antioxidants and stuff

green tea is like the wonder tea. all that EGCG is good for your LDL and HDL. it's been shown to keep the aging mind quick and sharp. some studies even show it's good for your metabolism.

but probably not when it's in ice cream form.

i've been grubbing on it since the weekend and i wouldn't be surprised if i finished the half gallon in a week.

at least i'm getting my calcium, right?

the unintentional experiment

today was day 2 of the knee band thingee try out. partway through my shift, the velcro on one of the bands was really irritating my leg so i took it off. the other was totally comfortable, didn't even feel like i was wearing anything. except for the fact that the knee i had it on felt much more supported. the other knee...i felt like i was newborn calf just starting to walk!

so yeah, these bands are miracle bands!

and now at the end of my shift i can tell a difference between which knee had the band on all day and which one didn't. on tuesday, i'm heading back to the running store to exchange the crappy velcro one for a better one and hopefully, i'll be good to go.

maybe i should sign up to be the spokesperson for these amazing knee band thingees...

the verdict so far

i tried the knee band thingees yesterday at work. and my knees? they felt good! good enough for me to test out on a 2.5 mile run! and how did that go? pain free!

and this morning, my knees don't feel at all rickety!

holy shit they DO work!!

though i'm still not 100% sold. a 2.5 mile run is NOT a marathon. but it does look promising. though now my knees are yet another place to thoroughly coat in bodyglide. as if i don't use enough of the stuff already!

i'm not fat, i'm big boned

the mystery behind my weight has finally been solved.

i'm big boned.

no, really. i am. i went to the local fleet feet to check out those knee band thingees i've been reading so much about to help keep your knee cap tracking properly. so i sat down to get fitted and demurely gave over my leg to the sales dude. it felt more like a garter fitting and i was a little self conscious that i was wearing skirt that day, but whatever. when he opened up the size medium package i was a little insulted. you think i have medium sized knees???

turns out i have LARGE knees. and i ended up buying the extra large size since there was only 1 in the large size. i swear to bob i don't have knobby elephantine knees. you would think if my knees were THAT large they could freaking handle my body ok but nooooooo.

anyway, i'm giving these bad boys a try this weekend at work, seeing if i feel any difference. and if they don't, back to the store they'll go.

have a great holiday peeps.

where there's no cell phone reception

12:30 pm: me, on the beach. a perfect 85 degrees. in one ear, jack johnson, in the other, the ocean. a heineken in one hand, and john irving's latest in the other.

seriously, life doesn't get much better than that.

i spent the day at stinson beach with the littlest bro. (with no talk of sex, THANK GOD!) it was a short hour and 15 minute drive, the hardest part being the treacherous hwy 1. winding, undulating roads twisting and turning through muir winds and along the sea cliffs. beautiful, yes. easy, no. but well worth it. what was even crazier was the number of cyclists sharing the narrow 2 lane road. there is no bike lane. there's barely enough room for 2 cars to pass! and the steepness?? these are some hard core cyclists.

because it was a weekday, there weren't too many people, but enough for some decent people watching. (there were dilfs aplenty. what is it with me spotting with hot 30 something dads lately? they're already TAKEN! where are all the hot 30 something single guys?) i braved the water for a few minutes but damn was it cold! seriously. like nature's ice bath. i remember reading somewhere that the pacific ocean is about 10 degrees colder than the atlantic.

after soaking up sun, we perused the handful of shops in town and settled in for dinner at the sanddollar. where we had the. best. mussels. ever. in. life. seriously. and a caesar salad with real anchovy dressing, clam chowder with more clams than i've ever had in clam chowder and garlic fries. i love eating with the littlest bro because he's a chef, so he too enjoys the food just as much as i do, and we talk about it like we would fine art. we talk about the balance of the sweet shallots and the herbs. we analyze the consistency of the chowder. and the perfect touch the anchovy brings to the caesar dressing that was in no way sour or vinegary. oh and how the bite and snap of fresh shaved parmesean beats grated any day of the week. we ate so much we didn't have room for dessert. except for a bag of sour patch kids for the drive home.

all in all, a super day.

four out of ten, hopefully.

2.48 miles today folks. which were run AFTER work. golf claps for me because afternoon runs are NOT my thing. my knees felt a little achy in the beginning. but the pains went away after a while. still i didn't want to push it. i stopped 2.25 miles into it and walked the rest to cooldown.

outside it was 88 degrees, but inside the gym felt just as hot. while i dripped with sweat in my sports bra and shorts, some guy in front of me on the elliptical was wearing a polo, jeans, and sneakers. some people were in sweat pants. and long sleeved shirts. i seriously don't get these people. i'm gonna show up at the pool tomorrow and find someone swimming laps in a parka.

speaking of pool workouts, i haven't quite figured out what tomorrow's workout will entail. my swimming skills are seriously subpar. i can barely get across the pool once. ONCE! at which point i gasp and wheeze for 5 minutes before i can even think about making it across again. i finally did buy an aqua belt, so i might mess around with that for awhile. or kick my way across with a board. i also found some exercises to strengthen my quads, specifically the inner muscles above the knee, which should help support my poor patellas properly. we'll just see what happens. i'm hoping that by going at the butt crack of dawn, no one will be around to witness my absolute ineptitude in the water. all i'm really asking is that i don't drown.

i've only logged 4 workouts this entire month. that is utterly pathetic. but there are still 9 days left. i'm setting the goal now to get into the gym to do SOME sort of workout at least 6 of those days to make it an even 10 workouts in the month of may. it's something at least. and in my pre-training for the marathon, all i want to do is heal up and start on the right foot.

the inlaws...

i grew up with 2 younger brothers. so having a sister in law is kinda weird. my youngest brother has a serious girlfriend of about 2 years. so when i moved home, i "inherited" two "sisters". luckily they're cool chicks. maybe not girls i would have necessarily chosen as friends of my own, but we get along really well for the most part. obviously the two of them get along better, since they've had time to gether without me, but i think part of what bonds us is that none of us grew up with sisters. but there are definitely times i feel possessive of my brothers because well, they're MY brothers. and before THEY came along, they were just mine. and i didn't have to share them with anyone else.

but like i said, they've been super great since i've moved since none of my high school friends are around anymore. they've become my friends and we can gab and gossip and do all the things girls do. EXCEPT. talk about sex.

ugh. gross!!

because when they talk about sex, they're talking about sex with my brothers.

GROSS!!!

GROSS!!!

GROSS!!! times infinity.

it seriously ruins my buzz everytime we're out having drinks and they bring it up.

fun with photobooth

my new haircut! wheeee! i feel like i lost 10 pounds!

i used to wear my hair super short and i've been trying to grow it out for what feels like FOR-EVER. i finally just couldn't take it any more and gave up. my hair is too damned thick to wear long. even when they've thinned it out in the past, it's STILL too heavy. but this time i had her whack the crap out of my hair. so while she didn't really chop off too much length, she managed to thin my hair. by like 50% she said!

so it's still short, yes. but at least longer than i've had it for the past 6 years. so it's different. and feels so much lighter!

consulting a professional

so i picked up a copy of marathoning for mortals, by john bingham and coach jenny, before making it to the beach last week. i'm more than halfway through and am slowly realizing i may not be as prepared for the marathon in october as i thought i might be. i realize it is still like 20 plus weeks away, but the last month has been pooptastic and today my knees and right hip kinda hurt. they aren't screaming in pain, but they're just nagging enough that i know i shouldn't ignore them. especially since my primary source of income requires me to be walking for 8 hours.

i've spent the last year learning to run basically on my own. reading, researching, and briefly joining a training group that i had to drop out of a few weeks later because of scheduling issues. considering i am no professional, it makes sense i didn't do it all right all the time.

so instead of trying out hammer out this marathon at the expense of the health of my limbs, i'm going to do it the right way. by consulting with a doctor first! GASP! I KNOW! who woulda thought? i'm paying for health insurance, i may as well damned use it. even if it is an hmo.

first order of business is to make an appointment with a sports medicine person (uh, what are they called again?) i'll continue to ice and advil. and i'll have to make friends with other forms of exercise. which is a pain in the arse because the only thing i really enjoy other than running is kickboxing and considering it's high impact that isn't an option. i might just dive further into dorkhood and buy an aqua vest for water running. and/or take the swimming lessons i've been wanting to take.

either way, i think i've made peace with the fact that 1. running intensely right now might not be in the cards right now. 2. i might have to cut the marathon i paid to run to a half marathon. 3. as much as i hate crosstraining, it WILL make me a better runner.

america, you're wrong

while i went to bed ridiculously early last night, america forgot to vote for melinda doolittle on idol. seriously, people. what were you thinking?

probably that she's a nearly flawless singer and didn't need your votes.

vote for blake next week or read a tirade of how jordin sparks makes me want to hurl things at my tv. namely vomit.

2 for 2

i got to the gym this morning and all the treadmills were full. of walkers!!! argh! honestly, i don't have anything against walkers, because well at one time, I was a walker and for some people walking is better than nothing. but still i was annoyed. and for some reason more annoyed than if they were all running.

anyway, i got in an easy 3.25 miles. i had more time today since it was my day off. i've been resisting running outside for several reasons. 1. i like blaring my music really loud and i can't do that on the roads. 2. it's dark in the morning. 3. it's been windy lately and i really don't want to aggravate my allergies more than i have to. 4. i've lost my nike plus receiver to track my miles so yeah i'm sticking to the treadmill to do all the math for me. once i clean my room and get to a point where i can put more miles in at a time, i'll definitely welcome the great outdoors.

tomorrow, i'm going for a three-peat, but going for the bike instead. don't want to overdo it. even though i really, really, really want to run, run, run.

oh and a funny thing, i stepped on the scale today and it said i lost 4 pounds since yesterday!!!! hahahahahhaha. i know it's not true and is more of a function of me weighing myself with less clothes on and missing dinner last night bc i fell asleep at 5pm (yes 5pm) but still i had to laugh. the other chicks in the locker room must have thought i was nuts.

day one

i hit snooze only once this morning. and i managed to still squeeze in 2.25 miles. i probably spent as much time on the treadmill as i spent driving to and from the gym, warming up, cooling down, stretching and icing. but still it felt good to be running again. even if it was the slowest, shortest run ever.

no more excuses

my alarm is set for 4:30 a.m. my running clothes are sitting right next to my bed. i considered sleeping in them, but sleeping in a sports bra sounds about as comfortable as sleeping in a strait jacket.

i'm going to run tomorrow. whether i like it or not.

i've milked what were once totally legit injury/sickness/work schedule reasons for not running for far too long. so long that they turned into excuses for not running. i'm no longer sick. i'm not so debilitated i can't run at least short easy distances for now. and i've gotten more used to the physical demands of my job (except for the 12 hour shift i pulled on mother's day. ugh.)

honestly, i was just really frustrated at the running gods for sidelining me when i had felt most confident about my running. i put a lot of effort into training for santa cruz and i felt really robbed of a race i felt was mine. i'd started running intervals and hills. hell i even made it into the weight room. then BAM! over the course of a few weeks, all that work was undone. i had planned to build even further on my santa cruz base and start my marathon training really strong. and now here i am. feeling like i'm starting all over again.

but what can you do? except start. again.

tomorrow's the day.

only a runner would understand

"LSD one day, Speed the next"

this and other running quotes found here

getting my head in the game

it's been a week since my last run, but it feels like much longer. probably because it had been 4 days since my run before that one. and really i've only missed 2 runs since i came up with my new plan last week, but it feels like i've missed 50. i'm so out of it, i even lost my watch! i've reached such a funk that reading everyone's happy tales about running makes me incredibly, infuriatingly jealous.

i just feel so out of it. i don't feel like myself without running. or more specifically, training. i'm not really one to do it just for fun. easing back into things after this injury has me wigged out. i want to run. hard. fast. (well for me anyway) but i'm afraid i'll push too hard too soon and be laid up even longer and miss out on the marathon i've been after for a a reeeaallly long time. my brain has a habit of turning one small worry into a huge catastrophe.

i have 2 days off finally, after 7 straight days of work. i'm treating myself to a day at the beach tomorrow. to relax and regroup. i'm hoping that an early morning run and a day in the sun, sand, and surf, will rejuvinate my spirits.

guys are so dumb

today these two hot (read: big boobed) women come into the restaurant for lunch. they were like lucy lui's more attractive cousins. i'll admit that when i saw them even i thought to myself, "damn they're hot!" but the frenzy in the kitchen over these two chicks was absolutely ridiculous. it was as if the guys had never seen a woman before. i mean c'mon, this is california! big (fake) boobs are aplenty here.

the executive chef was the worst. he made them some elaborate special dessert that they didn't even order and had me bring it to them "compliments of the chef". a little while later, he made some big show about going to each table to see how their food was, blah blah, of course as an excuse to stop by the hot chick table. he introduces himself and they say, "oh you don't remember us? we met you here last year!"

doh! smooth, chef. reeeeaaal smoooooth.

so i taunted him in the back and chef says to me, "hey if some hot guys come in, don't worry i got your back. you helped me so i'll help you."

i just laughed and said, "who says i need your help?"

seriously, boys are so dumb.

i just wanna run already!!

can i just say that not training s.u.c.k.s.!!!!

the more blogs i read, the more i miss it!!!! i pout, i moan, i cry, like the 5 year old that i am. then i go find some ice cream or fried potatoes to wallow in.

i just turned down 2 more freelance offers. a little reluctantly. but not really. things were getting too hectic trying to adjust to both gigs at the same time. i think i am going to take the rest of the month to concentrate efforts on finding a full-time design job. perfecting my self-promo even more so i can send out my first batch. then wait, and maybe take on another freelance project.

because that's what you do when you're your own boss.

and maybe, just maybe i can also get in some decent running.

because without it, i'm just a big, crabby, bloated b.i.t.c.h.. and i can resume my regularly scheduled running blog which in recent weeks has turned into a random talk about shit and post pics of hot guys blog. though the hot guys part i'm sure you enjoy :)

blame it on the rain

when i woke up this morning, i swear to bob i thought i had aged 20 years in my sleep. my knees felt really rickety and the one i tweaked a long time ago in tae kwon do, that rarely but sometimes gives me trouble, was extra specially tender. and my hip? yeah, all wonky again. i thought for sure by the end of the day i'd be forced to crawl on all fours.

but once the rain let up and i guess my body got warm, my limbs and joints felt their youthful 28 year old selves. even so, i'm playing it conservative, elevating my lower extremities and icing the crap outta my hip. i might even substitute my easy run this week with a swim workout. (hahahahahahaha! me??? swimming??? hahahahahahahah)

if i can feel this old now, i don't even want to know how i'll feel in 10, 20 or 30 years!

oh, and don't you think eric and i make a cute couple?

spring in my step

on the schedule: a 6 mile "long run" @ 12:22.

as much as i like to push myself when it comes to running, it's such a relief to know that i only have to run 6 miles at a snail's pace. not to say my run was easy peasy. but it was just right. my knees felt a little rickety again in the beginning but after a mile i was warm and gliding along.

in the beginning my speed ranged from 4.7 mph to 4.9. i eventually settled into 5.0 for a good while. then the treadmills next to me started to fill up, my time was dwindling, and there were hoverers lurking. so my speed crept up to 6.0 at one point, just so i could finish as close to 6 miles as i possibly could in the time i was given (which was about 70 minutes)

it felt so good to sweat again. and even pant a little at the end. out of the corner of my eye, i could see the guy next to me shoot glances my way, certain i would collapse and he would have to resuscitate me. thankfully, that wasn't necessary.

i'm hoping this is the beginning to some consistent training again. because i really have missed it.

testing my endurance

i've waited tables for about 10 years, off and on. but it was only a couple days a week. for extra beer money. but this is the first time i've had to rely on it as my primary income. which means i'm on my feet 8+ hours a day, 5 days a week. i know people do it all the time, everyday. and i thought i was in pretty good shape. but let me tell you, it's kicking my ass.

or more specifically, the 300+ elderly women's choir group that came through the hotel this weekend kicked my ass. for people as frail and slow as they are, they were goddamned demanding and wanted everything NOW! add to my list of reasons i'm going hell: my annoyance with and desire to bitch-slap demanding elderly ladies. i swear to bob last night i had nightmares about them.

as i stated in a previous post, coming up with and following a training program around my new 6am-2pm work schedule is a challenge. i like running in the morning, but getting up at 4 am to run sounds ludicrous to me. but then again, at one point, getting up at 5:30 am to run sounded ludicrous. but getting up at 4 am means going to bed at like 8pm!

and yes, i do need 8 hours of sleep. 7 minumum.

and i'm finding the problem isn't so much the scheduling as it is that waitressing is seriously wiping me out. today was my day off and i got up at 7. after eating breakfast, reading blogs, going through some mail, i was still tired. so i went back to bed and didn't get up until about 1! and it wasn't until then that i didn't feel the achiness in my bones. oh and i went to bed at like 9 last night!

part of me knows my body will get used to it. and part of me knows that we won't always have annoying groups of octogenarians demanding 1001 things of me at once. but for now, i'm just a little old lady myself.

after missing santa cruz, i didn't know what i was gonna do about training. i was coming off an injury and dealing with a new work situation. i cut myself some slack, but i knew in order to get any running done i had to have a plan. and a plan is what i have.

my next race will be the sonoma jack 10k on june 3. that's in 5 weeks. and looking at my 3 day a week training plan, very do-able. after the race, i'll take a week off, then start my 18 week marathon training (oh shit!) somewhere in between those 2 races, i plan on running a half-marathon, most likely the run sfm half.

i'm planning on doing my long runs on tuesdays (my sunday), doing one easy run and one speed workout during the week. all the extra stuff? the weight training, crosstraining? we'll just have to see how my body holds up. to some extent, my job IS crosstraining.

and how i'm going to fit in freelancing AND looking for a full-time job? i don't know. i really don't know. somehow, it will all get done. it always does.