Girls’ Night and Practice in Patience

Posted in Run by chicken nugget girl

While I waited for my friend Natalie to arrive from Baltimore yesterday I had a Friday afternoon snack. Sprinkles made it fun!

Once Natalie arrived, we made our way over to one of our favorite spots, Thai at Silver Spring.

We started off with the lettuce wraps for our appetizer.

And chowed down on our usual entree, Pad Thai with chicken.

On our way home we picked up a Redbox rental – a girly chick flick, of course.

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It was actually really cute and well written for a chick flick. Chelsea Handler is basically my favorite person on Earth.

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And let’s get real, you can’t have a girls’ night without:

some Riesling…..

Make that the largest, prettiest bottle of Riesling you’ve ever seen.

That would only fit in my fridge after we took out the middle rack.

Oh yeah, and the best froyo ever.

I’ve got a soft spot in my heart for Ben and Jerry’s ice cream/froyo because my very first job in high school was being an ice cream scooper at Ben and Jerry’s. We got to take a pint home a day and I would always do half brownie batter and half chocolate chip cookie dough. It’s my absolute favorite.

******

After a fabulous girls’ night, I felt rejuvenated and refreshed. Until I went out in public.

Everybody and their brother decided to go to the grocery store on a rainy Saturday afternoon, including every person in the Metropolitan DC area over 85.

This sweet old lady who was approximately 103 shuffled down the after-you-check-out aisle with her cart and adult son in tow. She was super cute until it took about (no joke) 7 minutes to make her way out the door.

I guess I looked slightly peeved, because another man behind me smirked at me knowingly and threatened, “You’re gonna be like dat some day.”

EXCUSE ME??!?!!?!?

1. Do I really look like I’m going to drop kick this old lady? Maybe I need to work on my facial expressions.

2. I’m probably a waaaay nicer person than you, buddy.

3. My favorite way to spend a Saturday afternoon isn’t actually thinking about turning into an old lady.

4. I may look nice (or apparently, I don’t) but you don’t want to mess with me.

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Instead, I smiled politely at the ~~toolbag~~ concerned man and shuffled a few feet in front of him. When we got outside of the exit door, I leaned over the old lady’s cart and helped her son take out her bags of groceries.

The old lady happily stuttered at me, “Oh, thank you sweetie.”

I looked over my shoulder as I walked to my car and smiled at the mean dude.

“Have a great day!” I shouted.

Dick.

*******

I’m going to go take out my aggression on the treadmill. Have a good rest of the weekend!

What is your must-have item for a girls’ night?

Do you ever have tiffs with strangers?

20Jul2012

Homemade Lean Cuisine and Weekend Workout Inspiration

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Read, Recipes, Run by chicken nugget girl

Last night I needed to have a quick dinner before trekking to book club. I knew I would snack a lot at book club, so I wanted to have something healthy and light.

Even though I hate Lean Cuisines because of their preservative-y taste , I kind of wished I had something I could just shove in the microwave and gobble down.

Then I thought – why not make my own Lean Cuisine?

I bought shrimp from Whole Foods on Monday for my protein source this week because I am currently too lazy to make chicken. I like to buy the already peeled, deveined, and cooked ones because I get grossed out by ripping out the shrimp poop.

All you have to do with these guys is thaw them by rinsing them under cold water for about 7 minutes in a ~~cute purple~~ strainer and they’re ready to eat.

I heated up some frozen organic broccoli in the microwave for 3 minutes and tossed it into a bowl with the shrimp, olive oil, salt, pepper, and hot red pepper flakes.

The steaming broccoli warmed up the cold shrimp nicely. It was a pretty sweet quick meal for a Thursday night.

There you have it – a plain Lean Cuisine without the preservative-y taste. Though I don’t really understand why frozen shrimp and veggies are still preserved but don’t have that nasty flavor and prepacked meals often do. Whatever.

It only took nine minutes to make, so I enjoyed my homemade Lean Cuisine on the balcony before heading off to book club.

The book we chose last night for August’s book club read is Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn.

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Here’s the book description from Amazon:

“On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears from their rented McMansion on the Mississippi River. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy’s diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?

As the cops close in, every couple in town is soon wondering how well they know the one that they love. With his twin sister, Margo, at his side, Nick stands by his innocence. Trouble is, if Nick didn’t do it, where is that beautiful wife? And what was in that silvery gift box hidden in the back of her bedroom closet?

With her razor-sharp writing and trademark psychological insight, Gillian Flynn delivers a fast-paced, devilishly dark, and ingeniously plotted thriller that confirms her status as one of the hottest writers around.”

Since I just finished Born to Run, I can’t decided whether to start this one, finish Fifty Shades Darker, or keep up the running reading with Scott Jurek’s Eat and Run.

I’ll probably just work on all three and take turns depending on my mood. 🙂

*****

I need to live at the gym this weekend since I haven’t had a sweat-filled workout since Monday.

In order to get my butt off the pool lounge chair and on to the treadmill and weight machines, I need a little extra workout inspiration for the weekend.

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Was that good for you, too?

Sun and Sleep

My second lake weekend in a row!

It was a blast hanging with friends from my a capella group. We floated, we drank, and we sang. I finally remembered to take a picture of myself doing cool things for you.

Surprisingly, I stuck to my plan to try and mostly eat clean for the weekend and it paid off because I didn’t gain the pound or two over the weekend like I usually do.

But I wasn’t so responsible on the sleep front. I decided that it would be a great idea to stay up drinking on Saturday night until 6 in the morning. Double whoops.

In addition to my “I’m never drinking again” attitude in the morning, I also kept feeling guilty for depriving my body of the sleep it needs.

I’ve always been a sleeper. Even when I was little, I would sleep in until 10 or 11am on Saturday mornings.

My naps are known as “nap comas” to my family and friends, because I can often be found sleeping for three to four hours on an afternoon when I told everyone I was going to lie down for a quick cat nap.

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My friend loves telling everyone the story of how one time in the sorority house everyone thought I had gone out of town because they hadn’t seen me all day. When I came downstairs for dinner at 5pm with sleep-filled eyes they just laughed and laughed.

During the week, I usually go to bed around 12:30 or 1am and wake up at 8:30am, so I usually get a good 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night. But sometimes I am still exhausted at work. And I always have a hard time waking up.

I am notorious for sleeping through my alarm(s). Currently, I use three alarms: a clock radio across the room on my desk that I have to get up to turn off, my iPhone alarm set for three different snooze times, and a deaf person alarm clock that has a vibrating disc that goes under your pillow. Hilarious, I know.

For fear of me sleeping through exams in college, my dad bought me a puzzle alarm clock. The batteries were screwed in to the side of it and you had to put a four-piece puzzle back together before the damn thing would shut up.

No wonder my first year roommate hated me.

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When I got home from the lake last night, I promptly slept from 6-11pm, and then went back to bed at 1 o’clock and slept through the night. For the first time in awhile, I really felt rested and wasn’t sleepy at work at all.

That got me thinking. I have a busy week ahead of me and normally I would probably push my bedtime back an hour or so, resulting in less shuteye.

But as I work on becoming a healthier person by eating clean and exercising regularly, I can’t forget about making sleep a priority too. I want to be healthy all around, not just healthy about this thing and not healthy about another.

If I’m going to treat my body right, I need to treat it right on all accounts.

And that means going to bed earlier. I remember hearing somewhere that your body wakes up naturally if you have had enough rest. Since I have such a hard time waking up, that makes me think I’m not getting enough rest – even though I do get 7 or 8 hours of sleep a night.

Some people can get by with 5 hours of sleep, no problem, and others need more like 9 or 10 hours of sleep a night. I think I’m one of the latter. During the week and even on the weekend’s my A-type personality forces me to go go go all day long. So it does make sense that my body wants to sleep sleep sleep more.

This week I am going to try my best to go to bed earlier around11:00-11:30ish instead of 12:30 – 1ish. Maybe it will feel so good that next week I’ll try and go to bed around 10:30pm.

Maybe then I’ll be able to actually wake up on time.

How many hours of sleep do you usually get a night?

Do you have a hard time waking up in the morning too?

Going Barefoot

As I slowly navigate my way through the running world, I am learning more and more about basic things that I never realized were important.

I’ve almost done with Born to Run and not to sound sappy, but it has changed my whole perspective on running.

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If you haven’t read it yet, you must.

The book description from Amazon reads:

“Full of incredible characters, amazing athletic achievements, cutting-edge science, and, most of all, pure inspiration, Born to Run is an epic adventure that began with one simple question: Why does my foot hurt? In search of an answer, Christopher McDougall sets off to find a tribe of the world’s greatest distance runners and learn their secrets, and in the process shows us that everything we thought we knew about running is wrong.

Isolated by the most savage terrain in North America, the reclusive Tarahumara Indians of Mexico’s deadly Copper Canyons are custodians of a lost art. For centuries they have practiced techniques that allow them to run hundreds of miles without rest and chase down anything from a deer to an Olympic marathoner while enjoying every mile of it. Their superhuman talent is matched by uncanny health and serenity, leaving the Tarahumara immune to the diseases and strife that plague modern existence. With the help of Caballo Blanco, a mysterious loner who lives among the tribe, the author was able not only to uncover the secrets of the Tarahumara but also to find his own inner ultra-athlete, as he trained for the challenge of a lifetime: a fifty-mile race through the heart of Tarahumara country pitting the tribe against an odd band of Americans, including a star ultramarathoner, a beautiful young surfer, and a barefoot wonder.

With a sharp wit and wild exuberance, McDougall takes us from the high-tech science labs at Harvard to the sun-baked valleys and freezing peaks across North America, where ever-growing numbers of ultrarunners are pushing their bodies to the limit, and, finally, to the climactic race in the Copper Canyons. Born to Run is that rare book that will not only engage your mind but inspire your body when you realize that the secret to happiness is right at your feet, and that you, indeed all of us, were born to run.”

Not only does the book inspire you to find happiness in running, which I love, it breaks down the mechanics of running naturally.

I tried switching my form yesterday and run how I should be – by aligning my feet with my center of gravity and hitting the ground mid-foot, and running with quick little strides to put less pressure on my joints. Apparently you should be taking around 180 steps per minute.

I felt so goofy and had no idea if I was actually using the proper form, but I sure as hell felt way lighter, smoother, and less fatigued.

I definitely want to work on my stride as much as possible while I’m still a beginner.

Born to Run also explains the ideology of barefoot running, which I am now obsessed with. This doesn’t mean actually running barefoot, except for Barefoot Ted, who would run up the canyons literally in bare feet, nor does it necessarily mean running in sandals or Tevas like the Tarahumara or the main gringo ringleader, Caballo Blanco.

Born to Run, page 168.

The idea of running barefoot is running with minimal cushion. The heel cushioning on many modern running shoes can make you more likely to heel strike, which in turn makes you more likely to get injured.

Well….I don’t want to get injured. And I have foot problems to begin with! Currently, I run in:

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Saucony ProGrid Mirages.

I bought them about a year ago because I thought they were cute. Typ.

But lately, my left arch (on the foot I broke twice) has been aching during and after I run. I even went as far as to purchase orthotics.

I guess they work, because I have less arch pain when I use them. But after reading that orthotics are the devil, I reconsidered what was really at the root of the problem.

1. My stride (which we’ve already covered – I’m working on it…)

and

2. My shoes

My friend recommended these Merrell shoes to me:

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Like most of the running research suggests, my friend warned me NOT to go straight into running with these babies. My feet are used to the cushioned 4mm drop shoes that I’ve worn for most of my life, and simply can’t handle the poundage. That would most certainly result in a stress fracture. No thanks!

Instead, I opted for these:

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The description on the Merrell website says these beauts are, “for distance runners and those new on the path to barefoot running, our Bare Access Arc 0mm drop running shoe gives you a barefoot feel, with added toe to heel cushioning. Still allowing your foot to land flat and follow its own natural motion, its cushioning protects from sustained impacts due to longer runs or a new barefoot training program.”

I’ll still be careful, I promise! I will ease in to using them.

Soooo, they’re a little expensive (like all running shoes are), but it’s OK, my mom gave me a little cash money because she saw on the blog that I needed new running shoes. I shall start writing everything I need on CNG. Just kidding….kind of.

Oh yeah, I also bought these today. But seriously, I need them. Remind me to never buy an iPod shuffle ever again to work out with. As you know – since I’ve been complaining nonstop about them – the damn remotes on the headphones are just not waterproof.

Can you tell it’s payday?

I swear I’m not buying any other superfluous stuff/running gear/~~anything except food~~ until after August 15th! Just like Janae is doing a personal challenge, that’s my personal challenge to myself.

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Shut up, Georgina.

What is your take on the barefoot running debate?

Have you ever tried Merrell’s shoes?

Back to Reality

Long time no see!

I’ve been running around Southern Virginia for a few days (not literally) at Smith Mountain Lake with my Dad’s fam. I caught some rays, kayaked, jet skied (omg, best thing ever – I felt like Angelina Jolie in Tomb Raider) and played lots of Hand and Foot, my new favorite card game.

No, I don’t have any pictures for you. I’m good at remembering to take pictures of my food, but bad at remembering to take pictures of me doing cool things. I need to work on that.

But, lucky for you, I did remember to take a picture on our special road trip pit stop of the best lunch on the planet.

That’s right, Bodos. Bodos Bagels is a legendary place of hungover happiness and glorious study breaks from college co-eds in Charlottesville. And it makes me so happy.

The thought of having a wheat bagel crossed my mind for approximately .2 milliseconds, but in the end I had to go with my usual-slash-never-tried-anything-else-because-it-is-so -good.

Plain bagel with cream cheese, a caesar salad with no cheese, and a large diet coke.

Bliss.

You know your gf is a blogger when you have to say, “Are you texting or taking pictures of your food again?”

Bwahaha.

I get to down this glorious concoction AT LEAST one more time in the near future – when one of my BFF’s ties the knot near C’ville in early October. Praise the lord.

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I have been cheatin’ up a storm lately when it comes to clean eating. I started the mini-vacay trying though! I brought some of my own food, and made oatmeal with sliced bananas and granola sprinkles every morning.

I’m going to a lake again this weekend for a quick trip, this time with my a cappella group – and I think bringing some healthy food again is the way to go. This time I’ll bring more options so I reach for carrots and wheat thins instead of the wavy ruffles. Mmmmm….wavy ruffles.

I ran once while I was there, but it was more of a trot/walk because it was hot, humid, and hilly. I’m not used to that shit.

I was actually excited to get back to my trusty cool (temperature-wise) treadmill at Crunch. And all day, I couldn’t wait to try out my new headphone plan.

I got the idea from this guy and trusted him because he recommended the BudFits which I use and love. Dummy me, I didn’t realize that the the problem was the remote on my iPod shuffle headphone wire getting sweaty instead of the actual earphones. This method is DIY, which is right up my ally = cheap.

But when I pulled them out at the gym, the remote was already long gone. I wasn’t sure if the remote wasn’t being responsive because of the plastic, so I ripped it off and tried again. Nope. It wouldn’t change songs or the volume up anymore. Blown.

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So I did what I had to do. I ran my 5 miles without music. And you know what?

It wasn’t too bad.

Maybe I’m channeling my new-found idols idols from Born to Run.

I did miss my music though, especially toward the end of the run. I don’t know if I should buy a new set of iPod shuffle headphones and re-try the DIY method, or if I should invest in some heavy duty waterproof headphones with a remote/compatible with iPod shuffle 3rd generation (which I have yet to find) or what.

I am glad to be back into my running routine though, nonetheless. The Tough Mudder is just around the corner, and I’ve still got a lot of work to do.

What music player/headphones do you use while you run? Puhlease help me figure out my headphone situation! What headphones do you use with your shuffle?

27Jun2012

Good Sesame/Bad Sesame

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Run, Running Gear, WIAW by chicken nugget girl

We’re halfway through the week! Thank goodness.

As soon as I woke up with a migraine this morning I knew it was going to be a rough day.

Why the headache? Who knows.

Though I don’t think it was from dehydration after my 5 miler last night, I used it as an excuse to order some nuun! (I’ve been wanting to for awhile. :)) Yes, I am beginning to have a running-gear ordering problem. #dontjudge

I ordered the Mixed U Sampler – the natural hydration options.

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I’ll let you know what I think!

Anyway, I think I over-did it with my activities/running around yesterday: work, babysitting, the gym, the grocery store, and hanging at Tuna’s. I left my apartment at 9:20am and didn’t get home until 11:00pm. My all day headache showed me I need to slooooowww dooowwwwn today.

*****

As usual, thanks to Jenn for hosting the What I Ate Wednesday link party!

This week, my overnight oats were summery and fresh with a yummy fruit substitute.

Mmm hmm.

Peaches subbed for bananers. It is so yummy with the peaches and blueberries mixed!

I had to run errands for work this afternoon and missed my usual lunch time. By the time I got around to eating at 2:15pm I needed to eat both my lunch and my afternoon snack!

I tried the herb blend of boxed salad this week – yuck! I definitely won’t be buying that again. It’s too flavorful for my ~~plain ass~~ taste. As my friend Mal would say, it tasted like leaves.

However, those sesame sticks are freakin’ amazing. I bought a tub of them yesterday in an attempt to spice up my boring lunch salads and they are a keeper. I can’t wait to eat ’em again tomorrow.

The hummus on the side was my much needed protein. Protein = brain food.

And my favorite flavor:

Lara bars are on sale this week at Whole Foods – go get them while they’re cheap(er)!

My din din tonight was inspired by our WIAW hostess herself. You can find the recipe I used for Quinoa Fried Rice here:

http://www.peasandcrayons.com/2012/01/keen-wahhhh-adventures-in-cooking.html

I don’t think my version was as tasty as Jenn’s, but it was still pretty good.

I reached for the soy sauce and instead accidentally poured sesame oil in the skillet. Uh oh. Though I like my sesame sticks, I don’t like sesame oil. This is why I’m Chicken Nugget Girl. I can’t explain why I like one food versus another made of the same thing!

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After that mishap, I added a little too much actual soy sauce.

Next time I’ll have to use more vegetables. I only used peas and onions (are onions vegetables? I’ll have to look it up.) Plus, my egg scrambles were too chunky. Lessons learned.

I have been craving my evening snack forever:

Glorious.

Original Puffins and milk!

Have you tried nuun? What’s your favorite flavor?

What did you eat this week?

Sweet Treats and Running Geeks

After my Saturday morning run (treadmill 5K) I chowed down on a fancy raw granola bar from Starbucks on my way home from the gym.

It was the first time I tried this brand and it was amazing! The bar had just the right amount of flavor and chewiness. I’ll have to see if they sell them at Whole Foods or if it’s just a Starbucks thing.

On Saturday night I went to a cookout in Baltimore to celebrate a friend’s birthday – and one of my fab friends from DC brought sweet treats a la Georgetown Cupcake.

So. good.

I had chocolate on chocolate, but I also tried a bite of birthday cake flavor.

Even if you are a clean eater or healthy eater you have splurge every once in a while. If I didn’t let myself cheat here and there, I would definitely have a hard time eating clean most of the time.

Another example of splurging/firsts/sweet treats from the weekend:

I know frozen yogurt is all the rage right now, and I finally got to try some.

There are strawberries. That makes it healthy. Yeah.

I opted for the standard vanilla and chocolate combo with a dash of birthday cake. The G-town Cupcake birthday cake flavor sparked a craving!

My mom got chocolate with walnuts, kiwi, dark chocolate chunks and chocolate sauce. Ok, typing this is making me hungry…

My mom also re-gifted me the below array of amazingness:

Yessssss

Looks like I know what I will be reading for awhile!

Coincidentally, Netflix alerted me that I have some more running geek merch arriving soon.

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Netflix so kindly tells me:

“This biopic stars Billy Crudup as Steve “Pre” Prefontaine, the Olympic runner who overcame a physical abnormality to become the top American runner in the early 1970s. The film follows Prefontaine from his early years at the University of Oregon under the tutelage of Coach Bill Bowerman (Donald Sutherland), through the grueling Olympic trials and the 1972 Munich Olympics, and ultimately to Prefontaine’s tragic death.”

Sweeeeet. Embarrassing that it now looks like I am OBSESSED with running. But I guess that’s the point, right? I’m obvi still a hardcore beginner runner, but the only way to eventually become a hardcore still running runner is to throw yourself into it. At least, that’s the way I’m doing it.

I better go hide my new bookshelf of running reads before Tuna finds them next to my half-eaten pack of shot bloks or I’ll never hear the end of it.

What’s your favorite frozen yogurt combination?

Are you a geek about running too? Or just a natural?

22Jun2012

Net Time, Changes, and the Secret to Productivity

Posted in Clean Eating, Race, Run, Running Gear by chicken nugget girl

PurpleStride 5K Run/Walk

   Washington, DC June 16, 2012
   ChronoTrack Timing and Scoring
    by Pacers Events
    Official 5k Results
Place Div/Tot   Num   Age Hometown                 Gun T Net T Pace
371   82/122    152    24 Silver Spring, MD       32:28 31:49 10:15

I didn’t know what the difference between Gun T and Net T were, so of course I googled it. Thank goodness I have google to teach me the ways of the running world.

“Chip time is another way of saying “net time,” or the actual amount of time it takes a runner to go from the starting line of a race to the finish line. This is usually what Age Group awards are based on.

But for the really fast guys that win the money they must abide by USATF rules (governing body). To win money they must be timed by “Gun time”, or the time from the start gun to the time the participant crosses the finish mat.” (championship-racing.com).

So my real time was my net time? Yaaay, that means I actually did better than I thought! I obviously still didn’t make my sub 30 goal, but 31:49 looks better than 32:28!

I’m actually slightly impressed with myself because I was closer to goal – AND I walked for 3 darn minutes. If only I hadn’t walked…

*****

I was daydreaming a bit today about all of the the positive effects that eating clean and running have had on my body and mind even in just a few short months.

Since I started clean eating and running at the end of January, I haven’t gotten sick. That’s a huge one.

Some other changes:

Physical Changes

Weight Loss
Clearer skin
Shinier hair
Better digestion
Easier time falling asleep
Sleep better
Less nail breakage
Nails and hair grow faster

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Mental and Emotional Changes

More energy
Less stressed
Less mood swings

I should come back and look at this post when I feel like shoveling Domino’s in my face or when I’m sittin’ on the couch for the third night in a row to remind me how much better I feel when I’m living a healthy lifestyle.

*****

When I got home from work last night I was starving and exhausted. It was a running night though, so I really did want to get my butt to the gym.

I just needed something in my growling stomach, but didn’t want to eat anything that would give me stomach cramps during my run.

I settled for a plain whole grain waffle. Yes, I like plain shit. Leave me alone.

But I still needed something to wake me up. Then I remembered I bought shot bloks last week!

So shot bloks are usually used for intense long distance runners who are running long-ass races like half marathons or marathons. I.e.: not me. They’re gooey gummies with caffeine and other stuff inside of them.

I bought some anyway just to try them because they look so legit.

Last week when I had them out with my 5K gear, Tuna asked me if I was going to break out the shot bloks at mile 2 and tear in to them.

Ummm, no. I just think they’re cool, ok?

I’m going to use a few of them for my long run next week, but I figured why not try them last night. I was only planning on running 5 miles, but if I needed the extra boost of energy to even go to the gym, sure.

I chowed down on three bloks (the standard serving size) and drove to the gym.

I got through my 5 miler just fine. I didn’t really feel a difference, except that I had a little bit more energy for the last mile then I usually do. But I didn’t really know whether it was me or the shot bloks, and didn’t want to give all of the credit to the shot bloks.

However, after my post-gym shower, dinner, and some RHONYC, I frantically:

– Did laundry
– Dusted
– Swiffered
– Vacuumed
– Cleaned my shower
– Took out the trash
– Watered the plants
– Made my O.O. and lunch for today
– Blogged at bit
– Read 50 pages of my book club book

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The secret to productivity has been solved. Guess I need to have shot bloks several hours before a run or a race.

18Jun2012

Purple Stride 5K Race Recap

Posted in Food, Race, Run, Running Gear by chicken nugget girl

Race day started out bright and early at 6:30am. Surprisingly, I popped out of bed just fine.

I quickly ate a some whole wheat toast with peanut butter and chia seeds and gulped down a cup of black coffee.

While I was waiting to catch the first train of the morning, a middle-aged runner man with a mustache approached me.

“Are you running the 5K today?” he asked me.

I told him I was and proudly explained that it was my first race.

My new bud congratulated me and gave me some running tips that he learned in his 35+ years of running.

“Double-knot your shoes.” Ok, that’s easy enough.

“Run the first two miles comfortably and then give it all you’ve got.” Got it. Don’t go out to fast.

“There’s always a hill at the end, so make sure you save some steam.” Steam. Sounds good to me.

Thanks for the race advice, mustache runner man!

I arrived at Metro Center with plenty of time to spare, so I popped into the Starbucks nearby to go to the bathroom (I figured they were going to be much nicer than porta potties) and bought a bottle of water.

I walked two blocks down to Federal Plaza where the race was.

There was a lot of purple to support Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, which was what the donations for the race/walk were for.

Freedom Plaza

There were plenty of runners, walkers, volunteers, and spectators mulling around.

I went on a 5 minute warm-up trot and stretched for a few minutes. Everything felt good and I was ready to go.

I found my friend Stephy!

Before the start, I was pretty nervous full of adrenaline.

I liked running toward the Capitol!

The first five minutes were really fun. I loved all the people running together at the start – some shot ahead of me, and some people I passed. I felt like I was running pretty fast, about a ten minute mile pace, which was my goal. I tried to reel it in a little bit, and run comfortably just like the mustache runner man said.

Remember how I lovingly put together my 5K race playlist so that Tubthumping played as I crossed the finish line? Well, I was so pumped/nervous/excited that I turned my iPod shuffle to the shuffle setting and didn’t change it for the whole race. Whoops. But to be honest, I couldn’t even really tell you which of the songs played. My nervousness made my brain/ears slightly blackout. Guess I didn’t need to complain so much about my headphones this past week.

The course was an out and back loop combo with some random baby loops on the side. It was nice that it all flat (mustache runner man was wrong about there always being a final hill) but….

THERE WERE NO MILE MARKERS.

I died. Both on the inside and out.

Stephy told me afterwards that the water stations were at mile marker 1 and 2. Wish the race peeps would have told me that.

I made it to the first water station (and ran right past it) in the low eights. So – fastest mile I’ve run since sixth grade.

However, I had no idea at the time how far I had gone. So I kept on running my ‘lil heart out at the same pace.

At about the 12 minute mark, misery set in.

I was starting to get really tired, slightly nauseous, and grumpy. For me, getting grumpy while running can either be a really good thing and make me run faster or a really bad thing and I give up.

I didn’t give up quite yet. I ran for several more minutes and made my first big mistake.

Stopping at the water station at mile 2. I should have just grabbed a cup and kept running! Once I stopped, I was dunzo.

I got to the second water station in about 19 minutes, so that means I ran my second mile in about 11 minutes. (Though remember, I still had no idea WTF my distance or pace was.) Since the first water station was only 8 minutes out of the race and I was already back to it, I figured I only had 8 more minutes to go. Wow! I’d would blow my goal out of the water!

After a 30 second water break, I started running again. I was toast.

When I finally rounded the bend for the last straightaway, running away from the Capitol Building, I realized I still had about .50 or .75 miles to go.

Nuh uh. No way.

(source)

My choice was to vomit or not vomit.

I chose not to vomit.

At 24 minutes in to my first race, I started to walk. Defeat. I walked for 1 minute and people started passing me by the dozens.

Once I started walking, I kind of gave up. I still had 5 whole minutes to get down the last damn straightaway. Maybe I could still finish in under 30 minutes.

I ran for another minute. And walked for another minute. Etc.

Nope, not making it in under 30. My unofficial time was 32:29.

******

After pouting for a little while, I decided to not be too too upset about the whole thing. I pulled the under 30 minute goal out of my ass, so that shouldn’t really matter. It was my first race and I didn’t know what to expect.

I’m glad I did it, even if the race didn’t go exactly how I had planned it to go in my head. I’m glad I woke up and got to feel like a real runner for 24 minutes on Saturday morning.

P.S. Congrats to Speed Demon Stephy, who finished in 22 minutes!

15Jun2012

‘Twas the Night Before Race Day

Posted in Clean Eating, Food, Music, Race, Recipes, Run, Running Gear by chicken nugget girl

and all through the apartment….

Just kidding.

Kind of. I am being a slight weirdo and over-analyzing/over-preparing/being over-excited about tomorrow. But just because it’s my first race! Well, my first “distance” running race. I know it’s not a big deal, and you probably think I’m a nutcase.

But it’s so fun to pretend that I am an actual runner; that I’ll actually get to do a race recap and actually get to be part of the running world for a morning!

I stuck with my Runner’s World/Insightful Friend via her Personal Trainer race week plan this week.

1.) Hydrate and Fuel

I did some research on how much water I should be drinking per day since I was having dehydration issues.

Livestrong.com told me:

“MayoClinic.com suggests that drinking about 2,000 mL (2 qts.) of water a day is adequate, since food sources also contribute some water to each person’s diet. Another guideline from the Institute of Medicine is that men drink about 3000 mL (3 qts.) daily and women 2200 mL (http://www.livestrong.com/article/527779-how-many-milliliters-of-water-should-you-drink-a-day/#ixzz1xtqMEXOP).

To test out my hydration intake, I kept track of exactly how much water I drank on Wednesday.

– 5 camelbaks of water = 750 mL each
– 4 cups of water = 500 mL each

Total water consumed on Wednesday: 5,750 mL

Ok, I think I’m drinking enough water now.

I took a healthy snack to Book Club Thursday night for all of us gals to munch on.

And made a delish chocolate peanut butter smoothie for a snack this afternoon.

CNG’s Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

Ingredients
– Skim Milk
– Ice Cubes
– Chocolate Whey Protein Powder
– Cocoa Powder
– Unsweetened & Unsalted Organic Peanut Butter

Directions
Mix 1 cup of skim milk, 4 ice cubes, 1 scoop of protein power, 1 heaping teaspoon of cocoa powder, and 1/3 cup of peanut butter in a blender on SMOOTHIE setting.

*****

2.) 3 mile run outside in the heat.

It actually wasn’t too hot out, but I was glad to run outside again anyway. The weather for tomorrow morning is supposed to be around 70 degrees, so I should be just fine!

This run was my last-run-before-my-first-race-last-renewal-of-confidence-run.

It was great. My headphones worked, nothing hurt, and I ran it in 30:37. My under 30 minute goal for tomorrow may be attainable!

Though either way, I have to remind myself that it doesn’t really matter. I’m only racing against myself. I’m going to try not to put unnecessary pressure on myself for no reason.

*****

I picked up my race packet last night at Pacer’s in Silver Spring.

I’m glad I don’t have to worry about registering in the morning.

I’m racing! I have a number!

I was stressing out what to do with my stuff during the run. I didn’t want to bring my iPhone with me and check it in the bag check, just since you never know what could happen. So instead, I decided to shell out $24 for a cool ~~fanny pack~~ racing pouch. Now I don’t have to worry about my phone since I can keep it on me! I’m also going to take my ID, some cash, my metro card, and some chapstick.

And don’t worry, I’m not so ridiculous that I think I need to use shot bloks for a 5K. I just wanted to buy them! I will probably try them out on my long run next week.

I’ve got my playlist all set. There will be praying to the running gods to keep my headphones working. Hopefully I will make my goal time so that Tubthumping will be playing as I cross the finish line.