Weekly Check in

Hi all! As you can tell I truly enjoyed my holiday because I have been nowhere near blogger! I come back today because things are more or less back to normal. Plus, Chema is off riding his bike and isn't hogging the computer!

My Thanksgiving was great. I'm especially happy that all my vegan side dishes came out superb! So stay tuned for all the recipes coming up in the coming weeks. For now enjoy the pics:

These are my lovely vegan pumpkin pies. They were delicious! Look for this recipe on Thursday. It's super easy. I felt a tinge of guilt because my mom was slaving away making her peach cobbler and sweet potato pies and I was done in like 10 minutes!

These are awesome molasses biscuits that I got from the foodnetwork's Thanksgiving magazine issue. They are so cheap AND EASY to make that I could make them everyday. Actually, I made some more on the Sunday after Thanksgiving! Look for this recipe next week.

There was one more recipe but I failed to take a picture of it so I'll list the ingredients instead.

Spicy Mushrooms

Broil 2 halved plum tomatoes, 2 seeded jalapeños (both skin-side up) and 4 unpeeled garlic cloves until charred, 6 minutes. Peel the garlic and chop the veggies. Sauté 1/2 cup minced onion and 1/2 pound sliced mushrooms in olive oil with salt to taste, 8 minutes. Add the tomato mixture, 1/2 cup vegetable broth and some chopped parsley; cook 5 minutes. Stir in the juice of 1 lime.

This was another foodnetwork recipe. These things were delicious! They are called "spicy mushrooms" for a reason. So don't get surprised when you try them. This was another quick vegan recipe. I made some more on Monday because I had another pack of mushrooms.

I did eat up a storm, like everyone else, but I still managed to get my workouts in. I didn't go to the gym at all last week because it was just too busy. But I got all my miles in, which made me happy. I did my 20 minutes Tuesday and Thursday and my 16 miles on Sunday.

This Week:

Monday

I went to the gym and did 30 minutes on the static bike, stretched really well, did some abs and weights (upper body only).

Tuesday

Today the plan is to do 20 minutes of interval training on the treadmill and then my 60 minute spinning class. (I'm nervous because I haven't done intervals in 2 months!)

Wednesday

I'll probably go to the group weight training class at the gym or do weights by myself.

Thursday

Another 20 minutes of interval training and a gym class. 

Friday

Weights, total body

Saturday

Rest

Sunday

10 miles

How is your week shaping up?

Half-marathon countdown...

 I just looked at my calendar and realized that I'm running the Raleigh City of Oaks Half-Marathon 

 

IN 3 WEEKS!

(Check out the course map HERE)

Time flies doesn't it? Thankfully, my foot has completely recovered because I was getting nervous. 

This will be my 2nd half-marathon. 

I ran my first in Spain of last year in 1 hour and 36 minutes. 

However, I don't want to run a PR for this race.

I signed up for the half marathon as further preparation for the full marathon in February. If I was only running the half I would attempt to run a PR. 

This time around I'll be happy to just run it in the same amount of time.

This Sunday I plan to run another 12 miles. Yesterday I ran 90 minutes. That's usually how long it takes me to run 12 miles at my long run pace. But I didn't actually "measure" the distance. 

I've been using this strategy to run since my foot has been giving me trouble. Meaning, I've been running based on time rather than distance.

Since it's all healed I'll run my 12 miles on Sunday. The following week I will run 10 miles and then on November 6th the half-marathon.

I won't make the same mistake I did last year and not recover properly. 

That's what caused my IT band injury. 

This time around I plan to continue do my weight training but not run.  To substitute I'll do classes at the gym or the static bike. 

The following Sunday (November 13th) I will run 8 miles.

Hopefully, this will give my body ample time to recover because I want to aim for 14 miles on November 20th. 

If my body feels up to it I will also re-incorporate speed training (Fartlek) the second half of November. Or the beginning of December at the latest.

I'll post some race preparation once it gets closer to the day and of course the race recap!

Overall, I'm excited about the race and I hope I finish without getting injured!

Fall is here!

Although it doesn't feel like it! It's still hot here in NC. It seems like it will never get cold!

At least the houses in the above pictures are in the fall spirit! My brother and I go for a walk almost everyday (not today because my mom and I are hitting the gym) and there are tons of houses  decorated. Even the stores are already selling halloween costumes and candy.

The day I finally see pumpkin pie at my local supermarket, I'm buying at least two, and gobbling them up ALL BY MYSELF!

Until then I'll tell you guys how the week is shaping up.

Sunday

My mom and I went to a gym class. We thought we were going to body combat again (you know how I LOVE that!) but it was actually Sha'bam. This is a dance class. No, I'm not a coordinated person. 

We didn't figure it out until we were inside and the instructor was introducing the class as Sha'bam. I wanted to leave running but since we were already there we stayed. It was a lot of fun! I'll definitely go again next week before my free pass expires.

Monday

I went on a 70-minute walk with my brother. It helps me get moving and helps him unload (emotionally I mean). After that I did my abs, arm exercises, and leg exercises in the house. My mom had an appointment with her personal trainer at 730pm so I had time. 

I have to take pics of her Friday when she has her next appointment because she is too cute! She's determined to lose the 15 pounds she gained after having surgery last year. 

I planned on hitting another class but they were all cancelled at the gym that day. So instead I did intervals on the static bike for 30 minutes and some leg exercises on the machines for 30 minutes. A nice, complete, workout day.

Tuesday

Rest day.

Today

Before Body Combat (woohoo!) I plan on running for 30-45 minutes. Before heading to the gym, while I wait for my mom to get off work, I'll do my abs, arms, and leg exercises in the house. 

My foot feels really good. Hopefully it stays that way because I want to try running for distance on Sunday. Fingers crossed!

Thursday

No running planned but I'll be at the gym with my mom doing some class. There's body pump (you use weights) so that might be interesting to try.

Friday

My mom has another appointment with her personal trainer (stay tuned for pics). I'll either join a class or do my own thing. I definitely have to get a 30-45 minute run in and some weights.

Saturday

Rest day

Sunday

Go to Sha'bam again and attempt to run for distance. If I can do 10 miles with no pain then I'm home free!

Introduction: past and present

Training for the full marathon initially began on July 27th 2010. I looked online and found a pretty reasonable training schedule that was for 26 weeks. Perfect, as I planned to run it in February and the schedule terminated on January 23rd 2010. However, I was overzealous. I didn't listen to my body and I suffered an overuse injury right after I ran a half marathon on November 28th 2010 (photo above). I started feeling tension in the lateral part of my left knee around the first week of December but I kept ignoring it. I was sure that it was only normal soreness from running and that once I took a few days off I'd be back in shape. 

On December 12th 2010, after a 10-day hiatus from running, (and a few days after suffering from a cold), I hit the trail again. It was a long run of 18 miles. Yet, just a week ago I had pain in my knee. I had to stop at mile 16 because the pain became unbearable. I actually felt the pain at mile 12/13 but I didn't stop. I told myself that it didn't hurt enough for me to stop running, although the nagging pain was still there. The next day I woke up with a stiff, painful knee. I could barely walk to the bathroom! I was only able to sit on the toilet seat with help from my husband. Even so, I rode my static bike for 10 minutes and did a lot of stretching. At that point I figured it was time to do some research on how to heal this injury. I was still convinced that I'd be fine by February to run my marathon. 

I found that I was suffering from Iliotibial Band Syndrome. It's a lateral pain in the knee. The ligament rubs against the bone causing irritation and pain. Normally there is no swelling (which I didn't have) and the only "cure" is rest. It is an overuse injury. It typically takes 4-6 weeks to heal, meaning, I had to hault my marathon training for four weeks. Looking back, I was so sure that after that four weeks I was going to run the marathon and finish. Now I know that even when the supposed healing time is over that doesn't mean I would have been well enough to run 26 miles. 

So, on December 9th 2010, my denial now over, I stopped training. It was incredibly hard. I was down, depressed, feeling fat, and I even thought that I would never recover. To cope, I started incorporating visualization techniques into my life. Basically, you run in your mind and visualize the route, your breathing, and the feel of your feet on the pavement. It's a kind of therapy that helps athletes in recovery. 

That January 2011, I started including weight training and the static bike after the six weeks were up. I started running again on January 13th 2011, for 15 minutes. I would run three times a week for 15 minutes. If my leg felt healthy the following week, I'd increase the time by five minutes. I didn't reach 30 minutes until February 2nd 2011. I am now running 1 hour and 40 minutes, three times a week, and I feel great! I plan to start my training again the second half of June.  

This has been a learning experience. I have learned to relax, breathe, and take my time. Most of all I listen to my body now. If I need a break, I take one. If I need to stretch more, I do. I even do yoga twice a week on Mondays and Wednesdays to help me de-stress and maintain my flexibility. I hope to use this blog to keep me honest. I am doing all the right things right now and I want to keep up the motivation. Maybe I can even help someone else.

As for the hair journey, that is recently new. I've been natural since my sophormore year at college (2004) but I feel newly natural. My goal is to take better care of my hair to I can maximize my own growth potential. I will include my regimen, products I use, hair styles and things that I learn from the internet. Including things I've learned on youtube or from other blogs by naturalistas that I follow. I measured my hair May 22nd and so my three month update on length will be at the end of August. I can't wait! (Look for more photos soon).

I look forward to sharing my Recipe for Health.