But wait, there’s more!

1. The remaining 6 miles were comfortable 8:05s, confirming how little of an energy suck the tempo was.
2. Conditions were not exactly optimal. Allow me to illustrate the effect of 72 degrees w/ dewpoint 69 via this extremely unflattering photo I took right after the run. No comments on the nip action, I could have Photoshopped it out but that’s part of the wet t-shirt joy of it. Anyway, if I was going to take the hot weather deduction a la Daniels (which doesn’t even take humidity into account) my Half pace is faster than 6:55.

So the jury’s still out on where my current fitness lies and what my training paces will be, but I figure a couple more weeks of this fast stuff (strides, on/offs, little tempos) should unveil a final baseline.  Kind of thrilling in the meantime.  Wherever it lands will be more than I expected…it already is!

A Nifty Shuffle Condom
Due to prolific sweat glands, I’ve fried 2 iPod Shuffles in the last two years but am determined to keep my 3rd one alive.  My breakus interruptus method is to take a piece of Saran wrap, stick one end under the clip that’s on the inner shorts side, then wrap it to the other side and tuck it under the main body of the Shuffle.  The important thing is to make a little awning over the headphone jack/button panel since that’s where water can enter.  You can still use all the buttons, no prob.  And you could make it look neater but I don’t give a shit.  When I get home, I take the wrap off and disconnect the headphones so if any moisture got in there, it’ll dry out.  So far, so good! 

Btw, this is me at 122 lbs (minus a few temporary lbs from sweat loss).  Still 5’4″ as far as I know.  No waif, that’s for sure.

My thighs amuse me lately.  Not that we sit around exchanging humorous anecdotes, but they’re bigger, more muscled and in a completely unexpected turn, that chicken skin thing they used to do when my foot hit the ground and which always disgusted me is (dare I say?) almost gone – something I never thought possible.  I believe Falls bridge is to thank for that.  Bless you, bridge, bless you.

The good ole week in review:
Monday: 9@8:08 (9 strides)
Tuesday: 12@8:04 (10 x 60 sec. on/offs)
Wednesday: 18@8:11
Thursday: 12@8:15
Friday: 12@7:57 (w/3@7:02)
Saturday: 15@8:16 (6 strides)
Sunday: 12@8:05
Total: 90 mi (avg pace 8:08)

Due to some schedule switching, Saturday was an 11-miler with about 5.5 miles of tempo thrown in: 2x(15min@HP w/3min rec’s.), 10min@10K.   Yesterday, I had a 15-miler which I’m embarrassed to say around you marathon freaks, is my longest run since Boston!  I was looking forward to it for the distance and to take it to the trails so I could have that extra elevation/footing bonus.

The only hitch was that between the previous day’s tempo and 5½ hours of sleep, I was genuinely exhausted and certifiably dead-legged.   I really needed a recovery run instead of a long run, but I was stubborn about gettin ‘er done, so I took it reeeeeeaaaal slow.  Not that I had a choice.

The great thing was that even though I was too pooped to party, all my parts were working without complaint – not a twinge or niggle.  After 4 long months, the ankle problem is gone! And  I continue to do the hip exercises before every run – I can tell they’ll not only help with economy but ward off injuries as well, not to mention warming me up before I hit the road…so I’m loving them.

Speaking of Sleep
It’s getting better but still not great – July only had 3 nights of 8-hour sleep.  Also, I suspect that the one weekend where my HR dipped beautifully low was due to sleeping until my body woke on its own instead of my “beat the heat” alarm clock.  I’ll be thrilled when summer’s over and can sleep in regularly.

More Weight Stuff
The Racing Weight book has a lot of good stuff in it. One big change I’m making starting today, is how I time my caloric intake.

I’ve always been terrible about splitting my calories for the day.  I eat about half of them after 6pm (dinner and 2 snacks).  Dinner’s always been my “destination meal” and even though the snacks are healthy, I don’t need to be eating that much that late.  This is common wisdom we’ve all read enough times, but seeing his schedules of how to split it up percentage-wise made it clearer and looks sensible.

For those of you lapping up the weight talk, Jaymee (aka The fastest female runner I know) posted a great entry on the subject.  Also, on today’s entry she posts a sample day of what she eats which is cool to see.  I was actually shocked at the pro athletes’ sample menus in the Racing Weight book,  it looks like they eat hardly anything, whereas Jaymee’s intake looks more like what I’d expect a healthy athlete to eat.

Lastly, I’m anxiously awaiting UPS today – my fancy Tanita scale is scheduled for delivery, woohoo!!  Will let you know how I like it and what my reported weight and body fat are in the next post.

Runners Round Table This Wednesday
I’ll be on it again.   Joe’s hosting the episode about running in the heat.  I imagine we’re all pretty good at it by now, but I’m sure the conversation will be stellar and sparkling.  If you want to ask questions, listen to it live, otherwise, I’ll post it here afterwards.

Hair Bands That Stay On Your Head!
I ordered a headband from an online shop after a recommendation from a fellow forumite.   I’d stopped wearing hair bands because the Goody Stay-Puts were the only ones that would stay and even they required a clip behind each ear for stay-put peace of mind.

So I got it and, man…it works!!  It genuinely stays on your head.  It’s quite ingenious actually, what keeps it in place is (drumroll)….velvet.  The top part is regular woven ribbon from the notions counter, the lining is velvet ribbon and there’s just a small piece of 1/4″ elastic that goes under your head.

With shipping, the hair band was $20, but because I’m a frugal runner and handy with the sewing machine, I’m going to make a few for about $2.50 each.  I won’t give measurements since I feel kind of bad about giving away the company secret, but if you’re a crafty gal, buy one from the company and then make the next ones, like I’m doing (or not) .  Just remember if you get rayon velvet to wash it first so it doesn’t shrink when you wash it later.  Or if you’re lazy like me, get nylon velvet.

And that’s it for a chatty Monday.  Have a great coupla days, folks.  Later!

Also, this had my name all over it, “Excess body fat is also known to increase thermoregulatory strain during exercise, so by shedding fat, athletes can go faster without overheating.”  Boy, would I love a little help in that department.

Another great weight-related motivation was a post I read yesterday at Lauren Fleshman’s blog.  Btw, thanks Julie for turning me on to it, her blog is a truly fantastic read.  Lauren’s an elite runner with an engaging writing style who gives great advice, too.  Check out this entry, which is an excellent piece for anyone wanting to lose weight for running.

This really struck me, “…especially once I got to college and tended to carry an extra 5-8 pounds in the fall and winter.  Every year I would get beat by flash in the pan athletes, and it absolutely killed me.”  Now this gal is 5’8″ and 122!  So if 5-8 lbs got her beat by “flash in the pans”, then that’s just more confirmation of how that same amount of extra weight might affect a shorty such as myself.

Just remember folks, with all my blathering on the subject, it’s not just weight we’re talking about, but excess body fat, so if any of you apply this stuff to yourselves, please be healthy about this, don’t eat too little and do some supplementary exercises to keep your muscles strong.  They’ll only thank you for the trouble.

It’s In The Hips, Baby
Adam often supplies me with links to great articles on running mechanics.  This latest has to do with a conversation we had after I posted that gait video a few weeks back.  He suggested I “engage the hips more” and while I was all, “Oh yeah, ok, sounds great” I wasn’t sure exactly what he meant.  Then he sent me this article yesterday which made me a believer in the power of the hips.

The article has a link to RW for some hip exercises that are not only wonderful for getting your hips into the act, but are excellent for strengthening the lower back (bridges) and even address that hamstring injury I got last week, in particular, the last drill mimics the feeling I was going for in my LT workout before it tweaked – the lengthening that accompanies a stronger push-off.  I’m sold!  Did them today before my run and will keep on with them, too.

My Fancy New Air Popcorn Popper
I have to share this, because it’s too cool.  I hate microwave popcorn packets, they stink up the place and the taste is always a bit weird to me.  I used to have a special air popper bowl for the microwave but hadn’t gotten around to buying another.  Then I read that you can make air-popped popcorn in your microwave with a regular paper bag!

The bag has grease on it because for my first batch, I used a little oil, but then realized you don't need any.

All you do is throw in 1/4 – 1/3 cup of popcorn, fold over the top of the bag a couple times and stick it in the micro, you’ll have to experiment with time (mine takes 3:10).  No oil needed, it comes out perfectly!  Afterwards, I squirt some “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” spray on it with salt and yum.  A 1/3 cup makes a huge bowl, only 204 calories, 50 grams of carbs and 10 grams of fiber.  Yeah, baby!

Oh, and if you don’t have a bag, apparently you can use a bowl with a plate on top, though I haven’t tried it.  Just be careful when you take it out, it’ll be hot!

I got home, made my blog post and immediately set about following good ole RICE: Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation.  I managed R, I and E with no problem, but what to do about C?  The only compression things I have are for the ankle, so I looked around the apartment for a McGuyvery-type alternative (because after limping home 4.25 miles, the last thing you want to do is hobble over to the drugstore).

I tried wrapping a towel: too bulky.  My homemade neck gaiter: too big.  Then it hit me…the lingerie drawer!  Aha!!  I have a bunch of old tights and pantyhose that I wasn’t going to be wearing in the foreseeable future, if ever, so I started pulling out stuff, ending up with a pair of thick black tights and an old pair of Leggs Sheer Energy Pantyhose, especially perfect because they’re support hose, so they’re thicker and tighter – in fact, I think they’re from when I started running (which I feel the need to mention because I’m not a supp-hose type of gal).  Anyway…

You’ll want 2 pairs.  Take the hose/tights and cut the panty part off and the toes, so you’re left with 4 tubes.

These are it!  Depending on how tight they are and what area you need to support (I’m mostly hamming it up here, though I wanted the top of my calf, too), the toe end is usually smaller so if you want to favor the thigh, pull the toe end up first.  Also, put the looser tubes on first, which in my case are the black tights.  Lastly, ask your wife’s permission before you go cutting up her stuff.  Et voila!

Not the prettiest thing but dang if it doesn’t work well – I’m a sausage!  So there you go.  R-I-C-E.  Done.

The 14 went well, though the progression was peppered with that negative brain chatter I can’t seem to stop.  “I’m afraid I can’t” or “I should be doing this better” does not help me, yet it’s constantly there for anything more than easy or recovery pace.  So I beseech the Running Gods, “Please, please, let this cycle crack the plateau and give me back some confidence.  Just a little something – like one of those runs I used to have where you’re going so fast but it feels mysteriously easy, or you average a wickedly low heart rate or gee I could do 3 more of those…something.”  please?

Or another thing those ole Running Gods could do is get rid of my ankle annoyance, which disappeared while I was Ibuprofening my groin last week, but now that I’m au naturel, it’s back and ain’t going anywhere.  Which leads me to this weekend’s entertaining little DIY project…

Ice Packs!
OK, so yeah, a bag of frozen peas makes a usable icepack.  But my favorite ice pack ever was a slushy gel one – it molded perfectly to the body’s nooks and crannies and seemed colder than anything.  Alas, I left it with Nick when we split, so lately I’ve been making do with a half-empty bag of crappy tasting green beans.

I’ve been wanting a proper ice pack, though – something sturdier and “real”, so I was looking around the web on Saturday and not liking the price tags on the fancy ones, when I happened upon a recipe for making your very own slush ice pack!

The Recipe
3 parts water and 1 part rubbing alcohol.  That’s it!

Pour the mixture into a ziplock (with at least one other one around it for leak insurance) or better yet, and what I did, get one of those comic strip looking ice packs at the drugstore because they don’t leak or sweat like a Ziplock will.  Stick it in the freezer overnight and voila!

Here’s my funny rubber icepack and some extra I put in a ziplock.  It’s green because I got wintergreen rubbing alcohol.  And it’s huge because I tried someone’s recipe of 2:1 which resulted in a very liquidy mix so I had to add a ton more water.

The rubber thing was definitely a good purchase ($11, but you can get them for 1/2 that online), it’s super sturdy and retains the cold well. As for attaching these (or any other ice packy thing) to a body part, I use a velcro IT Band strap I bought last year during my IT Band drama.  It makes a good clincher, but you can use a scarf, too.

Little tip on the recipe: if you want it to be less slushy, increase the water ratio – for a softer pack, add more alcohol.  Also, it’s toxic, so don’t go serving it in a daiquiri glass by mistake.

I woke up on Saturday to a glistening white morning with a lot of wind.  The winds calmed down a bit by the time I got out, though a windchill of 11 with blowing snow required all my cold-weather accessories; glasses with the clear lenses snapped in, homemade neck gaiter from the leg of a pair of stretch pants, 2 pairs of socks and my headband with a billed hat instead of the knit hat so the snow wouldn’t pelt my face too badly.  Clothes-wise, I wore my UA mock, a shortsleeve over that and my Asics storm jacket with thick tights below.  Fabu.

The parks commission is the greatest, they had already plowed the path, so I was running on mostly packed snow.  I had intended to go 5 or 6 but it was so astoundingly beautiful and I figured Sunday would be a real mess, that I extended the run to 12 miles to get the weekend’s LR out of the way.  It stayed lovely until the last 1/2 mile when the winds got nasty, so I was happy to get home when I did.

Today, as expected, was a total mess of ice and snow.  The mile getting to the park required tip-toeing, jumping and sliding.  Once there though, it was even better than yesterday, they plowed it so well I was running directly on the asphalt.  I just went 6, finishing off a second week of 53 miles, all easy.

Meanwhile, my car is behind a 5′ wall of snow thanks to the plows.  I attempted to clear some off, but lacking a shovel, I used my plastic kitchen trash can which was working pretty well, but then some funny old guy who was shoveling halfway down the block came over laughing saying, “I’ve been shoveling snow since 1958 and have never seen anyone use a bucket.  Here, use my shovel for awhile.”  Honestly, the trash can worked better than the shovel, but it was so sweet of him, I used it for about 20 minutes.  Then I got tired and bored and said screw it.

So I hope the snow magically disappears in the next couple days because I have a job on Wednesday that I have to drive to, but with the forecast remaining cold, I think I’ll be out there with my trash can on Tuesday, only then it’ll be iced.  Fun.

Speaking of jobs, I just found an odd one online that I did for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.  I’m the brown dog. Then, at the end, if you click the link for the Gallery, there are links on the left under Galleries and Activities that say “Watch a story” – I’m in those, too (though they’ve switched our voices to opposite dogs, lol).  ‘Twas an odd character piece, but a nice change from the usual dry stuff I do.

In other work news, I just completed my first week of the aforementioned Financial Marathon cycle and LOVED it!  My usual method of working is 12-14 hour days until a project is finished, then I take way too much time off to regroup.  No more, now I’m steady as she goes. Parceling my time out in smaller increments is a lot more appealing  and will ultimately be way more sustainable.  I did 31 hours of hard-core work, plus more that I’m not counting because it’s research and reading and I find that to be purely fun.

And my boss (who is at this moment stunningly beautiful in her uniform of PJs, robe and fuzzy booties) is turning out to be a real gem.  She’s already mulling over bonuses of a high-quality graphics monitor and an iPhone but hasn’t decided yet how to implement it.  Maybe for a string of 40-hour weeks for the iPhone and if the June 30 goal comes in a month early, the monitor.

It’s all hugely fun, but also a major life change that couldn’t have come at a better time.  Running consumed me this past year and while it was meaningful and so rewarding, there’s been a serious lack of balance.  Now that I’m headed toward some non-running goals, I can see how much room I have to grow in other areas of my life.  Though it all goes back to running, because without its impact, I’d never dream of the plans I have now or know I could achieve them without question.

I could go on about the discoveries I’m making and my magic motivational notebook which is becoming a life force unto itself, but I’ll save it for another time…or not.  This is, after all, a running blog and motivational stuff might be a yawn to most of you out there.  If you feel one way or the other, let me know in a comment, I’m happy to oblige either way.

Have a happy Monday, kids.