Saturday, September 29, 2012

dress rehearsal

NWM is getting close, now it's time to focus on bigger things like what am I going to wear?

I haven't decided whether or not to wear compression sock and / or shorts on game day. I've worn them separately on long runs but never together. 

It's a complicated dilemma because I can't wear the socks with capris or pants, it has to be worn with shorts and I have to find long enough running shorts to cover up the ugly- bright red compression shorts. 
 
I wore compression shorts under regular running shorts and compression socks. I looked geeky. Haha. The running shorts kept creeping up and exposing my red compression shorts. So it has to be either one or the other. I'm still thinking about it. 

I ran 16 miles today. and they felt great!! I really didn't focus on pace and just ran. It was hard and I worked really hard but I felt so strong and confident. 

-------------------------------
Do you stress about what you are going to wear to work out in?

Compression sock or shorts?

Plans for this weekend?

Friday, September 28, 2012

Easy Friday

Happy Friday!! 

Is everyone else as excited for the weekend as I am. It's been a long and stressful week and the weekend can't come fast enough. 

This morning I did an easy 6 miles with Diggy Simmon's Unexpected Arrival. I like it. He's a little kid but the music is good. and he's a total cutie. 

My rule of thumb for easy runs is that I should be taking it easy to talk or sing without difficulty but hard enough where I'm breaking a sweat. Today's run felt good, not amazing since my legs still feel sore/tired. Then, I did 60 pushups because I'm really going to try to incorporate some cross-training into my life.

Then I spent 4 hours deciding on what museum I am going to on Museum Day Live tomorrow!! 


A bunch of museums are offering FREE admission tomorrow! Check the website for museums close to you. I was torn between the California Space Center and the Grammy Museum at LA Live. I decided to go with the Grammy Museum because the space center is apparently always free. good to know.

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How do you incorporate weight or cross training into your exerciser routine? hints please. 

Do you like enjoy to museums? Which are your favorite?

Teen artist crush?

Thursday, September 27, 2012

NMW is 17 days and 10 runs away.

Wow. Last week was really hard. 44 miles total and that never again long run really took it out of me. Needless to say, I was sore and tired. Spent the rest of the weekend with ice bags and compression gear.

I'm not sure why I haven't posted in the last few day, (wait, yeah I do. I felt like such a complaining baby on Saturday I wanted to give y'all a break) but here's a little recap

Su- nothing. slept for 15 hours plus a brunch buffet.

M- 7 easy.

T-  9 miles with 3X 1mile repeats. The repeats were alright, not as fast as previous attempts but I stayed in the high 7's.

W- scheduled rest day. Super stressful day at work, finished counting those stupid little nuclei - maybe I can move on to something fun now? no? ok.

Th- 9 miles with 3 @ under 8:30. The rest under 9min/mile. It was a good run. I'm excited that it was some-what consistent.

I feel really tired and slow and achy. It might be because I haven't done any cross training in about a month. I haven't kept up with my dumb-at-home-squat-routine.I need to incorporate more lunges and push-ups into my life and stretching and yoga and recovery.

Also, I'm stressed out about life. My thesis is due in about 4 weeks and I still have so much to do!!


Saturday, September 22, 2012

Commit Don't Quit

In celebration of the first day of autumn, I decided to run 22 miles!

Not! I was forced to by the silly schedule I decided to follow back when I held out hope for completing a marathon without dying. Ok, Ok, nobody forced me. I really wanted to follow the schedule as much as possible and even though 22 miles is crazy, I'm glad I didn't quit or cut it short although I felt like dying.

The last four miles were really hard, I was tired and in pain. Plus, a full mile was uphill and  I stopped to walk a little and a guy on a bike yelled out "No! don't walk".  It made me so frustrated that I stopped to walk and that I was hurting and tired.

I guess there were a lot of emotions there, because I felt a dramatic sob session coming on right in front of  Bodymack gym. Funny thing, they have this giant  "commit don't quit" sign and right when I was going to call it quits and cry my eyes out, I looked up and kept going.

bodymackfit.com screenshot

Today was hard, but I'm proud of myself for not quitting. On a positive note: that's it for the long runs :) :)
-----------------------------
Ever been motivated or inspired by a sign?

How closely do you follow schedules?

Friday, September 21, 2012

insert amusing title here... eh, too tired.

Thursday's run was 10 miles. That's the most I have done on a weekday. Needless to say, I was beat for the rest of the day. Luckily, my job for the day was to count 4,000 nuclei. yeah, fun. Back to the run, I forgot what the schedule said, so I decided to do 5 miles at 8:30 and 5 miles under 8. (Turns out I had to do 8 miles at marathon pace, so it kinda worked out)

1)7:16, 2) 7:26, 3)7:55, 4) 8:30, 5) 8:30, 6) 8:00 7) 8:40, 8) 8:00, 9) 9:15,10) 9:15

That was a sucky run, I can't seem to stay on pace. I start off too fast, then try to slow down to maintain a more consistent pace and end up going to slow so I have to sprint to catch up to my goal pace. AHHH. This is so frustrating!!!

Anyway, next time I'm going to try to start off slow and save the faster miles for the end, since that's usually when I start to feel like quitting and finishing strong is something I want to work on.

Today is rest day, so I'm taking it easy and will probably crash at 9pm. Counting little blobs on a computer screen is by far the best way to induce sleep.

----------------------------

Hard workouts during the week or save them for the weekend?

What part of your job kinda sucks?
anything with microscopes.

It's Friday!! any plans?


Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Today I hit send

Yesterday was speed day. I ran 6X800's. They were all around 3:30.

1)3.34,  2) 3.43, 3) 3.34, 4) 3.30, 5) 3.37, 6)3.40.

Pretty consistent, but they felt really slow. When I pushed myself to go faster, I felt like my body couldn't accelerate anymore. At this point in my training, I'm starting to feel tired. I still like running, but the long run and tempo runs are starting to get annoying. Surprisingly,  I  like the sprints- they are short and painful and I'm loving the easy- zone-out-just-to-run- runs.

This morning was a scheduled rest day. I did an hour of free weights and squats while I watched the Today Show. I haven't been to bodypump since my membership expired (about 4 weeks) and I don't want to lost the muscle and definition from weight training so I have to make it a point to do a few reps on my own.

Today I hit send. Yup, today I decided to stop feeling scared and submit my pharmacy school applications. I probably wont hear from them until after Christmas, but its one less giant thing to stress over. Fingers crossed.

------------------------
Do you cross train?
I love weights and yoga. But running more!

Ever hit a plateau? How do you overcome it? 

Today Show vs Good Morning America?

Monday, September 17, 2012

science publication


This is not running related, but it's very exciting news and I wanted to share.

I work at a research laboratory. Mostly, I do bench work in cell biology and immunohistochemistry. For the past 2 year I have been working simultaneously on 2 projects at work. One is for my thesis on BPA and the other is for the lab about a condition known as CVOD (corporal vascular-occlusive disorder)

The CVOD project was published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine and my name is on it :).

--------------------------------
Separate or Combined Treatments with Daily Sildenafil, Molsidomine, or Muscle-Derived Stem Cells Prevent Erectile Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Cavernosal Nerve Damage  
  • Istvan Kovanecz PhD1,2
  • Steve Rivera MD1,
  • Gaby Nolazco MS1,3
  • Dolores Vernet PhD1,
  • Denesse Segura BS1,4
  • Sahir Gharib BS1,4,
  • Jacob Rajfer MD1,2
  • Nestor F. Gonzalez-Cadavid PhD1,2,3,*



  • ABSTRACT

    Introduction.  Long-term daily administration of phosphodiesterase type 5 (PDE5) inhibitors in the rat prevents or reverses corporal veno-occlusive dysfunction (CVOD) and smooth muscle cell (CSMC) loss and fibrosis, in both aging and bilateral cavernosal nerve resection (BCNR) models for erectile dysfunction. In the aging rat model, corporal implantation of skeletal muscle-derived stem cells (MDSC) reverses CVOD. Nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate can modulate stem cell lineage.
    ----------------------------------------------
    What's your job?
    Do you like it?


    Should I try a tri??

    My weekend was pretty good (surprising result from the half left me feeling pretty bad ass!!). Saturday night, Anthony and I went over to his coworker's cousin's house to watch the Canelo fight. The event was a fundraising event to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphnode Society. The host is fundraising and running a tri at the end of the month. It was really cool because I got to geek out on endurance sports and asked the guy a million questions about running a tri.

     (( Running a tri is number 43 on my bucketlist. Before that, learn to swim))  

    On Sunday, I met Anthony's niece. It was her 8th bday party. She is super cute, and it made me homesick for my little babies back home. My cousin has a 6 year old and a 2 year old that I absolutely love and miss like crazy. This means a trip up to Dinuba is on the calendar.

    Today, I felt like I needed to shake my legs out his morning. I was feeling a little tight after Saturday's half, I ran a real easy 7 miles. I left my garmin at home. (I'm still upset at it for dying on me on Saturday ) and just ran.

    I don't have a lot to report. This week is going to be a little slower because I'm running 22 miles on Saturday. That's the most I have ever run during training. The schedule I'm following is new to me, so I have to trust that it's going to pay off in the end and that I'm getting stronger, faster and more mentally tough with each mile.

    It’s supposed to be hard – that’s the only way you’re going to get better. 


    Nike Women's Marathon is 4 weeks away. The thought scares me a little.
    -------------------------------------------------------------

    Share something cool from your weekend/ life? 

    What's on your bucket list?

    Is there something that you really want to try but are too afraid?

    Saturday, September 15, 2012

    bad luck all around

    This morning I ran the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon and everything that could have possible gone wrong went wrong.

    1) my stomach still hurts.  2) I hadn't had any real food or fuel in 24 hours.  3) I woke up late.  4) I got lost on the way to the event.  5) my garmin was dead :( X2  6) It was hotter than hot.  7) self confidence shot :(

    I'll post a full review later but long story short,  I beat my fastest time this year (June 2012) by 2 minutes!!!

    I had no way of knowing how fast I was going but I felt like the first 7 miles were under 8:30. Then I had a GU and it made  my stomach mad. I totally felt myself slow down a lot. 

    I felt like my legs and lungs had a lot more in them but it was hard to push myself when I felt so nauseous. 

    It wasn't the best race for me, but I'm excited that I beat my time from 3 month ago. I'm feeling optimistic about my training plan. 

    --------------------------------
    any plans for the weekend?





    Friday, September 14, 2012

    Dodgers vs. Cardinals ... all-you-can-eat bummer

    On my way to class last week, I stumbled on a flyer:

    Dodger vs. Cardinals! all you can eat!! $15!!! Transportation included!!!! SCORE

    If you've been to a Dodger (or any MLB game) you know you can spend minimum $100 on a frugal baseball date. So, this seemed like a steal, especially if I can avoid the headache of driving through downtown LA and parking.


    The seats were on right field, not the best but it was a really good view of the all the action, and it was cool to experience the game on this section with all the fans. 


    I have to be honest, I was so ready for the all-you-can-eat challenge... so ready, I prepared myself all day. When we got to our seats, I was starving.


    This was my meal. Look at all that cheese. yum. 
    Tragedy struck and never went back for seconds :( I had a hot dog and nachos -->  my stomach was not happy. ((I'm not sure what it was, maybe indigestion??)) but it sucked. It was hard to enjoy the rest of the game and the glory that is all-you-can-eat.

    I still feel a little nauseous and I'm a little nervous about what that might mean for my Half Marathon tomorrow morning. I hope I feel good because my nerves about PR'ing had gone away and was ready to run. Goggling home remedies for tummy ache as we speak.   

    In summary, I have a tummy ache, Dodgers lost, but I got cool fleece blankets! 

     Fleece Blanket*
    ---------------------------------
    Favorite MLB team?

    Favorite ball park snack?

    Weekend plans??

    Thursday, September 13, 2012

    stress... not too much but not too little

    Today's run was suppose to be 7 miles with 5 at Marathon Pace. I only did 6 miles because I woke up late. It's driving me crazy that my pace is all over the place. How do I work on that?!?!

    1) warm up, 2) 8:55, 3) 7:25, 4)7:16, 5) 7:30, 6)7:40, 1/2 mile cool down walk.

    The last mile was hard, I felt slow and tired but I was pleasantly surprised when I saw the split time. The first mile I can't explain. I was trying to pick up speed, and settle on a good pace while staying under my 9mi/mile goal.

    This weekend I'm running the Wounded Warrior Half Marathon in Oxnard. I'm very nervous, not because of the distance but about the time. I've been working hard for the past 4 months at getting fast and I know I'm going to be disappointed if I don't PR (Personal Record).

    I guess at this point, I have to trust that I have prepared myself the best I could. I don't want to stress about it too much (because that's stressful) but not too little either (because I still want to challenge myself).

    So, the plan is to rest, hydrate, fuel and prepare myself for Saturday. On game day, I'm going to push myself to maintain a good and consistent pace throughout.
    -----------------------------
    Are there things you've done a million times before that still make you nervous?

    How do you balance stress or pushing yourself too much or not enough?

    Any plans for Thursday night? 
    Anthony and I are going to a Dodger game. We're sitting in the all-you-can-eat section :) !!

    Wednesday, September 12, 2012

    4X1mile, could have used a relay team for this one

    HAPPY WEDNESDAY !

     

    Today I ran 4X1 mile with a mile warm up and cool down. I haven't done these before so I wasn't sure where to run. I ended up doing a loop around my neighborhood that is 6 miles. The only down side was that there was tons of traffic (people, kids getting to school & cars) and tons of traffic lights. I hit a few red lights which was good because I was huffing and puffing but bad because I didn't get a consecutive mile in. 

    I was aiming for under 8mi/mile. I have so much work to do on keeping my pace consistent. Can anyone help!?      1)7:26,  2) 7:53,  3)7:55,  4) 8:02 

    I felt tired, so while I was at a stop light I decided to make a conscience effort to zone in on what felt off.  Was it my legs? my lungs? my feet? my head?? Turns out it was my thighs. They felt like they were on fire and that hamstring tightness is still hanging around.

    Looks like tonight I have a date with my foam roller.

    In other news, I stopped by the grocery store this morning to pick up some greek yogurt. It is the best! so much yummy protein! but it made me sad that the cashier probably thought I was a hoarder because I bought 10$ worth. 
    ----------------------------------------
    Do you get excited when it's Wednesday!?!

    Do you like greek yogurt? flavored or plain?

    How's the weather where you live?
    Its starting to cool down in S.Cal. Today I actually felt a little bit of drizzle from the marine layer. 

    Tuesday, September 11, 2012

    ugly shoes


    I had such a weird dream last night.

    I never, ever, ever step on a scale. When I go to the Doctors, I always tell the nurse not to tell me the number and step on the scale backwards. I rather not know or be stressed about any fluctuating in the number.

    That's probably not smart. I should probably have some kind of idea of where I am. The thing is, even though I don't know how much I weigh, I still want to weigh less. I figure, if I don't know the number, then I wont feel bad about weighing more than my ideal 115. Whatever, I'll just keep living my delusional lifestyle until my pants are too tight.

    Anyway, back to my dream. I  dreamt that I HAD to step on a scale and I was freaking out. Dramatic sobbing, panic attack, the whole thing. In my dream, my weight was 180! WTF!! That made the dramatic situation even worse.

    Maybe that's my sub-conscience telling me something. I definitely have not been watching my protein intake (too low) or the amount of sweets I'm consuming (way too high). The ratio needs to switch.

     This morning, I ran 10 hill repeats in my 5 finger shoes.  I have these, except mine are covered in dirt, mud, blood, sweat, everything. I know they are ugly, but for some reason I feel like when I wear these for hill repeats my calves don't hurt as much.

    ---------------------------------

    Do you remember your dreams?

    How often do you get on the scale? daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, never?



    Monday, September 10, 2012

    awesome target find!

    This morning I woke up surprisingly early but still tired. Weird when that happens.

    I spent the weekend in Big Bear with people I met through Anthony at the LA Galaxy games. Do you ever get weird anxiety about making new friends/ meeting people? I do! I'm am extra weird and keep thinking nonsense like," I hope they are nice and they don't think I'm super lame or try to murder me and stash my body somewhere on the mountain..eek!" I don't remember feeling like this when I was in school. I guess it's different when your older and you are making friends outside of work/ school versus being a kid where you play (thus are friends) with everyone.

    Anyway, they were all a lot of fun and very, very entertaining.  I had a great time

    After we got home, Anthony and I went to the Lomita Fair put on my a church down the street from where I live. It felt like a cute little date, we rode the scariest rides and then we had dinner. I had 2 churros. haha, hey they were 30cents!!!

    Back to running: This morning, I went on a 7 mile easy run with my new running skirt. I see these on girls and think they are super cute.  I got this one at Target for under 10 bucks.  My thoughts: cute, easy to run in, should have bought the XS. The waistband was really lose but overall I love it!!
    ---------------------------
    Making new friends? Thoughts? 

    Do you go to the carnival for the food, or the rides?

    Best target find? 



    Friday, September 7, 2012

    gummy bear massacre

    Like I mentioned earlier, I'll be spending the weekend in Big Bear so I had to get my long run in today because I probably won't have 3 hours to run + all day to recover.

    I did the same loop as last week and it was hard. My upper thigh has been a little tight and I felt it today. I ran the first 10 miles under 9mi/miles, and the next 20 at about 10mi/miles or more. It seems crazy to try to do 26 at a consistent 9mi/mile pace. Man, feeling discouraged :(

    On a side note I attempted to make vodka gummy bears and they turned out all mushy.  I re-read a recipe that says to place gummies in a plate and cover them in vodka, is that not the same as dumping bags of gummy bears into a bottle of vodka?


    Anyway, last night I had a mini-bday party for Anthony. I know I'm lame, but I wanted an ice cream cake.  I also bought him 2 growlers filled with his absolute favorite beer: Stone IPA


    -----------------------------

    Ever made vodka gummy bears? what did I do wrong?

    Ice cream cake vs. regular cake?

    Beer fans? Which one?
    I an NOT. I don't like the taste or how it makes me feel. Actually I'm not an alcohol fan at all. 

    Wednesday, September 5, 2012

    speed work and a coupon!

    Happy Wednesday!

    Something really exciting happened to me this morning. I got a buy one get one free coupon to Yogurtland in the mail!! I was so excited I almost jumped in my car and drove over there and then I realized it's only valid September 18-24. I'm super excited for that date now!

    This morning was another speed workout. I warmed up for 1.5 miles and did 6X 800's. It was sprinkling a little and I was afraid of slipping but nothing bad happened and I got a good workout in.

    I noticed that my Garmin was showing the time for each 800 in this set up --> min:sec:what's after sec??

    Anyway, the splits looked like this 1) 3:36:10,  2) 3:36:17,  3) 3:37:91,  4) 3:35:92,  5) 3:37:79,  6) 3:37:79
    The last two felt a lot harder. My legs felt heavy, my lungs felt good. Obviously tired, but I wasn't gasping for air. Overall, I'm happy that they are consistent. I still would like to get faster. Maybe next week I'll aim for 3:15 ish.

    It's times like this where I wish I was back in HS and had access to coaching advice. For the most part I read stuff and try to keep up with what they are saying but I'm not sure if it's right for me. I guess we'll find out. NWM is 6 weeks away!

    -----------------------------------

    Do you get advice from magazines/ internet?

    Do you like Yogurtland? or is there another fro-yo spot you enjoy?

    Do you use coupons?
    Yes, Yes, Yes. I think they are awesome.

    Tuesday, September 4, 2012

    Conquer the Bridge 2012

    Conquer the Bridge is a 5.3 mile run across the Vincent Thomas Bridge in San Pedro. I first heard about it from my friend AJ, who said it was a big deal in SP. 29,000 participated this year, so yes, it is a big deal.

    If you are from LA or in the South Bay area, you need to do this. It was a short run, and the views were awesome. I didn't bring my camera so these pictures stolen off the world wide web.

    Vincent Thomas Bridge

    The race started at 8:05, naturally I left at the latest time possible, 7:20 in hopes of being there 15 min early. I've been to this area of San Pedro a million times, and still I got lost. Luckily I saw the street closures and a few patrol cars and assumed I was close. I found parking on a side street two blocks away and jogged over to the start. I made it with a few minutes to spare, so I took advantage and stretched and checked out the competition.

    I don't know why, but I always get very intimidated at the start of a race. I see tiny girls with flat abs wearing only sport bra and I immediately get insecure and lower my goal time.
    
    
    Luckily (or unluckly), I ran into my friend Earnie. (a guy who worked at the same company I do and he told me he's running his 145 marathong in October! cool!) 

    He asked me how fast I was going to run this thinig. I was like "uhhh" and then he suggested an "9mi/mil .. no... 8mi/mile". I don't know why but I agreed to it. That meant I had to work for that 40mi finish time so I didn't look like a lame loser when he asked for my time afterwards.

    The path follows the on-ramp onto the bridge, a U turn and then the off-ramp off of the bridge towards the finishi line. One thing I was not expecting. was the uphill clim getting on to the bridge on both sides. But overall it was a fun race and I'm proud that I it was semi-fast.

    The first mile was pretty fast 7:40, it was flat and it was pumped from the crowd. The second included an uphill climb 8:00. Third was downhill but I could feel myself tire 7:50. Fourth was harder. It was uphill and it was hard to keep an even pace 8:40. The fifth mile, I knew I had to run fast, If I wanted to finish in 40 minutes. I think it was around 8 min. The last 0.3 of a mile, I tried to sprint to the finish line. I dont' really know what it was but I finished at 41:49.

    There were a lot of student runners. I think the first place was 17 year old boy!!!

    I enjoyed the race. I don't think I'm fast at all, it is something I am working on. So it was a big deal for me that my splits were somewhat consistent and I stayed within that range for 5 miles. The hills were hard but I think I handled them ok.  
     

    change in schedule

    This morning was another hill workout. 10 repeats. I feel faster going up the hills, it's still hard and it kicks my tush every single time.

    This weeks schedule is going to be a little bit different. I really like consistency and having a schedule but sometimes things come up.

    I'm spending the weekend in Big Bear for a friend's (and Anthony's) Birthday and I don't want to be super lame and stress out about having to get up early for a long run on Saturday so I moved it to Friday. That way I will have the weekend to relax and if I feel like it, do a few easy miles around the lake ( I already packed some running gear)

    This is the tentative schedule for the week
    M: Conquer the Bridge (Recap to follow)
    T: Hill 10X repeat
    W: Speed?? 4X800's
    Th: rest
    F: 20m
    Sat: ?? rest ??
    Sun: easy run
    ----------------------------------------------
    What did you / will you get your boyfriends for his birthday? HELP!!

    Do you run/ workout on vacation?
    YES. ALWAYS!!! It's a great way to see a new place

    How far in advance do you pack for a trip?
    I get so excited I want to do it as soon as possible, but I try to wait and do it a week in advance.



    Saturday, September 1, 2012

    20 miles and potato chips

    To be honest, I was a little worried about my long run this morning. I wasn't sure if I would feel ok or I would be able to do it. 20 miles is definitely scary.

    I never pay attention to my pace during long runs, I just go out and run slow and long. I tried to challenge myself and aimed for the first 10 miles to be under 9:30. It went really well, I was 8/10. I came across a monster hill and it was rough.

    I slowed down for the next ten, I was starting to get tired and my hamstrings felt tight. I tried to keep an under 10 min/mil pace. It was pretty close. I finished 20 miles in 3h:15m.

    I came home and sunk into an ice bath. I didn't feel too bad on my run (the normal aches and pains) but now I'm starting to feel very sore and tired. and my toe nail hurts. I'm scared to look at it.  I'll be taking it easy for the rest of the day.

    Have you tried Lays Kettle Cooked chips? I bought a bag of jalapeño flavored chips and they are awesome.

    ----------------------------
    Did you work out today?

    Any plans for the long weekend?

    Favorite chips?