How to Train for a Race – Part 2

Posted on December 7, 2011
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I can never tire of skyline shots of New York

You must think that I’ve got a lot of balls to come out and say that a training plan created by Runner’s World, algorithms and actual running coaches is a bunch of bunk.

Then, I take it one step further and declare that standard marathon training plans are lying when they suggest running long runs of 60-90 seconds slower than race pace and also only run up to 20 miles before a marathon and 10 miles before a half marathon.

Who do I think I am?  And where do I get off challenging people like Hal Higdon and Runner’s World?

Honestly, it’s just a hunch based upon the one marathon and four half marathons I’ve run.  Just an idea.  The idea might have been planted by something NoMeatAthlete wrote about how he qualified for Boston.  This could be like the time, I thought it was a good idea to wear ballet flats in the rain.

I wanted to trust in the SmartCoach plan because I never trust in my plans. I’m always fooling around with them – adjusting mileage, adding a spin class, a rest day, playing with pace.  But then SmartCoach had to go and dangle the turkey in front of my face, that oh-so-sexy 2:08 half marathon time, and I went all googly-eyed and drank the Kool-Aid.

Lucky for me, I decided to start training 20 weeks before my half-marathon, so I have time to be flaky and change my training schedule.

You get what you give.  If I don’t work my ass off now, I can’t really expect to PR in March.  

First of all, SmartCoach offers the option to customize your plan by paying a fee for an upgrade.   Being the sucker that I am, I ponied up the funds and played around with it.  But I do not get this system at all, because I as I played with SmartCoach and made the runs faster, it made my goal time slower.  Explain this one to me, please.

Since, I’m too lazy to start over from scratch, I just decided to modify SmartCoach.  I copied the plan into Excel and set to work making it MY OWN.  (Not an option they offer, but something that I just decided to do.)

Times Square does not fear change.

The changes I made:

(1) I will now run 4 days, instead of 3 days but the third run will be a longer run sans Garmin.  It will be a fun run!  Maybe I’ll make it my camera run day and snap some shots for y’all.

(2)  The easy pace will be at 11:15 for now and will drop down to 10:00 by the end of February.

(3)  The speed work is going to increase slightly, (think 4 800′s @9:00 instead of 2 80o’s @9:15), and I’m going to switch mile repeats for quarters and halfs.

(4)  The tempo runs will remain as is but if they feel too easy or hard, I will adjust later on.

(5)  I’m going to amp up the long run distance a bit.  Seriously, 4 miles is not a long run!  And I can easily accomodate up to 10 miles without changing my Friday nights much.

(6) Strength Training:  1-2 yoga classes a week, plus a twice weekly regimen of strength workouts.

At the end of the day, no one knows my body better than me, and after following this plan for four weeks, I feel like I have made zero gains in fitness.  My 5k Turkey Trot supports this as I was unable to push for a goal time that is 20 seconds per mile slower than the lofty 2:08 goal I’ve set my sights on.

Closer to race day and with a few short NYRR races under my belt, I’ll be able to better assess the reasonableness of my upgrades. Training plans are not a one-size fits all deal.  I wish I had the luxury of hiring a coach or joining a team, but that’s just not an option for me.

I’m going to keep on monitoring my pace and runs, and I’ll keep you updated on my progress.

But for now, I want to know if you modify your training plans at all?  

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How To Train For a Race – Part 1

Posted on December 6, 2011
by

OOOh, sun you hurt my eyes

A few weeks ago, I mentioned that I am using the SmartCoach application on Runner’s World to train for a half marathon in March.  I’ve been working at this plan for a few weeks, and following my unofficial 5K Turkey Trot, where I ran a 10:15 pace, I have revised some of my expectations.

Remember:  SmartCoach predicted that based upon a PR of 2:19, and a base mileage of 11-16 miles per week, that under a “hard” training plan I would be able to run a 2:08ish half marathon on March 24th.

(1)  The running paces are too slow on average for me and my goal times.  Long runs start out at 11:58 per mile and ended up in the 11-teens before the race.  The end pace is pretty much on par for standard plans which recommend that runners do long runs at 60-90 seconds per mile slower but the starting pace is way off, and honestly, I have been hitting times in my runs that are much closer to the end long run pace.

I honestly believe that long runs should be much closer to goal race time or goal race distance.  For a marathon, I do not think that adrenaline will get me 6 extra miles (based upon standard plans of max long runs of 20 miles) and 26 to 39 minutes (based upon the standard recommendation of a long run pace 60-90 seconds off goal pace).

In order to achieve my goal of 2:08 – 9:46 per mile – I will need to run at least one thirteen miler at about 10 minute pace.

I run here.

(2)  Speed work is at race pace.  I don’t profess to be an expert on how to train for a race, but I believe that generally speed work should be at paces faster  than goal race pace.  When I refer to speed work, I mean something like running 6 800′s, with easy 1/4 mile jogs in between.  Also, speed work is mostly limited to mile repeats.  I think adding in 400′s and 800′s would be beneficial and keep training interesting.

(3) Tempo runs are at the right pace, but perhaps not the right distance. Tempo runs – runs done around goal race pace but at shorter distances are designed to get the body used to the race pace and increase endurance.  This plan started tempo runs at about 30 seconds slower than the race pace and increased them to 10 seconds under by race day, but never more than 4 miles long.  I am not sure what I think about this one, but I think that slightly longer tempo runs could be helpful, and I think that starting out at a pace closer to race goal would be better – however, given my 5K times, I am not sure that’s a reasonable goal for me.

(4)  The mileage is not enough.  The first week, the mileage was easy.  I didn’t have a sore muscle at all, and I assumed that the feeling of sore muscles would come soon enough.  To me, there has to be a few runs that leave me a little sore or tired afterwards to ensure proper training.   But now, I’m on to week five and the mileage is ridiculously low – 13 miles a week!  And I feel so relaxed at this point that I think that I actually lost fitness last week.

Generally speaking, this plan is too easy for me.  And I am confused that such an easy plan thinks I can PR by 11 minutes.

I have decided to modify my plan a bit – perhaps a lot.  I want to run a half marathon in 2:08 (goal is to be under 2:09).  It’s a big goal but it’s not an impossible goal.

Now you tell me, what do you think about training paces and how they should relate to goal race paces?  

 

[ 7 Replies ]

Music Monday and a Busy Morning

Posted on December 5, 2011
by

I love mornings.  There is nothing like waking up with the sun and enjoying the quiet before the day gets going.

With three siblings, a dog and my parents, once everyone was up in my childhood home it was a zoo.  The usual stuff…the dogs trying to eat the food out of the garbage, one brother complaining that he can’t find a clean pair of socks, another brother has three friends over, a sister looking for a snack while a mom wants help chopping vegetables, a dad who needs someone to help him carry the cabinet up the stairs, a random cousin that needs baby sitting, and me.

So the only time I ever got some peace and quiet was at 7 a.m.  Now, that I live alone, I have peace and quiet for miles and days, but I still put my morning time to good use.

Grocery shopping!

Have you ever been inside a grocery store on the Upper East Side after work?  Macy’s during the month of December is less crazy.  Picture 30 cash registers, 15-20 people in line, in a store that is 1/2 the size of a grocery store in the ‘burbs.

But early in the morning, it’s so quiet I can do cartwheels down the aisles.

Things that also make me do cartwheels:  New Music!  

Cockiness (Love it) by Rihanna

The General Specific by Band of Horses

Crew Love (feat. the Weeknd) by Drake

Where Have You Been by Rihanna

Nothing to Spare by No Way Josie!

Papi (remix) by Jennifer Lopez

You know what I’m going to say?  What are you listening to this week?  Also, are you a morning or a night person?  

 

Picture Source

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The Only Pre-Run Ritual I Need

Posted on December 3, 2011
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Wednesday night I went to bed early.  I have a big run tomorrow, I said to myself as I crawled into my bed and piled a down comforter, flannel blankets, and a fleece blanket on top of me.  I sipped my nightly cup of camomile tea and read a little as I prepared to get the rest of my life for my big three mile run.

But at 5:20 a.m. when my alarm went off, I reached over in my sleep and turned that baby off.  At least, I think that’s what happened, because I don’t remember.  The other option is that a little fairy turned it off for me sensing that I needed just a few more hours of sleep.

When the sunlight started sneaking into my bedroom at 6:45 a.m. I woke up and groggily checked my cell phone.

Crap, I slept in.

 But since I didn’t have to be to work until 9:30, I knew there was time for a run.  So I pulled my butt out of bed, swaddled myself in a furry, fleece robe and made a cup of coffee.

I can’t just wake up, roll out of bed and run.  I can’t.  I have to have a cup of coffee and wake-up for about 30 minutes.  I often spend that time blogging or reading blogs.  Then I have to get dressed.  This takes another twenty or so minutes as I unearth socks from the laundry basket, try to figure out the appropriate outfit for the weather, locate sunglasses, Garmins, and iPods, and go to the bathroom multiple times.

Most mornings, I get back from my runs around 8 a.m. and spend the hour before leaving for work prettying myself up and packing my lunch.  But this morning, I knew that I wouldn’t have time for all of that, so I whipped up a salad and some homemade zucchini-hummus while sipping the coffee.  While chopping veggies, I munched on a few bites of pepper, tomato, and sampled the hummus to make sure I had seasoned it properly.

Maybe it was the raw vegetable munching or the fact that I didn’t let myself slowly wake up over coffee and blogs, but when I started to run, it felt as if someone had switched my legs for lead.  Still, I’m not one to give up on a run, so I started running towards the park.  A good song was playing on the ‘pod and my new Lululemon shirt was the perfect mix of warm but cool.

I could feel that my pace was a bit slow, so I picked it up, but that effort seemed Herculean and certainly not worthy of the 5.4 (miles per hour) on the Garmin.  I felt like I was running up Harlem Hell Hill into a strong wind, except I was running on the flat reservoir.  Then I glanced down at the time and saw that it was 8:20.

I had only gotten in half a mile and I knew I needed about 30 more minutes until I was back in my apartment – and that was if I could keep up my normal pace.

I had a choice to make here.  I could run the hell out of this run or quit.  I wish this were the inspiring post were I tell you guys that I dug down deep and found the will to run fast.  But instead, I quit.  I turned around and jogged back home.

My failed run nagged on me all day.  I thought I needed to go to yoga to make up for my failed run so I went to a Slow Flow Yoga class.  But as I was in the midst of downward dogging, I started to wander if my run failed because I didn’t follow my morning rituals.

I have a long list of rituals which must be completed before a run –  a good run.  For short week-day runs there must be a cup of coffee, 30 minutes to an hour during which I listen to fun music, read or blog.  The purpose of this time is to let the caffeine work it’s way into my bloodstream, allow for ample time to go to the bathroom, slowly wake up, and get a little excited about my run.

On a long run morning, I will take this ritual even further, add in a little extra time where I map out routes, create new play lists, download new music or digest a light breakfast.

Now, these rituals in and of themselves aren’t a problem.  I like waking up early and they don’t interfere with anything in my life; however, they are not easily replicated on race days.

You know how race days go.  Typically, there are several hours between waking up and race start time.  At least one of those hours is spent commuting to the race for me.  Then there is some time spent milling around the race start.  I like to get there early, check my bag, use the porta potties ten times, listen to more motivating music and stretch out a little bit.  I also like to gawk at the other runners.  People do some strange things at the start of a race.

Race days are a grab bag of unexpected events.  Will this be the race that I have to walk an extra mile to the start line?  Is that third cup of coffee going to make me jittery?  Where are the porta-potties?!?! Why can’t I connect to a satellite?   And no matter what I do, these things will always happen at the start of a race.  It’s Newton’s Law or something like that.

But after I fell into the groove of vinyasas on Thursday afternoon, I realized that it might be time to stop depending on my rituals.  Sure, I can observe them on a regular basis but it might be good, dare I even say, healthy to practice running under other conditions?

How about jumping out of bed and into the sneakers?

How about running after lunch?

How about running a long run at night?

How about running a really long run on a double loop or out and back course?

How about running twice in a day?

How about running after eating something not running friendly?

How about slightly under or over dressing or forgetting one little thing – like gloves?

How about more no-iPod running? And no Garmin running?

How about running the Upper Loop – a very hilly part of Central Park (and home to Harlem Hell Hill) – five times to get in a nine mile run?

In truth, the only ritual I really need to maintain is placing one foot in front of the other one, repeatedly.  Even the putting-on-the-shoes part is optional these days.

And judging from the multitude of NY Marathon race recaps, the start of the New York Marathon is anything but conventional.

Do you have any pre-run or other workout rituals?  Do you feel that if your ritual doesn’t happen that it affects your performance? 

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The Unofficial Race Recap, A Giant Gummy Bear, and a Beargle

Posted on November 30, 2011
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Going home to Michigan always seems to bring out the kid in me.  I swear I lose ten years of life lessons the instant I step off that plane.  Suddenly, I have to live in pajamas and sweat shirts, couldn’t cook a meal to save my life, and watch hours of pointless movies and reruns.  Even the repair guy who appeared at my parents’ house on Wednesday morning asked if I was over eighteen.

So when I arrived home at eight a.m. on Tuesday morning, the first thing I did was put on pajama pants and a sweat shirt.  Then I proceeded to curl up on the couch and finish reading the first Hunger Games book.

Later that day my little brothers arrived home from college, with a Beargle in tow.

Don't let that innocent expression fool you!

The Beargle, called Atticus, is what my brother Jon describes as a mix-breed of bear and beagle.  My mom calls him a terrorist.  After years of having a fat, lazy but very adorable yellow labrador, this tiny, energetic, and slightly spastic puppy provided a huge amount of holiday entertainment and drama.

The brothers brought home another bear as well – of the sugary, gelatinous sort.  My littlest brother Tom received it as a present.  Probably the best gift ever, right?

mmmmm, giant gummy bear

And the brothers also brought two over-flowing baskets of laundry with them.  I might have brought a suitcase of dirty laundry as well.  Not to be outdone by the rest of us, my sister, Margaret, also brought her own basket of laundry.  I guess regressing to childhood might be a genetic thing.

Then Jon convinced me to run the Detroit Turkey Trot with him.  Actually, it didn’t take much convincing on his part.  He mentioned that he was running the race, and I enthusiastically volunteered to run with him.

I haven’t been training for a 5K race, and my current workouts are devoid of much speed work, so I didn’t know quite what to expect.  I woke up at 5 in the morning on race day, ate a banana, and while drinking my mandatory cup of coffee, I googled, “How to race a 5k.”

You mean everyone doesn't have dinosaur puppets in their childhood bedroom?

But google disappointed me and came up with a bunch of training plans. Ummm, thanks but it’s a little too late for that.

So I came up with my own race plan: goal time of under 31 minutes and negative splits.  My plan was to race the first mile in 10:15, and drop 15 seconds per mile from there.  I knew that I wouldn’t get a perfect race split because I didn’t officially register, but I figured my friend, Garmin, would keep me accountable.

My unofficial/official time was somewhere between 31 and 32 minutes.  And while I just missed my goal time, I did manage to meet my other goal of negative splits.

Mile  1: 10:24

Mile 2:  10:13

Mile 3:  10:04

Mile .1: NO IDEA, but I didn’t slow down!

Once the 5k race was done, it was time to conquer the next goal:  EATING.  I’m not a turkey fan and have never been one, so I loaded up on green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries and salad.  I have to get some vegetables in there.

That is a not a pretty picture, but let your taste buds be the judge of that.

My Uncle’s green bean casserole was da-bomb.  I don’t typically say things like that, so you can imagine how awesome it was.  The secret:  he put american cheese on the top of the casserole before adding the fried onions.  Healthy, it was not.  Also, apparently I’m not good at keeping secrets.  Which really means, that I’m super good at sharing.  (and yes, I know that is improper grammar, but it just felt so right.)

After dinner my family played a game of Gestures.  It’s basically charades, except harder.  My cousin in fourth grade would say it’s easier than long division.  I am not really sure what that says about me.

I spent my Friday digesting and taking a walk around Somerset Mall.  I spend a lot of time shopping in New York, walking along Fifth Avenue or Broadway, but for some crazy reason malls tire me out.  Maybe it’s the crowds, maybe it’s the lack of Starbucks breaks in between, but it’s a lot of work to walk five feet between each store.

However, I couldn’t take the proper rest that mall shopping requires, because I had a football game to watch.  A big game.  The Michigan Game.

GO BLUE!

My friend Liz had an extra ticket for me because her husband was working that day.  Lucky for me.  The Michigan-Ohio State Rivalry is one of the biggest rivalries in college sports and for the past six years, Michigan has lost to Ohio State.

But not this year.  The game this year wasn’t exactly the meeting of two big powerhouses that it purports to be.  But it was as sweet as any victory can be, and more so sweet because of the rough past few years that Michigan has endured.  It reminded me of my marathon struggles.  But that’s a post for another day.

This is not the first Michigan game I have attended that resulted in a defeat of Ohio State.  It’s not a game that solidified Michigan’s bowl game spot, nor a game that secured a spot in the coveted Rosebowl.  There will be no Heisman winners after this game, nor any National Championships.  There isn’t even a division championship to be had after that win.

But this game was special, because it marked the return of Michigan football.  And one hundred fourteen thousand fans in the stadium plus countless others watching knew that, and so we did the only thing that you can do when you know that your team did good.  (more bad grammar, so what?)

We rushed the field.

I'm standing on the field! YAHHH

With the game behind me, there was only one thing left to do.  Enjoy one last Mom-cooked meal and finish off the Hunger Games series, before I headed back to New York.

Do you like football?  Do you prefer college football or professional football?  What’s your favorite team?

Sources:

Green bean casserole:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Green_bean_casserole.jpg

 

[ 13 Replies ]

Scenes from A Football Game

Posted on November 29, 2011
by

The Big House - The Most People Watching a Football Game EVERY Saturday

They're playing "Heaven" by DJ Sammy. Honestly.

GRRRR

That's right Ohio, bow to Michigan.

MEEESH-i-GAN!

Hail to the Victors!

Victory! (Anyone know why they are all laying on the field?)

Hail to the Conquering Heroes!

Students rushing the field...

Old people - I mean Alumni - rushing the field

Old people standing on the field

The Champions of the West!

 

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It’s Music Monday and Free Music

Posted on November 28, 2011
by

The plan for my Thanksgiving trip home was supposed to go something like this:  sleep, eat, read, eat, hang out with family, eat, shop, hang out with family, watch a football game, eat, hang out with family, and sleep.

It mostly worked out that way, except that I also ran a 5k, unofficially that is.

After convincing one of my brothers to run the Detroit Half Marathon with me, he did what any sane person does after their first race – sign up for another one – the Detroit Turkey Trot.  He told me about it, and asked me to do it with him, but I brushed him aside.  I’m on vacation.  I am running a marathon and a few half marathons next year.  I don’t need to run some silly 5K.  

But when my brother Jon mentioned the race on Tuesday night, my heart did a little leap.  I want to run a race.  Ahhhhhh, I want to run a race.

So on Thursday, I woke up way before the sun, put on my brand new and very awesome Lululemon running shirt and Nike crops and headed to the race day registration. Apparently, a lot of other people had the same idea as me.  The line was longer than the loop around the reservoir and I could see that the there was no way in hell that I was going to make it to registration in time.

But instead of giving up, I headed to the start with my brother and jumped into the corrals.  So what if I didn’t get an official race shirt?  Haven’t I got enough of those shirts?  So what if I can’t get an official time on a website?  I’ve got a handy-dandy GPS enabled Garmin to tell me how far I’ve run.

Like the rebel that I am, I ran a race that I didn’t register for.  I just ran it for the thrill of racing…the thrill of running.

So in honor of unofficial races, here’s some very official free downloads.

Let Me Show You by No Way Josie plus a whole album Kym, the singer on this song, first came into my life as a spinning instructor at NYSC.  Her Saturday morning classes were crazier than a sample sale.  I would happily come to her double Saturday morning sessions in lieu of sleeping in- and not just for the work out but for the kick-a$$ tunes.  Now you can see for yourself.

Tryouts by Jevelin featuring Brenton Duvall and Childish Gambino

 

Drop it Like it Hot by Neon Hitch

 

 

 

Time for What You Want (feat. Biggie and Semisonic) by Brenton Duvall

Enjoy the music! Do you download music from free file sharing sites or do you purchase new songs?  I do both, but typically only download music that isn’t available on iTunes.  

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Books I Wish I Read on Vacation

Posted on November 23, 2011
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Ample free time, lots of home cooked meals and lots of time in planes and airports, means that I always have at least one good book on hand at all times.  A stash of magazines will just not suffice.  I typically pick up something that has pink on the cover and a ridiculous title like “Straight Up and Dirty” or “Shopaholic takes Manahattan.”  Most times, my travel books end up like cotton candy – pretty to look at but a little bit too fluffy and sweet to amount to anything substantial.

As would be my luck, I typically stumble upon great vacation reads when I’m far from the vacation mindset and a beach.  These are the books that are easy to read, enjoyable, thoughtful, intelligent but utterly fun and fascinating.  They are the books that grabbed me from the first page and kept me enraptured all the way to the end.

These are the books I wish I had read on vacation:

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld  

I picked up with book because I loved Sittenfeld’s other novel, Prep, but I wasn’t very hopeful that this book would deliver.  The book is loosely based upon Laura Bush, a political personality that has never much intrigued me (nevermind my politics) and the title and cover of the book suggest that it was about old-fashioned ideas on marriage and feminism.

However, from the first page, I was drawn into this woman’s life and her story – a small town upbringing eventually leads this young woman into a marriage with a rich and powerful man who ultimately becomes the President of the United States.  It is some of the grandest story telling I have read in a long time.   By the end of the book, I was so involved in the story, I was even dreaming about it.  The good thing about this book is that it’s 500 pages so it lasts a while.

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani 

This book fits the very definition of “beach read” and it delivers.  Ivy educated Anna gets her first teaching job at one of the most prestigious private schools in Manhattan, but the pay is so low that she ends up taking a lucrative tutoring job to survive (and afford shopping splurges at Barney’s).  The book is like Gossip Girl from the other side.  Expect lots of fashion talk, cliques, rich kids getting bailed about by their lazy parents, and extreme parenting, with a touch of wit and humor to finish it off.

The Art of Racing in the Rain: A Novel by Garth Stein

Even if you are not a dog lover, you will find yourself wishing that you had Enzo.  Enzo, a lab terrier mix, tells the story of his owner’s life with hilarious, insightful and heart-breaking narration.  It’s a quick and easy read, but it is a story that you will not forget.  Enzo has this way of telling stories that is so dog-like and yet, it’s also so smart, you’re going to start looking at your canine friend and wondering what he’s thinking too.

Bringing Home the Birkin by Michael Tonello

The orange crocodile cover on this book proves that you can judge (some) books by their cover.  The book is about an American, Michael who moves to Barcelona and starts an online resale business selling Hermes goods such as the elusive Birkin bag and vintage scarves.   Along the way, he shares hilarious stories about his Hermes-obsessed clients, the different types of Hermes sales people and how to get Hermes to relinquish up the “unavailable” goods.  This true story is laced with just the right amount of self-reflection from the author to make it good enough that I read it a second time.  And boys take note, even one of my friend’s boyfriend read it and loved it.

The Help by Kathryn Stockton

If you haven’t read this book or seen the movie yet, first read the book, then see the movie.  Both are wonderful, and there’s a reason that the book has been on the best seller list for over a year and the movie is getting mentioned in the same sentence as the word “Oscar.”  The book is about the relationship between southern women and their African-American maids and nurse-maids during the fifties, and it’s wonderful piece of story-telling.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

One of my friends finds a way to work the Hunger Games into every conversation we have.  This is not one of those friends that I see one time a year, month or even a week, but someone that I talk to multiple times in a week.  So you can understand how highly recommended this book comes to me.  Despite these glowing recommendations, I resisted reading the book for a solid three months.  Science fiction is not my thing.  Well, after reading this, I’m telling you, “Science fiction is my thing.”

The book is set in the future after humans have managed to destroy the world with war and major natural disasters.  Once a year, they hold a competition where 24 children, randomly selected from 12 districts, must battle to the death in something called the Hunger Games.  This story follows one girl who is selected for the Hunger Games and her story.

Some other books I really loved:

The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger  The story of  a woman married to a man who spontaneously time travels.  The story alternates between the wife and husband’s point of view, between the past and present.  It’s a beautiful love story.  I’ve read it three times now.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Vergese  This story tells about a family of doctors living in Ethiopia, focusing on the relationship of two twin brothers.  The story of the brothers is told through their practice of medicine, the history of their country, their parents courtship, their upbringing and love.

Thrive: The Vegan Nutrition Guide to Optimal Performance in Sports and Life by Brendan Brazier Not just for vegans or vegetarians, this book offers a lot of great theories on how to properly nourish the athlete’s body.  If you have no interest in a more veg-friendly lifestyle, I still recommend this because his main premise that digestion is a waste of energy and delays recovery is absolutely intriguing and, I would argue, not without merit.  He also has some recipes for home-made energy drinks and gels too.

Prep: A Novel by Curtis Sittenfeld About a young girl who attends prep school and her experiences there.  Despite the juvenile setting and main character, it’s truly a grown-up novel.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shafer and Annie Barrows A woman goes to live on this small island outside of England during the German Occupation after receiving a letter from the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.

Something Borrowed and Something Blue by Emily Griffin  This book series is a great, quick read.  The first story is about the Rachel, the maid of honor to self-absorbed Bridezilla, Darcy and the second novel, comes from Darcy’s point of view, who becomes a rather likable heroine in the second book when she gets pregnant.

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall The book that started the bare foot running trend, it offers a lot of interesting running history, plus some sleuthing into the physiology of the runner and the best way to run.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden A young woman in pre-World War II is sold by her poor fisher parents to become a Kyoto geisha.

What are you reading this holiday/vacation season?  

Happy Thanksgiving to all! I’ll be back on Friday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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It’s Test Time!

Posted on November 22, 2011
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I'm trying to run in these shoes but can only do a mile in them now! Arg!

This post comes to you from cold, foggy, and wonderful Michigan.   I’m not going to post too much of my usual running stuff for the rest of the week, since I would like to spend my free time, you know, eating mashed potatoes, shopping at 5 a.m., and hanging out with the family.

So now, it’s time for you to see exactly how much you know about running.  I put together this little quiz and I learned a lot in the process.  (To be honest, I probably knew about three of these before and I could guess at one or two more.)  The more I learn about running, there are some really crazy and really inspiring stories out there.

Check out my little running quiz and see if you know your Paula Radcliffes from your Joan Benoit Samuelson.

How Much of A Run-Nerd are You?

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Music Monday and See You Later!

Posted on November 21, 2011
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This weekend things got a little crazy:  I went to New Jersey.

I know.  Can you believe it?  What has this world come to?

But New Jersey has it’s perks.

I will never get sick of looking at this.

Such as good views of New York City and lower tax rates.  Also some really good friends came from there and the most upstanding and intelligent colleagues hail from New Jersey.  So don’t let Snooki and the Real Housewives and Tony Soprano sour your opinion of the state.  Just don’t be surprised if you come across a bump-it or two as well.

This week I’m off to another state with it’s own set of misconstrued stereotypes – Michigan.  And more specifically, Detroit.  This weekend holds a lot of great things but before we can get there, it’s time to share my favorite tunes of the week.

You Da One by Rihanna (I think I have a girl crush on her. I love everything she does.)

Sail by AWOLNATION

Princess of China by Coldplay and Rihanna

Ni**as in Paris by Kanye West and Jay-Z (I so wish the title of this song was something else, but the beat is sick.)

Moment for Life by Nikki Minaj

In the Dark by Dev

What are your holiday plans?  What are you listening to now?  How do you find new music to listen to?

 

 

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