S'cool

Confession: I bailed on all my runs this past weekend.
Confession: I'm OK with that.

Confession: I endulged in many, many edible treats this past weekend.
Confession: I'm OK with that.

Two days does not a lifetime make. We move on and move forward, only looking to the past to glean tidbits of widsom from the lessons we have learned.

Sticking With It

A while back I posted about the plethora of food on a stick that can be found at state fairs. Well, it appears that someone out there decided to eat her way through that list!



Lap It Up

Yesterday, I ran the Sri Chinmoy Self-Transcendental Marathon right here in my own backyard. Ya gotta love a Tuesday marathon where you can roll out of (your own) bed and drive a few towns over to your normal stomping grounds, park your car, and just run.

Particularly when you get to meet and run with (near) such great people - Steve, runNYtrails, PinkRunnerTammy, Andy the multi-day king, rundangerously...present and accounted for.

I ran 8 of the 9 laps with Steve, a local ultrarunner currently training for the Tetons. We kept up an easy consitent pace for the entirety, walked one whole loop when the heat got a bit much and then soldiered on to the finish. All runs should be so enjoyable.

Today I am pain-free and filled with the contentment that only comes from twenty six point two miles on a Tuesday morning.

If you're in the area, definitely keep your eye open for next year's race. It is one of the most pleasant race experiences - the people are wonderful, the aid stations are ultra-centric, and the course (while 8.75 laps) is flat, pretty and surrounded by nature.

Tuesday's Tip, August 25th

"Don't go to the supermarket directly after running a marathon, with a virtually empty stomach. You may pick up a basket, put your wallet (and keys) in it, decide you want a cart, put the basket back and then not realize your wallet was in it until you go to check out. Thankfully it was locked up at the Customer Service desk, intact. " - who do you think?


I blame glycogen depletion. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Dreaded Island Fever (aka: how long until I can get back?)

Well, the gym equipment was ghetto and I was sweating vodka - but here's the workout schedule for the past week in Jamaica:

Monday
1 mile run
21-15-9
Dumbbell Thrusters, 12#
Dumbbell Bench Press, 20#
Tabata Squats

Tuesday
1 mile run
4 rnds 8 reps
12# Weighted Lunges
12# Curl and Press
25# Incline Bench
Tabata Sit Ups

Wednesday
4 rnds
400m
12 push ups

Thursday
1 mile run

Friday
1 mile run
3 rnds 15 reps
30# Dumbbell Sumo Deadlift
20# Press
30# Dumbell Straightleg Deadlift
Bench Dips

Which means that Heather came closest with her guess of 3 workouts (Brett would have been closer with his 6, had he not rescinded it and opted to go with zero). How do you feel about rum, Miss Feather?

Island Time

From Saturday the 15th until Saturday the 22nd, you can find me poolside in Jamaica.

The question is, as usual, just how many days I'll manage to get a workout in...

Post your tally to the comments, and whomever of you guesses correctly shall be the recipient of an Island goodie...

Sinful

Excess is a funny thing.

The line between enough and too much is beyond blurred - I swear it moves.

Food, drink, exercise - whenever I think I know my limits I'm constantly reminded that I am, in fact, a fool :)

Food - well, that's a relatively easy one to get a handle on. I always think I'm hungry. It's true. Mr. Diva can attest to that. But I'm not (unless I'm cranky, that's a sure sign of hunger. I'm like a baby that way). So I can reduce the likelihood of eating to excess if I simply stop and take a breath. Wait a few minutes to see if it's hunger or not, and move on from there.

Drink - well, again you can confer with Mr. Diva on this one. I am apparently unable to pace myself. I drink my drink. My glass is empty. I refill my glass. I drink my drink. My glass is empty. I refill my glass. You can see where this is headed, right? Particularly in a large social setting, where I'm having a great time talking to people I like - I completely lose track. Then, about 20 minutes after we get home, it all hits and I'm miserable. Solution - when I think I want just one more, STOP.

Exercise - now this is the toughest nut to crack. Who amongst us doesn't feel that if some is good, more is better? I mean, really. If I feel great running 40 miles a week, I'll feel better running 50 or 60 (I really did feel great when I was doing 60 mpw, btw). If lifting 3x a week is good for me, then why not lift those 3x a week and do skill and accessory work the other days. Oh, and run. Right? Come on, who's with me here?? Beuller?? But the truth of the matter is that overtraining is just as undesirable a form of excess as eating till you're stuffed or drinking till you're drunk.

Too much is too much. Period. Regardless of your poison, if it's more than you need - it's simply gluttony.

Put down the fork, have a glass of water and take a rest day.

Good Morning, Sunshine!

Last night, I got home and just couldn't bring myself to run. I was tired, cranky, hungry and just not in the mood.

This morning my workout wasn't a problem at all. I was still tired, not terribly cranky but always hungry.

So what was different?

Am I just a morning person?

How 'bout you? Do you notice a difference in your workouts dependent on when you do them?

Tuesday's Tip, August 11th

"Don't apply anti-chafing powder while straddling the moving belt of your
treadmill. While you may alleviate any hot spots, you will also create
your very own ice skating track
." - me.


Don't worry - I didn't fall on my face :) But by the end of my run I did notice it was slick. Had to wipe that sucker down...

Ya learn something new every day!

Pennies from Heaven

I came to the realization this past weekend that there is a phrase I use entirely too often:

"It's OK because....(insert excuse or justification here)."

But you know what? It's not. No more excuses. No more justifications. If it's creating a roadblock in forward progress, it's not OK.

Doesn't mean I won't still do/eat/drink certain things. But it does mean that I won't try to convince myself that it's anything but what it is - an indulgence (whether it be food or a skipped workout).

Only by being honest with ourselves can we truly measure our progress. Lying doesn't make your deadlift any heavier, your 5K any faster, or your tush any tighter.

No fibs this week, kids. Every time you begin to justify something, I want you to put a penny in a jar. At the end of the week, let's take a look and get an idea of what our self-deception is costing us.

I'll show you mine if you show me yours.

Chicken Little

Wednesday evening, a woman jogging in a Philadelphia park was struck by a falling tree branch and killed.

In NYC, a man walking in Central Park was struck by a tree branch and is currently comatose.

It would seem that the sky is, quite literally, falling.

Just a reminder to us all to do our best to be engaged and aware of our surroundings. While we can't anticipate freak accidents of nature, let's control the man-made ones.

Have a safe and sporty weekend.

Make New Friends, but Keep the Old

This week, I am officially half way thru my marathon training schedule. Aside from the one week I was ill (and the upcoming week I'll be away on vacation), I've been able to maintain my training and am feeling positive and enthused. Add to that what is proving to be a great new cycle in my lifting, and you have one happy little Diva :)

Today in particular should prove to be a pleasant day for me - it's a rest day from running, but will be a nice heavy day of lifting. What I am finding great about having both my runs and my lifts mapped out ahead of time is that I can devote everything I have to whatever task I'm attempting - I know that I can work hard this afternoon at the gym, and will keep in mind that I need to leave enough for tomorrow's 15-20 miler.

It's a balancing act, but one I'm starting to get a handle on. And while I know that by doing both I won't truly achieve my max potential with either - it's a compromise I'm willing to make.

Focus over Feat. I'll take it.

Road Trip

I'm going to jump to conclusions, and assume that most of you are currently following some sort of a training schedule. Whether it's a marathon training plan or the CF main site WOD programming, from one day to the next you have your training all mapped out.

Now, I want you to think of that schedule as a set of directions that you printed up from Mapquest.com or GoogleMaps. You've decided where you want to go, and you've done your homework and come up with a route that will get you there.

As with any trip, there will be traffic jams. Detours. Potty breaks.

But if you follow the directions you will arrive at your destination.

You may not make great time. In fact, the trip could very well take you longer than expected. Just remember that shortcuts are rarely, if ever, shorter. Side streets are often congested or misleading and can ultimately derail your progress.

Stick with the route you've mapped out. See how it works. If in the end you're not satisfied, backtrack and examine - next time you can plan differently and you'll have a basis of comparison.

But until then, I suggest you pick your route and stick with it. You'll get there. Promise :)

Tuesday's Tip, August 4th

"Use what talents you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds
sang except those that sang best
." - Henry Van Dyke