I recently joined the General Mills Pssst program, in which they keep you updated on upcoming products and occasionally send you free samples. Which is why I joined – I heart free samples! I kinda wish this was the Kashi or Clif Pssst program and those companies were sending me free samples….hint hint!
The other week I received a free sample of Nature Valley Granola Nut Clusters, which I was really excited to sample.
They sent me the Nut Lovers flavor, and when that was gone I went out and bought the Roasted Almond kind with the coupons that came with the product. Of the two flavors, I liked the taste of the Roasted Almond more, but the Nut Lovers breaks apart easier, which makes it ideal for sprinkling into yogurts. I don’t buy granola that often because I have trouble not eating all of it, but these are perfect for portion control because it’s easy to count out a portion.
I also like that there’s no HFCS in them and one portion is pretty low in calories, especially for granola. Some other Nature Valley products have HFCS, so I’ve been shying away from that brand. I’m terrible at avoiding HFCS- I will check products after I’ve bought or started eating them, realize they have HFCS, and just continue. I’m trying to be better, but I also don’t eat that much processed food, so hopefully I’m not ingesting too much of that crap.
Something I noticed is that their granola bars contain High Maltose Corn Syrup. Does anyone know what this ingredient is? Is it another name/variation of High Fructose Corn Syrup? I’m going to assume it’s just as evil unless I’m told otherwise!
On the running front, I ran 8 miles Tuesday and 6.5 yesterday and both runs were slow. Yesterday there were crazy 60 mph winds that were holding me back, so I’m blaming nature for my slowness. Damn you nature! I’m about to head out for a 6 miler right now and I’m hoping I can pick up the pace a little because I’m hating all these slow runs!
Oh yeah – jury duty is SWEET. I had the most productive day yesterday and finished up a ton of work (I brought my laptop to the courthouse). Plus I made a friend and had yummy Korean food for lunch. And I got to sleep in. And I didn’t have to interact with/yell at adolescents. Put me on jury duty any time, any day! I go back today at 11!!
I’m happy with my running during September. It was my highest mileage month so far this year! I’m hoping that October will be even higher as I get closer to the Philadelphia Marathon and ramp up my training. I worry that I don’t take enough rest days, but I do have some very low mileage days (2-3 miles) thrown in, so I consider them “active rest” days.
No work tomorrow due to jury duty, woohoo! Is it weird that not only am I really excited, but all of my coworkers are extremely jealous? This is what being a high school teacher will do to your sanity!
After work today, I stopped at The Super Runners Store to pick up some orthotics. For $35 I picked up these:
The guy at the running store also recommended working on my core strength to help out my hip pain. Ugh, everytime core work is recommended I feel like I’m being scolded or called chubby. Anyway, I immediately put the orthotics in my shoes and tried them out this afternoon on my run in the park.
Aren’t those some sexy thighs? I sprinted the first couple of miles for some unknown reason, but the speed felt good. Then I slowed down to my regular pace and finished the last 4 miles. My hip felt fine! I guess the orthotics made a real difference for me, so I’ll definitely be using these from now on. I also did some ab and back exercises after my run (plank, bicycle crunches, leg and arm raises while lying on my stomach) and I am going to make a concerted effort to keep up with weight training during marathon training – I have a bad habit of letting it fall to the back burner.
I also bought some more gels at the running store. I was going to get Gu, but the salesman informed me that the difference between Gu and Powerbar Gels are that Gu’s taste more medicinal and have less sodium. As a super salty runner sweater, I realized that Powerbar Gels are definitely the better option for me. I bought the chocolate flavor because they have caffeine and I am a caffeine addict. I also got Shot Bloks because I like all things gummy.
I also bought a ton of new running gear at Target recently. It was all on sale. Yay!!
Other than this, today has been a terrible and difficult day. There were two terrible losses at work this weekend. There’s nothing sadder than the death of someone who was just beginning life. I really have nothing to say about either incident because they were so emotionally overwhelming and I’m not sure that I should discuss them on the blog. Today was a day that made me grateful for everything I have in life and take for granted – my health, my family, my safety, and even my ability to run. Don’t forget to tell a loved one how much they mean to you.
My left hip hurts. The pain is fairly significant. I googled my pain and based on what I read on the Cool Running website, I think I have a basic overuse injury compounded by the overpronation of my left foot. This is what the website says about pain at the side of the hip:
Likely causes:
A basic overuse injury. You’ve inflamed the fascia in your hips, the flexible fibers in the joint. The specific reasons for this pain vary for different runners. The culprit may be weak back muscles, the type of surface on which you run, the shoes you wear, or the length of your running stride. One of the remedies below will likely work for you, but it’s difficult to predict which it will be. However, if you have pain in only one of your hips, you probably have either an uneven pelvis or unequal leg lengths. (ack, I’m a freak!) S
Remedy:
As mentioned, hip pain can come about for a variety of reasons. Try these remedies; one of them (or a combination) should get rid of the pain, albeit with a bit of persistence. Try shortening your stride when you run. Try switching running surfaces (if you’ve been running on a hard surface, try a softer one or vice versa). Reconsider your running shoes; your feet may demand a different style or fit. Finally, try some abdominal and lower back exercises to strengthen those muscles.
Tomorrow I’m definitely getting orthotics, beginning a strength training regime for my abs and back, and taking it easy on mileage this weak. I was really good about doing weights this summer but have basically stopped since school started back up.
I think that if I immediately address this problem, it should hopefully not be a big issue during my marathon.
Overall my run was really comfortable and I maintained a good pace. I started in the park and got to watch the runners participating in Greta’s Great Gallop go by – that was both distracting and motivating in the best possible way. I loved seeing the leaders twice during my run…although the fact that I saw them both times on the east side of the park made me depressed about my slow pace! People who can run 5 or 6 minute miles just blow my mind!
After a loop around the park, I headed to the west side and ran all the way downtown to Battery Park. I was enjoying my run so much and maintaining such a great pace, that I didn’t stop to get water until mile 9 or 10, which probably wasn’t the best idea since it was so humid yesterday. My water break turned into a bit of a hassle when I realized there were no cart guys selling water in Riverside Park and I had to stop off at the Intrepid Museum to get change and use a soda machine to get water. When I started running again after that break, I felt like my pace was off – I hate that!
I ate my goo at about mile 12 and when it kicked in at about 14, wow I felt like I could fly for the next two or three miles! What an amazing feeling! I’ve started to realize that my timing for eating goos probably isn’t the best. For example, I usually have it at mile 9 in a half, but if it takes about two miles for the carbs to get into my bloodstream, then it isn’t really helping me that much during the race. I’m going to start taking them earlier and take them more often during races.
The only problem I faced during my run was that my left hip started to hurt. My left foot is the one that pronates really badl – to the point that stability shoes don’t entirely correct my pronation. I’m going to hit up a running store this week and buy orthotics and hope that will help correct the pronation and thus end my hip pain. Since I have two more loooong runs (20 miles!) to come, I’m worried about hurting myself before the marathon. Has anyone used othotics and found they help with pain?
Oh. My. God. I just had the yummiest cup of pumpkin ice cream with Reeses Pieces on top. I am currently dying of happiness.
Seasonal flavors are amazing!!
So, I have had running fuel on the brain lately. I never count calories, but I did on Friday, Saturday, and today to see how much I eat before and after a tough workout.
Friday night I didn’t eat much more than usual – just a couple of Whole Foods free samples more than I would usually eat (about 200+ calories?). Saturday I ate about 2300 calories and today I ate about 2200. The estimates for Saturday and today are on the high side though.
Now, considering the run I did on Saturday, I don’t think 2300 calories is really that much, and I’m surprised I didn’t eat more today. But, I felt like I ate all day yesterday and today, and had huge meals both days. I’m not hungry right now, but I am concerned about my hunger catching up to me later in the week and hitting me with a major snackfest. I tend to eat the the same thing over and over during the week for breakfast and lunch because:
the timing of my meals (I can never eat earlier or later because of my rigid teaching schedule)
no access to a microwave or fridge at work (well, there is a fridge but it’s beyond disgusting)
I carry my food around with me all day b/c I have no office or fridge so it can’t spoil easily
there’s no place to go buy healthy lunch or snacks if I want a change of pace
Because of these reasons + my own anal retentiveness, I find it difficult to break out of my usual meals/rituals to add the extra calories I need.
(Honestly, writing this blog has made me realize I have some control issues…guess I’m a little crazier than I realized!! Aren’t we all?)
I don’t think I wrote about this in the spring, but I was faced with this same problem of not taking in enough calories during the day while training for the NJ Marathon. That resulted in me sometimes waking up at about 3am starving and having to eat a couple of bowls of Honey Bunches of Oats before getting back to sleep. This is completely abnormal behavior for me – I like my sleep uninterupted and my cereal by Kashi! I guess I tend to be a volume eater, so it can actually be a struggle to eat enough calories to make up for the intensity of my workouts because I can’t the volume to get the calories I need. (Which is just like Dean Karnazes – Dean, we’re so similar!!) I have noticed other bloggers writing about this issue, so I know it’s not just me who struggles to fuel properly.
So, I have a couple of questions for the other runners out there:
How do you fuel? I only feel as though I’m not eating enough on my really long run weekends (15+) and don’t worry about it the rest of the time. I have considered eating take out after a long run so that I know I’m eating something more caloric than I usually eat. I have also been thinking about how to branch out and add more calories – smoothies, pb&j sammies, eating nuts & dried fruits for snacks, using only whole milk – but would love to know what types of food other people eat during marathon training.
Am I eating enough calories to refuel properly? I think I usually eat 1800-2000 calories a day, so I’m wondering if I’m making up the deficit properly? And do I really need to fully make up the deficit or will my body adjust as long as I’m giving it what it needs? Is there a magic number or formula for figuring this stuff out? As I become more interested in this topic, I’d love to know if there are any good sports nutrition guides out there that I should be reading.
Finally, can I do all my refueling with pumpkin ice cream? Good god, that stuff is delicious.
Finally, my life and Jay-Z’s overlapped. I’ve been waiting for this day for well over a decade!
I should back up though to explain it all.
My general route today was to run through Central Park, across the Williamsburg Bridge, past the Brooklyn hipsters to do a loop in Prospect Park, back to Brooklyn Heights, across the Brooklyn Bridge and hop on a subway home. That would have been 19 miles. I cut it short by 1.5 miles and got on the subway in the Heights – my legs were done and I was close enough to the 18 miles my marathon schedule told me I should run.
The problem with my route is that I don’t know Brooklyn that well, and gmap pedometer, for all of its amazing usefulness, doesn’t tell me the neighborhoods that I would be running through. New York is definitely a neighborhood city, and you need to be aware of what ‘hood you’re in. Usually I double check my route on regular google maps, but I didn’t today because I thought I knew what I was doing.
I was thinking that I would be running through Williamsburg, which I’m familiar with, and wanted to avoid the crowded main street, so I ran down a different road. What I forgot was that the Williamsburg I was thinking of was north of the bridge and I would be running south towards the park. Duh #1. As I ran south, the streets were much emptier than I expected (well, except for the Hasidim…seeing them all dressed up for the Sabbath made me feel underdressed and inappropriate….). I felt a little weird but in my head I thought to myself, basically anyplace in New York is safe to be during the daylight hours. The only place that I would feel uncomfortable is Bedford-Stuyvesant.
As the street I was on changed to Nostrand Ave, I suddenly came across this site.
The Marcy Houses housing projects. As in, Jay-Z’s childhood home. As in one of the most infamous housing projects in Bedford-Stuyvesant. As in oh fuck! I know it’s not PC to admit this, but honestly seeing that made me really nervous and I knew that I was not in the best neighborhood. Considering that I work in the South Bronx, which many people think is scary, I should be smart enough to shrug off stereotypes about neighborhoods, but I just suddenly realized that I was a young white woman, clad in running clothes, and in one of the few areas of the city that I truly feel uncomfortable running through. I thought about turning around and going back to the bridge and Manhattan, but decided instead to run down a different street, not past the projects, and keep going. Of course this meant I was running deeper into Bed-Stuy and I just kept getting more and more uncomfortable. Nothing happened and people barely looked at me, but I was the only person running there and I just didn’t know where I was really, how far the park was from me, where the closest subway stop was, and I didn’t see any cabs to jump into if I started to freak out. So then, naturally, I really started to freak out in my head.
All this time, since getting off the bridge, I kept picking up my pace and by mile 10 was sprinting my way through Bed-Stuy, running as fast as I could to get out of there. I came to an avenue I knew and started running down that, instead of continuing south to the park because I just wanted to get out of that neighborhood. But the avenue was just as bad! I finally stopped to ask directions and was informed that I was about 10 or 12 blocks from the park. Having a sense of where I was and real directions made me feel much more secure, but I continued to run really fast and finally made it to the park, thank god!!
As you can imagine, those 3-4 miles of sprinting killed me! It was only mile 12 when I hit the park, though it felt like I had been running forever, and my legs were DEAD. I managed to push myself for another 5.5, but they were slow and painful miles. I called it quits at mile 17.5, got a Kashi bar and a Clif water and got on the subway to go home. (BTW, the taste of Clif Quench isn’t anything to write home about, but I love that it’s mostly organic and has no HFCS – I’m generally a huge fan of all Clif products!).
So, I learned quite a bit on my run today. I need to be more aware when I’m mapping routes in unfamiliar places in order to make sure I’m safe. Nothing happened, and I don’t think anything would happen if I ran that route again (which I won’t!) but there definitely are neighborhoods in NYC that I should steer clear of. I think Manhattan is generally safe, but in the outer boroughs I need to be more careful. I should probably buy pepper spray for my keychain just for added safety. Finally, I need to be more willing to break with my planned route! Both the last time I ran to Brooklyn and this time, circumstances arose that should have led me to change my route. I am so freaking stubborn and scared that I won’t get my miles in, but obviously my safety is more important and I should have been willing to go back over the bridge to finish my run in more familiar surroundings.
I also learned that Jay-Z and I are a lot alike. We should probably hang out and be BFFs. I’m sure Beyoncé wouldn’t mind
I’m going to start out by saying that I finished in 1:51:31, 8:30 miles – this is a solid race time for me, but this report will include some bitching and moaning because I know I could have done better. I’m frustrated that I didn’t PR because it was the perfect race to do that!
The race itself was really enjoyable. I liked the course, which wound its way through a residential section Queens, up and down small hills the small way. I was surprised at how quickly each mile marker came, which is always a sign of a fun race in my estimation. Also the water stations were always stocked and well-manned (which hasn’t been the case in some recent NYRR races).
And I felt amazingly good while I was running! After my dismal experience in the NYC Half Marathon this August, I was nervous about this race. I knew that it would be at least 15 degrees cooler and I was in better shape now due to marathon training, but those tummy butterflies still struck. Honestly, I’ve never felt this good during a half marathon, which is why I think I could have run faster. Usually miles 9-11 present a challenge to me during half marathons because it’s when my energy fades and my legs start to hurt. I get by this point by telling myself I’ll stay at my pace just one more mile, and then I can slow down. This trick always helps me push through those tough spots in a race. I used this trick during the Queens half, but I realized that I never really felt tired, I just kept telling myself this because it’s what I always say! Force of habit, I guess.
However, despite my legs feeling great and having loads of energy, my pace just wasn’t where I had hoped it would be. I could see that I was passing each mile sign in about 8:30 and I was frustrated that I just couldn’t pick up the pace, since I was hoping to PR and run faster than 1:50. Why couldn’t I run any faster??? Well, this is where the bitching comes in…buckle up, amigos.
The race started at 7am in the outer reaches of Queens – so far out, that it wasn’t accessible by public transportation at those early hours. NYRR was offering shuttles from the last stop of the subway, which were going to stop running at 6:15. Knowing that, I woke up before 5am, and timed my travels to be at the Flushing stop around 6am, where I hopped on line with some friends. They told me they’d been there about 10-15 minutes and the line hadn’t moved more than 5 feet. That’s when I knew that this system was severely flawed and getting to the start was going to be very difficult. So after standing in line for more than 30 minutes (in the cold, in the dark, in Flushing!) we finally got on a bus that shuttled us to the start. It was a long ride to the start and along the way we saw people who had gotten frustrated and decided to just run or walk to the start, rather than deal with the shuttles. Poor bastards, they must have had no idea how far away the starting line was!
The bus stops, we pile off and realize we still have a 5 minute walk to the start. As we’re walking we see the start line…and all the runners streaking past it, as the gun has already gone off and the race has started! I was definitely upset when I realized that they wouldn’t be starting the race late (I had hoped they would put off the start until 7:30 to accommodate the poor planning on the part of NYRR). After bag check & porta potty usage, we went over to the starting line to stretch and get started. I didn’t notice the clock when I started but I knew we started at least 17 minutes after the gun had gone off, so there was no one else around when we started!
I took off and at first it was nice to have the whole course to myself, but when I started to catch up to people, I then had to waste energy dodging much slower runners – very frustrating! However, when I realized that I could and should be going faster, I had no one to help pace myself since I had started the race so late! 8:30 is by no means a slow pace for me, especially for that distance, so I needed people to use as pacers to push myself beyond that. I was frustrated when I realized that I just wasn’t able to maintain a faster pace on my own. Boo to me.
I’m starting to notice that the logistics for some NYRR races are pretty poor. I understand why they had to start the race at 7am, but NYRR needs to account for the large number of runners and have more shuttles! They are supposed to be experts at putting on races, so situations like this are unacceptable to me. Writing this race report reminds me of my threat to write a strongly worded email to NYRR about my frustration with the race logistics.
That being said, in two weeks I’ll be running the Staten Island half, which is the first half I ever ran and the first time I realized that I couldn’t be a decently fast runner. Before that race, I always ran about 9:30 or 10 minute miles. I blew those times out of the water last year with 8:48 miles, and I’ve gotten faster over the course of the year! I’m hoping this will be my race to break 1:50 finally!!
Ok I need to pull myself together and go out to conquer 18 or 19 miles. Lookout Brooklyn, here I come!
Today I set out for an 18 mile run. I had my route mapped out and planned to run from my apartment on the UWS, down the west side to Battery Park, then up the east side to the Brooklyn Bridge, through Brooklyn Heights, down Atlantic to Flatbush, do a loop in Prospect park, back to Brooklyn Heights where I would hop on the subway and relax in the ac on the way home. That was generally my route, although I took a slight diversion off of Flatbush, however my run was not so simple as it sounds.
Everytime I run in NYC, I come across or see something that is unexpected or surprising. Today was no exception. First, when I hit the Brooklyn Bridge by the East River, I realized there were a bunch of people standing around watching people swim in the East River. Someone told me that there’s a swim across the river from Manhattan to Brooklyn. Cool! Except ugh isn’t the East River filthy? I’ll take a pass on any activity that potentially leads to syphillis.
Then, I ran inland to get on the Brooklyn Bridge. Big problem there. Apparently there was a recovery rally for people celebrating their sobriety. Great cause and one I fully support. However, there were about 10,000 people rallying and they left absolutely no room on the walk way for the rest of us. It looked something like this:
Crowded! I bought a water and tried to gauge the situation. Smart Erin would have just run a different route, although that’s hard without a GPS to tell you how far you’ve gone. Also, I’m stubborn and I had been excited to run in Brooklyn, so I decided to go for it. I started making my way through crowds of people with signs, dodging elbows and placards in my quest to make it across. I found another guy in the same situation (who had a cute English accent! so best!) and I befriended him and we helped each other across. For the most part it was just slow moving and people would get out of our way when we asked. However, one man took this celebratory opportunity to sexually harass me. This really bothered me for so many reasons – not only was it horribly offensive but really inappropriate timing – and I kept thinking about it for the rest of my run. After incidents like this, instead of being brave and facing up to people like Mica, I tend to stay quiet and stew about it inside, imaging all of the verbal skewering I could have done if I’d been brave enough. I need to stand up for myself against dickheads more often.
Anyway, once I made it to Brooklyn Heights, I resumed my normal pace and ran towards Prospect Park. I attached myself to a Team in Training group of women who were running a good pace and heading towards the park. At first it was awkward because I just pretended like I was a part of their group and hoped they wouldn’t notice, but then I introduced myself and awkwardness was alleviated. Because of the group, my course was slightly altered and resulted in me running 19 instead of 18 miles. I split from them at the park, and ate my Gu.
GU!!! I am going to write a sonnet about Gu someday. And doesn’t Espresso Love sound like a made up R&B group from a Family Guy episode?
This flavor was meh. They’re all meh, so why am I always disappointed at them?
I ended my run back in Brooklyn Heights where I bought a Vitamin Water , walked around a little (I was born in the Heights and love going back to see the old ‘hood, especially my favorite playground!), got on a freezing cold overly air conditioned subway car where I sweated all over the seats and people gave me dirty looks. Eventually I made it back home where O greeted me by pretending to be the money you’d save from the Geico commercial:
Then had me make him lunch while he lazed about on the couch and lived a life of leisure.
I’m home for tonight and looking forward to a shmancy dinner out with mom and dad, as well as having their love and attention undiluted by my siblings. Yay! Hope everyone is having a great weekend – I’m spending the rest of it drinking beer and watching football!!
I absolutely cannot believe today is the last day of my summer vacation! Tomorrow I go back to school…back to adolescents, constant work, attitudes, and delicious Bronx coffee. Well, I guess there is a silver lining in there – can’t wait for that crack coffee tomorrow morning. Honestly, I am looking forward to seeing some of my favorite students, and even some of the bad-but-amusing ones, I’m just not excited about constantly feeling like there’s work I should be doing. Between teaching and grad school (I have to write a thesis this year – eek!), I never feel like I truly have a day off.
Today was super productive. Although I’ve been doing very little lately, today I decided to wrap up most of my to-do list. I started the day early, at 6:30, in order to practice waking up early. I ran a 6 mile tempo run, doing about 3-4 miles comfortably hard. LOVE tempo workouts now, as long as they’re not too long. They make me feel strong and like my pace is increasing.
After that, I immediately got to work on the list:
Double check lesson plans for coming week: 9th and 11th
Begin 11th grade lesson plans for next week
I did pretty darn good, eh? Laundry didn’t happen b/c all of the laundromats are closed – I predict that not having laundry in my new apartment building is going to become a major pain in my ass. No haircut because I need one so badly, that I think I need to spring for an expensive one and I’m feeling broke. I’m so shaggy though!
I got so involved in crossing things off the list, that I forgot to eat breakfast until 11:30! I used my free sample of Kashi Honey Sunshine for my brunch.
Mixed it with some greek yogurt and oh wow, these were great. I heart Kashi products, they just never disappoint. I wish Kashi would just send me tons of free samples
O sent this cool video to me earlier. Stuart Smalley Governor Franken has some mad skillz:
Then had me make him lunch while he lazed about on the couch and lived a life of leisure.
