Adjusted Reality

Workout, eat, work, sleep.

Workout, eat, work, sleep.

This has been my week.

The good news is that I love what I do, I love training, I love work, and I’ve been sleeping well, so life ain’t so bad.

The bad news is that leaves very few waking hours for anything else (read: blog posts) so here is my life in the last few days:

I got older on Saturday March 3.  It was an awesome day, which included a great 2.51 mile run (25 mins), 10 mile bike (42 mins), 2,51 mile run (24) – goal was to negative split and get some time outside in my saddle.  Mission highly accomplished!  Also, it included a fancy crab dinner at Truluks and happy fun times with friends at the bar after.  We literally took over their whole patio, a billion people came out.  It was good times, I felt the luv.

Blue Norther Duathlon:

I obsessively checked the weather for a while on this one. It looked disasterous.  I am not afraid of running in the rain anymore (besides, ya know, lightning and downpours) but this is a du.  Never have evilbike and I been bffs outside with water.

Frankly, evilbike and I have not been bffs outside since Kerrville in Oct. As in, the 10 mile ride outside is the first time we’ve hung out since then.  I mean, I’ve done hills at the gym all winter once a month and we’ve been getting reacquainted via trainer…

…but last weekend was the first time we rode outside in 5 months.

And then the forecast was rain.

I have never ridden in the rain.

I was most definitely terrified.  I got up at 4:30 am with the pitter patter and secretly hoped it would get converted into a 10k.  I could do that.  However, the email from the race director said it was ON so on we went.

You all know the addage – nothing new for race day.  Well, when you race 2 weekends a month, you don’t always have that luxury.  When I heard about the weather, we picked up some new tights.  North Face.  Because I have a lot of adventures (honestly, the best ones I tried on)…

Plus, I picked up a waterproof cycling jacket.  It zipped the sleeves off which was neat, but it wasn’t my fave color (neon green and white) so it was a maybe.  I had to be coerced to bring it but glad I did.

Full gear list: underarmor lucky sports bra, tx tri short sleeve tech tee, asics sleeves, north face tights, nike dri fit socks, brooks t-5 racers, cep compression leg sleeves, pearl izumi cycling jacket.

We did a warmup run after setting up transition, and then bathroomed and got to race start.   I decided to zip off my sleeves and run with the izumi vest, asics sleeves, and tech tee.  And… we were off!

Zliten started with me until I looked at him and said “9:15s? Really?” and then he dropped back (his plan was 11s).  Not that I didn’t want to run with him… I just didn’t want him to fizzle boom on the first run that I was ready for.  This run, as anything USAT sanctioned, is no headphones allowed.  I was bummed, but honestly, didn’t miss it.

My goal for the first 5k was a progression run.  I wanted to start out around 10s and get better from there. I actually blew that shit out of the water…  9:32 the first mile, 9:24 the second, and 9:13 the third.  I think the course was actually long, so the last .2-.3 was faster (but garmin data was inconclusive becuase dummy forgot to hit splits). Overall, passed about a dozen or so groups on the run, Est. avg. 9:20 min/mi.

Then, I picked up evilbike.  I ditched my sunglasses as they were so rainsoaked I could barely see and got going.  I was SO FREAKING NERVOUS about this part.  Never rode in the rain (and why not learn in a race, right?).  I noticed about half a mile in that I didn’t do anything on my garmin and it was about 33 mins. Oooook.

Started out really conservatively and cursed myself for leaving the sunglasses as my face was getting pounded with rain.  I booked when I could and took the turns super slow.  I always fancy myself a sucky cyclist but I “on your left”‘d a few dozen peeps and only got passed by 3.  I had mile splits everywhere from 14.2 (ugh) to 18.7 (yay) for an avg of 16.3 mph.  As much as at first I cursed my lack of hill skillz this year, I have to remember that a 16.3 this early in the season before I’ve done any outside training is actually AH-MAY-ZING.  Also, very un-winded at transition.

Sadly, unwinded did not mean a good run start.  With the coldness and the wetness, my feet actually hurt BAD.  Like, my lungs and legs wanted to go faster but the unhappy little stumps I was landing on were screaming.  I sucked it up and did what I could and within .5 of a mile of sad, sad times I was back under 10s.

I talked recently about my 5k pacing problems, specifically the despair I feel at 1.5 miles and while I didn’t the first time running it as a progression run, I did this time.  I made it a goal not to hit 10 min/mi and just did what I could.  Right around then I also had another issue – my ankle went all wonky.  I slowed down and limp-ran a bit until I stopped and stretched it out a bit, and continued to limp-run until, magically, it went away.  No problem since then.  I think I may have just stepped funny on a curb but it had me worried.

After getting past mile 2, the eyes were on the prize.  I passed a few more people and then finally had my eye on a girl up ahead.  She had passed me on the bike and chatted with me a bit, and all I could think about on the bike was “the people I pass on the bike will probably smoke me on the run”.  So this was a goal, to do the opposite.  I kept her in my sights going a fairly comfortable 9 min/mi and when I saw the finish, I made my move, passing her and sprinting as fast as I could, topping out at about 8:13s.

I finished in 1:58:00 garmin time, and went out to cheer Zliten in.  I had monitored his progress – he got into transition to get the bike before I ran, and had put his bike away before I finished, so  I knew he was ok.  Then, before I knew it, he was running it in strong and finished.  Apparently he    had me in his sights on a long stretch of the bike but couldn’t catch up (no quarter mother effer!!!!).  He ran a huge PR at about 30:30 for his first 5k, abut 1-1.5 mph behind me on the bike, and a totally respectable 35 for the last 5k.

So, I went from thinking I might DFL this race (last years results were ridic – 9 min/mi was the bottom of the barrel), to thinking I might have placed.

…well results say I’m 8/9 but honestly, there are a bunch of errors.  We’ll see.  Either way, I’m happy with what I did so onward and upward!!!!

First of all, let’s dive in the scary depths of Quix’s kitchen.  I promise it’s clean.

This is what approximately 200$ buys you in Austin, shopping at hippie dippie grocery stores.  I spend between 100-200$ per week on food, plus we usually spend another 200-ish every month or two at costco to pick up organic chicken, fish, jerky, and organic veggies.  I get my beef at the grocery store, I don’t really like Costco’s organic.  Specifically, that is….

Sunflower seeds, beanitos, quinoa noodles, organic re-fried beans x2, organic garbanzos, 4xzevia soda 6-packs, Amy’s soupsx4, sun butter, gravy mix, organic baked beans, organic dark chocolate bar, wasabi and soy almonds, organic black beans, dill relish, organic grape jelly, albacore tuna, organic oranges, organic romaine, green onions, organic dandelion greens, bell pepper, snap peas, serranos, cucumber, organic collard greens, bok choy, tomatoes, red onions, organic salad greens, 2 bottles of champagne, organic low fat sour cream, organic corn, Amy’s stir fry micro meal, organic sprouted corn tortillas, fage 0% (big tub), organic fat free lactose free milk, organic whipped butter, organic lowfat shredded cheese, arctic zero ice cream x2, organic stir fry veggies, organic frozen mango, organic grass fed ground beef x3 lbs, and pre-cooked shredded natural chicken.

What does that equate to in the kitchen?  My meal plan for the week (+reality for the days that have passed):

Monday:
chicken fajita pita and side salad (yes, I had fast food – not proud of it but it settled my tummy and was at least not totally unhealthy)
tuna sammich on sprouted grain bread (w/fage, hummus, cilantro and onions), split an Amy’s soup w/Zliten
homemade slow cooker chili (organic everything but the last two: beans, beef, corn, chocolate, tomato sauce, peppers, and onions, topped with green onions, cilantro, frank’s red hot, dab of blue cheese dressing, and shredded cheese.  Bowl and a half)
Workout: 30 mins crunchtime circuit class + bike 9 miles

Tuesday:
fage 0%, pb, apple, stevia
pre cooked shredded chicken added to an Amy’s Mexican Casserole + dab of light organic sour cream + pinch of extra shredded cheese + added organic salsa
Lemon pepper mahi mahi, stir fry veggies, 1/2 cup quinoa noodles in teriyaki sauce
Workout: AM 5 mile run in 53

Wednesday:
organic string cheese, toast w/sun butter, 12 almonds
manwiches (homemade: organic ground beef, tomato sauce, onions, peppers, worstichire sauce, ketchup, mustard, seasonings), one la tortilla lo carb (small), one whitewheat bun
leftover chili as above
Workout: cycling for 40 mins on trainers before work, 30 mins weights after work

Thursday:
fage 0%, pb, apple, stevia
fish tacos – Tilapia cooked with garlic, onions, hot sauce, and spices.  2 organic sprouted corn tortillas and 1 la tortilla flour – topped with light sour cream, cilantro, onion, salsa, hot sauce, organic shredded cheese, and olives. Organic refried canned beans on the side.
Chicken taco salad from Freebirds – Lettuce, tomato, onions, jalapenos, corn salsa, black beans, chicken, 1/2 of the ancho dressing, 1/2 side of sour cream (plan was actually chicken taco salad at home, but had to stay late at work)
Workout: 3 mile run before work in 29 mins

Friday:
small fage and apple, half a breakfast taco
leftover manwich (there’s no enough left for 2 meals – we’ll probably scrounge and do leftover shuffle)
turkey meatballs, and my homemade pasta “gloop” – an assload of spinach, garlic, some olive oil, green olives, org. tomato sauce, and parmesan cheese)
Workout: weights AM

Saturday: HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!!
gigantic salad + soup
trulucks!!!
Workout: 2.5 mile run, 10 mile bike, 2.5 mile run

Sunday:
No idea…
Workout: assplants on couch

Note that we’re attempting to go home more for lunches.  We noticed this week that we can make fairly easy-but-real meals in the hour allotted to us (since we only live 5 mins away), so stuff that was normally dinners like fish tacos and manwiches are now in for lunch!  Woohoo!

I’ve been trying to eat more at meals and snack less – when I get that FULL feeling I find I feel much better than just grazing and always feeling a little hungry.  However, at night I usually do get a little Arctic Zero action going on.  I always have my skim milk before/after workouts unless I’m eating right away.  I eat almonds when I need a stay-full snack but since I’ve been putting the sunbutter back in my fage, I’ve needed it less.  Another go to is *randomveggie* and hummus or tzatziki.  And always, an orange or apple or other fruit is good for sweets.

I’m not a saint though.  I would say about every other day I’ll have about 50-100 or so calories of chocolate.  After the birthdays I think I’m going to go back to no added sugar again for a month, but it’s nice to indulge every once in a while.

Anyhoo, my averages for the last week are:

2495 calories burned per day
1739 calories consumed per day
756 average deficit

My calories on average come from:
24% protein
36% carbs
31% fat
9% alcohol

105g protein
153g carbs
57g fat
192 mg cholesterol
3287 mg sodium
28g fiber
18g saturated fat
992 mg calcium

Hopefully everyone isn’t asleep, I just thought it might be fun to document a week in the life of Quix eats.  Or at keast useful.  Hopefully not just self-masturbatory… oh well, moving on…

RACEY RACE RACE!

My race planz for the next few months:

Blue Norther Du: 5k run, 14 mile ride, 5k run, March 11, Seguin, TX – reg’d.

Rosedale Ride: 40 mile bike ride, March 24, Austin, TX – not yet reg’d

Austin 10/20: 10 mile run, April 15, Austin, TX – reg’d.

Red Poppy Ride: 62 mile bike ride, April 24, Georgetown, TX – reg’d (sorta – bought the groupon so we’re committed)

Rookie Tri: 300m swim, 11 mile ride, 2 mile run, May 6, Austin, TX – reg’d.

Lake Plugerville Tri: 500m swim, 12 mile ride, 5k run, June 17, Austin, TX – reg’d.

Couples Tri: 800m swim, 11.2 mile ride, 5k run, July 15, Austin, TX – reg’d.

Jack’s Generic Tri: 500m swim, 13.8 mile ride, 5k run, August 5, New Braunfels, TX – reg’d.

America’s Finest City Half Marathon: August 19, San Diego, CA – not yet reg’d (but planning a vacation around it)

Tri Rock Austin: 1500m swim, 26 mile ride, 10k run, Sept 3, Austin, TX – not yet reg’d

Kerrville Triathlon: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile ride, 13.1 mile run, Sept 30, Kerrville, TX – not yet reg’d.

In Oct, there will likely be See Jane Half since we have a cheap entry this year due to rain last year, and Zliten really wanted to run the Dash for Dads 5k again.  In Nov, I have my eyes (potentially, depending on how I feel after Kerrville) on RnRSA full marathon (if not, I’ll probably do Azle since I have a free entry, and if I decide I want nothing to do with running anything serious, there’s Warrior Dash that weekend too) and of course the Turkey Trot is a given every year.

In December, who knows?  By that time, I have a feeling that I’ll be ready for some silly little Holiday 5ks dressed up like elves and chugging spiked eggnog as race fuel, but there is always Spicewood again which was beautiful, Vegas (although I’m still not sure I could NOT make it to that race drunk and with pockets full of casino chips), or spending NYE in Palm Springs (or if we can’t get that far, I’d love to run this, but only NYE.  New Years day is still made for hangovers, although it might be fun to start the tradition of doing the two back to back races and then getting SMASHED on NYD when everyone ELSE is hungover…).

So, besides an extra race in May, June, July, and planning out December, my dance race card is full.  So weird to have your life planned out so far in advance…

I GET OLDER NOW

Speaking of a full dance card, I am full up on March things.  And it’s March 1st.  I have my weekends completely booked full of either race goodness, birthday celebrations for me, birthday celebrations for other folks, camping, renassaince fair-ing, or weddings.  Plus I have a major deadline at work mid-month.  Hold on folks, March is going to be cuh-ray-zee.

This weekend will be fun though – my birthday is on Saturday, and I have epic plans.  Run/bike/run training in the morning, a relaxing afternoon, major amounts of CRABBY goodness at Trulucks, and then happy fun bar party time!  I toyed with the idea of no training at all over my birthday weekend but I came to two conclusions – #1 – I have a race next weekend I am ill prepared for and need to connect my ass with evilbike + street, plus the last time I did a for real brick was probably… the tri in October. #2 – I like training!  Spending 2 hours outside in the beautiful sunshiney day before I start my celebrations sounds absolutely wonderful.  Maybe I’ll see if they have some birthday cake flavored GU.

Funny, I usually get all introspective about my birthday, but this year… I dunno.  I have my major goals (24 races, half ironman, lose 30 lbs, other stuff), and I’m plugging away at getting it done.  It’s gonna be an epic 33!

Two posts in one week… please don’t get used to it.  I’ll be back with birthday pictures and stories next week.  Ciao, lovely people!

Lifetime Fitness Indoor Tri:

Just goes to show you how big/prestigious a race is has nothing on my excitement level.  3M and Austin halfs, huge, well supported races with stars and amazing runners?  Sounds like a lovely training run with a few thousand of my bestest buddies.  49 people sign up to do a triathlon inside at a gym?  OMFG I AM SO EXCITED LET ME AT IT ROAR!!!! *bouncy bouncy bounce*

So, I suppose it’s less than fair.  I haven’t had an opportunity to really open up and RACE anything since November, when ye olde body was starting to fall apart.  I have loved training and racing with Zliten this winter, but while running someone else’s pace and Dance Party USA to amuse/annoy/torture them and providing motivational support was a very worthwhile endeavor for both of us, I felt like a puppy that just got let off the leash for the first time in months.  I felt all…

I haven’t trained a lot of speed.  In any of the 3 disciplines.  For running, I pretty much stopped speedwork once I decided to not do the marathon, and it had been a half-hearted attempt up until then.  I am a killer hill cyclist, but when I get to a certain cadence, my feet just get confused.  I’ve trained hills at least once a week all winter so evilbike doesn’t laugh at me next week when I start riding again, but I am no spin cycle speed demon.  Swimming is probably the worst – again, I’ve trained about once a week so I don’t lose my base of ~1 mile, but it’s certainly not at any pace that I’m really pushing myself.  So I was really going into this one, 7 days from ending my half marathon season, just seeing what I could do, and seeing if just mebbe I could place.

The week before I did very great race prep.  I did heavy weights twice and barre class, ran a few miles outside, swam once for about 25 mins, and spun for about 25 mins total.  The first attempt was, um, not so good.  My ladybits did not so much like the spin bike seats without padding.  I tried again Saturday with my nice sugoi padded bike shorts and was much more successful.  That day I also did a 10 min shakeout run with my new shoes.  My legs and lungs really just wanted to open up and I had to keep convincing myself today is not the day.

The day of we woke up around 7:30am.  We signed up for the latest wave possible (9:20), and it was NICE not to have to set the alarm for 4am.  We had a leisurely getting ready, and pulled up to this crazy mega gym about 30 mins early.  This was about the size of a MALL.  My gym would fit in it’s lobby.  It had a restaurant and a waterslide.  I am not even kidding.

So, we got our locker keys and I set up my “transition” and headed to the pool.  Zliten and I were sharing a swim lane, so I got my swim cap and got in and took a few practice laps to warm up.  It was really nice to be able to start a tri by watching the seconds count down, give each other a good luck kiss, and then take off swimming.

Let me interject with how this one worked, because it wasn’t a normal tri at all.  Besides the fact that it was indoor, it was scored differently.  You had 10 minutes to complete your swim, and they recorded your distance.  You then had 10 minutes to change and get to the cycle studio.  You had 30 minutes on a spin bike with a computer attached to track your distance.  Then, you had 5 minutes to get to the treadmills, and 20 minutes to go as far as you possibly could on the ‘mill.  Boom done!  Then, they take the distances and rank them.  There were 49 people participating, so the person that got the furthest swimming got a 49, and the person that went the least distance got a 1.  Same with the bike and the swim.  You add up those three number and you get a score and a ranking.  AGs were not the norm, just M/F and under/over 40.

My goal for the swim was 20 laps.  To do that, I would have to swim 100m every 2 minutes.  I made the first one, I fell a little behind on the second 2 minutes, and I realized while I wanted to give it a good hard effort, I didn’t want to kill myself in the water (even though on this tri, it actually counted as 1/3 of the score).  I also lost my swim cap which slowed me down a little during the process (while I was trying to keep it on, I pushed off less on the walls).  When the 10 minute whistle went off I had just touched for lap 18, so that would have to do it.  450m in 10 mins.

EDIT: Zliten thinks that it was an olympic sized swimming pool, which is 50m each way.  In which case I swam 900m in 10 mins.  I’m not sure if that’s even humanly possible.  I guess we’ll never know.

T1 was actually challenging – since you usually just rock a tri completely dripping and air dry, it was weird to have to wriggle wet body into dry clothes.  I got to the studio with about 90 seconds to spare and adjusted the bike and got my music ready and took off when they said GO!

The bike was my least favorite part.  I may have had a little swim cap snafu, but it was nothing on that stupid effing spin bike.  First of all, I realized I forgot my water.  They were nice enough to bring me one, but a screw cap water on the bike going as fast as possible didn’t work (but I was glad for it after).  Then, they counted down and told everyone to stop and me going as fast as possible, I wasn’t paying attention to the fact that the only people stopping were the folks in the PREVIOUS wave (duh).  That cost me at least 30 seconds, I had stopped and unstrapped my feet, d’oh!

So for the ride, I was trying to stay at 32 MPH.  That sounds impressive, but because the computer was calibrated for a normal bike, and the spin bike wheels are WAY smaller, it certainly wasn’t that far.  Partway through, I had a great song going and decided to try and push a little harder and build.  Sadly, when I hit 37 MPH my feet flew out and I almost broke my ankle!  I had started trying for 18 miles total.  Then 16.  I only got to 15.5 and was frankly a little pissed about it.  I thought I could do better.

Then, to add insult to the fact I wasn’t happy, I looked over at Zliten’s and it read TWENTY TWO POINT FREAKING TWO.  I have no idea how he pulled that off, but he’s certainly going to have to teach me…

I was sure I BOMBED the bike compared to my AG so I wanted to make it up on the run.  I figured perhaps being pissed off at the bike might help me stomp the treaddy a little harder.  My goal was at least 2.3, but I was thinking maybe I could tackle 2.5 if I really had it in me.  I started at 6.0 (10s), then went to 6.5 (about 9:15s), and then 7.0, and kept it steady around there (about 8:35s).  I tried to push it up closer to 7.5 and that was just more than I had in me that day, so I completed the first mile right around 9 minutes, and took it down to 6.0 to get my heart rate down a little, then ramped it back up to low 7s.  I can do just about anything for 5 minutes, so at 15 mins elapsed I started really going for it.  I ended at 8.5 (wicked fast) and with 2.33 miles complete (about an 8:35 overall pace).

I thought I might have had more in me, but I definitely felt the awesome/terrible 5k-wanna-hurl feeling so I used up most of my juice.

The funny thing is, I felt like I did pretty great in the run, I did fairly well in the swim, and sucked up the bike.  Results came in yesterday.  I placed FIRST by far in the bike in my AG, tied for 5th in the swim, and placed 6th on the run.  The points were overall, so I got 34/49 points for the swim, 34/49 points for the bike, and 32/49 for the run, for 100 total points, and SECOND in my Age Group out of 14 people!  Solidly second, the 1st place under 40 femme got 14 points more than me, and 3rd was 9 points under me.  For my gender I placed 4th out of 23 people, and overall I got 15/49.

I’m pretty excited for these results, and feel sort of sheepish about how grumpy I was about my bike (GAH I PLACED FIRST I SUCK WAH WAH).  It shows that even if I feel like I suck on the bike, I’m really a fairly balanced triathlete.  It shows that I will give Zliten NO QUARTER on the bike this year.  No slowing down on our long rides.  Do you hear this?  Significantly trouncing me has it’s consequences during future trainings… you think it’s all thumbs up now…

It also shows that if I can get through almost 2.5 miles at about an 8:30 pace after a hard swim and bike, I can suck it up and figure out how to run better 5ks this year.  Maybe I need to learn how to break it up better mentally in my head, but there is just a despair point during 5ks, right around mile 1.5-2 when it’s too far from the finish to push into pukeworthy territory, and far enough in to feel really fatigued.  If anyone has 5k pacing advice, I’d love to hear it.  What do you do with that sucky middle mile to keep yourself going?

Anyhoo, this was an awesome event!!  We would do them all the time if they were monthly, especially during tri off season!   We’re trying to talk our gym into hosting one!  BRING ON TRI SEASON!!!

You Never Know…

So, I can’t lie, I was feeling a little down late last week.

I may be making progress, but that stupid number on the scale being stupid is just… STUPID.

Also, I went through what I can only equate to somewhat similar to Charlotte’s metabolic reactions.  I WANTED TO EAT EVERYTHING all week.  I was craving healthy food too so it was definitely hunger and my body craving nutrients, but I could not get full and I ate a meal that would normally fill me up and was like, seconds please!  And I mean that as in I could have eaten a whole ‘nother serving.

Also, the TIREDS.  I slept 10.5 hours on Thursday night and Friday night (and I have been getting my normal 8, so it’s nothing I’m making up for).  I wanted to do nothing but eat nutritious food and sleep.  So much sleep and laying down my back is stiff for no good reason.  I got over it in time to feel much better Saturday and awesome Sunday but still – so weird.  I did so little cardio last week it felt super weird to be so fucking HANGRY.  I guess it’s fairly normal after reading up on weight training/hunger on the interwebz so all I can do is make sure if I get all crazy like that again I just stuff my face with milk and broccoli and fish and stuff and get lots of sleep.

However, I’m glad my nutritionist inadvertently has helped my husband lose weight.  Seriously.  He’s down about ~7 lbs depending on the day from the first of the year and kinda lookin’ even hotter than normal, which is challenging because, I’m mean, look at this sexah beast.

It makes it all the more frustrating though that my body is not responding as well.

However, I just need to remember that:

a.  This is going to be a long, twisted, and frustrating process, and consistent weight training is producing SOME sort of results, which is better than, oh, anything I’ve tried in 8 months at least.

b. Even though I feel like I deserve it by putting in all this work that’s really not done anything, I’m not going to get to my goal weight/size/fitness level tomorrow.

c. No matter what, I need to earn my right to run with weight training.  I owe back taxes for really slacking on it for so many years.

Of course, I did NOT measure myself this week (I swear it’s on my to-do list), but I should really do that.  So I can see some progress.  At least for the last 3 days, I saw myself back in the 177’s again finally.  The clothes I’m wearing today, a month ago, I would have been a little wary about belly/back bulge but they look pretty darn good.

It’s the little things.  I need to get the measuring tape out so I have something tangible to see.  Advice on 5k pacing or keeping the hangries at bay welcome below!

Austin Half Marathon:

I really should write these up sooner but I’ll give you the deets of what I remember.

For Zliten, this was an A race – meaning he tapered, rested, and did all the things a good boy should.

For me, this was like a C- race – basically playing support, coach, and having an awesome training run with my 20,000 best friends.  I went so far as to do a 1 hour weight workout the morning before the race, and did not taper in the slightest.

Zliten was pretty nervous.  I do have to admit, I had played up the hills A LOT.  It’s not an easy course.  It’s basically the opposite of 3M.

Because at 3M, the porta potties were right by the parking garage, which I assume was right by bag check, which was right by the start.  At Austin, we parked where we did 2 years ago, not realizing the start line was different.  Then, we walked a mile to find some porta potties.  Then, we walked a mile back because bag check was by the FINISH, not the start.  Then, we were hurrying to the start, and had another porta potty need, and there were NO POTTIES to be found at the start.  Luckily, we were able to sneak in a building and get our pee on before the cops kicked us out.   We arrived at the start line and found our corral (the very back) about 6 minutes before the gun went off.  Oddly enough, out of 20000 people, we met up with a coworker!

My gear had started with my normal addidas headband, a Nike Drifit shirt, a wicking tank under, Asics sleeves, cheapo gloves, compression shorts, cheapo BCG running pants, my CEP compression leg sleeves, my new Wigwam IM socks, and my new Asics Cumulus shoes.  It got warm real quick walking around, and ditched the undershirt and the gloves (hello Austin, check out my sports bra).

The gun went off and it took us 20 minutes to get cross the start.  I surmised that I’d have the sleeves down by mile 1 and at .95 it happened.  I don’t remember all that much about the early miles, it was a gorgeous morning and I was feeling pretty great.  Miles 1/2 were mixed, but 3-6 were straight uphill.  Even so, I actually remember hitting around mile 5 and thinking “Already?  I’m so not ready to be this close to done yet!” These were done, honestly, pace was all over the place, but splits were showing about 11 minute miles.

Around mile 6, from all that walking and standing, my back started getting a little stiff.  Thankfully, what goes up must come down, and we pounded out some really quick miles (in the 10s) to try to gain some ground before the killer hills to come.  The only complaint was my feet are still getting used to these shoes, and here it started to take it’s toll.  They are one step down in cushioning, so they’re lighter, they actually hold my feet snugger (which I like), but they seem to be stimulating me to use my arches in a different way so those muscles get sore on long runs.

I have to admit here, between the back/glute action, and the sore feets, I went from Party in the USA to just sort of getting it done.  I also decided to try a new race fueling strategy – no camelback, no gels, just gatorade.  I don’t know if I’d use it for an A race (I’m used to more caffeine on a race course), but it kept me going.  Gels and I are having a bit of a falling out, especially once I broke up with marathon training.  The big G was actually MUCH milder on my tummy than most gels, so it’s a strategerie in progress.  Next time, maybe I’ll try gatorade with some supplemental caffeine chompers (chocolate covered expresso beans? who knows…).

At mile 10.8, the marathoners split off.  I had spent a while wondering how I’d feel at that point, but with my glutes and my arches, I was nothing but happy.  I don’t doubt I will tackle a marathon someday, maybe even this year, but this was not that day and this is not that course.

Also around that mile, I realized we were in it for a significant PR for Zliten.  Over 3M.  I tried to keep us moving and knew that we had that hill at mile 12 that was a walker.  Of course, what’s the last couple miles of a half marathon course without a few wrenches thrown in – Zliten’s calf decided to cramp up.  We walked it out, ran when we could, and then the last 3/4 mile I tried to drag him as fast as I could to the finish.   When I ran with him, he’d slow down, but when I ran ahead a little, he kept up.  I totally understand, when I’m feeling rough in a race, I lock my eyes on someone ahead of me and try to “magnet” my way up there.  It wasn’t the delicious all out sprint of a finish I love, but we crossed strong at 2:28:57.  Less than 2 minutes more than #1, which was a completely downhill course.  I am so proud!

Half marathon #2 for Zliten and #7 for me in the books.  Now, it’s time to shift training focus.  I’m giving Zliten a month off organized training to do what he wants.  I’m also not following any sort of race training plan for the next month, but I do have other plans….

A Ray of Light?:

Perhaps all has NOT been for naught.  Perhaps I hadn’t quite tried all the keys for the lock yet.

The scale is still not cooperating at 178-ish.  However, I really and truly am seeing some progress in the last few weeks with my face:

New fave race tee btw. a) It is perfectly sized for me. b) It is not white or uggy grey. c) It looks like a flaccid penis.  I mean, what else do you want out of a shirt commemorating your marathon or half marathon?

Anyhoo, I snapped THIS one after the race:

It’s a little bit “myspace angle” but still, not the chipmunk cheeks I’ve been cursing.  While I don’t have any snappy pictures of it, my pants are also fitting better and there is much less pooch.

I really should have taken some measurements, and I should probably do that this week if that’s how my body is going to roll.  The body fat sensor thingee is also down but it seems so unreliable (like, whether I’ve chugged water or not is a much bigger factor, I doubt I’m changing 5% body fat in a matter of days).

So *something* is working.  And while I don’t think it’s really feasible for me to stay my weight and look and feel and operate on the race course the way I want to long term, it’s at least something.  Progress is progress.

So focus for next week is:

-Lifting and pushing and pulling lots of heavy things.  So far, 30 mins of weights, and 50 mins center barre class – I’d like to hit it one or two more times this week.
-Cardio, for a while, is second priority.  My race this weekend is an indoor super sprint tri which I can complete in my sleep, and I’ll go at it as hard as I can, but there is really no specific training I can do this week (besides reaquainting myself with the spin bikes and remembering they hurt my ladybits a lot without padding) to improve my performance.
-Maintaining a decent calorie deficit (500-1000) while eating good things.  Emphasizing protein as that’s what my body is craving (makes sense while upping the strength).
-Introducing a little more grain back into my life.  Considering 6 months without it didn’t do squat, I’m trying re-introducing sprouted grain bread for healthy sammiches.  This is pretty much the only diet modification that I feel like was a bust, to be honest, every other grain I used to eat, I’ve found a work around to keep it in my life in small amounts or don’t miss.

Two Other Things:

We tried the bacon shake from Jack In The Box…

I mean, if you can’t indulge after running a half marathon, when can you?  It was actually delish – tasted like breakfast in a shake (maple syrup, smoky flavor, mmmmm).  Full disclosure, we split one and some of it is still in our freezer.  It’s just a lot of sweets and while delish, it’s too much for us.

Usually, expos are a bunch of “meh”, get in, get out, get on with life.  However, most “expos” are just a room with numbers and a few booths.  I remembered the Austin one being huge two years ago, but to save on parking, Zliten dropped me off and circled the block a few times.  This time, we came by our favorite running store’s booth – TX Running Company – and they had a huge sale.

I have been playing around with the idea of getting some lightweight speed shoes, and for 50 bucks, I got Brooks Racers.  Zliten also picked up a pair of Brooks as well.  We got 5 dollar running socks, and he picked up some other gear.  We also picked up some lemon tea nuun and got a free bottle.  Score!

Have you tried the bacon shake (I’ve heard it’s actually vegetarian!)?  Hit up any awesome expos lately?  Pumped some iron?  Do tell…

I’ve had this window open for days and just haven’t had the motivation to write.  So here goes, this could be 50 words or 5000, but I’m giving an update tonight.  Prepare for rambles… while my blog posts lately have been just a little above Live Journal quality, this one may descend to the depths of “Dear Diary, I am a scatterbrain”.

I asked some of my artists to work extra hours this week to get a project done, so as a Producer, I have a conundrum.  It’s easy to say that if anyone stays, I should stay.  However, if I stayed when ANYONE stayed, I would rarely leave work and have a life, plus, by the time they’re working the extra hours, it’s actually my slow period and I’m really just moral support (there is NOTHING I can do to help these folks, I am no artist).  I’ve split the difference by asking my Associate Producer to come in a little early, and I’m staying a little late.  Instead of eating the crunch catered dinners, I run home and eat with Zliten, and head back to work for a bit.

It’s been nice to have the ability to have healthy dinners, but this means that ANY workouts have had to be in the morning.  And when I’m at work until 9ish, it’s not so easy to get up at dawn with anything but a scowl on my face.

So I’ve split the difference there too.  Monday, I did it with another epic bike/weights session.  Tuesday was v-day, so I actually was able to leave early (we did NOT make people crunch that day) and run outside after work.  My glute started to twinge a bit so I cut it short at 3 instead of the 5-6 I had planned, but right after work when it’s still light and cool enough is my FAVE running time.  Yesterday, I stayed up too late enjoying some v-day steak, lobster, baked potato, asparagus, wine, and vodka, so I took it as my rest day.  However, it sucks using up your rest day being a frikkin zombie and feeling all tired and hung over.

Today I had wanted to make up my swim/pilates I missed by doing a swim then group power, but I woke up at 6-something and scowled at the world, and figured I’d split the difference.  I went back to sleep and bagged the swim, but I got my ass out of bed for group power and DANG it was a great way to wake up.  So, I have a swim, a run, and some core work I want to get done (plus my race on Sun).  We’ll see if I can fit it all in.  It’s like a game of extreme tetris this week.  I’m accepting that I don’t have it in me to do 4 days of week for weights, so I’ll wait until 3 feels natural.

I am feeling a little down about the scale.  I haven’t been weighing this week and got on today – 180. 😛  I haven’t tried the body fat scale to see if that’s dropped, but seriously?  WTF.

Through some link surfing today I got onto Rachel Cosgrove’s site (pretty sure it was through m’lady Charlotte), and I think I may need to read her book for ideas, although I’m pretty sure the point that I’ve been able to surmise through her site is:

-Do lots of weights
-Make sure you fuel yourself with good food
-Make sure to have recovery food/drink with protein/carbs after your workout

At this point, I’ve gone through a lot of stages with this coming-on-3-years-plateau…

Stage 1: I get too hungry during race training and overeat.  I need to wait until off season to lose weight.  I will do this by cutting my calories really low (safe low, but low – 1200-1500), and doing shorter workouts. (this worked for very short periods and then made me miserable – both eating less and exercising less)

Stage 2: This sucks.  I want to race more.  I just need to make sure I train a lot and I’ll be able to outrun this weight. (not so much)

Stage 3: This sucks.  I’ll just be happy where I’m at for a while and keep training as long as it doesn’t affect me (then I gained enough for it to indeed effect me)

Stage 4: This super sucks.  I’ll just do short races this year.  I didn’t gain weight doing short races.  Also, let’s throw in a cleanse for good measure. (lost 5 lbs initially, then got it back plus some).

Stage 5: Started working with nutritionist.  Instantly FELT better while improving the quality of my food.  Gained 5 lbs.

Stage 6: Nutritionist has no idea why I’m not losing.  Cut grains to 1 per day.  No loss.

Stage 7: Nutritionist still has no idea why I’m not losing.  Going to calorie counting and getting super accurate estimates of what I’m burning so I can work on making sure I have a proper deficit.  No loss yet.

I’ve been wracking my brain as to what is the difference in between who I was back then and who I am now diet and exercise-wise.  The only two real major things I came up with is:

-I eat slightly more, but WAY WAY WAY WAY better quality food.
-I did weights religiously.  At least working over my whole body 2 times per week.

I’ve cycled now from “exercise is what will keep me fit” to “80% of weight loss is in the kitchen” to “weights are the key”.

While I’m not going to get to half ironman fitness with weights alone, I think I can accept that stealing some time away from the cardio for weights will not do bad things to me.

So, while I’m not going to drop the cardio, I am going to make the priority getting at least 3 days of weight training per week over anything else (at least 1 pilates/crunchtime class or core work, 1 heavy lifting/group power day, and 1 other strength day of my choosing).

Now, it’s time to go find my “thermometer jeans” and see where I’m at mid-April (8 weeks).  I’ll take pictures.  It will be humblingly fun…