august 2009

can i make this font any smaller? no? how about i make it white so it looks like there's just a big blank space... ok fine, just skip this part and go down to the monthly rundown - it looks a smidge better.

week in review (8/24 - 8/30):
total miles: 35 (yeah, i know. not marathon-training mileage)
time spent running: ~ 4 hours 56 minutes
avg hr: 158.00
avg pace: 8:40/mile (avg temp: 82.67*)
off days: 3 (yeah, i know. hey august was shot anyway.)

so like i said, very blah week full of funkiness which left no room for motivation. on sunday i brushed my shoulders off with jay-z and started focusing on the coming week. can't redo the past; i'm not going to dwell on it. maybe i'll call it wisdom teeth recovery still.... yeah.

i did kind of make up for skipping my long run of the week with a 15 miler/last shot at august mileage after work today.

moving on to numbers that don't make me feel as lazy:

august 2009 - i'm starting to think the glamorous hotel life is hindering my spirit and running motivation after almost six months. i could give a bunch of other excuses like commuting 10 hours a week to and from work, working 55 hours/week, spending at least 12 hours in the car every other weekend, my wisdom teeth throwing me off my normal routine, but i still feel like they are just excuses. i know plenty of you have way busier lives. so here's to september, a much better month by default.

total mileage: 200.92 (aug '08 i ran ~145mi as i began training for goofy)
time spent running: 29:09:50
avg pace: 9:00/mile
days off: 8 (more than june and july combined)
avg resting hr: 50.60
avg max hr: 176.57
pushups: a measly 275

Read More

winner winner chicken dinner

thanks to everyone for entering the great gu giveaway and again for following along in my little running journey. i know that part of my growth as a runner has come from the support and motivation i get from your comments and blogs. i wish i could send everyone gu but i only have so much... because of my various entry-methods there were 197 entries from 72 dedicated running-bloggers!

and the winners are:

aron of runner's rambles

and

amy of will run for fun

congrats to two awesome runners and bloggers!

thanks again all for playing, this giveaway business is pretty fun. gu, i will be more than happy to continue holding raffles! :o)

aron & amy - please email your address to lindsay@chasingthekenyans.com so i can send you the goods!

Read More

nailed it

this week so far in one word: blah.

i think sunday's problematic, cut-short long run rubbed me the wrong way. i was extra tired on monday and had a headache, shoulder aches etc so i took the day off and went to bed early. before the sun went down early. tuesday i was not in the mood to run but i headed out anyway and got in 8 miles; felt accomplished. i still felt a little "off" during the run but i took it easy. uh, wednesday... yeah. i lasted for two whole miles. just wasn't feeling it. i half wanted to cry while i was running and the other half just wanted to stop and sit down. i did neither, the tears weren't really there and i knew if i stopped i would have to eventually get home somehow. i don't know what's been going on in my head lately but i've been in funk land so far this week.

tuesday (8/25) pm run: 8.10 miles, 1:13:04 (avg pace 9:01), avg hr (160), 84*
wednesday (8/26) pm run: 2 miles, 17:48 (avg pace 8:54), avg hr (138), 87*

the funky mood was still going strong today, especially when i got to work and found out that google reader is now blocked for "social networking and personal websites". thank you websense. i was soo annoyed - a) now my reader is going to get wayyy backed up and b) what the heck am i supposed to do for the 10 hours i'm at work? ;) anyway, so if it takes me a few days to catch up with you, i'm sorry. i think i'm already two days behind as it is... sigh. work is cramping my style.

after a blah day at work and still feeling depressed about google reader, i forced myself into my quality workout. it was a good one - 14 miles with 10 at threshold pace. i know, it sounds so fun you're dying to try it out yourself. like last week's mid-week workout, it went a lot better than expected. i hope this helps turn the mood around 'cause i have been down in the running-dumps.

thursday (8/27) pm run: 14 miles, 1:47:20 (avg pace 7:40), avg hr (176)
[avg pace of the 10 threshold miles 7:14]

it felt much easier than previous threshold runs but was definitely still a challenging workout. i know i needed a good run for my spirits and i feel a little revived mentally. physically my legs are tired and my lower back is achy, but they'll get over it. ...i hope.

don't forget, tomorrow is the end of the great gu giveaway!

Read More

churning out miles

week in review (8/17 - 8/23):
total miles: 56.15
time spent running: ~ 8 hours 18 minutes
avg hr: 158.00
avg pace: 8:51/mile (avg temp: 80.17*)
off days: 1 (easing back into the swing)

i kind of wanted to jump right back into the 60+ mpw groove but i didn't think 11mpw to 60 was a great idea. clearly i did a great job of holding back and "only" did 56... that's way different than 60. my new garmin and shades may or may not have put an extra bounce in my step.

after getting over the nausea at the beginning of the week i felt fine for the remainder of the week's runs. i took thursday off and did some weights for the first time in months. i then walked around like a 90 year old man for the rest of the week and took a good 10-minute shuffle warm-up at the start of my runs. other than the doms, i felt pretty good.

friday (8/21) pm run: 8 miles, 1:11:50 (avg pace 8:58), avg hr (156), 77*
verrry stiff and sore legs shuffling through this run

saturday (8/22) mid-day run: 8.8 miles, 1:18:16 (avg pace 8:53), avg hr (147), 72*
slightly less stiff and sore but not by much

sunday's long run was, well, another story. my body felt ok - legs had a little lingering soreness but were otherwise fine. i was running slow splits from the start but assumed maybe i was just a little tired after practically taking last week off. the weather seemed ok, 72* partly-cloudy and semi-humid but it's definitely been a lot worse so i didn't think it was a factor. i took a sip of water at each mile for the first hour and then refilled my bottle with raspberry gu20 (the predecessor of gu brew, an electrolyte replacement).

the miles ticked away slowly but i figured at least i was getting in a long run and time on my feet. luckily this week's long-quality run was "just" an easy 20 miler (i might have secretly wanted 21). around mile 14 i started to feel different but i couldn't quite figure out what felt off - legs felt ok, lungs felt ok, upper-body form wasn't sucking yet. i was running through a park with fishing ponds and was tempted to stop and ask some of the picnic-ers if they had an ice cold water to share. i chickened out and stopped for some free, regular temperature water instead. i continued on my run and felt alright for another 2 miles.

before i hit mile 16, i started to feel like my vision was off or something. i could still see clearly, but it just wasn't normal (hard to explain). i was a little light-headed, but not nauseaus. because head-fuzziness just isn't enough, i rolled my left ankle ~mile 16.25, graceful. short of mile 17, i stopped and slumped over. a nice old man in his driveway nearby asked if i was ok and told me to not push it too hard when i told him i was just tired (might have been a lie). i began running again, but found myself stopping about every .30 miles. i didn't think about cutting the run short until a few stops later when i started feeling dizzy, couldn't see straight and wanted to throw up.

after puking from the meds last week, i wasn't afraid of having to do that again. i was worried about the dizziness and trouble focusing my eyes though. i took a shortcut back and still had to stop a few times to keep from falling over into the passing cars. at mile 17.97 or so, i rolled my left ankle again. nice. i stumbled into the hotel, struggled to finish off the gu20 and refilled my bottle with cool water. i slowly made my way down the hall and up the stairs, stopping a few more times to try and contain the dizziness, and promptly collapsed on the floor of the room. i wanted to take an ice bath but the desire to lay down was stronger. i showered, put forth a very shoddy stretching effort, and crawled under the covers.

unfortunately i forgot to put on my hr monitor so i don't have that data to look at and see if anything funky was going on there. i also forgot my road id, probably not the best day for that, but thankfully i made it home. perhaps it was just "one of those runs", or maybe i can (still) blame it on the meds from last week. i'm sure my diet for the past 11 days didn't help - soft foods don't have the best nutritional value. i just started eating some normal foods again thursday (veggies, rice, chicken etc.) and it is well worth spending 15 minutes flushing my wisdom holes out with a syringe.

anyway. a tough long run in the books; i'll take 18 miles. this is already the best training i've ever done for a marathon period with higher base mileage and more/longer-long runs. i'm hoping my stronger aerobic base will contribute some brownie points come race day and that some of my "speed" will decide to show up as well.

sunday (8/23) mid-day run: 18 miles, 2:46:27 (avg pace 9:14), 72*
looking back, i ran 20 miles faster than this 2 weeks ago.

Read More

the great gu giveaway

exactly one year ago today, chasing the kenyans was born with a simple post and one reader (ol' faithful mr. j). like many of you started out, this blog was simply going to be a journal of my training runs and races. i'd been keeping track of my data for the past four years, and j convinced me to start keeping more detailed entries. i can only assume he wanted me to start this blog so that i would quit talking to him about running 24/7. he claims he doesn't mind, but i wouldn't doubt if it gets old sometimes as he is not as passionate about running as i.

i'm not sure exactly how many readers i have out there now since there are about 19 ways to attempt to track data and they all give me different numbers. nevertheless, i have enjoyed feeling like the cool kid at school each time i gain a new reader. thanks for sticking with me through the good runs and the bad. you've held me accountable to run (and talk about my training) on those days when the last thing i want to do is lace up and head out the door. you've reminded me to step-back and relax and not let running take control over my life. you've motivated me to better myself as a runner and a person.

in honor of chasing the kenyans' first birthday, gu energy has so graciously donated a boatload of amazing gu products for some lucky readers! i'm personally a huge fan of gu - from their chomps to gels (regular and roctane) to gu brew, you just can't go wrong. i was introduced to gu's roctane gel from outside pr, and have been a faithful customer since. it's very hard to just give all these away - i loooove gu and could train for a couple marathons on this stash! ;-)

so, what's up for grabs?

not one but two gu feeding frenzies! yes, two of you wonderfully lucky readers will score a load of gu products to help keep you going through your late summer runs.


included in each prize pack are gu chomps, gu energy gels, and gu brew. feel free to visit the gu website to learn about these products and how they are designed to aid your training and recovery.

to enter the great gu giveaway, leave a comment on this post stating your favorite gu flavor or product (if you have one); if you've never tried gu that's ok too!

for additional entries:

1. become a "follower" of chasing the kenyans blog and/or follow me on twitter. (1 entry for each)
   
2. tweet or blog about/link to this giveaway. (1 entry for each)
3. bonus entry if you were cool enough to stop by (and comment) on saturday, 8/22 to celebrate the official birthday of ctk!
   

the great gu giveaway will end on friday, august 28th.

many thanks to gu energy, outside pr and all of you fantastic readers!

Read More

my future's so bright

i've been needing/wanting a pair of running-sunglasses for awhile now. i already wear a hat, but i often still find myself squinting.

last thursday i came back from surgery and promptly fell asleep for a couple hours. i woke up, felt ok for the most part and got on the computer to catch up on blog reading. i then decided it would be a great time to do some online shopping. perhaps not the best idea when you are recovering from anesthesia and on pain meds? oops.

enter: rudy project. i've really been wanting to indulge in a pair of rudy sunglasses for quite awhile. i know it's a great investment in my eyes and i'll get a lot of use out of them since i do actually run, but i had been having a hard time bringing myself to spend $200 on sunglasses. (i'm so unfashionable/cheap, even my "regular" sunglasses are like $15 ralph lauren.)

my rudy project rydon shades

the drugs took over my credit card and away i went. thankfully, rudy project is offering a sweet deal until september 1st! it was very easy for me to rationalize spending $200 on the sunglasses and getting all the other gear free.


the free gear deal includes a pair of sunglasses, spare pair of lenses, cycling helmet (or snow helmet), book- or gym- bag, hat and t-shirt. a pair of rudy project sunglasses & spare lenses can easily run you $230 alone so this is quite a bargain at $199.99 plus $19.99 s&h.

but wait, there's more!

follow rudy project on twitter @rudyprojectna and enter the code "ontwitter" when you checkout to save $20 (free shipping/handling essentially). don't forget, this deal ends september 1st.

i hope it doesn't rain this afternoon so i can take my new rydon shades out for their first run. they've got to be good - the usa triathlon team wears rudy!

---

tomorrow may be saturday, the day google reader gets backed up with unread blog posts, but you're probably gonna want to make an exception and stop by! i have some exciting news :)

Read More

back to the grind

yo hip flexors, what gives? you practically had a whole week off and you're gonna start aching? not cool.

the nausea seems to have (finally) passed for the most part and i also finished off that round of antibiotics. so i'm drug-free again, for one day so far anyway.

the ol' legs and i had two very easy and short runs monday and tuesday where i logged more miles than all of last week, not that it was that hard to beat. tuesday's run was much better than monday's; i guess my body forgot how to run and needed another day to refresh it's memory.

monday (8/17) pm run: 6.1 miles, 57:44 (avg pace 9:27), avg hr (154), 89*
tuesday (8/18) pm run: 5.25 miles, 45:14 (avg pace 8:36), avg hr (165), 87*

wednesday brought forth another quality workout - more 1000m repeats. it (surprisingly) went well. i guess i assumed i'd still feel off from having drugs in my system or the nausea would come back.

my garmin learning curve is off to a slow start and apparently i don't know how to work the lap button. i hit it after the first 1000 and it made kind of a beep noise (kinda more like a beep-fail tone though) and did not show my split. i dunno if i didn't hit it hard enough or if you have to caress it a special way or something, but nevertheless i didn't get my 1000m splits. no biggie, i told myself, i'll just run strong and aim for the pace to show 6:30 (a 4:02/1000m).

i thought i could calculate my splits from the handy garmin-graph on my computer but couldn't get that to work either. whatever. i held ~6:30 pace for all six repeats - a little over 6:30 in the first two, under in the middle three, and on pace/a little over in the sixth. my goal was 4:03/1000 so apparently i did a decent job of pacing and maintaining for each of the repeats. would've been nice to have actual splits but i can deal.

wednesday (8/19) pm run: 10 miles incl. 6x1000, 1:19:00 (avg pace 7:54), avg hr (168), 85*

feel free to leave hip/hip flexor stretches/exercises as mine are sore and i don't know why (for the record, they were achy before yesterday's interval run).

also, check out this awesome piece, "why i run" by morgan of caution: redhead running!

Read More

product review: sugoi moxie shorts

the sugoi moxie shorts are perfect for setting the summertime, hangout, be casual mood. while they are not the ideal running short, they are run-able with two front pockets, an inside key pocket, and a mesh liner. they make excellent shorts for lounging around, hitting the beach/pool, running errands around town or hitting a cardio/yoga class at the gym.

my former running buddy got married recently, and pre-wedding she was on the hunt for "cute, loungy clothes" for the honeymoon and her new married life. personally i feel i'll put even less effort into my appearance once i've tied the knot, but i can understand the honeymoon-clothes excuse. i would definitely have recommended these shorts to her as they are very cute and comfy.




i haven't personally run in these shorts, but if the laundry ever runs low i wouldn't hesitate to. they've been great shorts to hang out in and the local kroger shoppers have been envious of my style while i food-shop. unfortunately the other night i was trying to enjoy some vanilla ice cream and managed to dump the entire pint-sized container in my lap on my nice, new chill-out shorts.


this picture doesn't do it justice (nor does it make my legs look very good). the ice cream was all over the place, including a drippy trail from the desk to the bathroom. i'm not having much luck lately without having an incident in my shorts huh.

other than the ice cream mishap - these shorts are terrific! so comfy and very cute. boys, i know you don't have much use for these (other than maybe steve) but you could always hook your wife/girlfriend up with a pair!

Read More

cutback of champions

week in review (8/10 - 8/16):
total miles: 11.07
time spent running: ~ 1 hours 45 minutes
avg hr: 129.00
avg pace: 10:47/mile (avg temp: 72*)
off days: 4 (yes more days off this week alone than last month)

no, you are not imagining those stats. yes, diana you totally won. :o)

no shame here. i proudly cutback last week and totally milked the wisdom teeth excuse. ie, the appointment was thursday and i didn't run monday or wednesday... talk about lazy bones! i definitely counted the 1.07 mile walk i took on saturday to "beef up" my mileage even though it skewed my avg pace and heartrate.

post-surgery, i pretty much slept through the weekend. i figured at least you can't feel nauseous while you sleep. i'm still feeling a little nauseous today even though the only meds i'm taking is (yet another) round of antibiotics. this is like week 4 of being on antibiotics (with maybe a few days off in between rounds) - just doesn't seem like a good thing to me.

i thought i would be feeling good to go after such a laid back week but perhaps the meds are still throwing me off a little. the lingering nauseousness probably isn't helping much either. worst feeling ever.

since i don't have anything to say about my lack-of running, i'll continue to blabber about my teeth. i have (what i believe is) a piece of bone sticking out of one of the holes. it looks like a tiny piece of spaghetti noodle standing where a tooth used to be. the informational sheet they gave me says "small slivers of bone may work themselves out in the week or two following surgery" so i am hoping and assuming that's the case. it doesn't hurt - i just wish it would fall out already.

Read More

end of the streak

i'm feeling pretty good and it's not because of the drugs. i took pain meds every 4 hours on thursday (day of surgery) as prescribed and drew that out to 6-7 hours thursday night/friday morning. i haven't had anything but a couple ibuprofens since 9am friday morning, and thankfully my mouth just isn't hurting.

i was nauseous all day friday - i assumed from lack of drinking/eating much. i know, i should have been better about it but jello and pudding are only so appealing. anyway as we were driving through the mountains of north carolina on friday i became a bit more nauseated and told mario andretti (aka j) to pull over. i hurled on the side of the interstate, let me add that to my portfolio. it was just as unpleasant as i remember it being 15 or so years ago. at least i hadn't eaten anything so it was just white and chunk-free.

hungry? yum.

anyway, this morning i went on a one mile walk for an attempt at some exercise. it took foreverrrr. walking is overrated, at least when you are running you get to where you're going a lot sooner. while my mouth isn't hurting, i didn't want to try running yet for fear of causing a dry socket. that mile is definitely being calculated into my weekly totals because they are pathetic this week. i'm hoping/aiming to try a short run tomorrow.

the tooth fairy (aka myself) didn't let me down, and i tried out my new toy on my big mile walk. i still have to get used to it and figure a few more things out. the bezel likes to acknowledge touches from any object other than my finger, which is kind of annoying. i opted for the 405 w/ hrm 'cause the cx didn't seem to be that much of an upgrade and i thought the 310 would swallow my small wrists. hopefully it won't tell me i'm slow like my nike+ did.

thanks for all well-wishes and ring compliments! j's head is growing bigger with each comment on the ring and my teeth seem to be listening and holding back the pain. now if they can just keep it up and refrain from dry-socketing i'll be good to go.

Read More

waiting on the tooth fairy

i survived. i am still alive. i wasn't too nervous, but man was i starving. stupid no eating rule!

the pre-op sheet you have to sign off on was real comforting, warning me of all the things that could go wrong. thanks for the confidence folks. hopefully the nerve along the bottom of my jaw and my sinus thingys weren't messed up.

the laughing gas crap did nothing for me, that was kind of a bummer. turns out i am allergic to the regular iv drug they use so (supposedly) they used a different one. guess i'll find out in a few hours/days if i have a reaction. go figure that soy shows up in las drugas too.

i don't remember anything from the procedure which is perfectly fine with me. i was awake and then i was awake again and feeling reallllly good.

apparently i asked for pancakes, told j multiple times that i was hungry and my whole body was shaking really bad. j thought i was having a seizure but the nurse said it was normal. oh ok, sure. i also cried, a lot. when we got back to the hotel i think i said something like "wisdom teeth!" to the front desk people, well i attempted to say it with the gauze in my mouth and of course i was still quite tipsy. when we got off the elevator i said screw running, i'm just gonna do drugs. :o)

i haven't puked yet, yay. hopefully it stays that way. the last time i puked my mom cleaned it up (aka i was little). i just know it wouldn't go over well if i had to see it and be responsible for cleaning it up myself. no, i never puked after drinking in college, believe it or not.

they may have taken my teeth but i got three cool souvenirs.
yes, i'm still wearing them.

i'm already feeling semi-decent already - still a bit groggy and my mouth obviously is a little unhappy but i think i'm recovering from the anesthetic pretty quickly. bring on the vicodin.

Read More

redemption

week in review (8/03 - 8/09):
total miles: 61.50
time spent running: ~ 8 hours 38 minutes
avg hr: 156.50
avg pace: 8:33/mile (avg temp: 81*)
off days: 0

another week hanging out in the 60's. i would have liked a few more miles but i was having a hard time logging miles early in the week. my motivation (to run period) picked up at the end of the week for a strong finish. this coming week is going to be a major cutback week due to what will hopefully (am i really saying that?) finally be my wisdom teeth appointment. i've been pushing my legs for 2+ weeks without a day off because i'll be taking more than enough days off around my teeth. i've also logged four 60+ weeks in a row so it's time for a break anyway. i'm hoping to try a few miles sunday, but i am definitely not going to push it; if i have to take 4 days off then so be it.

today's long run/quality workout was a decent redemption from last week's. i got in 20 miles with 11 of them at/around "goal marathon pace" (which hasn't quite been set in stone yet). i took three vanilla bean flavored gu's (delicious!) that i recently won from rick at marathon man. he's currently training for the nyc marathon too and raising money for autism speaks.

my stomach muscles cramped a little and caused me to take a few breaks in the last few miles 'cause i couldn't stand up straight or run without them hurting. i only had to take two pitstops though so things are clearing up on that end. hopefully anyway, i'm still on the lovely clindamycin for another two days. i sure hope this issue can be blamed on the meds - i don't think i will run well in nyc if it's still around...

sunday (8/9) am run: 20 miles, 2:40:47 (avg pace 8:02), avg hr (166)
[average of "goal mp" miles 7:28]

Read More

when you're running down the road...

...and you can't control your load; diarrhea. diarrhea.

you see, i recently started a new round of stronger antibiotics for the lump in my mouth (that the root canal should solve, should i ever actually get to have it) and one of the side effects is...(drumroll)...diarrhea.

for the record, should you ever be prescribed clindamycin - strongly urge your doctor into a different antibiotic. perhaps one a little easier on the intestines.

ok, so i don't actually have diarrhea (thank god; knock on wood), but i have pooped 8 times in two days. i'm pretty sure that's not normal. my diet has remained the same, and since the antibiotics reference an increased frequency in bowel movements i'm blaming it on them.

i was supposed to run 14 miles today with 10 at threshold pace. as always, i was a little psyched out by the workout, especially since they haven't gone over too well in the past and i've been lacking motivation lately. the added #2 dilemma wasn't helping much either. i ran on the treadmill yesterday "just in case" an incident occurred (one did). i should have known better today than to head out on a 14 mile run with a bathroom located at mile 0 and 14 (it's an out and back).

pre-run movement, check. i thought i'd be good to go. i went out for my run and around mile 1.5 my stomach begins to rumble again. not good. luckily there's sort of a spot off the road just before mile 2 where you can at least be hidden from any traffic. i took advantage of that as it's the only opportunity to pop a squat in privacy. the road is otherwise wide open with the occasional tree. thankfully, there isn't too much traffic.

when you're miles from anywhere
and your butt just doesn't care;
diarrhea. diarrhea.

what do you know, at mile 3.5 my little friend returns. i decided i was not going to risk crapping my pants 12 times on a 14 mile run and turned around at mile 4. i figured i'd at least get in some threshold miles and told myself it's probably for the best to not go for the full monty since i'm obviously having issues with the medicine.

yeah... i had to stop a few times in miles 5 and 6 because i couldn't run fast/at my threshold pace and squeeze my cheeks at the same time. the "secluded spot" would be waiting for me at about mile 6.1; it was my only goal. i reached mile 6 and had to stop immediately to attempt a clench. (thank goodness this road has no traffic - c'mon you have to know what it's like to 'stand' there and try to use your entire body to keep your cheeks together. quite difficult.) i began walking to the spot, hoping and praying i'd make it.

when you start to beg and pray
and your butt begins to spray;
diarrhea. diarrhea.

i did not. at mile 6.02 i knew it was either crap my pants or drop trou on the side of the road. i went with the latter. i still had a 45+ minute drive ahead of me as i ran near work and not the hotel. again, thank god there is verrrry little traffic on this road! i never thought i'd be squatting on the side of the road, but now i can (proudly?) say i have. quite an experience; you should look into it.

you know you are a real runner when you don't mind hearing about other's emergency pit stops.

other than all the crap, the run went pretty well! i did 2.3 miles easy to warm up, 6 miles at threshold pace and .3 miles to cooldown. (0.3 miles from the car to the start of the road.)

the threshold miles went down like this:
7:32
7:31
7:26
6:38 - my butt-clenching must have prevented me from feeling the legs burning
6:59
7:12 - legs started to feel tired, could have been the incline or the fact that i ran the previous two miles too fast

since the road is marked every 1/2 mile i left the ol' nike+ at home. i've had a feeling it was wrong anyway on all my threshold days, and i've been in a slump over not hitting my paces and feeling so tired mid-run. so suck it nike+, i was right - you really are 'off'. the miles did not feel nearly as hard today and i am now more confident in my abilities to hit my threshold pace.

in nike+'s defense, as it has served me decently for the past year, it works fine for a "regular" run. it is calibrated to my easy pace/stride and those runs always match up when i double check the mileage on mapmyrun. it's downfall comes in when you speed up or slow down. i have assumed this for awhile because whenever i've worn it in a race or in a track workout it is never even close to the race distance. for example, it told me i ran ~12 miles at the disney half marathon. i'm pretty sure those officials had it measured out accurately. anyway, my nike+ went on the fritz about two months ago, and after today's run i am sold on purchasing a garmin. well, i would kind of like to try one first but i don't know anyone here who has one that i could borrow for a run. actually, i don't even ever see people out running period.

Read More

product review: mix my granola

mix my granola is a fairly new health food/company out on the market. i think i've actually been a member of the facebook group for over a year now, but i think it still qualifies as "new". back in july i was offered the opportunity to mix my own granola (mostly) on the house. with my various food allergies, how could i refuse the chance to create my own allergy-safe snack?

i present, chasing the kenyans granola™.



how fun is the packaging? a cylinder tube which just so happens to be 100% recyclable - stamp of approval from my inner tree-hugger. the tube is sturdy and the lid stays on securely, making it easy to bring on-the-go.

the gist of mix my granola is that you click through the ingredients and create your own personal mix. you start with selecting a base granola and then add fruits, nuts, seeds, extras (these tend to be not-so-healthy goodies) and enhances (powders). it's a very simple process and quite enjoyable. the first time i created a mix i added in a ton of stuff, but then realized i probably wouldn't have much actual granola in my mix with all the extra ingredients. i simmered down.

chasing the kenyans (mix-id: a188b84f) is made of organic granola, dried raspberries, dried blueberries, dried pineapple, organic banana chips, organic flax seeds, organic cacao powder, organic quinoa powder and lots of love. if this sounds as good to you as it was for me, all you have to do is enter the mix-id on the website and click order - simple!

yes, you can mix in m&m's and i'm sure you are wondering why i left them out. unfortunately m&m's, and all chocolately goodness, aren't available to mix in the summer months as the granola is mailed to you and the chocolate would most likely melt. obviously in a few months i will be ordering chasing the kenyans² with m&m's mixed in!

the granola was excellent. though it arrived in south carolina about a week before i did, it was still fresh when i was able to pick it up! the dried fruits are amazing. i have had a bit of a phobia of dried fruits from when i was a kid and my mom always gave us dried mango snacks from the philippines, but i think i am cured. i can't get enough of the dried pineapple and banana chips especially!

the downside to mix my granola is the price. it is a little pricey for 16oz of granola, even though the quality is terrific. chasing the kenyans granola™ costs $17.81, including shipping costs. they do offer some small discounts - like buying 4 cylinders (of the same mix) and getting a 5th free or free shipping on orders over $40. mix my granola is a little pricey to order regularly, but it does make for a tasty, healthy and allergy-safe treat that i will certainly allow myself to indulge in from time to time.

what are you waiting for? time to treat yourself! head over to mix my granola and check it out - you won't be disappointed.

Read More

blah runs / exotic m&m's

week in review (7/27 - 8/02):
total miles: 61.10
time spent running: ~ 8 hours 56 minutes
avg hr: 154.33
avg pace: 8:49/mile (avg temp: 79.20*)
off days: 0

my long run/quality workout on sunday did not go over too well. i had an easy 20 on the schedule, but my legs never kicked into gear. i kept giving it another mile, another mile until finally i gave in to my legs. they were heavy and slow, and i was feeling less than "accomplished" with each mile i ran. the 20 turned into 15 for the day, and i was upset at myself because i knew i would be taking a few days off this coming weekend with my dental excitement.

i got over feeling like a loser on monday when i went in for the root canal and was told i was too special of a case for them and needed to go to an endodontist. of course i can't get worked in over there this week so once again, wisdom teeth postponed. i'm kind of glad to get a "payback" on the long run this weekend but then again, a super long quality workout is a tad bit intimidating. i'm also (almost) ready to just get this wisdom business taken care of already.

last week was weak in the motivation department and it carried over into monday's "run", if you can call it that. i convinced myself into believing that getting to bed earlier for extra rest would be more beneficial; i was dragging all day at work after a weekend of traveling. i'm forcing myself out of this rut and got in a semi-decent run today; just glad i logged some mileage.

sunday (8/2) am run: 12 miles, 1:47:45 (avg pace 8:58), avg hr (157), 75* (599% humidity)
sunday (8/2) pm run: 3 miles, 28:24 (avg pace 9:28); punishment for the crappy am run
monday (8/3) pm "run": 2 miles, 18:00 (this is an estimate), avg hr (143), 80*
tuesday (8/4) pm run: 8.4 miles, 1:15:36 (avg pace 9:00), avg hr (162)

over the weekend i picked up my prize from marlene of mission to a(nother) marathon! a little while ago i was the lucky winner of a pair of recovery socks, and of course she had to go above and beyond in her care package. in addition to the comfy socks, she sent a bunch of goodies - biofreeze, sharkies, a heating pad (score!), chapstick (right up there with m&m's in my book), canada running magazine (so i can learn the secrets & successes of my neighbors up north) and..... m&m's! i mean, how can you go wrong with a package like that? thanks marlene!

Read More