50k, Picky Bars and a Weekend Workout

Yesterday was certainly a much more "chill" day than Wednesday. Just trying to get these legs rested and somewhat recovered before Saturday morning! Eeek!

I haven't talked much about goals for my 50k, or if I have a plan. And, honestly, I really don't have either. My main goal is just to finish. For most race personal distance records, that seems to be my norm. 

My first marathon, I just wanted to cross the finish line and I literally had zero ambitions time-wise. The same goes for this 50k. I keep hearing that it's just 4 more miles than a marathon, which sounds easy enough. But thinking to my last marathon, I'm not sure I had 4 more miles in me! Of course, mentally, I'll be in a different place, which I guess will make all the difference.

I'm planning on starting out around a 9 minute mile and just try to hold that pace. I think once I get to mile 8, I'll be just fine. It's those early miles that can get sort of mentally daunting for me. 

The things I'm worried most about are pretty much out of my control. I'm worried about my neuroma. The best thing I can do for that is just to make sure my calf isn't tight, so I will be stretching like crazy all day. 

The only other worry I have is my left hip. It's been somewhat problematic since the Seattle Marathon, so I am hoping it will just calm down tomorrow. We will see! I've done all the foam rolling I can, so what will happen, will happen!

In other news, I finally tried Picky Bars. I have heard some pretty great things about these, and they sure didn't disappoint. 

Before I get in to the taste, these bars have some major nutritional thought behind them! First off, they have a 4 to 1 carbohydrate to protein ratio, perfect for recovery! They are a perfect size at 200 calories, and they are gluten and dairy free.

I tried "Lauren's Mega Nuts" (hehe even the name made me giggle) and LOVED it! I think I liked it better than my beloved Lara Bars! Among other ingredients, this bar features dates, peanut butter, brown rice cereal, apricots, cranberries, chocolate chips, and several varieties of nuts and seeds. Whew! So much yum! I highly recommend these and will be getting more!

I taught a lovely High Intensity Interval class last night and, afterwards, realized it would be a fun one to share because it doesn't require any equipment. This workout took my class about a half an hour to complete. This one is certain to get you super sweaty!

Start off doing 100 jumping jacks. Then do 50 reps of air squats and high knees, then 40 reps of the same, then 30. The next section, you do 40/30/20 reps of jumping lunges and sit-ups. The last set is 30/20/10 of push ups and broad jumps. And you finish off with 100 more jumping jacks!

Hope you all have a good weekend! Let me know if you try the workout!

Back to the Barre

I had such a fun day yesterday! I may have worn myself out a bit too much, but it was my day off and I filled it with all the things I enjoy!

First, I met my running buddies Beth and Jess for an early morning trail run at Discovery Park. 

Heading out to the trails.

Our run was short and sweet. We only did 4.33 miles and took it nice and slow. I've been running on the road for the past week and a half at least, so it was nice to be on trails and using different muscles. I've mentioned before, but the stairs at Discovery are a particular brand of insanity. I must admit that we walked most of them for this loop!

Honestly, it was just nice to be running with friends without any sort of speed or distance agenda. While solo running has its benefits, there is nothing like running with two of my favorite people!

Different day, but same favorite people!

I had big plans for the rest of my morning. 

Since I've felt so off the past week, I decided to change things up a little bit. I thought about going to yoga, which I know will benefit me, and I will get back to eventually. 

However, my mind immediately went to ballet. It has been about a year since I have taken class. Remembering back to New York and how my favorite teachers gave me such goosebumps, I knew I had to make it happen here in Seattle! Luckily, Pacific Northwest Ballet has a pretty good "open" program, and I carved out time yesterday to attend one of their technique classes.

So, I pulled out my old ballet shoes (um...STINKY!)! And don't even ask about my pointe shoes. While I still have several old pairs that aren't "dead" yet, I have serious doubts I will ever strap on a pair again.

Stinky ballet shoes FTW!

I cannot begin to explain the joy I felt during the plies. Plies are generally the first exercise of a ballet class, and are done at the barre. Yesterday, plies were almost like a religious experience. As silly as it sounds, sinking in to those plies gave me a sense of artistry and creativity that I have been lacking.

Too excited for life!! Also, sneaking pictures in the
PNB dressing rooms was a funny experience. Totally awkward.

Don't get me wrong. I am absolutely head-over-heals in love with running and Crossfit, but I am definitely missing the artistic aspect of things. What I love most about ballet is...well, pretty much everything! 

First of all, I love that there is structure. Every technique class has the same set-up. You start at the barre with plies, tendus, degages, etc. And then move to the center for adagio, petit allegro and grande allegro. But, secondly, within the structure is a chance to express yourself. A chance to move your head or your arm in a slightly different direction and with senses of both musicality and grace. Not sure if that makes sense, so if not, just take my word for it that it is amazing!

My day finished up at Crossfit, of course. I didn't have much left, but I wanted to see my friends!

We had a "long" workout today that would have kicked my butt even if I hadn't already had an active day.

We started off with 50 kettlebell swings. I used a VERY light kettlebell in an effort to salvage my legs. That didn't last long. Then we did a 2000 meter row with a partner. My partner and I split it up in chunks of 500 meters.

Then we did a 10 minute AMRAP (as many rounds as possible) of 5 pull-ups, 10 push press and 15 medicine ball cleans. I have to toot my own horn here a little and say that I did all the pull ups without a band! And I was getting sets of 5 straight pretty consistently! Woo!

We book-ended things with another 2000 meter row with our partner and another 50 kettlebell swings.

The whole workout took us about 40 minutes! Woof! I had fun with this one, though, because as challenging as it was, most of it was endurance, which I have in spades.

Like I said, I probably tried to do a little too much yesterday. But I know that I am going to be taking it easy the next few days, so I am okay with it!

Here's to an equally fun Thursday!

20 Rep CrossFit WOD and Running Tights

The other day, the main Crossfit site had a great long workout up!

I was so obsessed with it that I put it up on the WOD board at my gym.

It is basically 20 reps of every exercise in the Crossfit regimen. There were a lot of people at our gym who did this workout, several of whom put their times up. It seemed to take most people about half an hour. I am very much looking forward to this workout once my 50k is over on Saturday. As I said Monday, I'm trying really hard not to kill myself before then! =)

I was thinking of doing a 10 mile run tomorrow up on Cougar mountain with Ultra Marathoner Jess, who just got back from Africa. I think I have made the executive decision, however to forgo that idea in favor of a ballet class.

Source

Since my running has felt so off the past week or so, I find myself dreaming about sinking into plies and finding some escape in an adagio combination. It has been about a year probably since I have taken a ballet technique class, after religiously taking class almost daily for many years. I have to say I'm really looking forward to it tomorrow!

Last night at Crossfit, we did a fun shoulder-burner. You worked with a partner.

Partner number 1 would row 250 meters all out, as fast as possible. Then immediately do as many push ups as they could (to max). And then match that number with pull ups.

Then partner 2 would do the same thing. You switched back and forth for 3 rounds each.

I worked with Beth, who is running a marathon Saturday and we tried to take it easy on the row so we could save our legs. We still got in a great upper-body workout, though!

Two semi-exciting things happened this morning during my usual 4 am run. First, I finally broke out the running tights. I have still been rocking the short shorts even though it's December and as much as I hate running in pants, I just had to this morning. T'was chilly!

The tights I usually wear are the New Balance WindBlocker Tight. I like it because it keeps me warmer and breaks the wind, but it isn't overly hot and there is a drawstring. And drawstrings are pretty much all I want in life. Or in a running pant.

The second exciting thing was that my run finally didn't suck completely. I was finally able to get a little speed, and although it was only 4 miles, I felt the mojo returning, at least a little bit!

Have a good Tuesday!

17 Ugly Miles and the Twelve Days of Crossfit

It's Monday. And I think I am still recovering from Friday. Let me fill you in.

All last week I was in a funk. Actually, I'm still in a funk. But Friday I was hoping that if I could just get myself out the door for a long run, I would feel better and my run-love would be back in full swing.

Well, I got myself out the door by saying I only had to get in 12 miles, but I was hoping my mojo would return and I could get in 20. I knew it would make me feel better for the 50k next weekend, since I haven't done a long run since the Seattle Marathon.

I started off okay. I turned on my music (which I hardly listen to while running anyways) and just plugged away. There was a lot on my mind that kept me occupied for the first 8 miles or so. I won't say the miles were fun, but I didn't hate them, either. Finally I started feeling good around mile 8, which lasted until mile 12. At that point, I was much further from home than I wanted to be. And I was done. Just done. My legs didn't want to go anymore, my left hip was a mess (I have torn cartilage in that hip from dancing) and I was exhausted. Of course, I immediately started getting down on myself and wondering how the heck I was going to do 30 miles in a week. I finally made it back to my apartment after 17 miles and spent the rest of the afternoon either eating or napping.

Also happening on Friday was my Crossfit box's annual "12 Days of Crossfit" workout that I didn't want to miss. Obviously I rallied and made it into the gym to workout with my friends.

I had lots of fun working out with my friends, but this workout was killer! I finished in 27 minutes right next to my friend, Beth!

You start with the 100 meter sprint. Then you do a 200 meter bear crawl and 100 meter sprint. You continue like that until you are doing all 12 "days". Ouchies!

Beth and I finished together. Just as it should be!

Obviously we came as twins. Because that's what we do. Just kidding! It was totally accidental.

One of the gym owners was there with her camera, and she caught lots of shots of us working out. Some were pretty bad*ss.

Knees to elbows.

Some were not.

Beth and I dying. All in good fun. 

At least we had fun. If you want to call death my Crossfit "fun", which I DO!

Of course, the workout kicked my butt, but I didn't realize the extent of it until I woke up the next morning feeling like a I had been run over by a truck. Not kidding.

I am STILL sore and in recovery mode. I pretty much have one goal for the week: don't kill myself before my 50k on Saturday. My only goal for the actual race is to finish. And I am determined not to get down on myself if I have to walk a little.

In a Funk

Admittedly, I have been in a bit of a funk this week. Since my first 50k is happening a week from tomorrow, I'm a little worried!

Last week I missed my long run. This past Wednesday I was hoping to get in a final 20 miles. That did not happen. I just didn't want to run.

Shocker, I know.

I'm hoping this is not burn out, but just a few weeks of waning motivation. Only time will tell, but I have 2 50k's to run before I take a break, so I will have to dig deep and make things happen!

Seattle has been rainy and cold this week. Perhaps that's why I have been somewhat less than gung-ho about running? Leaves are still falling from the trees, and I'm still enjoying the colors of fall, if only for a little while longer.

I've only been to my CrossFit box a few times this week. Last night's workout was one I really enjoyed. It was short and all about speed.

After I killed this WOD, I had to go teach class for an hour. Holy quads. If you want to smoke your quads, do 100 squats as fast as possible. My legs were literally on fire the whole time. I definitely didn't do most of my own class. I just shouted lots of words of encouragement. 

Today, our box is doing "The Twelve Days of Christmas", which is going to be an hour long sweat-fest. Although I'm looking forward to it, I'm going to try not to burn myself out completely! 

I feel like every sport has a "Twelve Days of Christmas" workout. I remember in high school, when I swam on a club team, we did a ladder workout with the same title that would take us about 3 hours. Each day of Christmas was a different set and we had to repeat each set as you went up in days. Ouch. I used to dread that workout every year!

Hope everyone has a great Friday!

All I Want for Christmas...

I have quite a few fitness related gifts on my list this year. I thought I would share them so you can either put them on your list or to give you ideas for the runner in your life. Some of these products aren't necessarily on my list, but are my favorite products. And the only reason they aren't on my list is that I already have enough of them =)

Lululemon Inspire Crops

I always always get asked where I get my crops from. The Lululemon Inspires are, far and away, my favorite pair. First, they are insanely flattering. They lift and tuck where they should and come up high enough on your waist to hide that pooch. Most importantly, they don't fall down when running and working out. I wear these at work at the gym, during Crossfit workouts and for running.

Oiselle Roga Shorts

I bought a pair of Rogas on a whim several months ago and, since then, have barely worn any other shorts. I ran the Seattle Marathon in them and have taken them out on numerous trail runs. I have even slept in them. They are so comfortable, the waistband doesn't dig in to you and they have so many pockets. So. Many. Pockets. There is a back pocket, an inside front pocket and an outside hip pocket. I have so much love for these, I asked for another pair for Christmas.

Petzl Zipka Headlamp

I decided awhile back that I didn't like wearing a light on my head while I was running. It just wasn't happening. When I lived in New York, my dark, morning runs were along streets with lots of street lights and I never had to worry about not being able to see or not being seen. When I moved to Seattle, it became apparent this was not going to be the case any longer. I ended up buying a cheap clip that I put on a string and around my arm, but admittedly, it didn't do much and has since been pretty much forgotten. This headlamp was recommended to me by an over-zealous REI employee who said that most runners love this lamp because you can put it around your arm instead of your head. I was sold. 

Pro Compression Socks

Holy cow I love these socks. It took me quite awhile to jump on the compression bandwagon. People always used to ask if I "compressed". My answer was always no, compression is bull*hit. I hereby state for the record that I was oh so wrong. While I'm not convinced that compression "works" for recovery, it sure does feel amazing! I have tried several of the different compression companies out there and Pro Compression is by far my favorite. Their socks aren't too tight, but give you just the right amount of squeeze. It's like a hug for your calf and shin. And they always have some sort of discount going on each month. I have yet to pay full price for a pair!

Tire Flipping

Friday evening started with tire flipping at Crossfit! I had never gotten the chance to flip a tire before and I was super excited the moment I walked in.

I had to laugh at myself because, seriously, who gets excited waiting to flip a hurking tire around?!?!

We worked in partners and it looked something like this:

Source

Except for the fact that I am not a bald, African-American man. Whatever.

Flipping the tires was the fun part. Doing 10 jumps on to the top of it each time we flipped them was not. I am most certainly a white girl who can't jump. After our first tire flip, our coach said to jump onto the tire. Everyone started jumping and I freaked out and asked the coach to hold my hand for the first few. It was high!

The rest of my weekend consisted mostly of working and rainy running. I feel like weekends are not weekends without a race. But unfortunately, my work schedule doesn't let that happen as much as I would like.

Back to the rain. So much rain this weekend. I guess Seattle is definitely hitting winter time. While for most areas, that means large amounts of snow, for us, it just means crazy amounts of rain. Really, I'm okay with it. The thing that gets me most is the wind, which was also out in full force this weekend. Saturday morning I spent 4 miles running with the wind, to turn around and head back straight into it. Not fun. I was holding my hat for dear life.

Despite living in the Pacific Northwest, I don't have much rain gear. I figure that if I'm going to run in the rain, I am going to get wet, so why fight it? I do, however, wear a rain jacket from my high school soccer team that still has my number on it.

Lookin' good!

I also put up a killer workout on the WOD board at work. I was thinking about how much I wanted to do some kettlebell swings and ring rows and this just popped into my head. Of course, I had to give it a shot, too.

In case you can't read my super blurry picture:

400 meter run
21,15,9:
Kettlebell swings
Thrusters
Reverse ring rows
400 meter row

Lots of fun, but my body is barking at me a bit today. In a loving way, except for my left IT band. Not sure what his deal is, but it's time to shape up and get with the program!