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By kilax, February 9, 2011 6:33 am

• I feel so tired and worthless lately. I’m not getting enough sleep, and I have to be “go go go” all the time because once I sit down, I am going to fall asleep. I cannot concentrate on reading anything (Can any of you? Please share your tips!). I can’t concentrate, period. I didn’t want to get out of my pajamas to go to work this morning.



• Speaking of that, I do love my one-on-one time with Data when I am getting ready in the morning. He does this thing where he gets up on the bathroom counter (photo above), and stands up so I will pick him up and hold him (otherwise, he will jump up on me). Aww.
• I am so grateful I have a family, friends and especially, a husband, that I can be 100% myself around. Because adjusting your attitude to co-align with someone else’s, even if just for the day, is so exhausting. And it makes you feel worthless.
• I have a friend who thinks that all bloggers are self-centered narcissists. Obviously, she does not know I have a blog, and I haven’t had a discussion with her to explain how, yes, bloggers are usually self-centered to an extent, but a lot of blogging is about the community and friends you make! Anyway, I can see why my friend thinks that, because she has a cousin who write a completely awful, miserable blog, that really is self-centered, narcissistic, and just plain bitchy. Sometimes my friend shares her cousin’s posts with me. They are hard to read, because of how infuriated they make me feel. One of the latest ones was about how she is “allowing” her husband to run the Chicago Marathon, even though it’s their one-year anniversary weekend (who knows if they will make it that long) but that she is NOT going to be selfless forever, and he better not expect that (it’s supposed to be a “feminist” blog, but, yeah, not going to get in to it). Long story short, WHOA she is psycho, and WOW that made me realize how lucky I am to have Steven as my spouse. He totally supports my running and commitment to other forms of exercise. Last night, he even made dinner while I did yoga! I sure am lucky. And surprised at how many spouses don’t support one another.
• When Erin was visiting this weekend, I told her how Steven and I might be going to lunch or dinner with Ben (the guy I met at the Snowshoe 5K) and his wife this Saturday. I told Erin that I am trying to make an effort to make more friends this year. Then I felt like a loser for saying that, and told her I was trying to make more friends since she is my only friend (update: only friend that I spend time with). Then I felt even more like a loser, and that I was insulting her too! Then I said something about how I would spend all of my time with her if I could (which is true) and just, yeah. I am not good with words (as you know). Sorry, Erin. What I wanted to ask was, is it lame that I am making a conscious effort to make friends? You know, at the running club, maybe going to this lunch? I really like spending time with people (when I am in the mood, ha), but I wonder if I am going about it wrong.
• What are your random Wednesday thoughts?

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By kilax, February 8, 2011 5:24 am

Where/when do you listen to music?

I used to rarely listen to music. In the car, for sure, and then sometimes while running/exercising. But I never listened to it while walking to work or riding the train, even though I wondered why so many people I would see walking around in Chicago had headphones on. A lot of people do!

I asked for wireless headphones for Christmas, in hopes of avoiding this while running:

I know that doesn’t look like me messing around with the headphones, but it indeed, is me.

I received the Plantronics BackBeat 906 wireless headphones, and decided to experiment with listening to music on the train and while walking to/from work. Surprisingly, listening to music really pepped me up on my walk to work! I found myself arriving in a good mood! Imagine that!

It actually shouldn’t be a surprise. There are countless studies out there about how music energizes us, helps us exercise better (it can reduce your perception of pain and help with your tempo), and helps us get certain tasks done more efficiently when listening to certain music.*

Do you purposefully use music to energize you?

I always feel like I am behind on music, because I read blogs where the authors are really in to music, but I basically just listen to whatever is on the radio and some of my favorite “blast from the past” songs. I don’t research music much, or know what is going on with current trends. I am not interested in new artists. And even though we have whole-house audio, I don’t take very good of advantage of it. Me so lame.

I should mention, in case anyone is ever interested in purchasing the wireless headphones that I have, that the bluetooth adapter is not reliable. At all. It broke within the first day I had it, then I got a new one, and it worked intermittently. So, we went past the bluetooth adapter route and bought a micro SD card for my phone, so I can use the music player and bluetooth from my phone to connect to the headphones (which work to answer calls too). So far it works, but skips (or does something that sounds similar to skipping) when I walk. It should be interesting to see how it works when I am running.

*Studies say that listening to certain types of music help people perform tasks better that they are already good at doing, but that music can distract from tasks we are not good at. I don’t know about you, but I cannot read/work and listen to music at the same time.

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By kilax, February 7, 2011 5:46 am

Geez, am I moving in to my office or something?

Thanks for telling me how crazy my hair looked, Steven!

People in my office give me crap about how much stuff I carry to work (I work 50 miles from my house). The messenger bag has my netbook, water and other random stuff in it (tissues, a back-up snack, pens, sometimes a neck pillow, other reading material). The green bag has my lunch and workout clothes in it. And the laptop bag has my work laptop in it (bring it home at the end of the week, return it on Monday). All essential items! Sometimes, when I am lucky, I can leave the green bag behind and just carry my lunch bag with the messenger bag.

No wonder my neck is often sore.

But I like to bring my lunch! And workout at the office gym! And sometimes sleep with my neck pillow on the train! So I don’t mind killing my neck/shoulders and looking like a huge dork all the time… for now.

What do you schlep to work/school/all over?

The funny thing is, I almost never have my wallet on me, and on the weekends, only carry my phone (unless I am driving somewhere by myself). I don’t really carry a purse!

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By kilax, February 6, 2011 6:31 pm

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

Wow. My outer lower legs were really tight and sore after the Snowshoe 5K! And my left knee was bothering me when I went to bed the night of the race. I forgot how much racing takes out of you!

Day 470 | January 31, 2011: strength

Steven and I did Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred. I used 2-lb dumbbells for most of the moves, and 5-lb dumbbells for the Dumbbell Row and Chest Flies, and skipped the Butt Kicks (they hurt my shins) and did Jumping Jacks instead.

I really like that this workout takes it out of me, but I wonder if it is the best workout for runners. It seems like it should be more of a supplemental workout than a main strength workout. Hey, it’s better than nothing though!

Day 471 | February 1, 2011: 4.5 m run (6x400s) + yoga

Speedwork again! I love how fast it flies by. And how easy it feels on the office treadmill, ha ha.

I did a 1-mile warm-up (@6.0mph/10:00mm), 6×400 with 2:00 minutes of recovery (@6.0mph/10:00mm), then a 1-mile cool-down (@6.0mph/10:00mm). The workout felt good and easy.

I did the Yoga Works Beginners DVD in the evening. I kind of had to force myself to do it, and it felt hard. My legs were still sore, and my shoulders (from the Shred).

Day 472 | February 2, 2011: cross

During lunch I walked 3 miles on the treadmill (1.0 incline/45 minutes). I also used my snowshoes to get the mail, but that doesn’t really count as too much of a workout! It was fun though.

Day 473 | February 3, 2011: 4.8 m run + strength

Yeah. So this run was kind of a “get out there and try not to fall” run. Yak Trax were essential. I started on the sidewalk, but quickly had to move to the street. And the streets were mostly covered in compacted snow, but in some areas, the snow was loose, hence “try not to fall.”

It was a beautiful and refreshing run though! And fun to see all of the snow in the neighborhood after the big storm!

Distance: 4.8 | Start Temp: 12° | End Temp: 14° | Time: 47:40| Avg Pace: 9:56 | 1: 9:51 | 2: 9:52 | 3: 9:55 | 4: 9:59 | 5: 8:01

In the evening, Steven and I did Level 1 of The 30 Day Shred. It felt easier than Monday! I used 2-lb dumbbells for some of the moves, and 5-lb dumbbells for the Dumbbell Row, Static Lunges and Chest Flies, and skipped the Butt Kicks (they hurt my shins) and did Jumping Jacks instead.

Day 474 | February 4, 2011: yoga + cross

In the morning, I did the YogaWorks Core Yoga Flow. I am not sure what inspired me to do a different DVD, but it was quite the workout! I guess that is why it’s called “flow” – you keep up a flow from one pose to the next, and don’t really do any sitting stretches until the end, when you feel nice and exhausted.

I was trying to look up one pose that I think is difficult. You usually do it after boat pose, when you return your legs to the ground, sit in a crossed-leg position, and lift your butt (and sometimes legs too) off the ground, using only your hands. Does anyone know what that pose is called?

After breakfast, I walked 3 miles on the treadmill (1.0 incline/45 minutes) while reading Performance Nutrition for Runners. I just finished Racing Weight, and while it had a lot of interesting facts in it, I didn’t find it very helpful for me. I hope the new book is more useful! Have you read either of these books? What did you think?

Day 475 | February 5, 2011: 11 m run + strength

What a screwy run. My pace was all over the place. I ran with the Grayslake Running Club and started out took fast, then ran on my own for awhile, then speed with the group again, then ran on my own for the last four… up down up down. Oh well. My body felt good (no shin/hip pain) and I had enough energy (took two GUs). Maybe next week’s pace will be more consistent.

Run stats: I wore the Asics Cumulus 12s (the new ones!). I stopped in the middle of the run because I thought I would be meeting up with people to run further (no).  I wore tights, pants, Under Armour ColdGear, my green jacket, a balaclava, hat and gloves (which I took on and off). I drink 8 ounces of water and 8 ounces of a water/Gatorade mix, had a Vanilla Bean GU at mile 4, and a Chocolate Outrage GU at mile 8.

Distance: 11.0 | Temp: 21° |  Time: 1:51:07 | Avg Pace: 10:05 | 1: 9:39 | 2: 9:14 | 3: 9:39 | 4: 10:10 | 5: 10:23 | 6: 9:56 | 7: 9:52 | 8: 10:14 | 9: 10:38 | 10: 10:46 | 11: 10:28

In the evening I did the strength workout that I learned at the strength clinic. I only worked out for about 20 minutes but was sore and sweaty when I was done!

Day 476 | February 6, 2011: 5 m run + yoga

What a perfect end to the week – a run and yoga with my best friend, Erin! Our husbands had made plans to work on Steven’s car together, so as a bonus, I got to spend the whole day with Erin!

I love that Erin humors me and lets me take these goofy photos.

We started out with a 5 mile run in my neighborhood. There was about 2 inches of fresh snow for us to run on. I didn’t realize it was supposed to snow. Again. Ha ha. This was a slippery, more cautious run for sure! Wore the Yak Trax again.

Distance: 5.0 | Start Temp: 27° | End Temp: 29° | Time: 51:50| Avg Pace: 10:21 | 1: 10:28 | 2: 9:51 | 3: 10:25 | 4: 10:58 | 5: 10:04

After our run, we did the YogaWorks Beginners DVD. I think I was a bit too talkative during it. Sorry, Erin!

And right when we finished, our husbands arrived back from an errand with Chipotle. YAY!!!

Week Summary: 25.3 miles

Could you tell I had a lot of time to workout this week? I worked from home Wednesday and Thursday and had Friday off. When I work from home, I can work out during lunch, and I have about an extra three hours in the day. Sigh. If only every week were like that!

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:

What race are you most excited for in 2011?  Any destination races?  Are you trying out a new distance?  Tell us what it is in general you are looking forward to when it comes to 2011 racing.

• I am excited for all of my races, but especially the 4-miler I am running with Steven and his family, the half marathons I am running with Erin, and the Ragnar Chicago Relay!
• I am not really running any destination races, but will run 5 races in 5 weeks in 4 different states (IA, MO, IL and WI).
• I do want to try a new distance! I have my eye on the Fort 2 Base Nautical Ten Miler in September – 10 nautical miles = 11.5 miles!
• In general, I am looking forward to running for fun, and having a good time. That’s all I can ask for!
• If you want to see my January-June 2011 Racing Schedule, click here!

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By kilax, February 5, 2011 6:07 am

I finally bought compression socks!

I’ve wanted to buy some for a long time, but it took another blogger friend (Robin) writing about how much she loves hers to get me to do it.

I ordered the Zoot brand since Runner’s World recommended them in their latest issue. Here’s hoping they work! I plan on wearing these after my 11-mile run today!

Do you use compression socks? Do you feel like they help?

When/how often am I supposed to wear them?

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By kilax, February 4, 2011 6:49 am

Which household chores do you like and which do you try to avoid?

I will do the laundry, clean toilets, vacuum, and wash and put away clean dishes any day.

House guests – don’t worry, this (above) only happened once, over a year ago

But otherwise, keep me out of the kitchen. I HATE cleaning the stove top and mopping the floor – I think because I feel like I can never really get them clean! And dusting? No thanks!

And if paying bills was a “household chore” that would definitely be on the list too!

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By kilax, February 3, 2011 1:33 pm

Another reason the Frozen Zucchini Snowshoe Adventure (5K) (hosted by Smart Farm) is/was completely awesome? They had a photographer there, who seems to be providing the photos for FREE online. WHO DOES THAT? Awesomeness!

Have you ever ordered photos from a race? Do you usually ask a friend or family member to take photos?

I ordered the Chicago Marathon pictures and one picture from the Rotary Santa Run (5K), but usually I just rely on Steven or my parents to take photos.

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By kilax, February 3, 2011 5:15 am

And that’s “balance” in both the literal and figurative sense.

I was nervous about publishing this post for some reason. I think because it has a lot of anxious energy in it, and I don’t always feel like that needs to be shared. So, read ahead if you want!

Ah, stupid end of the month revelations. After my Sunday race I was thinking about how good I was feeling and what a great month I had, and then, the thought struck me:

Oh sh*t. I am doing it again – putting all of my eggs in one basket.

That would be the running basket. The “I feel great and happy when I can run” basket. That is a nice basket to put your eggs in, until the basket gets a stress fracture, you can no longer run and you end up eating your weight in Oreos.

Okay, so I am not making any sense. Plain and simple, I did have a great month, with a lot of running and running socials as well as other fun get-togethers (a birthday party and baking day), but I am worried about how good of a month it was. Worried that my happiness will be thwarted by another stress fracture and I will have to stop running again. Worried that letting so much of my happiness rely on whether or not I can run is dangerous. It is. It’s way out of balance.

And I am not sure how to fix that. I had stress fractures in August of 2009 and May of 2010 and each time, I kind of… wallowed in self-pity. And ate those Oreos.

What a dumb thing to worry about. Moving right along…

Do you feel like your personal interests are well-balanced? Or is there one interest that kind of takes center stage in your life?

This next part is about body weight, so please skip if it will make you feel uncomfortable.

Continue reading 'Lacking balance'»

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By kilax, February 2, 2011 8:40 am

It seems like we got a bit of snow here in the midwest. Or maybe it’s just blowing around a bit? Either way, I am pretty certain we are stuck in the house for awhile. And that is okay with me!

Being stuck in the house actually makes me feel grateful for quite a few things:

• That I have shelter and food
• That I am able to work from home
• That I have Steven and Data for company
• That we have a lot of things in our home to entertain us
• That we have exercise equipment in the house (plus snowshoes if I want to go outside!)
• That I made it home safe last night (despite a long delay on the train)
• That my car is parked in our garage
• That the power, heat, cell phones and internet still work

The list could go on and on!

If/when you are stuck at home, what’s on your grateful list?

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By kilax, February 1, 2011 11:45 am

I read a really interesting (to me anyway) article today – A Workout Ate My Marriage –  about (amateur) endurance athletes who spend a lot of time exercising, and maybe not so much time with their families.

The article described situations where one spouse was up early to work out for a few hours in the morning, leaving the other spouse to wake up alone. Then at night, the athletic spouse (the one who woke up early) would either want to get another workout in, or go to bed early so they could wake up early the next day and repeat (sound familiar Steven)? On the weekends, the athletic spouse would be gone, working out for maybe 5-6 hours, sometimes both days.

Hence, the “Exercise Widow” – the spouse left at home, feeling like the don’t have a spouse at all.

The article brought up a lot of interesting points, and I want to touch on a few.

• Apparently, a lot of couples go to therapy to discuss how one spouse is always gone exercising. This makes the non-athletic spouse (for lack of a better term) feel lonely, and like they are left home to take care of all of the chores and raise the children (if applicable).
• One woman was quoted as saying that after she started exercising and lost weight, she felt attracted to other men, and less so to her husband. She said she “settled for him” because she thought that was the best she could get. My mom, sister and I were actually discussing this back in November. Apparently, they know quite a few women who have done this. The article said there is no concrete data on how much having one exercise-obsessed spouse in a marriage affects divorce rates.
• Another exerciser’s family had an intervention to ask him to exercise less!

The article’s solution? Workout together, if you can. Or at least, both be interested in exercise, if you can, and support your spouse at their athletic events.

I know that’s not always realistic. I would say, like with any other marital problem – COMMUNICATE. Let your spouse know the commitment your training takes and see how they feel about it. Make compromises. Be considerate. Don’t be (too) selfish. And don’t be gone all the time.

I am not always the best at that, but I try. I DO STEVEN, I REALLY DO!!!

What do you think about the article? Do you think it’s an issue when one person in a relationship is a heavy exerciser and one isn’t? Have you ever been in that situation?