A thank-you note to my readers, friends, and family

Now that I am beginning to move beyond the melt-down I had earlier this week, I am also managing to come to terms with the fact that this weekend I will be running a distance that I haven’t run in a while. This weekend I will be running the half-marathon in New Jersey. I am planning on running it like a long run, nice and easy, in a way that I hope will allow me to enjoy the experience and not worry about a PR, or even a decent time. I am just going to put the runner’s ego away for a while, run these 13.1 miles, and then move on.

Yesterday I was able to break through my running block–I ran a good, comfortable 6.3 miles at a comfortable pace and didn’t feel frustrated (or like crying, for that matter) afterwards. This gave me some hope for this weekend.

The other thing that gave me hope, though, was the outpouring of support I got from everyone after my depressing post the other day. I had no idea that saying how I felt would have such an impact. I guess sometimes we all need a boost from people who understand what we are going through, and I have to say that the one I got was more than I could have asked for. So, what I want to say more than anything is thank you.

Thank you to Chris, whose idea to have everyone run their longest distance in support of my effort touches my heart; thank you to my mom, who insisted on coming to see me run even though I told her she shouldn’t in spite of the fact that deep down I really wanted her to; thank you to my older sister who still cites me as her inspiration even though I find her much more inspiring than I have ever been; thank you to Mike who sticks by me even when I am insufferable and has always believed in me; thank you to Sean who sends me texts messages about robot invasions and how odd looking ears are, which always make me laugh, and who, like Mike, has also always believed in me; thank you to Sonia for being such a great long-distance running buddy; thank you to everyone who left a supportive or helpful comment; I know this isn’t everyone and I hope no one is upset if they feel they have been left out, it is certainly not my intention to ignore anyone or anything. I just want everyone to know how grateful I am and how lucky I feel to be surrounded by such a great group of individuals.

thank you all.

Blergh

Yuck.

I have a marathon/half-marathon to run in less than a week (Sunday, to be exact) and I don’t have the mental strength to make it through 3 miles anymore. My lack of appetite and inability to sleep when I am exhausted are probably also not helping at this point.

So tonight’s crappy workout was 3 terrible miles at the indoor track at the school gym followed by a piddling 15 minutes of the Minna Lessig workout. I can’t remember the last time I ran more than once a week, and I also can’t remember the last time a run hasn’t ended in a feeling of complete defeat accompanied by a generous amount of tears.

A word to the wise: don’t sign up to run a second marathon after you have just finished running your first unless you have seen the future and you are sure it is something you must, absolutely must, do. If this is not the case, do yourself a favor and take a break. Otherwise, you risk dealing with what I am dealing with right now, which is to say a complete lack of enjoyment from running (something that you once loved more than life itself) and a profound sense of burnout and failure.

Problem-solving follow-up

First of all, thanks everyone for your great and helpful comments! It seems that the consensus is that more carbs=a good thing (please don’t sue me, Martha Stewart). I had thought my diet was pretty balanced, but the majority of my carbs are coming from fruits and vegetables, and to be honest I don’t feel like I am eating very much at all. I may need to add more whole grain sources to my fruit and veggie repertoire, which I guess is where I will start tweaking.

I am also considering going in to the doctor this week to see if I can have my iron levels tested. As a vegetarian, I feel like iron deficiency is always potentially an issue, so it seems like it would be worthwhile to just have a look at that.

Other than that, I think it may just be time to move on from ediets. Their program doesn’t seem especially suited to athletes who are looking to perform well (which is not what it advertises, anyway, so I am by no means trying to discredit them or anything. Truth be told, I should have thought a bit better about trying out their program given my somewhat rigorous workout schedule).

With any luck, things will get a bit better and I will be re-energized in no time!

Problem solving

I have been so sluggish lately, which has really been getting of the way of my succeeding at this week’s challenge. I haven’t been going to bed too late, I have been sleeping well, and for a decent amount of time. But I cannot, for the life of me, get up in the morning. When I do, I feel like I have just been dragged out of bed after sleeping a mere two hours, and my eyes take several minutes (10 to 15) just to focus. It’s weird. I have to give myself ample amounts of time to wake up, and I tend to feel better once I have. But it’s not long before I feel groggy again. By mid-day, I am ready for a nap. By late afternoon, I am nearly a zombie. I have never been heavily dependent on caffeine, but I am starting to feel like even if I had a coffee IV I would still be low on energy.

About three weeks ago, I started following a diet plan through ediets, in an attempt to shed a bit of weight I had put on. Shortly thereafter, I started missing runs because of traveling and other things in life, and then I got sick. The thing is, starting the diet kind of coincided with the quality of my running going way down, but I think that was due more to outside factors than anything else. I am eating a much greater variety of fruits and vegetables now, and feel pretty well-nourished. But I am tired all the time. What gives? At this point my energy level is so low that I find myself having a hard time getting to the point where I feel like I can make it through a run. Maybe the lack of exercise is the reason for the lack of energy? I don’t know.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Anyone have any suggestions or solutions they would care to share?

A change of plans

Oof. I just finished doing “Tank Top Arms, Bikini Belly, Boy Shorts Bottom” with Minna Lessig (who, it is true, does use a lot of somewhat silly expressions) and my muscles are still shaking. Last time I did it, I didn’t do the whole thing; I omitted the total body workout, which, it would appear, is like the double-chocolate whipped topping, and cherries, and sprinkles on top. I mean, the whole DVD is challenging, there is no doubt about that, but doing the full hour is wow a tough workout. As I write this my triceps are twinging a little bit. In the best way possible, of course. I know I will be feeling it in the morning.

So why revisit this DVD, since I have already mentioned it here? Well, because I decided that instead of doing that workout for your shape routine featured in Fitness, I would try doing this routine three times a week over the next month. At that point, I will have firmly established a weight-training routine. Plus, I think that in order to get the full effect of the Fitness routine, the best thing would be to do the cardio workout that goes along with it, which I would prefer to do after finishing up with this imminent marathon. So that’s the new plan, just thought you might like to know

Weekly Challenge: what next?

I’m pretty proud of myself: I managed to get up to 10 pushups over the past week. That’s not bad–a jump from 2 to 10 (while being sick) is pretty respectable, I think. Especially seeing as how it was an eight pushup jump in a very short period of time. So I’m nowhere near G.I. Jane craziness, but it is a definite improvement.

And now it is time to pick out a new weekly challenge. I’m not entirely sure what to do this week. The one idea I’ve been knocking around has been getting up in the morning to run or workout. I tend to put it off until later in the day, but I have always wanted to commit to running in the morning, getting it out of the way, and having many hours in front of me during which I do not have to worry about when I am going to be able to fit a run in.

So here’s my idea for this week: wake up around 6:30 or 6:45, eat something (a Luna bar, maybe?), digest, and be out for the run about an hour later.

This will probably be the most trying challenge to date but I guess it is now or never and I am going to have to rise to the occasion (and yeah, I admit that originally there was no pun intended there but then I thought about it and realized that it was punny, and I wrote it anyway. Feel free to groan).

Splurge on shoes!

Now that the weather is finally beginning to vaguely resemble something Spring-like, I think more and more of us are ready to shuffle off our wintry coils and get outside for some activity. Of course you all know what my favorite outdoor activity is: running (duh)!! One of the greatest things about running is that you don’t really need any fancy equipment to do it–all you need to do is throw on some clothes that you don’t mind getting sweaty (for a start, anyway. When you get serious about it, you may find you want to invest in some wicking material in order to prevent the dreaded chafing), grab some shoes, and head out the door.

The problem here is that a lot of people end up grabbing the wrong shoes. This seems to happen a lot, and to a certain extent, fitness magazines do little to stop this problem in its tracks. Recently, Fitness magazine ran a piece about the best shoes for different activities, identifying one shoe for walking, one for running, one for cross-training, etc. The problem with this is that there really isn’t a single “best” running shoe–everyone’s foot is different and everyone needs a different shoe. Going in to some big sporting goods store and just picking out what a magazine told you is the best shoe is one of the least productive things you can do for your wallet and your body.

Running in the wrong shoes can be extremely hard on your body, and seeing as how running is an activity that is inherently hard on the joints, it seems to me that you would want to minimize or mitigate damage as much as possible. Getting the right shoes is essential when it comes to preserving your knees, ankles, and hips! I know it may sound silly, but the difference between the right and the wrong pair of shoes could mean the difference between running happily for the rest of your life and running miserably for a few years (if you make it that long) before injuring yourself to the point where running is out of the question.

Here are my tips when it comes to buying the right shoes:

1. Take a look at some material online to see what is said about shoes. Runner’s World and CoolRunning are probably a good place to start.
2. There is a lot of information online about how to get an idea about the shape of your foot, how you roll through your foot as you run, and the shape of your arch. Being familiar with all of these things can really help you to identify a good shoe. You should make sure you get an idea of how a high arch is different from a low arch, and what pronation and motion-control shoes mean.
3. Go to a running store. A lot of (if not all) running stores pride themselves on being able to help their customers find the right shoe. They want you to be running as long as possible. The longer you run, the longer you are their customer. I’m sure they are also interested in your running because they are generally runners too and want everyone to enjoy running (so it is not just a capitalistic interest)! Some stores have treadmills that are hooked up to cameras and monitoring systems, others just rely on the keen eyes of their highly-trained staff. Whatever the set-up, a good running store employee will spend as much time as necessary with you in order to find the shoe that works best for you. The best sign is when they start you off with brands you have never heard of–that is, they don’t bring out the Nikes or the Adidas; instead, they start with the Mizunos, Asics, Sauconys, or Brooks.
4. Don’t be afraid to speak up. When you are trying on shoes, remember that you are making an investment in yourself and you want to find the right thing. Take your time to get a feel for the shoe and if it doesn’t feel exactly the way you want it to, say something. Try a different pair. Make sure you run in the shoes, and that you don’t just walk. Your stride while walking is different from your stride while running and often a shoe will feel different during the two activities. Give the shoes a test run, even if it means going out onto the sidewalk in front of the store. Most of the time, the store employees have no problem with this.
5. Expect to pay between $75 and $120. Believe me, it is worth it. Plus, if the price is a bit too high for you in the store, you can always take a look and see what’s available online (although that isn’t really nice to do to someone who just spent an hour with you and helped you go through eight pairs of shoes).

I hope these tips help and keep you running for a long time to come!

New feature from Nike+

Generally, I love Nike+ or whatever you want to call it. Now, there is one exception–I hate the Nike+ armband for reasons I have already stated and that I won’t bother to go into again. Although, jeez, I really hate that thing. I mean, what a let down. But I digress.

Today, as I was logging my run (or sort of having my run logged for me automatically because that is what awesomeness does), I noticed that Nike+ has a new feature–training plans! You can choose from a walking-to-running plan, a 5k training plan, a 10k training plan, a half-marathon training plan, a marathon training plan, and a customized plan for an event of your choice. Each distance has different levels of intensity, from beginner to advanced, and each level of intensity comes with a pretty detailed description of the sort of person who would benefit from the plan, why you may or may not want to choose it, and what sort of goal you might accomplish if you choose it. Needless to say, I will definitely be trying one of these out for my next marathon. Or half-marathon. Or even 10k, if I decide I want to run it in a specific time or something. I am sort of inordinately excited about this whole thing.

AND I did 7 full push-ups this evening. So that adds to the excitement!

Fitness fixation

Good news, everybody! I can swallow again without wincing. This also means I can now eat things other than toasted bagels and orange juice. It is so easy to forget how good it feels to be healthy–not that I am entirely healthy. Unfortunately, I haven’t made a miraculous recovery, I have just experienced a cold migration. Instead of my throat feeling like someone has it in a vice and is rubbing sandpaper on it, my nose is now runny. Not too pretty, but far preferable to a sore throat any day of the week, if you ask me.

Anyway, on to the subject at hand. I have a silly little dream that one day my blog will be big and awesome and people will send me their products to review and I’ll get a lot of free goodies. Realistically, I don’t think it will ever happen, but it is a nice little pipe dream to keep near. The thing is, I already know which products I would want to have sent to me for free, because (and this is in the spirit of full disclosure) there are certain things that I fixate on. It’s true! I see the infomercials and I get drawn in. Then maybe I see the product in stores, or I go to the website, or something, and…I get even further drawn in! I become completely obsessed with these products, like they are the little miracle pill that will change my life. It’s very silly, I know, but I can’t help myself.
One of these products is the Bender ball, part of the Bender Method of Core Training or something to that effect. For some reason, I am mesmerized by these ads, and convinced that I, too, will have a flat and toned tummy if I get the Bender ball! I have looked for reviews of the product, and I haven’t found much, but I saw an ad the other day that said that you can now get the Bender ball and the instructional DVD for like $9.95. If I had $9.95 to spend on something like that, it would be really tempting. I mean, not only would I be able to use it, I would be able to review it, too! Too bad I can’t write it off for educational purposes.

I also have a semi-crush/obsession with the bar method. The method consists of classes, and as far as I know, is mostly only available in California (with a few exceptions). It would be fun to have a job where I could just drop in on classes to try them out. Ah, dreams. And if I did have that job, I would be sure to try out a spinning class. I have always wanted to try one of those because I know I am weak when it comes to cycling, but I am scared to ride my bike in NYC (something about being car-doored=not-so-appealing to me) and really hate riding the stationary bike. I think it would be a fun and hard workout, the perfect way for me to kick my own butt…well, maybe someday!

What about you? What are your fitness fixations?

Food for Thought: Keeping a Diary

Health, fitness, and weight-loss trends are constantly coming and going as though functioning on a revolving-door sort of platform; however, I have noticed that there has been at least one constant in everything that I have heard over the years about eating right and losing weight, and that is that you should keep a food diary.

Personally, I haven’t had much success keeping one, but that’s because I’m lazy. I mean, yeah, I’ll admit it. I am lazy, and I am also picky about where I write these things down. I like to have a designated place for things like this, and if it means I can buy a cute little notebook, then I am all for it. That’s why I was intrigued by this cute food diary. There is space for your meals, snacks, exercises, and notes for any given day. The cover is laminated and with 100 pages, you can keep several months’ worth of information in a single book. Plus they are small enough to stash away in your purse for when you are on the go, and inexpensive enough that you can buy a new one when you run out of space.