have only done a 5k instead of the long run this week...so, uh, right on--I kicked ass then?

Yeah, no, still feel a little chump-tastic. :(

So, that's that on the running aspect of things.  Goal for the rest of today and tomorrow?  Nyquil coma until I feel better.

Speaking of which, I had to go get Nyquil--and at the same time figured I'd do my civic duty and vote.  Excuse the sick face.  Trev in the background looking for the pharmacy aisle, hehe.



 

 Right on.  Also, besides voting for the leader of the free world--I bought soup and popsicles.  Kickass.

And that's what's going down right now.   Send me some good vibes so I can get my ass in gear again!



Go Fork Yourselves,

Krissy

Back to the grind-olla.

Well, my cousins left yesterday *sad face*.  Had a blast with them.  The Pete Holmes show/taping was AWESOME and they even talked/yelled back and forth with him on stage.  He asked if anyone had come from far away to see the show, so I elbowed my cousin Paul of them and he yelled out "Boston!"

Turns out the comedian was from Lexington, MA--so, there ya go.  My cousins are from Wakefield--my husband and I used to live in Medford--all Boston suburb homies.  Cool beans.  

Anyways, such an awesome experience for them in their visit here--interacting with a famous/soon-to-be-huge comedian!  Thank you for making it an awesome night, Mr. Holmes!  If you haven't checked him out, I feel bad for you--so google that shit-STAT :D


After the show I took them to the BEST Vietnamese restaurant (I think) here in Austin on 6th Street--Mekong River..*drool* So good.   The pineapple curry is fucking unreal--so is the pho...oh man, oh man.


So, back to the grind!  Went for a nice 5 mile run after work yesterday--pretty much zoned out besides my chomping on Swedish fish before the last miles or so.  It was hot, hilly, and I was just hoping I'd get under 12 min/mile.  Dudes--I did 10:46!  With all those damn hills, I was impressed with myself!  Felt great!

I'm still trying to decide how I'm going to go about the rest of this week.  It's supposed to be a low-mileage week according to the training schedule--but you know, I don't think I want to do that.  I'm thinking maybe 3/4 miles today, 2/3 on Friday and 8 again on Saturday since that course was so pleasant.  Guess, I'll just lace up get out there and see what happens, ya know.  99% of the time, I'm like "Man, feeling good--let's bang a right at the next street sign and see what happens."

Oh man, after some serious indulgence the past 4 days, my stomach is quite happy to get some veggies down.  Currently eating a yum-tastic spinach-chicken breast-broccoli-chickpea (or garbanzo if you're going to get all technical)-mushroom salad with balsamic.   I also took the liberty of picking up what some might call a metric fuck-ton of broccoli to steam up tonight with whatever we end up eating.  Broccoli+a squeeze of lemon and Lawry's garlic salt---oh yeah, that's some goodness there.

And speaking of food--I think I found my two favorite flavors of Clif bars--White Chocolate Macadamia and Oatmeal Raisin.  So much so, I went on Amazon and order me a box of each!  Thank you, Prime membership.  I've been eating these puppies at work for breakfast and they really do stick around with you until lunch.  Since I'm usually running around with patients, these are perfect for picking at inhaling quickly.


Well, that was kind of a bullshit post, huh?  Just felt like writing.


Go Fork Yourselves,

Krissy

Fun November Challenges!

Oh hey--what's that green sneaker icon on the left side of my page??

A fun internet mileage challenge for November, ya'll--Check it out at:

Run Eat Repeat's Pile On The Miles


Sign-up on that Google Spreadsheet on RunEatRepeat's page and let's do it to it!  I'm going to up my mileage from this month's goal (75 miles--which I'm WRECKING by the way...) to 90.  I think with my half-marathon training I should be able to get it up there--it sure will be fun to try!


HEY NOW--There's another funky green icon--Fall Fun Run??  Yes!

Another little challenge from the folks at EatBlogRun.com--check it out:

Eat Blog Run's Fall Fun Run Challenge


If you're doing a fall run anyways--sign-up!  If you're not, you totally should :D



Challenges are always fun to add into running ( or any workout you do, really)--plus you'll get in contact with a lot of cool people.  I feel they push me--I'm kind of competitive when it comes to me, myself, and I.

I'm not trying to push anything on anyone--so don't feel obligated--just thought you all might be interested!



Happy Fall, ya'll.

And as always, Go Fork Yourselves!

Krissy

Family visiting/eating out A LOT.

Happy Monday, guys (hopefully, so far, right?).

 So, my cousins are visiting for a few days, which has been friggin' fantastic--been trying to show them cool stuff in Austin while they are here--the majority of the good stuff is indeed the food. 

As my homie Yoda would say--"Indulging like a mother-fucker, we must be." 

We hit downtown Saturday night with them--went for the BEST tamales at our staple Curra's with some killer margaritas.  Now, I'd ran the 8 miles earlier that day, so I got about half way through the first one and felt pretty nice--I only got through half a second margarita (lame!) and had to give it away because I wouldn't have been able to drive. 

After that we hit 6th Street (which, if you haven't been to Austin--it's pretty much THE SCENE on Friday and Saturday nights..) went to another bar for a drink and went to another Austin specialty--Esther's Follies--a sort of comedy/singing/variety/magic show that's always a trip.  If you are ever here--go, it's so much fun and the show always changes to cover what's going on in current events.

After that, we headed back up 6th to the Driskill Hotel and the 1886 Cafe & Bakery--They have late night goodies, so we all grabbed some coffee and shared three desserts--Pumpkin cheesecake, Banana pudding (holy shit, so good), and the ever amazing cinnamon rolls. 

Thank some higher being for running a lot earlier that day--because I think I pretty much shoveled enough goodies in my face that day to make up for it.

Then we saw a fucking car chase on the way home.  No joke--it was kind of scary, the guy wasn't pulling over and one-by-one the cops were coming on the highway.

Yesterday, we went out to me and the hubs favorite breakfast spot, then up to Lake Travis for a bit--which was gorgeous, and the water was so warm!  After that we headed to the Botanical Gardens downtown, and from there S. Congress Street for some of EASILY--the best burgers we've ever had.  HopDoddy--if you are here--DO IT.  So delicious. And yes, they serve a nice margarita there, too, heh heh.

Then, Amy's Ice Cream--a local favorite with reasonable portion sizes and ever-changing flavors.  I had cranberry ice cream with gummy worms (is that weird?)--the ice cream is so rich I couldn't even finish my small.

Back to work today--and eating better for breakfast anyways--but planning on leaving a little early to meet up with my cousins and spend some more time with them before they jet out of here on Wednesday.  Thinking tonight we were going to bring BBQ home and watch the debates with them.  They have delicious smoked turkey, though--it is TOTALLY possible not to overdo it with BBQ.  Stick with the smoked chicken and turkey, skip the fried okra and tamale cassarole (though awesome), and hit the black beans and corn.  Still just as satisfying I think.

Tomorrow brings more work--but then I snagged some free tickets to see the comedian Pete Holmes for a Comedy Central taping--woot!  Saw him back February here and he slayed--so glad he's getting his own hour long special.

So, if one was calorie cycling, these past few days would certainly kick-start the metabolism (more on this later).  I think my stomach is like, "What the shit is going here--I don't know how to digest all this anymore, KRISSY!" because I was getting some pain last night in bed.  Nonetheless, I really believe that a splurge in anyone's eating habits is not only beneficial to weight loss goals (what kind of life would you have if you denied yourself everything?) but good for your soul, too :)

So, on my Half-marathon training sheet--this week is supposed to be low mileage--like around 13 miles--which is quite the dip from the 20-22 miles/week I've been doing, but it works with family in town.  Saturday is SUPPOSED to be a 5k, but I'm thinking I might kick that to the curb in favor of another 8 miles since the rest of the week will be so light.  Thoughts?  I just feel like a little over three miles is way too short now--which is bananas!

Anyways, have a good day, guys--I'll try not to be too absent the next couple days!  Sorry this post is a little off of the usual path.




Go Fork Yourselves!

Krissy

8+ miles--Surprise! I'm alive!

Alright, so I just wanted to get down a recap of my long run today--and what I did to plan for it...because it WORKED.


I decided--yes, 8 miles isn't a lot for some of the runners I talk to--but this is a personal long for me--so went ahead with a micro-card load (up on the carbs, low protein, low fats)--not nearly the amount I see marathons put down but here we go:

Breakfast
3 slices of whole grain toast with some 'no sugar added' jam

Snack
Doctor I work for brought white chocolate cranberry scones...I cut off a small tip and had it with some coffee--good stuff.

Lunch
Steamed rice with some mushrooms, broccoli and chicken---More like a rice with a side of what's usually a main dish.

Right about here I got restless with my day off--I ALMOST laced up my shoes to go, but I held my ground and instead cleaned my house from top to bottom.  Was still amped afterwards, but forced myself to deal.

Dinner
I made some fresh tomato sauce with mushrooms and fresh basil from my two cute plants and boiled up a nice pot of pasta.  I made myself a pretty big dish of the goodness--but to my surprise I could only stomach getting down maybe a 1/3 of it.  I was kinda pissed at my stomach for tapping out so soon, all I could think was that I didn't eat enough and wouldn't make the whole route tomorrow.

Dessert
Two small scoops of Blue Bell--which sadly enough, couldn't get all of it down, had to scoop some into my husband's bowl.


So--like I keep saying, I'm constantly doing my research when it comes to endurance and nutrition in the subject of running.  This being said, I took a piece of advice that told me to set my alarm 1-2 hours before you want to go for a long run and get down a snack, slug some water, and then hit the sack again.

I did just that.  Set my alarm for 4:30AM (ON A FUCKING SATURDAY), and made sure I had a Clif bar and glass of water on my bedside table.  Then sleepy time.

4:30--my phone alarm goes off, and I had to think of why at first.  Grabbed the Clif Bar (Mint Chocolate with Caffeine) and started to chomp away.  Couldn't get all of it down, so I left about a third of it, and got some water down--promptly passed out afterwards.

Around 6 I got up and it was still crazy dark--and since I'm a puss, I stayed in bed a little longer, munched the rest of the bar until I could see a hit of daybreak.

Then I was off!  The course I mapped myself in the area I live included a good amount of hills (this place is UNFORGIVING) most of them in the first 2 miles, which I'm totally grateful for.

A little after mile 4, I was still feeling pretty solid, but since I was heading up another hill, I decided to take an nibble of my goodies (today--SWEDISH FISH--it seems counterproductive, I know--but there is science to it) before I hit a wall.  Dudes, they so helped--even more so then the "official nutritional supplements" that are way overpriced.

Around 6 1/2 miles I was starting to feel it in my hips, and geared down a little--but just kept trucking.  Between the Swedish Fish, my sips of water, and me telling myself I'd already come THAT far--I was able to push it over the last 3 or 4 hills home.

8.23 miles to add to the books, people--and I felt awesome.  Even better then I did with the smaller amount of miles I did this week, and IMMENSELY better then the 7 I pulled last Saturday.   From what I can tell, I can probably credit it to proper nutrition/calorie-intake before the run--at the right times. 

Getting enough calories in is so key, and I'm learning that little by little.  I spent such a long time counting points and calories to watch my weight--even when I was doing some moderate exercising--but with the intensity and miles ever increasing, I'm realizing that I have to balance my food for the runs that I do.  I'll be extremely honest--I was counting calories for EVERYTHING up until about 3-4 weeks ago.  Then I kind of stopped, I had a running count in my head--but for the amount I was burning off, my body couldn't sustain such a low intake.   I've balanced that all (pretty well, like I said still learning) and even without calories counting have dropped almost 10 pounds in a month!  It's bananas.  Anybody else notice that in similar scenarios?


86% to the October 75 miles I've set for myself.  I GOT THIS.

Anyways, this post is long enough right now--and I'm finally getting HUNGRY!

Go Fork Yourselves!

Krissy <3

Trying to find my rhythm

Oh my god, today I am wrecked.

I guess my last post when I mentioned me getting better with getting in my rest days was bullshit.  I'm still learning to listen to my body when it comes to running.  Should be common sense, at least one would think!

Ran 7 on Saturday and took Sunday off with a short walk around the block with my poochie, hubs, and bro-in-law during half-time of the Pats game.  Went almost 5 Monday, 4 Tuesday, and yesterday when I got home I was already super tired, but I set out for a short 3 miles. 

Stupid idea.  Not only was I ridiculously tired, it was : 1) Hotter then it had been the past couple weeks (which hadn't been a huge deal this summer--but since it's been 80s--It's been more manageable then 95-100s) 2) Ate a pretty big apple on the way home (I can't eat directly before I run--I just get too sluggish no matter what it is) 3) Slugged too much water before heading out (bloated stomach, water splashing around--just blech) and 4) I decided to take one of the hilliest routes I know.  

What the fuck was I thinking?

It started off okay, but right after the first big hill, I almost threw in the towel and walked back.  I didn't--but I sure as shit wanted to.  Glad I didn't, but still...it sucked. Fatigue, nausea, blech.  I could not get my heart rate to come back down.  Wall= hit head on.

Came home flung my sneakers off, faux stretched and fell over on my couch.  After all this running and work being a complete pain in my ass lately--I got to that point where you are so tired--you can't sleep.  Been there?  What a bucket of yuck.

I keep trying to remind myself to chill out today, go home-take a bath, relax--but I want to keep my rest days down to two/week, and I was planning on tomorrow being a rest day before my 8 on Saturday (gulp.)

I actually just sat down with one of the docs I work with here in the office (which he and his wife are crazy fitness buffs--he did the Iron-Man stuff in Hawaii--he's crazy--and she did the Boston Marathon earlier this year!) and he suggested that I do something like HIIT (high intensity interval training) for 2 miles today--2 min slow jogs with 1 min sprinting.  So that sounds like a plan to me.  Two miles is cake nowadays--something I never thought I'd say.  Also, he totally agrees that low-fat chocolate milk is easily one of the best recovery drinks for you--making sure you get that down within 30 minutes of finishing an intense workout. 

That's something I have no issue with...chocolate milk...*drool*  I actually add a little extra 1/3 scoop of my chocolate protein powder for after my longer runs. 

There is actual science behind the whole 'chocolate-milk-for-recovery' movement--I will definitely cover that soon, because I've answered this question for a few people recently.

Anyways, back to the original thought here--What kinds of training do you guys do to stay in a good rhythm?  More rest days?  Different surface training?  What have you found works/no way in hell works for you in ALL aspects of working out--not just running.




Go Fork Yourselves.


Krissy

This week's plan...

Good evening--or morning--wherever you are!  I learned I have a few international viewers--awesome!

Nothing new to report today, though my experimenting with workout snacks is progressing.  In pre-fueling, interim snack, and post workout goodies to be specific.  I think I'll write up my long review by the end of this week, and I think you'll be surprised at what I've found has been THE most effective.    Like I said, almost done--stay tuned on that!

Also, with the ever increasing mileage I'm racking up with training--I've come to embrace the rest days.  Sort of.  Not without some guilt and serious willpower to stay off the street, but nonetheless.  I know it seems like common sense--but with me being relatively new to running, I have the fear that what I've racked up will be lost if I take a day off.

...I know.  It makes no friggin' sense.  I'm just scared to fall out of a good rhythm. Without your rest days--you will run straight into a brick wall and drop like a sack a potatoes.  After my awful short run last week (see 'shitty run' post), I went back through my training and pinpointed the days where I seemed to have trouble--it's usually when I've gone out to run 5+ days straight.   Now with my short runs coming in at 3-4 miles at a time, it's KEY to get that rest day in.  I feel like when I do, I get antsy, and the following few days I get amped and plug in some great runs.  That goes for any intense workout, really, running is just my choice. Intense is tough to describe for each person--I know if I can't talk to someone while doing it--file it under that.

So plan for this week?
Sunday-Rest (check--although, I did clean this house top to bottom LIKE YOU WOULD NOT BELIEVE)
Monday- Planned on 3, but felt so good I did 4.7! Yay! A 10:14 average min/mile to boot, bitches!
Tuesday--4 miles
Wednesday-4-5 Miles
Thursday-3 miles
Friday--chill/yoga/rest
Saturday morning---THE BIG 8 MILER--oh shit, son!


My cousins are coming into town on Saturday evening (the first from my mom's side to come down to Austin from Boston!) , so I want to rack up some miles this week, just in case I don't have time to get it in Between Sunday to Tuesday of next week.. According to my calendar though, the next training week is an easy one---so good timing. 

Awesome dessert I whipped up in the blender tonight (I ate it before I could take a pic--maybe I will tomorrow, haha) for me and the hubs.   Two big handfuls of frozen strawberries (unsweetened, and tediously cut by your's truly), heaping handful of ice cubes, ~ 1/2 cup of water, a squeeze of lime juice, a little orange juice, and like 1/10th cup of Stevia.  It's a tough blend, but work with it--but it comes out in a sorbet texture, super healthy, and IS AWESOME.  Take that ice cream!  I'll write up an actual recipe on this seeing I used my hands as measuring tools to make up this one as I went :)

Alright, this is me attempting to go to bed early...G'night, kids!


As always with love,
Go fork yourselves,

Krissy :D

7 miles later...

Go fork MYSELF.

But, seriously, put that fork in me, because I am DONE.

Got up, popped my contacts in, downed a Gu (which...just disgusting..blech) grabbed all my shit and off I went.  I started off a little quick, and had to remind myself to be the tortoise and not that dumb hare--this was not about how quick, it was about getting it done!

The first 2.5-3 miles of this route has 3 big hills, and 1 hate-your-life hill.  But I took it slow, chugged up them, trying to remember to keep my breathing stable.

Between 3 and 6 were pretty sweet--I got a good groove going, the music was good, and I had popped a couple of those Sports Beans around 45 minutes in.  I really think those helped--got a little burst of energy and got in the zone.

The last two miles were tough.  I was starting to feel it and since I only had like 4 or 5 sports beans, I was like, let me see if I can do like half-a pack of Gu to get me through.  Yeah, cracked it open, and squeezed a little in my mouth--fucking gross.  Lesson learned.  Almost yaked on the side of the road.  I said 'screw it', and put the Gu away with intentions of chucking it when I got home and got by with a slug of water.

Right after mile 6, there are two hills/climbs.  You head up, it levels off for a minute, and then you climb again.  No downhill (kinetic) energy to even out all that work (potential) energy made during the climb.

How'd you like that? A little bit of physics for you suckas ;)

Finally saw the stop sign that signaled my house was just under a half a mile away.

I MADE IT, I DIDN'T DIE!

In 1:22:30.  So that's a little more then 11:30/mile when averaged out---Which I guess, with those asshole hills, is not bad.  Like I mentioned on Twitter earlier--the 3M Half-Marathon has next to no climbs, so I look at the hills as good training.  Even though I despise them when I'm running up them.

Can't complain too much, though.  These hills making my already awesome ass one that WILL NOT QUIT! ;)


..well, that's what I keep telling myself, anyways.

I used my new shoes today (Kinvaras)---they were awesome, no issues whatsoever--thrilled about that!

Run tally for my Krissy's October 75 mile challenge?  41.61 miles.  55.5% completed.  Nice.

Alright, Saturday, yay!  Not really hungry again--I guess this is just going to be a "thing" with the longer runs.  If I'm not hungry in a half hour someone shove a waffle in there or something.

As far as eating goes, I think I'm going to hit the bath with my Kindle Fire and get a delicious chocolate milk/protein shake in--always seems to help out a lot.  I don't know if the whole chocolate milk thing is psychosomatic, but it works for me!

With the 1100 calories burned this morning, I kind of have a free food day--and though taking advantage of that sounds awesome--I won't blow it.  I work too damn hard to just fill this machine with shitty fuel.  Maybe you've had to have been fat to get that. I don't know--all I know is nothing tastes as good as being fit feels.

Have a good day, ya'll.


Go fork yourselves,

Krissy<3

New Sneakers! Yes..again/Shitty Run

I am becoming better and better with my running IQ.

One easy equation?  Super cute sneakers with cute colors ≠ solid running sneakers.

At the recommendation of a friend (Thanks, Amy!) I headed down to Rogue Running in downtown Austin.  A named Chuck introduced himself, and all I could said to him was, "Please..I need help."

Dude-man Chuck was awesome.  He had me take off my flops and walk around so he could check my feet and gait.  I'll be honest, it was kind of weird to have someone watch me walk around and look at my weird ass feet, but he knew his stuff. Turns out, I'm totally neutral--how about that?  Though all the outside edge of my shoes are worn down, I'm not underpronating. Sweet.  But as I suspected, I got me some wide feet.

He told me he had ideas, and ran out back--a few minutes later he brought me back six or seven pairs of shoes.  The first shoes I tried were thee Saucony Kinvara 3's.  4mm heel to toe drop--kind of encouraging a mid-foot strike.  I wasn't crazy about the overall white color of the shoe, but the fit was unreal.  I took them to a back hallway to run around and my feet were like, "Krissy, fuck you, what have you been doing to us?"

My feet are kind of assholes, sometimes.

Next it was a pair of Nike--I can't remember the name of them, suffice to say, I've never had luck with Nike, and this didn't change my mind.  Too clunky.

Then it was the Brooks PureFlow.  Another really great fit, but I wasn't completely sold--though the color was awesome--The RogueRunning website says the best running show will be one that disappears when you put in on.  This one was still a bit too 'cushy'.

Lastly, I tried another paid of Saucony's---this flaming pink shoe called the Ride 5.  Loved the color.  This shoe had a huge 12mm drop, super cushy, and heavy.

I went back and forth between the two Saucony styles and the Brooks.


What did I get?

Yeah, baby.  Though I wasn't totally thrilled about the color, my feet were in heaven--and I guess from what I picked up from the seasoned runners in there--be color-blind when it comes down to it.  Happy feet = less injury, fatigue, blah blah blah.

Also--picked this up on the way out.

Something I continuously tell myself when I start to get a little tired  after work  all the time.  Plus a store sells a shirt like that is somewhere I want to give my cash.

I can't say good enough things about Rogue Running.  If you're ever in Austin and want a new pair of running sneaks, go see them.  The customer service was top notch, they know what they're doing--I had complete confidence Chuck would find me awesome shoes.  No doubt, I'll be back.   Thanks so much guys--I learned a shit-load of running shoe terminology today, too!




I got home and couldn't wait to take them out.  Seriously, not the smartest decision I've made.  It was mid-day in Texas, with a bit of humidity, and zero food in my stomach to burn.

Nonetheless, I did make it the 2+ short miles back--I just really slowed down today.  Near the end I really thought I was going to keel over an puke.  It was totally discouraging, especially when I'd been doing so well lately.  I've done this route at least a dozen times!   I don't feel very good about going for a long 7 miler tomorrow.  Just going to try and shake this one off with all the circumstances--it had to be one of those factors, otherwise it doesn't make sense to me. BLAH!

Trev has faith in me, as he's taking me out for pasta tonight.  I told him I wanted to load up so I could run first thing in the morning.  What a guy :)

And you know what, my feet don't hurt a bit--so there ya go, the positive to that shit-fest run.


Alright people, this gal needs a serious shower--holy stink.





Go Fork Yourselves!

Krissy

Alright--the shoes gotta go..

I was in love with the colors and the overall look of the Asics Blur33's I had received the other day.  I wanted to love them on my feet so very badly.

After that short -two mile test drive run, I posted--then in the bath later realized I had a pretty good sized blister on my left foot.

*CAUTION--if feet weird you out, mine are going to scar you, so look away!*




I thought, 'Oh, it's just the new shoe, I'll break 'em in.'

So, I wore them to work (I'm a nurse, on my feet all day) figuring I'd get a bit of wear there.

Dude, my feet have never given me such pain.  The outsides of both balls of my feet were all pinched, the arch on my right foot stung and tingling (even after loosening and re-lacing a few times).  It's still a little tingly now!

By mid-day today, I was able to get behind a desk and get barefoot....and that's what I did until I left and had to put them back on to drive/leave the building.





My feet looked like this by the time I got home and kicked them off after driving:

 I don't know how well the picture shows it, but my dogs are red and that area right below to the right of my crazy weird pinky toe hurts like a son-of-a-bitch.

SO, the shoes go back!  My feet are too wide (fat?) for them.   Shoulda stuck with the my tried and true New Balances! 

Tomorrow I get out of work early, I think I'll hit up one of the running specialty stores in the area to get some help.

Either way, I covered up that mother-loving blister laced up my busted up Pumas (the alternates--glove shoe) and took to the streets for about 4.5 miles.  Four good-not crazy-hills that I could chug up.  It was HUMID today after the rain spurts, so it didn't make it the easiest run ever--I was pouring with sweat by the time I got home.  Tit-sweat city.  48:00 though, not bad.

Tried me some of those magic Jelly Belly Sports Beans (Citrus/Lime) and chugged some water.  I think they helped!  Maybe it's psychosomatic, but I wasn't as wrecked as I could have been give the heat, the hills, humidity, and my god damn sasquatch feet.  I felt better quicker.  That, along with some chocolate protein with iced skim milk--excellent.

I wasn't hungry AT ALL when it came down to 'dinner-time'.  I felt like I probably should have been after torching just under 700 calories, but the protein/milk shake did a good job refueling.  I made myself a PB & J and called it a night. 

Anybody else get like that?  I don't know--sometimes I'm ravenous, but usually after longer runs (4+) I need someone to remind me I need to get something in my belly. 

That and A TEENSY scoop of Blue Bell Summer Strawberries--so delicious--good debate dessert, I'd say.


Alright, good night kiddos.  My running shoe search continues tomorrow!


Go Fork Yourselves,


Krissy

Goodies I got today...

Quick post-oll-a tonight, but I just wanted to share what I grabbed in my "Krissy needs to not die when going for long runs" spree.

I've heard, like, 8,000 different suggestions on energy/electrolyte supplements for long running/workout exertion.  Top three being: GU Gel, Clif Shot Bloks, and Jelly Belly Sport Beans.

I found them and bought what some might call an shit-ton of them.

 These should get me through I few long runs.  I'm psyched to experiment with them and see what works for me.  I'm someone who doesn't run well eating too close to when I run, even if it's just a couple almonds--it gives me a stitch about 99% of the time.  But, obviously, in longer run I get a little wrecked midway and need a shot of something to get my ass back in gear.  Reviews to follow--I bought these myself--so totally unbiased.  I'm not cool enough to have free stuff sent to me....YET.



 Also, at the register they randomly had some free half-marathon stickers. A good sign, I thought--a little reminder.  I was like, "Fuck yeah, in it to finish."  I'll have to stick this somewhere I will see it everyday :)

Lastly, I'm a little ahead of myself, but I'm one of those people who bought this...

 Just another motivator for myself...I see it as...if it's EVERYWHERE I will not forget, and I will not fail. 

And speaking of pushing through for what seemed like forever and a week, look who is so SMAHT

My B.S from Northeastern University (started in Boston, finished online here in Texas.).  You have no idea how awesome it feels to actually have this friggin' piece of paper in my hands.  It's REAL! I DID THAT...YES.

Next project:  Framing that sucka.


Alright, good night guys--I'm pooped.  Between traffic and an obscene amount of patient calls today--I'm cooked.


Go Fork Yourselves,

Krissy <3

New kicks-First impressions!

Evenin'

So--my new running shoes came--Amazon told me they were out for delivery at work and even though today should have been a rest day (I am..surprisingly ahead of schedule-wtf?) I wanted to take my new sneaks out!

Got home--UPS guy was late.  Dude-man is ALWAYS on time.  At least, I assume he is. All my Amazon goodies are always there when I get home.  I tweeted about it being a sign that I should take a break today.  TWO SECONDS after that, he showed up so I ran downstairs in my undies to grab the box.

Tore that shit up and popped 'em on.  I kept hearing how comfy they are without socks--so that's what I did.

These are Asics Gel-Blur33 2.0.  Two reasons for buying:

1) Look at that day-glo magnificence.  Love it. 

2) I'm one of that teeny 5% of people that underpronate (meaning my foot rolls to the outside when I run/walk) and I wanted to find a neutral shoe--the first time I've done a lot of research on my sneakers.

So we took them out for a super-short 2 miler around the neighborhood.  Only a short adjustment period to realize my foot wasn't actually attempting to bend the wrong way and I was running evenly-nice!   So, not sure if it was the even-keel running or the neon yellow lighting a fire under my ass, but my mile time was 9 min and 58 fucking seconds today. Yeah, under 10.  What the hell? Awesome.

So, first impressions thus far--great running show.  The tounge of the sneaker is actually part of the rest of the show--if that makes sense--no seam which makes the ride really easy on the tippy-top of my arch, no rubbing.  The laces definitely need a double know--but I usually do it out of habit anyways so no big whoop.

Krissy is happy. And sweaty.  And smells quite similarly to that of a yeti.  Picture is blurry, but you know what--what the shoe's name? Oh, that's right---BLUR--right on, so I left it :)


Status on my personal goal of 75 miles this month? 36%--aww, yeah.

Planning on an off day tomorrow--4 miles Thursday, Friday either short 2 or just some yoga, and Saturday I'm headed for my 7 miler.  Gonna need to get some of that Gu or ShotBlok stuff I keep hearing about--don't want to fall over in someone's lawn, albeit the Saturday morning sprinklers always feel nice.

Dinner tonight? Lean pork chops, steamed asparagus, and a lovely salad I threw together.  Dessert was a strawberry/blueberry/orange smoothie.  Scrumptious. 

Also, totally off subject.  Now that we have a house in a great kiddo-friendly neighborhood--I AM SO PSYCHED to pass out candy!  Trying to decide what to do for a easy costume.  I was thinking referee--Trev can wear my Tom Brady jersey, and Gizmo (our little chihuahua) can where his, too.  Yes, my dog has a Pats jersey.  To be fair, my older two dogs just won't have it.  Gizmo is too tiny to put up a fight.

Yep.  Gizmo looks irritated, and I just look crazy scary without makeup.

Alright, that's it for now!


Go fork yourselves,

Krissy

Am I really going to do this?

Good morning all--hope your Monday is going better then mine (already? yep.).

So, I've been think about training for a half-marathon in January here in Austin.

3M Half Marathon--Jan. 12, 2013

I'm up to 6 miles for my long run on the weekend, and I wasn't even thinking about trying for the race--that was just for me...so it's still really early, I've got enough time to work up to 13.1 miles.  I guess the only thing I'm worried about is that I have two vacations scheduled for December this year.  One being my honeymoon (a year and a half after the fact, hehe, but it will be awesome.) which I will be active on, I just don't know how much running I'll fit in then.  Then I'm headed to London with my in-laws for Christmas.  Now the hotel has a gym, so I could get some mileage in there--I just have to wake up early enough so as not to bother anyone with my running/screw up schedules, which I think I can do--my sleep schedule will be off anyways.

But even with those two "downtime" weeks, I am pretty determined to get in runs while I'm at the hotel, and possibly on the cruise boat--but I'm going to really lay low with it on the cruise.  It's our honeymoon, and I know I bug poor Trev with my exercise/nutrition concerns.



*Time Lapse--roughly 45 minutes*

Okay, I did it. I just signed up..

WHAT HAVE I DONE?!


Go fork myself.

Krissy

Running like the wind, this time full-time!

So, back in August I decided to focus my cardio workouts on running.  I'd always done a little bit in the gym between this elliptical and stationary bike--but I find I get really bored in the gym, on top of which I could stop anytime and just be done with it.  I did alright in the gym, but I thought--'If I take it outdoors, no matter where I run--I still have to turn around and run home.  Can't just stop in the middle'.  Like I said, not that I ever really did that, I kept motivated through the gym boredom, but I found this approach more to my liking. 

That being said, it's been just about two months of picking up running (nearly) everyday.

In August, I started sporadically on the 7th, and by the end of the month had hit just under 30 miles.  Started with 12:48/mile time.  When it was super hot I had to slow down a bit to try to get more air in/get over being overheated.  Could not run to the top of some bigger hills.

Started September with a 12:28/mile time, and started to get addicted to it! What do they call it---something like the 'beast mode' was engaged--I don't know what happened but I went balls to the wall.  I doubled my mileage in September to hit just over 60 miles ran and downed my mile time to 10:30-11/mi depending on how friggin' hot it was after work.  Thank goodness we have a pool.  I literally will jump in it with all my clothes after a run. 

Starting off October with a bang, I am challenging myself to hit 75 miles this month.  The way I figured I can pull it off, taking into account I don't hurt myself (knock on wood--so clumsy).

Other things I've noticed in 2 months of running:

-Not much in the aspect of weight loss.  I mean, it's come down a little--certainly always want more, but I know I'm building some mean muscles, especially in my legs.

-Physically--I feel like the cellulite on the back of my legs has really reduced, which is awesome because I'm always self-conscious about my legs.  Been able to run straight through all my runs--faster, without any side stitches coming up, and annihilating hills. Also--I am hungry all the god damn time.  Now, I've been fueling myself well, solid balance of my carbs, fats, and protein (had to up that shit)--but my stomach seems to be like furnace--all of it burns up so quickly, and my tummy starts yelling at me.  It's worse in the morning when I first get up.  I try to hold off on eating until I can get my oatmeal/egg white sandwich in at work--but I'm almost famished if I do.


So, anyways there's that.  I'm pretty proud of myself.  I thought I was in pretty good shape when I started running full-time, since I do get a work-out in 6-7 times a week--but running was always something I wasn't great at.  Now, I feel like a fucking animal when I finish a run!

Been thinking about signing up for a run, but kinda feel like it would be weird to go alone..? Is that weird?  Always looked like people got groups to do 5k, 10k, half-marathons.  At the same time--I do 5ks all the by myself after work--so it'd be cake, and it's usually for a good cause.  Plus, you usually get a t-shirt--in my book, always a plus.

Alright, hope October is treatin' you guys well, so far!  It's still gorgeous and in the high 80s here in Austin--love it.

As always,
Go Fork Yourselves,

Krissy