* ...a pep talk
* ...a day off
* ...some cough medicine
* ...a belly rub
* ...your ears cleaned
* ...a cookie for breakfast
* ...a plaid running skirt and a matching gym bag
* ...macaroni and cheese and chocolate milk
* ...an arthroscopic shoulder MRI...or not
* ...a big wet kiss from a big fluffy pup
* ...a day at the beach especially when its cloudy
* ...a bath and your nails clipped
* ...some fresh basil that isn't wilted
* ...tea with milk
* ...a thermometer and some orange juice
* ...jammies at 3pm
* ...something pretty
* ...a pedicure and maybe a manicure too
* ...a neck and shoulder and that's it massage
...at least those are the things we need over here (yes, the pooch was a large contributor to this list)
Happy Friday!! Hope you have a lovely weekend!!
Friday, July 9, 2010
Sunday, July 4, 2010
bring it (and don't judge me, please)!
"Practice" started at 8am. The world cup game (USA vs Ghana) started at 11am. I did the math and realized that with the typical pre-run chat time, plus 2-ish hours of running, plus a mandatory refuel via Starbucks, I would not make it back home in time to watch the game if I stuck to the plan (ok, so I can follow instructions, but sometimes I interpret them my own way). So, like a true soccer fan and a dedicated marathon-trainer, I dragged my booty out of bed at 4am...FOUR A.M....to prep for a 6am...SIX A.M...run to get back in time to catch coach's weekly rantings and the game. (I needed two hours between breakfast and go-time, as I have the most sluggish digestive system known to any
I know you don't care what I ate for breakfast, but this is important because, well, it's funny. We got our nutrition information, so I tried to plan out my fuel according to the instructions (see a theme here?). I ate a couple of my homemade healthified peach muffins and drank the prescribed amount of water. I also decided that a teensie bit of caffeine wouldn't hurt too bad, and that if I was going to try it, now would be the time since it's still early on. I made myself a cup of my every-day tea - Irish breakfast with a bit of honey and milk. Then I went back to sleep for 45 minutes to let my tummy work on that. Right before I left, I had my typical pre-run green juice and more of the prescribed H20, and set off on my journey.
As soon as I arrived at the glorious parking lot with the fancy fountain at Malaga Cove in PV, I realized I really ought to have used the potty (again) before I left the house. I searched for the bathroom and found it locked, so I set off on my run hoping that it would somehow get "re-used" by my body and I wouldn't have to tinkle after awhile. Well...less than a mile into the run, I realized I was wrong about that. I wondered if running with a full bladder would feel like running with a water belt, and since people could do that, maybe I could too. Again, I was wrong about that. I made a split second decision, thankful for the woodsy area next to the road, and took care of matters, then jumped back onto the road like nothing unusual had just happened. So...you must now be astonished that I did that AND that I admitted it. Whatever. It didn't phase me. And I'm PROUD of it! And then I had the best 9 mile run EVER.
In all seriousness, though, the route was amazing. It circled around the PV Golf Course, the second half of which involved some really fun windy downhills (and peacocks running around), then went up the hell-ish Library Hill, then dumped out on PV drive for a bit more uphill trail running, and ended with the trek all the way back down the hill. I finished almost 20 minutes faster than I'd planned. I loved the route, I felt great, and I made it back home in time to cry over USA's loss to Ghana.
My nutrition record (from what I can remember):
pre-run nutrition:
night before: pasta with peas and lots of water
4am: two healthy peach muffins, tea, 20 oz water
530am: green juice, 8 oz water
during-run nutrition:
first 3m: ~8oz water
mile 4.5: 1 shot block
last 4m: lemon-lime Heed (yuck!)...didn't finish
(by the way, I did not stick to the nutrition instructions here either...I was too full)
post-run nutrition:
immediately after: Recoverite (citrust)
breakfast: Starbucks spinach, egg white, feta wrap, and a chocolate banana smoothie and more water
lunch: afghan food from the farmer's market
I don't remember the rest of the day, but I'm sure there was dinner, and then an outing to the Edison which involved two half-glasses of tanq and tonic, some munchies, and some cupcakes. I think I had half of a headache. Not a full-blown one, but I certainly didn't feel 100%.
My next run will be solo again...10 miles. Hope it's as good as my 9.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
summa-time and strawberries (part 1)
It's now officially summer and that means I can't walk 10 steps at the farmer's market without seeing beautiful bright red strawberries. Irresistible, right?
Especially when they're as big as your palm! Check this puppy out!
Since we're swimming with strawberries this time of year, we're trying to get creative with how to use them...you know, other than just wash-and-eat...which happens too and is the reason we purchase double the berries we plan on using.
Every Sunday I bake a batch of muffins for us to eat for breakfast in the car on the way to work. What better summa-time muffin than a strawberry muffin?!? Why are strawberry muffins not more popular? I didn't really want to make plain old strawberry muffins, I wanted to spruce them up with something. Wanna know what else abounds in the summa-time? Basil. And there we have it...strawberry basil muffins. Don't freak out. It's amazing. You like strawberries and mint, right? Well basil has that same fresh flavor that pairs so nicely with sweet sweet berries. Trust me, it's good.
See the basil???
I used this blackberry muffin recipe as a model, but you'll see how much I change things up (and make them a wee bit healthier)
*****************************
Strawberry Basil Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup 0% fat greek yogurt
1 tsp milk (sometimes I leave this out if I don't have milk)
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz fresh strawberries, quartered
chopped basil (I didn't measure, but I used somewhere around 3tbsp I think)
Preheat the oven to 400deg. Spray a regular 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle a spoonful of sugar over the strawberries, add basil, stir. Set aside. (I did not do this but I wish I had. Macerating the berries brings out the natural sugars and juices which would mix nicely with the basil)
Combine dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, salt) in a medium bowl and set it aside. Combine wet ingredients (except berries) in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring gently to combine. DO NOT OVERMIX. You want to stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Then add the strawberries.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (I actually use 16 cups for smaller muffins...whatever you choose). Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops look slightly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Let cool for a couple minutes before removing from the pan.
Enjoy!
********************************
The boy chef wannabe got ahold of some berries as well and made something interesting. Stay tuned for that...
Especially when they're as big as your palm! Check this puppy out!
Since we're swimming with strawberries this time of year, we're trying to get creative with how to use them...you know, other than just wash-and-eat...which happens too and is the reason we purchase double the berries we plan on using.
Every Sunday I bake a batch of muffins for us to eat for breakfast in the car on the way to work. What better summa-time muffin than a strawberry muffin?!? Why are strawberry muffins not more popular? I didn't really want to make plain old strawberry muffins, I wanted to spruce them up with something. Wanna know what else abounds in the summa-time? Basil. And there we have it...strawberry basil muffins. Don't freak out. It's amazing. You like strawberries and mint, right? Well basil has that same fresh flavor that pairs so nicely with sweet sweet berries. Trust me, it's good.
I used this blackberry muffin recipe as a model, but you'll see how much I change things up (and make them a wee bit healthier)
*****************************
Strawberry Basil Muffins
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 cup 0% fat greek yogurt
1 tsp milk (sometimes I leave this out if I don't have milk)
1/2 cup sugar
4 tbsp melted butter
4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
1 tsp vanilla
12 oz fresh strawberries, quartered
chopped basil (I didn't measure, but I used somewhere around 3tbsp I think)
Preheat the oven to 400deg. Spray a regular 12-cup muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray.
Sprinkle a spoonful of sugar over the strawberries, add basil, stir. Set aside. (I did not do this but I wish I had. Macerating the berries brings out the natural sugars and juices which would mix nicely with the basil)
Combine dry ingredients (flours, baking powder, salt) in a medium bowl and set it aside. Combine wet ingredients (except berries) in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, stirring gently to combine. DO NOT OVERMIX. You want to stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Then add the strawberries.
Divide the batter evenly between the 12 muffin cups (I actually use 16 cups for smaller muffins...whatever you choose). Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the tops look slightly brown and a toothpick inserted into the center of the muffins comes out clean. Let cool for a couple minutes before removing from the pan.
Enjoy!
********************************
The boy chef wannabe got ahold of some berries as well and made something interesting. Stay tuned for that...
Friday, June 25, 2010
beeeehind
I'm way behind on blogging. I have 3 posts that I've started to write (meaning I've given them titles) and have failed to write about my last 2 weekends of marathon training. The empty posts will just have to wait because I really don't feel like being 3 practices behind.
The last two weekend practices (#3 and #4) I ditched. Yep ditched. I'm antisocial. Just kidding (or am I?) Actually practice #3 I didn't completely ditch, I just didn't have the time to mess around with a shoe clinic, coach's comments, and a 6 mile run that would keep me out until noon. I had things to do before I left for Denver and didn't want to bum around all morning. So instead, I crawled out of bed at 5am, shoved some leftover muffin in my mouth and drove up the hill to meet my fantastic mentor Shannon in PV at 6am so we could get our run out of the way and then meet up the rest of the team at the shoe store for the clinic. Seeeee...I'm not all bad for ditching...I had good intentions and still got my 6 miles in. Actually it was a great run. There's a lot less pressure when I'm just running with one person. We kept a really comfortable pace and chatted the whole way and time flew. Lovely. And I didn't feel like a train wreck later in the day. I have yet to figure out why...maybe because I kept my heart rate really low. We met the rest of the team for shoe clinic, then I messed around with some shoes and had to drag myself away before buying another pair of running shoes. I can't tell you how much I love buying running shoes and workout clothes. It's a real problem. I don't like fashion, you see, I like comfort. This is why my work clothes are years old and I have a new lululemon tank almost monthly. Problem. Please fix me.
Anyways...I spent the next week in Denver with the family. Maybe that's for another post. There's too much to say but I somehow can't muster the energy to talk about it. It's hard...least of all for me probably.
That being said, I was in Denver for practice #4 and missed it completely. There was no chance in heck that I was going to run 7 miles in Denver without oxygen, so I opted to wait until Sunday when I'd be back in CA and could breathe in some smog-filled oxygen. And so I did. And hated it. I hated the route actually. Usually we run up in the hills on a nice soft train. This route went down by the beach on the same road I used to run over and over when I lived in South Redondo. Don't get me wrong, running by the beach is kinda awesome...for awhile. But when you realize you're pounding concrete as hard as you can and there's no shade and no relief and no dolphins, it's not fun anymore. I felt a headache coming on around mile 2. Not saying I got a headache at mile 2, I just knew I would getting one later because of the insane amount of pressure in my head. The headache came full force later in the day and couched me for my entire Saturday. Please tell me why...I can't figure it out. I know what you're gonna say, though. Dehydration. I had a water bottle in my hand, ok? The only thing I can really think is that I was dehydrated from the air in Colorado and the plane ride the day before. Let's hope so because I can't imagine another headache like that after tomorrow's 9er.
I'll attempt to remember what I consumed almost three weeks ago...
#3 (6 miles grrrrreat)
pre-run nutrition:
the night before: maybe this is when I had salmon and cannelini beans with jen?
the morning of: blackberry muffin?
during: one bottle of water
post-run nutrition:
immediately after: coconut water and some puffins and water
breakfast: ?
#4 (7 miles with headache)
pre-run nutrition:
the night before: whole wheat pasta with mushrooms and peas and parm (yum, by the way) and a red velvet cupcake that boy made for me for my return-to-LA surprise!
immediately before: green juice and puffins and water
during: one bottle of water
post-run nutrition:
immediately after: coconut water (watered down), bottle of water
breakfast: sprouted grain english muffin with egg and cheese
...then i ate everything I could find for the rest of the day because headaches make me want to eat my face off
The last two weekend practices (#3 and #4) I ditched. Yep ditched. I'm antisocial. Just kidding (or am I?) Actually practice #3 I didn't completely ditch, I just didn't have the time to mess around with a shoe clinic, coach's comments, and a 6 mile run that would keep me out until noon. I had things to do before I left for Denver and didn't want to bum around all morning. So instead, I crawled out of bed at 5am, shoved some leftover muffin in my mouth and drove up the hill to meet my fantastic mentor Shannon in PV at 6am so we could get our run out of the way and then meet up the rest of the team at the shoe store for the clinic. Seeeee...I'm not all bad for ditching...I had good intentions and still got my 6 miles in. Actually it was a great run. There's a lot less pressure when I'm just running with one person. We kept a really comfortable pace and chatted the whole way and time flew. Lovely. And I didn't feel like a train wreck later in the day. I have yet to figure out why...maybe because I kept my heart rate really low. We met the rest of the team for shoe clinic, then I messed around with some shoes and had to drag myself away before buying another pair of running shoes. I can't tell you how much I love buying running shoes and workout clothes. It's a real problem. I don't like fashion, you see, I like comfort. This is why my work clothes are years old and I have a new lululemon tank almost monthly. Problem. Please fix me.
Anyways...I spent the next week in Denver with the family. Maybe that's for another post. There's too much to say but I somehow can't muster the energy to talk about it. It's hard...least of all for me probably.
That being said, I was in Denver for practice #4 and missed it completely. There was no chance in heck that I was going to run 7 miles in Denver without oxygen, so I opted to wait until Sunday when I'd be back in CA and could breathe in some smog-filled oxygen. And so I did. And hated it. I hated the route actually. Usually we run up in the hills on a nice soft train. This route went down by the beach on the same road I used to run over and over when I lived in South Redondo. Don't get me wrong, running by the beach is kinda awesome...for awhile. But when you realize you're pounding concrete as hard as you can and there's no shade and no relief and no dolphins, it's not fun anymore. I felt a headache coming on around mile 2. Not saying I got a headache at mile 2, I just knew I would getting one later because of the insane amount of pressure in my head. The headache came full force later in the day and couched me for my entire Saturday. Please tell me why...I can't figure it out. I know what you're gonna say, though. Dehydration. I had a water bottle in my hand, ok? The only thing I can really think is that I was dehydrated from the air in Colorado and the plane ride the day before. Let's hope so because I can't imagine another headache like that after tomorrow's 9er.
I'll attempt to remember what I consumed almost three weeks ago...
#3 (6 miles grrrrreat)
pre-run nutrition:
the night before: maybe this is when I had salmon and cannelini beans with jen?
the morning of: blackberry muffin?
during: one bottle of water
post-run nutrition:
immediately after: coconut water and some puffins and water
breakfast: ?
#4 (7 miles with headache)
pre-run nutrition:
the night before: whole wheat pasta with mushrooms and peas and parm (yum, by the way) and a red velvet cupcake that boy made for me for my return-to-LA surprise!
immediately before: green juice and puffins and water
during: one bottle of water
post-run nutrition:
immediately after: coconut water (watered down), bottle of water
breakfast: sprouted grain english muffin with egg and cheese
...then i ate everything I could find for the rest of the day because headaches make me want to eat my face off
Friday, June 11, 2010
happy friiiiiiday!
Dear blog,
Thanks for helping me remember what I'm supposed to do today:
*
* catch up blogs
* update training log
*
* call mom
*
*
*
* update budget
*
* begin packing for Denver (requires packing list!)
* laundry
* bake muffins for boy's breakfast
* yoga?
* prepare fundraising materials to take to Denver
That's all I can remember now. Thanks!
Love,
g
...still getting to know you (second practice)
I forgot my camera again for second practice. Don't feel bad, I also forgot my heart rate monitor and my new running shoes; I was wearing a super old pair of expired running shoes turned dog walk shoes with gigantic holes in the toes. My mentor said, "...that's OK, you'll be needing holy shoes for this run."
Coach talked for an extraordinarily ridiculous amount of time before we set off for our run. Fundraising tips and necessary information. Her favorite fundraising tip is "Be Relentless"...(I hope you know what's coming to you! Donate now and I won't bug you).
We start off every run with some dynamic stretching exercise...aka we do funny looking moves in the grassy area and make fools out of ourselves. We kick our own butts, do some lunges, and some weird hip opener thingies. We look ridiculous. I wonder if it's really good for us, or more for coach's entertainment. Perhaps both.
We were on for 4 miles...in the hills. Not toooo bad. I consider myself lucky that I'm best friends with the PV Hills from my triathlon season three years ago. I knew exactly what to expect. I started off really slow. Like way back of the pack slow. I ended up passing a bunch of people along the way, and found myself running with one of the mentors, also one of only two guys on the team. We chatted, mostly to prove we were both running at "conversational pace." I was actually surprised at how easy conversation was while I was running. I generally prefer to run alone, so having someone to talk to seems weird, but at least I knew I was pacing myself appropriately!
The 4 miles seemed easy, especially the downhill. Like I said, I've mastered the down...gravity really helps. Sometimes it seems like my scientific background is giving me the advantage on the downs. I saw people slowing down and walking. Do they not understand how much less work they have to do going down because of our friend gravity? Unfortunately for me, the downhill on this run is followed by about a half a mile of slightly uphill to finish out the run. Down to up is a hard transition because you're used to the turnover of the downhill, and trying to maintain that when the slope goes positive, whips your breath right away and makes that last little bit really dreadful.
Stretch, water, coconut water, and then I took off to finish my Saturday much like the previous Saturday. Starbucks and the farmer's market.
Once again, a record of my intake is here so I can check back and see what I did.
pre-run nutrition:
the night before: happy hour at fraiche, lots of good stuff
the morning of: some puffins and glass of watered down green juice
post-run nutrition:
immediately after: 24 oz water, then 2 servings of coconut water
breakfast: Starbucks chocolate & banana smoothie and spinach, feta, egg white wrap
lunch/snack: delicious Afghan food from the farmer's market, beet salad with avocado and peas
dinner: strawberry polenta with scallops
drank a bunch of water throughout the day.
I think I prevented this week's headache somehow. I could feel it coming so I stuffed myself with food and water. Something made my tummy funny post-run (which is better than during the run!) so I'll watch out for that in the future.
Tanks for listening!
http://pages.teamintraining.org/los/nikesf10/gperlman
Sunday, June 6, 2010
getting to know you (first practice)
FYI, the material in this post occurred in the past. I waited to post it to make sure my website would be up when you read it.
Today was my first day of practice with the South Bay Team in Training marathon team. It was the third practice for everyone else. I showed up to run in a bright pink tank top (my most comfortable one). Everyone else was wearing their white Team in Training shirts. I'm pretty sure I stuck out luck a sore thumb in my fluorescent top. The team manager made me change into one of the white team shirts...short sleeves. Darn it! Apparently they have to be able to identify us all or something while we're out running. As if my hot pink wasn't identifiable! Oh well, such is life.
Practice started off with a lot of chit chat. OK, announcements actually, and they were quite important. Our coach, Gail, is awesome. Just awesome. I'd actually met her before, three years ago when I was becoming a mentor for triathlon team and she was then a mentor for the marathon team. She has a great personality, is super chatty, and kind of entertaining to listen to (she has four kids and her PTA and mini-van stories are hysterical).
My favorite part of the "pre-practice chat" was Mission Moment. During Mission Moment, participants stand up and talk about why they are busting their butts early on a Saturday morning to run around while fundraising for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. The Mission Captain spoke today. Her story started much like mine - she originally got started with TNT just for the heck of it, to get some training and participate in an endurance event (in her case, the Boston Marathon) while raising money for a good cause. A few years later, her husband was diagnosed with colon cancer. Although LLS does not directly support colon cancer, she felt comforted from her experiences with TNT and LLS, with the knowledge that there are people out there really trying to make a difference. She cried as she told us her husband did not survive. She continues, in his honor, to help support cancer research.
I will say, it gives me a funny feeling in my tummy to hear how much of the mission moment talk deals with honoring those that have not survived their battles with cancer. I know I'm doing this to honor and support those that have survived and will survive. Since I can't be right there with my family through all of their battles, I'm doing this for them so they know they will always be in my thoughts. I can't wait for my opportunity to share my Mission Moment. I'll tell them about my sweet nephew who is just learning to talk. I'll cry. Maybe they will too. But there's nothing like starting off a long run with some serious reflection on life and appreciation for what we have.
Today we ran 3 miles in the beautiful hills of Palos Verdes. I trained here for my triathlons and the marathon I did on my own. Being back there, running in the hills, makes me really happy. It's peaceful and comforting, in a knee-pain and blister kind of way. I didn't actually get blisters this time, I'm sure, but one day I'm sure my feet will hate me. They'll get over it. They always do. I love running in the hills for the very reason that what goes up must come down. Running downhill along the trails is incredibly liberating. Gravity mostly pulls you down, you just have to keep your feet moving. It's almost like gliding. A lot of people slow themselves down going downhill...I just let myself fly. It was the best 3 miles I've run in a long time.
After practice, I treated myself to a quick and healthy-ish breakfast and iced tea from Starbucks, and a trip to the farmer's market. This may become my new Saturday routine! Although, I'll definitely need to attack the farmer's market with a plan next time so as not to get completely overwhelmed by things that I'm "sure" I'll be "needing" this week...like whole raw milk...yeah...
The following information is really for my own personal records, but feel free to read on. I warn you, though, it's not particularly interesting.
Nutrition for endurance training has always been really difficult for me, so I'm keeping track for myself to see what works and what doesn't.
pre-run nutrition:
the night before: chicken mcnuggets (bad call)
the morning of: 6oz green juice watered-down with 2oz water; 6ish oz cold water
post-run nutrition:
immediately after: 24oz water
maybe 30 minutes after: starbucks spinach and feta egg white wrap; iced green tea
lunchtime: whole wheat tortilla with shredded light three cheese blend, taco bell sauce, fresh tomato slices; water
after lunchtime: smoothie with frozen banana, frozen peaches, peanut butter, almond milk, yogurt, 5 dark kisses; more water
after after lunchtime (seriously, I've been starving all day): half of a cappuccino, half of a North End sandwich, and half of a North End egg roll; more water
dinner: tasting menu at animal!
I've had a headache and been starving all day. Clearly my food/water consumption will need some work as I go along, especially considering this was only a measly three mile run.
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