Comments (17)

By kilax, February 20, 2011 7:13 am

My next race is the Frosty Footrace (5K) on February 27th.

Day 484 | February 14, 2011: cross

Recumbent Bike Time: 45:00 | Distance: 7.36 | Set on “Manual,”  Resistance Level 5.0

Day 485 | February 15, 2011: 5 m run (400-800-1200-800-400)

I think I need to quit relying on exercise to help me de-stress. I’ve had a lot of angry workouts lately. At least I run faster when I am angry.

I did a ladder workout, or reverse ladder, or up-and-down the ladder, or whatever they are called (does anyone remember?) of 400-800-1200-800-400.

I did a 1-mile warm-up (@6.3mph/9:31mm), then five intervals with 2:00 minutes of recovery(@6.3mph/9:31mm) between, then a 1-mile cool-down (@6.3mph/9:31mm). The workout was tough, but more in a mental way of continuing to push it, than dealing with any aches.

Distance: 5.0 | Time: 45:02 | Incline: 1.0

Day 486 | February 16, 2011: strength + cross

I did Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred before I left for work in the morning. I used two 5-lb dumbbells for all the moves and holy cow – I was worn out!

During lunch I rode the bike in the gym.

Bike Time: 45:00 | Distance: 8.21 | Set on “Manual,” Resistance Level 5.0

Day 487 | February 17, 2011: 6.2 m run (+stretch) + strength

I met a few members of the running club at 5:30 am for a quick run before everyone went to work. I usually cannot make it to these early runs because I am already riding the train in to Chicago, but Thursday was my work-from-home day, so it all worked out! I ran 6.2 quick (for me) miles through a local neighborhood with about 5 other people (we were down to 3 at the end), then drove home and did 10 minutes of Yoga before taking a shower and starting the workday.

And I must mention – I wore a shirt and capris for this run. In February! Awesome!

Distance: 6.2 | Start Temp: 49° | End Temp: 44° | Time: 55:46 | Avg Pace: 8:59 | 1: 9:05 | 2: 8:56 | 3: 8:52 | 4: 9:08 | 5: 8:43 | 6: 9:12 | 7: 1:46

During my lunch break, I did Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred with Steven. I was kind of half-assing it, and Steven was saying all these funny jokes… so I am not sure how effective the workout was!

In the evening I attended the “No More Injuries” Clinic held by a Physical Therapist that is a member of our running club! I will have to share the notes when I get a chance, because they were quite interesting (different from many things I have heard about running – for example, that it does not matter what surface you run on, because your body usually compensates for it).

Day 488 | February 18, 2011: 10 m run (+stretch)

I had to get my long run in early in the morning Friday, before catching a flight. Another running club member joined me for the first 5 miles and it was so nice to have his company! And boy, we were running fast – I didn’t even realize it (it was dark out and I wasn’t paying attention to my splits), but all of our miles were under 9:00mm. After he left I slowed down a bit! I felt really good during the run – I hope I wasn’t running too fast (for me).

I did 10 minutes of yoga after my run was over.

Run stats: I wore my orchid Asics Cumulus 12s (the new ones!). I wasn’t sure what to wear, but ended up with capris, two long-sleeved tops and gloves, and that was perfect. I stopped in the middle of the run when my friend left.  I had a Vanilla Bean GU at mile 5 and drink a bit of water.

Distance: 10.0 | Start Temp: 36° | End Temp: 35° | Time: 1:29:39 | Avg Pace: 8:57 | 1: 8:57 | 2: 8:46 | 3: 8:36 | 4: 8:47 | 5: 8:47 | 6: 9:11 | 7: 9:20 | 8: 9:09 | 9: 8:58 | 10: 9:01

Day 489 | February 19, 2011: rest

Day 490 | February 20, 2011: 6.1 m run

The awesome run of the week award goes to Sunday’s run – in NYC! We’re staying with our friends in Queens, so I snuck out early in the morning for a run. I started in their residential neighborhood, then ran along the East River (I think?) and in to a park. It was a beautiful early morning run, and I could see Manhattan in the background for a lot of it!

And the interesting part about this run is that I had negative splits, but wasn’t even trying! I wonder if doing speedwork is helping my overall speed.

Distance: 6.1 | Start Temp: 22° | End Temp: 22° | Time: 55:55 | Avg Pace: 9:10 | 1: 9:45 | 2: 9:25 | 3: 9:20 | 4: 9:12 | 5: 8:51 | 6: 8:26 | 7: 0:53

Week Summary: 27.3 miles

I did the best I could this week for fitting everything in while traveling. Hopefully I can do more yoga next week!

I’ve been wearing my compression socks after long runs, speedwork and interval runs. I never really felt sore after these types of runs before, so it’s hard to tell if the socks are doing anything, but I am feeling pretty good. I am going to keep wearing them!

I am going to try to participate in Jill‘s (Finishing is Winning) Monday Brain Exchange. She asks one fun question (or series of questions) a week, on Monday (I will probably answer on Sundays). This week’s question is:

Do you make vacations out of your races when they are far from home?

I’ve actually never done a destination race. The closest thing to it will be running the half marathon in Champaign-Urbana this April. And it won’t be a vacation in the fact that I will take extra days off from work… but I will have a blast!

I actually do the reverse of this question – look for races when I am already planning on traveling. Whenever I go to Iowa, I see if there are any 5Ks happening and usually sign up for them.

Comments (28)

By kilax, February 18, 2011 5:22 am

Have you ever tried hypnotherapy (being hypnotized)? What were you hoping to achieve through hypnotherapy? Did it work?

or

If given the opportunity, would you try hypnosis? What would you hope to achieve (rather, what would you work on)?

I read an interesting article in Fitness Magazine recently (read it here) about how many studies show that hypnosis works, and how you can take some of the hypnosis tools – thinking positively, managing expectations for pain, imagining a successful outcome of something stressful – and apply them to your daily life to improve performance, fight pain, get past your fears, and so on. And of course, the article mentions celebrities who have used it to lose weight, reduce anxiety, and quit smoking.

So would I try it? Sure! I am game for many things. I would probably try to use it to reduce anxiety/stress, because that seems to be where most of my issues are stemming from lately!

Comments (32)

By kilax, February 17, 2011 4:55 pm

What an exciting day I’ve had!

• I got to run in short sleeves* this morning with the club – at 5:30 am!
• One of the runners gave me a blinking armband to keep! It will be perfect for dark runs.



• I found out I will get to review an awesome product on my blog, and giveaway said awesome product (in the next month or so).



• I found out I won a package at a local yoga studio! Not sure what it includes yet, but I am excited!
• A lot of the snow is gone!
• My Grayslake Running Club shirt orders came in and I get to pick them up tonight at the club clinic. Yay!

Hmm, maybe the things that excited me are kind of lame? Anything exciting going on for you? It can be minor!

*Don’t worry, that’s not all that I wore!

Comments (25)

By kilax, February 16, 2011 5:32 am

I decided I would like to try some protein powder, so I ordered sample packs of the Vega Sport brand in vanilla and berry. Each serving contains 20g of protein (nutritional info here).

I haven’t tried them yet, but wanted to ask you guys a few questions!

Have you ever tried/do you use protein powder? Do you notice any benefit from using it? When do you use it and how (in a shake, just with water, etc.)?

I am anxious to see how this stuff tastes, and if I notice any effect from using it.

Comments (29)

By kilax, February 15, 2011 5:09 am

Whoa, look at the forecast:

It looks like we are getting a premature taste of spring. Yippee ki-yay! I don’t care if it rains. I don’t care if it’s only like this for a week. I’ll take it.

Are you getting a taste of spring where you live?

Does the warmer weather inspire you to wear more “spring-like” clothing?

I bought this top at Kohl’s awhile ago, but didn’t want to wear it until it was more “spring-y” outside.

Yay flowers!

Okay, and I have to confess – I wore this top to the Auto Show on Sunday and to work on Monday. Muah ha ha. Ha…?

The winner of the Yoga Mat Bag is Heidi! Heidi, please email me your mailing address and I will send it your way.

(Side note: Heidi is another Chicagoland blogger that I just found – check out her blog!)

Thanks to everyone who entered! I was thinking no one would want a yoga mat bag. I was dead wrong!

Comments (30)

By kilax, February 14, 2011 12:34 pm

Don’t mind if I do.

My awesome coworker made vegan peanut butter cups to bring to the office for Valentine’s Day. How sweet is she?!

I kind of mentioned before that I am trying to shed some weight, and one of the ways I do that is by cutting back on my “sweets” consumption. Because, yeah. I can really eat a lot of sweets. Like, an obscene amount – what most people consume in a month, I could probably consume in a day. What can I say? I have a major sweet tooth!

But I’ve been trying to control it, by having tea instead of sweets. And it’s working. But today?* I think I may have a peanut butter cup. Or two. Or three.

Do you have a sweet tooth? Do you try to not eat too many sweets?

Do you think you’ll have any sweets today?

*And I am TOTALLY going to Babycakes in NYC with Gina!!!

Comments (20)

By kilax, February 14, 2011 5:54 am

Goal: do not bring work stress home with me.

I used to think I was really good at “leaving work at work” – coming home and not having work on my mind AT ALL. But that has not been the case lately. Last week was awful. I felt frustrated every night. Which sucks. Because I really look forward to spending my evening with these guys:

And when I am feeling frustrated and stressed, I am not very fun to be around.

A lot of my stress is feeling like I have too much to do, even though I know that I don’t. So I constantly tell myself “You have enough time to get everything done.” And, “Not everything is urgent. It’s not a life or death situation.” How sad is it that I have to tell myself these things?

I hate how anxious I am. Hate it. Hate it. Hate it.

Are you able to leave work/school stress behind at the end of the day? What are your tricks?

Comments (12)

By kilax, February 13, 2011 6:18 pm

My next race is the Frosty Footrace (5K) on February 27th.

Day 477 | February 7, 2011: strength

Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred with Steven.

Day 478 | February 8, 2011: 4.5 m run (6x400s) + yoga

More 400s. I think next week I will venture in to 800s or ladder workouts.

I did a 1-mile warm-up (@6.3mph/9:31mm), 6×400 with 2:00 minutes of recovery (@6.3mph/9:31mm), then a 1-mile cool-down (@6.3mph/9:31mm). The workout was challenging, but in a good way. I really pumped my arms during those last two 400s to help keep up the momentum!

Distance: 4.5 | Time: 41:04 | Incline: 1.0

I did the YogaWorks Beginners DVD in the evening while Steven made dinner. I definitely think Steven will be in the running for the Awesome Husband of the Year award!

Day 479 | February 9, 2011: cross + strength

I was really hoping riding the bike during lunch would help with some work stress, but it was all waiting for me when I got back to my desk. Boo. At least I took a lunch break!

Bike Time: 45:00 | Distance: 8.61 | Set on “Manual,”  Resistance Level 5.0

Getting home and doing Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred did seem to help me de-stress. A bit.

Day 480 | February 10, 2011: rest

Day 481 | February 11, 2011: strength + 5.1 m run (tempo)

During my lunch break, Steven and I did Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred.

After work, I was ready to run. What a stressful week I had. Blah.

I thought Data was going to run with me, but he chickened out, so I went on my own.

My goal was a 1-mile warm-up, 3 miles at 9:00mm, and an 1-mile cool-down. I ended up with 9:08, 8:39, and 8:22 – good enough for me! The fast miles felt good. I remembered to pump my arms, like I did during my speedwork earlier in the week.

Aww, cat paw marks!

Distance: 5.1 | Start Temp: 22° | End Temp: 22° | Time: 46:14 | Avg Pace: 9:04 | 1: 9:31 | 2: 9:08 | 3: 8:39 | 4: 8:22 | 5: 9:27 | 6: 0:55

Day 482 | February 12, 2011: 12.35 m run (3 + 9.35) + yoga

Saturday was another social run with the Grayslake Running Club. Everyone met to run, take a club photo, then eat pancakes to support the Grayslake Youth Baseball Association (we met at the Grayslake Fire Department because the pancake social was there).

Photo Credit: Matt Huber

Look at how many people showed up!!! Do you see me?

I started by running 3 miles at home, because I knew I wouldn’t get all 12 in with the club. After running my 3 (in the dark with a headlamp) I drove to Grayslake and met up with the “early” running crew. There were three waves of runners, at 7:00 am, 7:30 am, and 8:00 am. After running loops, we ran back to the starting point so more people could join.

Photo Credit: Matt Huber

Back at the start for the second wave

I had so much fun. The run felt awesome and flew by. I was full of energy, loved being around so many people, and having so many different conversations! And I kept up my pace up pretty good with the club (averaged 9:33mm for the last 9.35 miles) – another benefit of being in the club!

And Bobbi joined us! I didn’t have a chance to run with her (my group came back to late to the starting point), but we got to chat afterward.  Runs like this remind me why I love running so much! And reminds me of a link I wanted to share – The Running Peanut‘s post this week on why she loves to run with a group – check it out here.

Photo Credit: Matt Huber

Bobbi and me chatting it up with another club member!

Later in the afternoon, I did the YogaWorks Beginners DVD. I really feel like I am becoming more flexible!

Distance: 3.0 | Start Temp: 29° | End Temp: 23° | Time: 30:15 | Avg Pace: 10:04 | 1: 10:13 | 2: 10:00 | 3: 9:59
Distance: 9.35 | Start Temp: 23° | End Temp: 27° | Time: 1:29:18 | Avg Pace: 9:33 | 1: 9:41 | 2: 9:37 | 3: 9:53 | 4: 9:39 | 5: 9:22 | 6: 9:18 | 7: 9:23 | 8: 9:20 | 9: 9:37 | 10: 3:23

Day 483 | February 13, 2011: 3 m run + cross

Originally, Sunday was going to be a rest day (if you don’t count walking around the Chicago Auto Show with Steven and Erin and her husband). I just felt tired all day. But it was so nice out – in the 40s!!! – that I had to get a run in. So I ran 3 miles, then Steven and I walked 1.6 miles together.

Distance: 3.0 | Start Temp: 43° | End Temp: 43° | Time: 26:10 | Avg Pace: 8:41 | 1: 9:06 | 2: 8:39 | 3: 8:21
Distance: 1.6 | Start Temp: 43° | End Temp: 43° | Time: 28:55 | Avg Pace: 18:04

Week Summary: 24.95 miles

This was a good week, running-wise! I cannot remember the last time I got in three quality workouts (speed, tempo and long-run). I wish every week worked out that nicely!

The paces I hit this week make me think I might be able to break my half marathon PR, but we’ll see. I’d rather run injury-free than worry about breaking my PR, so I am going to be careful about how much I think over it.

Comments (26)

By kilax, February 12, 2011 5:42 am

Awhile ago, when I wrote about being too distracted for yoga, Lauren told me she finds it much easier to focus in a yoga studio, and invited me to join her at a session! We had it all planned out, but then the snowpocalypse hit, I was trapped in my house, and had to cancel.

When I was asked Lauren what to bring to class, one of the things she mentioned was my yoga mat. Then I realized I didn’t have a yoga mat bag. What the hell was I going to carry my yoga mat downtown in?! Duh, Kim, duh.

So I ordered a yoga mat from amazon. Voila:

And I ordered an extra one, in dark blue, to giveaway! Because maybe someone else is like me – has a yoga mat, but no bag.

It’s mesh, with a zipper down the side, fits a typical 24″ wide mat, and has a little pocket inside. But is dark blue.

Yoga Mat Bag Giveaway Rules

1. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment telling me your favorite exercise move to do on a yoga mat.
2. This giveaway is open until 5:00 PM CST on Monday February 14. I will use random.org to select the winner. I will announce the winner on Tuesday February 15.
3. This giveaway is open to all readers.

Comments (27)

By kilax, February 11, 2011 5:57 am

Thanks for all of your sweet comments on my post this Wednesday! I felt much better after reading them, knowing many of you could relate.

If you could be sponsored for any activity of your choosing, which activity would you choose, and who would you choose as your sponsors?

From here

Seriously, how cool would it be to be sponsored for doing something you love? Any activity! Athletics, arts, working on cars, reading…  sleeping… ha.

I would love to be a sponsored runner. Sign me up with Asics or Brooks, Under Armour, Sony, Gu, yeah, that would be awesome!

Okay, they probably wouldn’t want me, so I showed some of my other favorite places on my sponsor jacket just in case. Hmm, looks a bit tacky… ha ha!