Wednesday, November 30, 2011

happy thanksgibbing back

because it was (recently) thanksgiving and i know you all need one more thing to be thankful for...

a drawering. two actually. they're not ms paint but i hope you will still enjoy:

you've got mail
playing "guess that movie" with my sisters
(i texted them pictures from work)

status meeting
enjoying another meeting

my brain was slightly ready for the long holiday weekend. and now it's depressed.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

a's to the q's (part 3)

(you know, that meme from july i was answering back in august. here's part 1 & part 2.)

and now for the third installment. also the final one, unless someone asks more questions and then i may get to them by march.


Zoë said...
Pardon me,do you have any Grey Poupon?
fresh out, sorry.

Zoë said... Ok ok ok, in all seriousness:
Do you prefer a certain color M&M over another?
i group(ed) them by color and then start with whichever has the fewest. i always save brown for last, and i give josh the blue ones. if i'm feeling generous i might give him a few red or orange ones too.

Why do your bangs always look so freaking cute in pics on Facebook and such? Mine suck balls.
yours don't suck balls, i promise. i actually have an auto-immune condition called alopecia that keeps me from growing hair. it wasn't always this way, i started losing clumps of hair my junior year of college (good timing right?) and at first some would fall out, but it would regrow. a few years later, it progressed to alopecia universalis and all fell out. it sucks and i still haven't come to terms with it/myself, but i'm doing better. i wish i was super comfortable with it so that i could inspire others with the condition to do great things, but i'm not there yet. on the plus side, it's not life-threatening and i haven't had to shave my legs in 6+ years. so, not to guilt trip you, but appreciate your bad hair days!




 

time to fess up - who wanted to ask?

Would you consider coming to Seattle for a race to meet some of us Washingtonians in the near future?
of course! well, maybe not "near" future since i'm not exactly in any sort of shape other than round. i'm always down to travel though.

Miss Erosion said...
Do you stretch regularly?
definite n-o. sometimes i stretch before/after a race... i'm a bad role model.

What is your favorite recovery food?
hmm. it's been so long since i've been "in training" that i'm not sure anymore! after a run/workout, i like making a smoothie or a carblicious cinnamon sugar bagel. i don't know if either of those really count as "recovery food" though. i also like a healthy meal of rice and veggies.

Do you take any supplements - if yes, which ones?
yes, but not for running/exercise purposes. back in the summer i took magnesium for my heart/electrolyte imbalances, cod liver oil (because efa's and omega-3's are good for so many things) and b6 and inositol for their role in hair/skin health.

now i'm on a number of whole-food supplements from my nutritional response doc - they are the "standard process" brand so most of them are not supplements you'd see on the shelf at cvs (such as biodent or congaplex, but some are more normal like sesame seed oil or echinacea).

Johann said...
What would you rather do: Ultra or Tri?
ultra. i'm just not comfortable with open water swimming!

Do you only chase Kenyans or will you chase after South Africans too?
until i start winning big races ('cause that will happen and all) i guess i'm chasing all kinds of people :)

Christina said...
I like Johann's question about chasing Kenyans. I'll piggy back on that. Why did you chose chasing the kenyans for your blog name?
i wanted something unique/fun/catchy - i don't know if i accomplished that with the general public but i like it (and i assumed other runners would find it humorous or catchy). most non-runners think of the kenyans when they think about distance runners. now, i know there are many other nationalities with successful runners, but i think the kenyans hold the stereotype. since i don't quite run a 2:04 marathon yet, i'm still chasing after the kenyans, and all the other speedsters.

i did consider versions like "chasing paula radcliffe / kara goucher / deena kastor" but they weren't as 'catchy' to me, and i'm not a big enough fan or follower of any of their careers to warrant naming my blog after them.

Jen said...
1. What are your 1-3 favorite workouts (specifics, with approximate paces)?
i don't really like "fancy" workouts (with various interval lengths/paces). i prefer straight to the point workouts like yasso 800's (your goal marathon time hh:mm = your yasso time mm:ss) or mile repeats (goal 10k pace).

however, i did have a lot of fun with "the marlene" workout.
  • 800@5k, 1600@10k, 3200@gmp (no rest in between them)
  • 1000 recovery
  • 3200@gmp, 1600@10k, 800@5k
you go straight from one interval into the next (or into/out of the recovery 1000). absolutely no rest whatsoever! it's a tough workout, but an amazing one.

2. What's the coolest place you've ever run in?
moorea, french poly. then again i've only ever run in the us or on islands. one day i'll hit up africa or something; get an action shot running from a leopard.


3. What were your favorite parts of doing Boston?
finishing :) i was nauseous/dizzy, especially near the end of the race. i did enjoy all the different towns the course runs through as well as the multitude of spectators - many of them were entertaining. there are some bare spots, but the course is well-lined with support from start to finish. it's fun to be in town a few days leading up to the race and enjoy all the excitement building up for the big day!


4. What races are on your bucket list?
i actually don't really have a running bucket list, other than to run a marathon in every state + dc. i also think it'd be cool to run all the world marathon majors (boston, london, berlin, chicago, new york) - especially to do so all in the same year (hah, yeah right).

5. What would be your ideal way to refuel and relax after a good workout/race?
eating brunch with friends and/or family. putting on recovery socks/sweats and relaxing on the couch. (i'm imagining post half- or full- marathon here, i don't think i'd need to veg out after a 5k!)

6. To be as wicked fast as you are, and to be able to push yourself during training and racing as you do, you must have some strong motivators... what are they?
honestly, i don't feel like i've been a great runner in 2011 (prior to august and the skin troubles) so it's hard for me to remember what used to motivate me. i think i was motivated a lot by the successes of my everyday training runs - i'd run my easy runs (instead of skipping them), work hard on speed days and log the long runs. getting to cross each completed workout off the training schedule was a lot better than having to admit i'd slacked off.

reading books or watching movies about pre also gives me an "adrenaline shot" of motivation. i wish i could just show up to a race one day, a nobody, and blow everyone out of the water.

Kathrin said...
Diving right in:
1) What is on your travel bucket list given the premises that money and time didn't matter?
i'm going to add in safety-concerns too, because i'd really like to explore all those troubled countries of the middle east/africa/eastern european region. i also want to do a tour of asia - china, thailand, philippines, japan, vietnam... and i hate being cold but i want to go to antarctica too.

heck, everywhere. i want to see the world!

2) Any news from the cardiologist?
like i said... i'm way behind on answering this. here's what was going on with my heart and here's the 'answer'. in recent months, i've had a lot less episodes, and i'll take it.

3) Since you are such a M&M connoisseur... What type of M&M is missing in their product line-up??
i'm not sure if i still qualify as a connoisseur of m&m's now that i'm sugar-free, but i was perfectly content with the plain and pretzel ones. i've seen the candy corn ones they had out this fall but didn't try them (did you?). i'm not entirely sure how this would work, but i think cream cheese/cheesecake m&m's could be pretty amazing.

Monday, November 21, 2011

sat to death

mini-updates to address some of the various questions that have been asked recently:
  • sugar - haven't noticed much of a direct change. my skin is a little better in general, but that could just be from the overall cleaner diet. i think i do feel more "alert"/focused though, and i know that sugar-free is healthier all-around.
  • caffeine - haven't had any since june. strictly decaf or tea for me!
  • sleep - i haven't been the best at "no electronics at night/in the bedroom". i know i should read, but sudoku is more enticing. i'm usually not tired at bedtime, but i try to force myself to be. typically, i might sleep from 11:30-1:00, 3-6:30 (have to get up for work). not ideal! on the weekends i avoid making morning plans so i can sleep in, once i slept until 1pm. yikes. i know sleep is important for your body in a number of ways, including healing, and i need to straighten this out soon. one small victory - i'm off the sleep-aid medicine i was taking and some nights (usually the weekend) i do sleep for 7-8 straight hours.

following up on my previous post about my extreme laziness, here's an infographic to motivate us all to get up and move a little more.

Sitting is Killing You
via: "medical billing and coding"

Friday, November 18, 2011

milking it

not in this sense.

i'm calling myself out:

i've been milking my health issues and being lazier than necessary.

yes, for a few weeks in august and september it was physically painful to move, but it's now mid-november, and there have been plenty of days where i could have at least done something. i know i'm not ready* to resume normal levels of activity, but i do need to enforce regular walks and some ab work or lunges or something. i may not be gaining weight due to the no-sugar but i am getting 'looser'. plus, week after week of next to 0 activity is just not good for me!

so thursday after work, i went for my second (!!!) "workout" of the month. pathetic that it was the 17th and only my second time exercising, but i blame that on my 100+hour paystubs. unfortunately the bank account doesn't reflect the 100+ hours because i've been a little plastic happy at banana republic and ny&co (purple corduroys!) and off broadway shoes and you get the picture.

i haven't worn heels since april,
but that's ok let's buy some new ones anyway.

thursday (11/17) workout - 2.5 mile walk @15:00/mile, 48°
a few abs, squats, pushups and a very quivery 2-min wall sit.

anyway. i'll probably wake up sore tomorrow, which is even more pathetic.

*in my opinion i wonder if my issues stem from or are influenced by some whack cortisol and/or hormone levels which are influenced by exercise and stress (in my case both stress from work-life 2009 to present as well as the stresses of marathon training) and are not helped by a lack of sleep (haven't slept well in 2 years or so). but i'm not a doctor. this is just a theory.

unpaid, perk-less advertisement:
sign up for the 2011 bloggy gift exchange over at runwithjill! last year's was super fun and it's a great way to 'meet' a new blogger or get to know one better. go sign up and join in the fun!

what i sent my secret santa last year

Friday, November 11, 2011

m&m's: missing in action

many of you have left comments regarding m&m's and their status in my life.

m&m's given to me the week of my bday (september)

(for those of you who don't know, and i'm not sure how you could have missed the boat, i have had? a slight addiction to m&m's. they even have their own category here on the blog.)

so where has all the m&m talk gone?

back in sept, i started seeing a nutritional response doctor for the various skin/health issues going on, and she didn't waste anytime cleaning up my diet. for two weeks, i did not eat wheat/gluten, corn, eggs, sugar, or american cheese. after two weeks, i was allowed to slowly start working things back in my diet except for eggs and sugar (i can have agave and honey though).

yes, you read that correctly. i haven't had sugar since 9/14/11 (58 days!)

so no, i did not hoard the halloween candy. it's worked out though, keeping me from blimping up while i'm not running, and i haven't had bad cravings (surprisingly). at my initial visit, doc said typically people go 3 months without sugar to let their body cleanse itself (or something like that). i immediately calculated this out to just before christmas, and she laughed when i said it was manageable because i would still get to have christmas cookies. now i am actually thinking/hoping to stay sugar-free. unsweetened applesauce is now delicious and i have to water down juice because it tastes so sweet!

josh found this gluten-free, sugar-free, egg-free cookie recipe and he's made them for me a few times. they're good, obviously not as satisfying as a real chocolate chip cookie, but i still have no problem plowing down the whole batch in a couple days. by myself.

ingredients:
3 medium ripe bananas, mashed
1/3 cup butter, melted
2 cup uncooked quick-cooking gluten-free oats (not quaker)
1/4 cup skim milk
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup carob chips
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

note: carob chips look just as delicious as chocolate chips, but have no flavor.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

the jester of tortuga

60.5 hours worked this week (that i billed anyway). i hope that is a reasonable enough excuse for being late on drawing winners!

winners of the 25 shutterfly holiday cards:
meg of meg runs
kovas of midwest multisport life
krystyn of someday i'll get there

since i have all of your emails already i'll be sending you an email with your coupon code. i will also give you my home address so you can include me on your holiday card list :) if for some reason you do not want the cards let me know and i will choose another winner.

shutterfly coupons for everyone:
JC87-2ACW-B0CC-77T1ZY
$10 off an order of $30 or more
valid til 11/7

SHIP30
free shipping on orders $30 or more
valid til 11/21

thanks everyone for entering!

and now an unrelated video for your entertainment


(uncensored version here)

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

october 2011: finding the podium

october 2011
total mileage: 17.95
time spent running walking: 4hrs 10mins
other exercise: 3 bodyweight/plyometric-ish workouts
days off: 24
avg temp: 56°
trip of the month: virginia beach

i now understand how people go mia from blogging and don't return. i'm already wondering if i should even bother anymore. i haven't had much to say - i've been keeping a "health journal" for about 5-6 weeks now to try and document changes (good and bad) with what's going on and the various "remedies"/treatments i'm undergoing. but none of that seems relevant to a "running blog". when was the last time i actually blogged about running anyway? this offline health journal makes me realize that my handwriting sucks! so messy.

i've also been super busy at work for the past two weeks. my boss was moved to a new project and left me in charge! (scary isnt it?) i think i've done more work in these two weeks than the past 5 years. it's good though, and it's nice to be busy - less time to boredom eat! (i'm so bad at that...) unfortunately it leaves me with less time to ms.paint and for that i apologize. what's more unfortunate is that sometimes i have to bring work home-even after working a 10+ hour day. shudder.

i count hauling this box to/from the car as a workout.

prior to work getting crazy busy i went to virginia beach for a long weekend to see one of my best friends from college and shop for bridesmaid dresses for her wedding.

the chosen dress, but in pink.

other random stuff about october:

we had a construction rodeo at work
i came in second place on the mini-excavator
gotta find a way to get on some sort of podium!

though the neighbor-kids play in my yard, i still give out the good candy.
at least i'm not the neighbor giving out deodorant.

i attempted to decorate for the trick-or-treaters with glowsticks-in-balloons. 
whomp whomp (that's the fail noise for those of you unfamiliar)

here's a "better" shot -
it sorta gives you an idea of what it should have looked like.

that's my october in a nutshell. thanks for allowing me to live vicariously through your training runs, cross training and pr's this year. and even more thanks for not abandoning me... at least i'm telling myself you guys are still out there and anxiously awaiting a run report or new ms drawering.

giveaway update: sometime in the next day or so i'll announce the winners of the shutterfly christmas cards. bear with me, work is taking over my life.