Thursday, August 6, 2009

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.

Wednesday, August 5, 2009

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.

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

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!