Racing Weight

There is a this weight loss book called, "Racing Weight" geared towards runners who want to lose weight but continue their training. I am 5ft'1in'and 3 quarters and on a good day I like to say Im 5'2. Right now I am weighing in at 112 which is normal. In order to get faster and run better I think that my ideal racing weight would be between 95-100 pounds. Now that may sound like freakishly slender but honestly for my height it's NOT. It would be the same as if a 5ft'6'in woman weighed 115-120 pounds. Throughout all of my teens I weighed 90 pounds until I hit my 20s. Losing weight while still maintaining the energy to race is tricky and Racing Weight lays out a plan to help you lose 1-2 pounds a week. The first few weeks you need to have at least 30% of your calories come from protein in your meals. The author makes sense in his presentation and the book also offers some diagrams for certain exercises and also recipes for healthy meals.

My Dream Race

Arrowhead Ultra My Dream Race

My goal for 2011 is to complete a 100 mile race by ANY means necessary. I need to complete one so I can register for the Arrowhead135 mile ultra which will be taking place in Jan 2012. It's in one of the coldest towns in the United States with temperatures getting -40 with a high of 0 degrees. you have to carry something like 15 pounds of supplies with you and you are not allowed a pacer.

I want to run this race since I first heard about it last September. It's all about self reliance and testing your inner strength and boundaries. Plus, I consider it will be fun. Yeah, that's right, I think running in -20 degree weather a good time.

Don't judge me.

Saucony Mirage Update: 1

I have decided that I'm going to write updates every week about how I feel about the Saucony Mirage: how they are holding up, are they too supportive, are they not supportive enough, just my impressions of them as I train. I'm doing this because it's a new shoe and runners out there may want opinions about them before they buy it. I know I did and found little to no personal reviews about them from runners.


I am still recovering from an IT band injury so I have yet to log many miles in these shoes. I have ran maybe 12 miles in them thus far and only on the treadmill.

So, how are they working out?

Surprisingly well. I have only run in minimalist, low heel to toe drop ratio, lightweight trainers and racing flats since I began running. This was a change. I knew it would be. The Saucony Mirages are lightweight for a support shoe but I can still notice the extra weight from the shoes while I'm running. It's very noticeable. I am very happy that I bought these instead of the standard supportive shoe that is much heavier than the Mirage, I really don't think I could have dealt with that. I feel that I am running more evenly in these shoes. I have noticed that I am putting equal weight on each leg while I am running which is what I needed. I also notice the built in arch support, I think I notice it because Ive never ran in shoes with arch support before. I needed that support particularly for my right leg as much as I hate to admit it. Its only a slight support but it's still there. Also, my it band band pain is improving so I have definitely taken a shine to this pair of shoes.

Overall, so far so good!

Sweet, New Compression Socks. Sweet, New Brooks Skirt.

God, I need a new webcam, one that isn't 15 dollars and from 2006. I love compression socks. I don't know if they actually work but I always feel like I can go faster for longer in them. My legs feel more peppy. The skirt is actually the first article of running clothes I have ever bought from Brooks. I like the way it fits and on the spandex under neath there is some sort of substance that keeps them where they need to be. It's not as cute or flattering as my Nike running skirt but way more comfortable. There is also a pocket in the back (with a zipper!) big enough to store gels in.

IT BAND UPDATE:
The Gods have answered my prayers. I was in the gym for nearly 3 hours today and I had no pain in my knee. NONE. I only ran 4 miles (2 miles twice once before an eliptical workout and the other set afterwards. My chriopractor told me I'm only allowed to run 2 at a time until the IT Band gets better) but I did an hour and a half eliptical workout and then 40 minutes on this hill climber machine. I'm scared to be optimistic but I am so happy right now.

The Bar Exam is Like an Ultra

Twice a year fearful law school graduates come together in their state to take the bar exam so they can become real life attorneys. In Ohio, everyone who seeks to have Esq. follow their name makes the pilgrimage to Columbus, Ohio.
So why is it like an Ultra?
1. You have to pace yourself or else you may DNF. For real.
2. You are allowed a water bottle and only a water bottle to stay hydrated.
3. You have to pay an insane entry fee.
4. You train for months.
5. Not only does it test your mental toughness but also your physical toughness as well.
6. You plan out what you will eat for breakfast.
7. You show up an hour before it starts.
8. Its a multi day event.
9. You will want to quit/die/wonder why the hell you decided to do this.
10. It is recommended that you dress in layers/comfortably.

Day 1: My brain wants to exploooode.
Cant wait for Day 2 and 8 hours of multi choice without a clock. Not allowed to bring in watches for this!

Saucony Mirages or I spent more money I don't have

Today I went to Up and Running because my chiropractor said I might need shoes with more stability. She also called me flatfooted. HORRIFIED. I went there to have my foot/gait analyzed by someone who was knowledgable with running. To my sheer horror, the store employee suggested that I should probably use a stability shoe and brought out 3 pairs: one by Brooks, one by Mizuno and one by Saucony. I hated all of them. The employee saw the obvious disgust on my face. I asked him what was in the Saucony box, I can't remember the response. However, he asked me why I asked and if I had run in Saucony's before. I told him I had been interested in the Kinvaras. He then went over and grabbed a pair of the Saucony Mirages, which I had heard about recently since they were released this month. Okay, they were CUTE, but still in my eyes they were the devil. I thought it over. As a last ditch effort I grabbed a pair of the Brooks Cascadias off the shelf and asked "Could the Cascadia's be an option for stability, I mean I know they market them as neutral Trail shoes but they seem comparable, right??!"
Employee: "Those shoes are two completely different concepts."
Me: "I know, but I was just hoping."
I love Up and Running, its a great store and everyone who works there is very helpful.
Its just that...I never thought I would wear a stability shoe.
I only plan on using them until I get better. Ill probably use them during the Green Jewel 50k and the ORRRC marathon (since its a road race).

Saucony is marketing the Mirages as a cousin to the Kinvara with a heel/toe drop of 4mm. Honestly, it looks like more of a 6mm drop to me but I'm just eyeballing it in comparison to my New Balance WT 101s, Nike Frees and my Green Silences.

Speaking of my Green Silences, lately I've felt weird about them, mainly because I was wearing them when I initially injured my IT Band. A part of me wants to BURN them.

We'll see how these Mirages work out.

I LOVE the smell of new shoes

Haruki Murakami

"Most runners run not because they want to live longer, but because they want to live life to the fullest. If you're going to while away the years, it's far better to live them with clear goals and fully alive than in a fog, and I believe running helps you do that. Exerting yourself to the fullest within your individual limits: that's the essence of running, and a metaphor for life." Haruki Murakami

Something I want to remember

One of the reasons I think I ever started running was prolly because of this person. Sometimes there are just genuine good people out there in the world and it's like you don't quite understand how they can be so decent. When I was a teenager I always admired how nice this person was and wish I could be like that.

I'll be dedicating the 100 miles I run when I run my first 100 mile race to this person because he was/is really inspirational.


"Shut it... I told you back then and I'll tell you again, you had more heart than me and I told you that you were improving every time. You wouldn't listen to me, but I knew if you stayed focus you'd really be a force. You had all the ability then and you still do. I tried to push you harder every chance I got. I remember coming and running beside you trying to push you to finish strong. Looking back I realize now why I majored in business because I work hard but I enjoy pushing others as a manager. Just be sure to listen to your body I ignored the pain in my knee for a year and I paid for it. I didn't pay much attention because my times were getting faster every race. Knee surgery is hard on you depending on what you have wrong. Listen I'm proud of you, I really wanted to run a marathon. I ran the distance of a half marathon once in two hours. I'd like to think that's pretty good lol."

My IT Band: Gertrude

For about 2 months now I have been having some serious issues with my right IT Band. Out of shear random luck a DailyMile friend messaged me, asking if I was still planning on running the Green Jewel 50k because she had just signed up and saw my name on the list of participants. I messaged back explaining that a of right now I am, but I'm having some IT Band issues so who knows. She then responded that she had an IT Band problem for 3 months and finally went to a Chiro that did the something called an Active Release Technique and it cured her and later another friend who was also having IT band problems. She gave me the name of the chiro and there seems to be a glimmer of hope now for me!

Fingers crossed that this works/won't be crazy expensive.

Lauren Fleshman's Picky Bars! YaY!

I got my package of Lauren Fleshman's Picky Bars in the mail today. I decided to get the variety pack which included:

Almond Agave Vegan
Lauren's Mega Nuts
Honey Roasted Sunflower

I already tried the Almond Vegan Agave and it was delicious and served its after run snack purpose.

Frostbite 5 mile Run

The Frostbite 5 Mile run was yesterday. It was only 3 dollars for ORRRC members so there was no reason (well no reason other than my messed up knee) that I couldn't run it. It was pretty flat except for the last mile and a half had some residential area hills. My official finishing time was 45:05 for an overall pace of 9:01 min miles. I wasn't trying to kill myself out there mostly because of my knee and the fact that I'm still on antibiotics.

The weather was great and there was no ice or anything to worry about.

The start of the race was a bit funky, the race started maybe 10-15 minutes later than expected and all of a sudden we heard a gunshot or some kind of noise and realized it was race time!

It was funny, about a minute into it some people in front of me actually stopped for a freaking puddle. ARE YOU SERIOUS? I couldn't believe that, don't race if you don't expect to step in a tiny puddle. Geez louise people.

I had a good time and really enjoyed the race.