Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Bets

Woke up with a migraine, so no running for me...

But I've got someone else's running story! Andy Roddick bets tennis pal he can't run an under 4:45 NYC Marathon. I may not have as impressive a tennis background, but at least I don't have overactive sweat glands which cause me to sweat while brushing my teeth. So I've got that.

Anyone want to bet?

Kasha

Kasha, aka buckwheat, has so far starred as my main course in four meals this week. Featured at the tables of Jewish European grandmothers like mine, this "grain" is actually a nutritious fruit seed. It's nutty in flavor, especially when browned in the pan before it's cooked, packed with flavonoids (antioxidants which also protect against high cholesterol and heart disease), magnesium (good for the cardiovascular system and also to ward of migraines), fiber and contains all eight essential amino acids. It also provokes a very low blood glucose and insulin response, and there's evidence it is helpful in managing diabetes.

I prepare it with whole wheat bow tie noodles because that's how it has always been served to me. The whole thing can be prepared in the time it takes for the water to boil and pasta to cool. The recipe: Brown kasha in a saucepan on high heat, stirring continually until it smells... browned. Boil water (twice the volume of dry kasha you've used) and pour it into the saucepan. Lower the heat so you've got it at a low simmer and cover. In 10-12 minutes, it should all be absorbed. Then, throw in the cooked, drained bow ties, stir it up, salt to taste.

No other dish makes me feel simultaneously like an athlete and my grandmother.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

11.7 down the west side

Yesterday's run was a step down, only 11.7 miles. I felt like I had really improved my endurance, and not only because I can now place an only before that many miles. My legs felt fresh all the way from Columbus Circle, down the west side highway to Chambers Street. It helped a great deal that I started running with the slowest group of women,  and then,  kept running with them. I used the group to hold me back in the beginning and keep my pace steady. Today was the first day that I really got to know the other runners, and it was worth giving up my walking and slowing down my pace a bit to do that.

Right after turning around to head back up to the park, our running group gained a hanger-on. Jimmy found his running group couldn't get its act together for morning training runs, so he was out on his own. We invited him to smush into formation. At some point half way up, the group separated, and the coach, Jimmy and I ended up in the front pack for the last fourish miles. In a city as diverse in potential experiences as ours, the impressive common ground it presents to its resident strangers strikes me hard in moments like these, through exchanges over traffic patterns, running paths, neighborhoods' best spicy foods and coffee. Overt friendliness and encouragement pour out between strangers. It's what happens when we crave a boost, distraction, and a validation of the exercise; when our energy is funneled into the exertion and none is reserved for wondering whether the stranger friends want to bond and run with us right back.

Back at Columbus Circle, the coach hit the bathroom and Jimmy's run went in the direction of his home. Since I was on my own anyway and had three miles more to cover, I did my a bigger than planned but not completed loop of the park, hitting the final mileage mark just at my park exit.

I was up and about for most of the late morning and afternoon, including for an hour long walk. I ran well, my legs felt great, nothing hurt, and I quite enjoyed gorging on leftover pasta from the night before. I did, however, fall asleep by 10:30.  On Saturday night.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

5.25 and budless daydreams

Ran the Bridle Trail plus this morning. After struggling at the start and trying to pump myself up with way too pumped for the morning music, I pulled the earbuds out of my ears and calmed way down. What running gives me is that feeling I'm after when I just want to tell the world to please go away and leave me in peace for just like 20 minutes. And this week, I'm after it.

I found my rhythm. Found my feet make a scraping sound on the gravely dirt trail, and each solid uphill push-off shoots a tiny stream of the trail up my achilles and down my sock. Found the glowing green algae down by the boathouse sits still as a solid layer an inch below the water rather than at the surface. My mind wandered to dressing separating and to summer salad with sugar snap peas, what grains I could add. Farro? With scallions, perhaps, and hazelnuts. I should try it out for gladwared lunches and then use it for a dinner party. Dinner parties make me think of crisp air and scarves and wine, and unbundling friends coming through the door. Not 'til then. Summer is for barbeques, but it's harder to have a settle in for the night dinner party in a season of no shuttering in. I want leaves turning and falling and scenting the air, and to smell fireplaces (if I can in the city).

Rounded the bottom of the park, remembered I was running on a summer work day, and crossed Fifth to get home. The respite was nice while it lasted and lasts, keeping me a little calmer through the hectic day.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

the unhappy hour

Too little sleep and too much rain to run this morning. Wednesday is the cross-training-is-allowed day, so I hopped on the elliptical two feet from my bed for a half hour switch it up workout. The forecast tomorrow looks clear and promising, so I'll do my best to get to sleep early, get up early, and get five miles in then.

Tonight is a team happy hour. And by tonight, I mean this evening, also known as of-course-still-at-my-desk time. I had been looking forward to the possibility of making it, as I cannot name a single person on my team. I know some of the JackRabbit people I train with, but they're all either running for other charity teams or as individuals. This is Manhattan- I cannot possibly be the only one working into the late evening. Wish they'd schedule a meet and greet for an easier to make time.

At least I've been able to make the time to train. Better mood coming tomorrow. Then rest day (!!!) and a step-back-the-mileage long run down to the west side.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

More bang for your buck: doing it outside

Interesting article that backs up the way I intuitively think (and feel) about exercising outside.

“Almost certainly, downtime lets the brain go over experiences it’s had, solidify them and turn them into permanent long-term memories,” said Loren Frank, assistant professor in the department of physiology at the university, where he specializes in learning and memory. He said he believed that when the brain was constantly stimulated, “you prevent this learning process.” ...“There is more bang for your buck doing it outside, for your mood and working memory.”

Weirdos

My version of a Tuesday tempo run: jog up to the reservoir, run two ten minute mile laps, and jog randomly around the bottom area of the park until I hit five miles. It's all very scientific.

As I ran southward down the hill on the east side, I passed the same mountain lion sculpture I see most days during the week. Only, today I saw an old man descending from it. His hand grazed the snout, and then his own forehead, and then--  the man proceeded to cross himself. According to a quickie search, there's no intended religious significance to this sculpture. Still Hunt, as it's called, just "continues to inspire awe in weary and unsuspecting joggers as they arrive at the crest of Cedar Hill." Uh hu... apparently.

Coming in second, a sixty-something woman in a velour white sweat suit and pigtails ringed in gold scrunchies speedwalked while reading a full-sized open newspaper as joggers swerved around her.

Some days I like my running getup. Some days, with my hair poofing out of the top of my stylish visor, nose running in the damp cold, crud in my eyes, and socks at the bottom of the drawer that hit at that unflattering spot just above the ankle, I feel very uncute. It's comforting to think that among this crowd, I don't approach the competition.

Monday, August 23, 2010

Recovery

So much of Saturday was spent in bed. A hot lavender salinated bath in the late afternoon felt incredible, and the only sore part of my leg was the little area behind the knee from, I'm sure, lifting my leg up behind me a good four million times. Heading out to dinner on Saturday night, I had a hint of a toddler walk, that walk that's just a little bouncy because their little legs don't straighten all the way as they propel themselves jerkily forward.

A little Sunday stretching and a recovery forty minutes on the elliptical much improved the lactic acid buildup situation. I think I pushed my wall back without pushing my body too hard. Now I've just got to find the time in my busy work week to get all the maintenance mileage in so that my body won't forget the endurance I've pocketed.

Saturday, August 21, 2010

14.28 miles and bigger things

Fourteen miles (plus a smidge) of the park. A five mile loop, four mile loop, and then switched directions for another five mile loop. There is something supremely annoying about running in circles. If I'm going to fourteen miles, I'd kind of like the route to take me out seven miles to see something new. There are only so many times I need to see the Met's rear in the morning or that part where in exchange for their forced asphalt torture, the horses pollute the entire street.

One last complaint. Gu does not agree with my stomach, my mouth, my anything. Disgusting to eat and left me feeling sick to my stomach after. Blechhhh.

On the bright side, I ran over fourteen miles, or about 2.5 longer than I ever have before. Overheard much talk of chafing but experienced none of it. No (knock on wood) injuries. Inch by inch, life's a cinch, as the fortune cookie says.

I've hit and surpassed the half marathon mark and we've raised  over $1,000. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Far more exciting than my progress is the headway being made in medical research.  The FDA has granted priority review to Benlysta, the first lupus drug to complete Phase 3 Trials with positive results. December 9th is the expected decision date for the FDA.

Here's how it works (as best I can understand):

THE RESEARCH: In autoimmune diseases such as lupus, antibodies, which are supposed to protect the body from infection, attack the body's healthy tissue. These are called autoantibodies. Human Genome Sciences discovered a naturally occurring protein, a B-lymphocyte simulator, or "BLyS". BLyS turns B-lymphocyte cells into mature plasma B cells. These mature plasma B cells produce antibodies. All good. The problem is that in lupus and certain other autoimmune diseases, elevated levels of this protein are believed to contribute to the production of autoantibodies. Research studies have demonstrated a significant correlation between elevated BLyS levels and lupus disease activity.

THE DRUG: It's called Benlysta, and was developed by HGS in partnership with GlaxoSmithKline. Benlysta acts by: (1) specifically recognizing and binding to BLyS, (2) inhibiting BLyS’s stimulation of B-cell development, and (3) restoring the potential for autoantibody-producing B cells to undergo the normal process of apoptosis (programmed cell death). Clinical and nonclinical studies show that BLyS antagonists such as BENLYSTA can reduce autoantibody levels in lupus. The results of two pivotal Phase 3 trials, BLISS-52 and BLISS-76, suggest that the drug can reduce SLE disease activity. I haven't found any significant side effects, and it  is so far believed to be safe taken in combination with existing treatments.


If approved, Benlysta would be the first new lupus drug in 50 years. FIFTY YEARS. That's the Mad Men era, people.

Long story short, (1) It's high time for new drug therapies; (2) Promising research and testing is underway, and even if this drug doesn't work, we're coming a long way in understanding why autoimmune diseases surface, the first step to finding solutions; (3) Every dollar counts and the Lupus Research Institute has got somewhere good to put it.

Please consider supporting the promising research underway, grants given for exploration of exciting new ideas (more on an array of lupus drug development initiatives here), and my efforts running (often, in circles) in support of a cause that is near and dear to my heart and, apparently, B cells.

Click to contribute

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

T minus 80!

and all I need to do is more than double the mileage of the longest run! Easy. As. Pi.

let's count down....

Willpower

Zero energy, all willpower.

I did not want to wake up this morning, much less force myself upright, into running gear, out the door, and around the resevoir. But I did. I did what I used to do in high school, where first period started at 7:20 and I had to wake up in the middle of the night to get there-- I counted down. I will lift my head and roll over and up in 60, 59, 58, 57....

I loosened up but never got that into it. It's sadly ironic that exhuastion prevents me from throwing enough into the run that it energizes me. At least I covered a few more miles and can check off another week day run.

At least I'm not one of the turtles who lives at the dirty end of the resevoir. I worry that they're being poisoned by the pollutants sitting mucky and still at the surface edges.

At least I have shoes. I hope the shoeless runners have had a recent tetanus shot.

When I hit the fifth or sixth 'at least' on my run, I know that what I really need to add to the training routine is sleep. Time to count down to Friday, also known as rest day or the day on which I get to sleep an additional hour in the morning.

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Nutrigrain...

... is the secret to my recent success. They take zero effort from my insides to digest, are silent to eat in bed as soon as I wake up (and when I'm really considerate, I even step outside the bedroom to unwrap it), and have enough carbs and sugar to get me through the morning run without pangs of hunger stabbing through at the half hour mark.

My legs have been feeling no pain- and aren't even really tired after the long run on Saturday. I'm itching for the weekend, to be able to run farther than I ever have- again. That's really the great thing about the training at this point; it isn't all that often in otherlife that a situation provides an opportunity for both constant and quantitatively measurable improvement. And I love that.

This morning I ran four miles at a comfortable pace on very comfortable dirt and grass. I've decided to prioritize avoiding asphalt on my weekday runs, which means that in addition to seeking out the dirt paths (as I've been doing), I'm also hopping on the grass and running parallel to the road. My only worry has been that I'll step funny and strain an ankle. No problem- I'll keep an eye on the ground for the rougher, covered with longish grass stretches. WHACK. Just a tiny branch to the head. And that's how I found the greatest advantage to moving slowly.

Monday, August 16, 2010

10.28

10.28 by myself. Two laps around the park, cutting through the top at 102nd to slice off the Harlem Hill tip. It was a bump back the mileage before a big increase kind of week.

I spent Friday and the first half of Saturday wishing for a head transplant and retaining my will to live by taking too much knock-me-on-my-ass migraine magic pills. After a slow afternoon strolling the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens and some rest at home, I suited up, determined to get the Saturday morning long group run in by myself in the evening. It was cool and breezy, and would have been perfect had my not-quite-exactly-magic pills not sent me from worn out hungover to seriously nauseous. As my stomach flipped, I slipped off my shoes, and crawled back under the covers.

Sunday, I woke up, had three Nutrigrain bars, and headed out for a lovely couple hours. I felt all warmed up and hit a comfortable pace at the hour mark, and just kind of forced myself to focus on the fact that I was doing well in the moment, and not on the time and distance I had left. Mentally, the second loop was far easier than the first; it was nice to say to myself "I will not have to cover this ground again."

I'm sensitive to processed foods, with some of the preservatives and additives causing full blown attacks of the migraine, but I'm also increasingly concerned about all of the fake and chemicalized food that really takes effort to work around day in and day out. My head, stomach and energy level are all much improved by staying away from crap (I'm not talking about good quality chocolate here....). And the healthier I feel overall and the more I can exercise, the better my immune system does staying in whack.
My favorite part of the botanical gardens was the herb (and assorted other edible goodness) garden. I used to have a garden and thought I was pretty well versed in my veggies, but I was astounded by how many foods came from plants I would not have been able to recognize coming out of the ground. (See an artichoke to the right!)

Having a fertile vegetable garden has jumped up my life list. It'll take the place of the marathon.




Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Just keep swimming...

I've been tired this week. I haven't been totally irresponsible wasting time before bed, but it's awfully hard for me to go from work under pressure to dreamland in under an hour. And I have been getting to sleep around 11, which is much more difficult than the running.

Unfortunately, the tempo run was not going to happen yesterday, and probably will not happen the way it's supposed to, um, ever. In the morning, I'm sleepy and haven't eaten much (more consumption would require an earlier wakeup). I also feel seriously limited by the beta blocker which I take daily to keep migraines to a couple times a month rather than every other day. I've also gotten very hot very quickly in this stickiness.

This is not really to complain. I'm not upset or uncomfortable. I've kind of just accepted that my health is at a good equilibrium and, within the constraints that hold it all balanced, I just have to do what I can do. Tempo runs are important for increasing speed but don't really do anything for endurance training, so a poor tempo run record shouldn't affect my ability to finish the marathon. And I don't feel like the beta blocker is as much of a problem when it comes to endurance. My legs still feel good and I always feel like I can run more at the end of a long one. Must be a heart rate thing.

I did try to do part of a temp run today. I ran up to the resevoir and then increased my speed for a lap around it. My fast speed was about a 9:40 mile. And I felt it.

I ran it all without music, yesterday and today, and actually the long run on Saturday. I didn't bring it to the long run so that I would appear welcoming of distracting conversation. I thought it would be impossible to keep going without music; that I'd be totally dependent on the extra stimulation to keep my mind of the tiring task. Turns out I liked  the quiet. Or the white noise, at least. For part of the time I think deeply, and for most of it, not at all. It's like I'm perceiving everything but there is no processing going on, like looking out a car window when I'm sleepy. There's something easier about it, and more satisfying. For now, the music is staying at home.

Monday, August 9, 2010

Tempo? Pace? Help?

Just got an email from the coach informing us that tomorrow (for the group Tuesday evening runs that I miss because there is no way in hell I can get out of work in time) the workout is a tempo run. Quick tempo. How quick? Marathon pace plus 30-45 seconds per mile. Oooooh.

But what's my marathon pace? I mean, other than 30-45 seconds slower than my tempo runs...

Help. Me.


UPDATE: "comfortably hard" is what I'm going for, says Runner's World, "You know you're working, but you're not racing. At the same time, you'd be happy if you could slow down."

Saturday, August 7, 2010

11.7

First run with the group and the coaching was... absent. They split us into three groups, mild, medium, and hot. I gravitated toward the woman who audibly called herself slow- er, mild.

The mild group was fast, but I kept up because I figured somebody had a plan and knew better. I kept toward the front of the mild pack and found that quite a few of us felt the pace was quite quick. A few women filled me in on the first couple weeks. It sounds like a fun group of runners who have had almost no guidance.

Since there was nobody to listen to, I decided to listen to my book, my dad, and my body, and slow down a bit. I felt much better for the last third even though I ended up running by myself between a couple sub groups of mild pack. Next time I'm going to bring music, walk one minute out of ten, and go at my own pace.

I really did feel good the whole way through though, and the course was fun. Saturdays in August are Summer Street days, which means Park Avenue is cut off to car traffic from maybe 7am-1pm. There are free bike and roller blade rentals, big water fountains, and dumpster pools and the local news reporters they attract.

We ran from Columbus Circle around the bottom of the park and up to 72nd on the east side, over to Park and down Park to the Brooklyn Bridge. Then all the way back up to 72nd, across the park there, and down to the start. We lucked into good enough weather that I didn't overheat, and I kept myself sugared up with Gu Chomp before the run and Jelly Belly Fast Energy Beans during.

I walked all the way home, picking up bagels on the way. Returned home to cinnamon challah french toast and iced coffee. An embarrassment of carboriffic riches, but this was looking like a two lunch day anyway.

Now I'm showered, in sweats and back in bed, where I belong on a Saturday morning.

Thursday, August 5, 2010

Shirtless

Muggiest day yet. Happy to be back in the park, but the oppressive humidity just dragged me down. My shirt felt heavy. After shirtless running being off limits during the New Haven years, the option is extra specially exhilaratingly luxurious. I try not to do it out of modesty fear of too much cumulative sun, but some days it's better than the drink cart man finding me in a passed out pile along the side of the path. And it feels so good.

I've been worrying that I'll be the slowest kid in the class. Always have. Worried-- not actually been at the bottom. Reassurance comes from showing up and feeling like at least I'm not all alone in my boat. I hope somebody wants to train as I've been, walking a minute out of many run, and somebodies want to go around my pace. The power of low expectations. I like bars set low, in my own head or the heads around me. Then I can meet and surpass them. I like to be pleasantly surprised and surprise.

Next up: Saturday is 11.7 miles and my first run with the group.