Recovery Meal Du Jour

(Picture courtesy of Runner's World)

I think I'm finally starting to get my training/life balance under control! Well...it also helps that the big race is a little over a month away and I'm behind in my mileage. In any case, I'm considerably proud of myself, because I managed to get in a long run on Sunday and still show up at SF Pride for a few hours. Not only that, but I didn't succumb to any kind of alcohol all weekend even in the midst of the bacchanlian festivites. Huzzah! High-fives all around.

Now, usually after a long run I aim for a heartier dinner to repair my muscles and get my energy back. And I must say that my post-run meal isn't always the healthiest option, considering I've scarfed burgers, steaks, or a full on Filipino dinner (possibly the greasiest assortment of delectable dishes ever) depending on how far I ran. But, since I'm in crunch time right now I really can't afford any slip-ups, even for nutrition. With that in mind, I started scouring the internet for a healthy recipe that will do the job.

Lo and behold, Runner's World once again came through with some majorly good advice. In fact, the meal is even tailored for my exact training needs. Gotta love these guys. Anyways, I'd like to share this meal: Cinnamon Chicken (Koto Kapama), with people on cyberspace who may not lurk on Runner's World like I do. (Click on the link above for the recipe) I can't say that I followed the recipe perfectly, but I never do. I ended up using chicken breast in lieu of a whole chicken, but that's because my girlfriend prefers white meat and it also has less calories. In any case, it was still lip smackin' good! Beat that KFC! Try it out folks and let me know what you think.

P.S. I just found out that this recipe is originally from Iron Chef Cat Cora, who provided it to Runner's World. Chef Cora is also an athlete. No wonder why I like this dish so much, I'm also a Food Network lurker.

Are they crazy???

(Picture courtesy of Wikipedia Article)

This morning I was browsing through the SF Gate website, as is my morning ritual, when a climbing picture caught my eye. Here is the posted article:

Speed climbers to try for a record in Yosemite

Apparently, this enormous granite edifice in Yosemite Park, El Capitan, is a mecca of sorts for the climbing community. The first team that climbed it did it in 47 days. And somehow, this generation of climbers has been able to whittle that time down to just under 5 hours. Does anybody else find it odd that the more we evolve away from being monkeys, the more we want to go back to being like them? Go figure.

P.S. I joke about these climbers doing these crazy stunts, yet I'm sure Raquel and her best friend probably are planning to do it, or already have and I just don't know about it. And if they ARE doing it in the future, you bet I'll be that nail-biting, terrified girlfriend watching from the bottom of the rock.

I hate diets

When I initially decided to become a marathon runner 2 years ago, my reasons were three-fold: 1. Pick up a daily athletic hobby that would help me focus, 2. Prove to myself that I could accomplish this seemingly insurmountable feat that a lot of my friends had already done, and 3. Finally drop the baby weight I'd been carrying all my life and show the new "me" at the wedding of my dear friends, Mayumi and Dave. Now if I wanted to actually achieve these goals, I couldn't just run until I dropped. I can run all I want, but if I eat pizza, beer, and ice cream at the end of the day, I won't really get the right results. Since, dropping the right kind of weight (fat), comes from both exercise and eating right, I had to go on a diet. And as Hamlet so aptly put it, "Ay, there's the rub".

Frankly, the word "diet" usually invokes a grimace on my face and an inward cringe from my gut. I'm sure the reaction harbors from my teen days when I was the "fat kid", and my mother put me on countless diets which hadn't produced any results. This time had to be different. If I wanted to show the new "me" at May's wedding, there had to be a new "me" to show.

I decided to make the committment to change myself, and become what I wanted to be: a runner. This meant I wasn't just going to go on a diet; I had to undergo a "lifestyle change", as Mayumi liked to call it. From then on I ate like a runner, trained as a runner, and slept like a runner, because I had made the choice to take myself seriously as a runner. With this sort of life change there's no such thing as half-assing it and half achieving your goals, at least not to me. So did it work? I'm happy to say that, Yes, boys and girls, it worked.

So how does a runner eat? Well, I try to follow a few rules that I've picked up from forums and magazines like Runner's World.

1. Know how many calories it takes to sustain the weight you are at: (your current weight in lbs. * 13) = total calories per day.

2. I don't count calories, but I need to know the general amount of calories each food is. Thus, websites like Calorie King are my friend.

3. If I'm trying to lose weight, then I create a slight deficit in my daily caloric intake. More or less, I like to target approximately 1500 calories per day as my intake.

4. Distribute your meals throughout the day, so you aren't hungry. In other words, 6 small meals a day. FYI, an apple and a small lowfat yogurt is a meal to me.

5. As a runner, I need to be properly fueled. In general, it's recommended to use the 50-25-25 rule. 50% of your calories should be carbohydrates, 25% protein, and 25% fats. Keep in mind, these are just guidelines. Vegetables and fruits are high in carbs, so you can get it from there. And when I say fat, I mean good fats such as nuts and peanut butter. I'm not talking about a tub of Ben and Jerry's, people..

6. Know when to eat what. If I'm doing a strength training workout, eat protein before it. If I'm doing a long run, be sure to have some carbs (an apple or something) an hour before and a bit afterwards for recovery.

7. Drink a LOT of water. Refer to my Water Post for more details.

Now, I would add in the extra rules I gave myself before Mayumi's wedding: only one glass of alcohol, 2 or 3 times a week; no processed sugar; and no beer, but I've actually dropped those rules. That stuff contributed more to weight loss, aka: a DIET, than it does to eating like a runner. And believe me, my friends whom I often dine with thank me for coming to my senses about that.

Mapping Tip

Today's training tip comes to you courtesy of my good friend, Sidewalk Monkey. The other day she reminded me about this useful tool on the internet that I've been using, but haven't gotten around to blogging about it. Thanks Sidewalk Monkey!

So I don't know about you folks, but I do get bored with overuse of the same running routes. My remedy has been to find another route using this: MapMyRun. Don't let the boring scenery, excessive bikers, or car exhaust discourage you from running outside. I've found that the key to keeping me interested is changing it up. There are bunch of neat little features that this website has. For instance, you can map out your new run anywhere in the world, and it will provide you distance markers, landmarks, and the elevation of your spiffy new run. And if you're too lazy to do play with that feature, you can always fall back on the pre-drawn routes that other people have provided for your area. It's the perfect tool when you're trying to get in your runs while you're traveling, plus it helps you to explore that unfamiliar area. Be safe out there people and know where you're going before you go.

P.S. I've also become quite attached to MapMyRide, which is the biking equivalent page to MapMyRun. It's infinitely useful for a novice biker, like myself, who likes to avoid high traffic streets.

Romance and Hardship

Following up on yesterday's post about survival and hiking, here is another article that I found this morning on the same subject matter: First really big date ends happily for missing Shasta hikers. Well, it is hiking season so I'm not that surprised to see a lot articles about missing hikers in the paper. I'm just happy to see that most of them are ending with actually finding those people. The twist to this morning's article is as it's title suggests; a possible romance in the making. As corny as it sounds, I do believe that a stronger bond in a couple can be created through strife. Albeit, this particular brand of strife probably wasn't a good choice for a first date.

Can you imagine the terror these two must have felt when they realized they might not make it off the mountain alive? On top of that, it sounds like they had to rely on each other's survival instincts to find their way out. I don't know about you people, but I wouldn't even trust my first date to order my dinner let alone guide me down a mountain safely, unless my date were Jeff Corwin. Luckily, it looks like this couple has known each other for a while so at least they had some common ground to work with.

Naturally, the story had me thinking about what would happen if Raquel and I were put in the same situation. In terms of athleticism and survival techniques in the wild, I believe that my girlfriend's abilities far surpass my own. But in a potentially dangerous situation, I like to think that I'm the one that keeps a cool head under pressure. So with that balance, I think we'd make a pretty good survival team. Maybe we should try out to be the next couple on The Amazing Race! Although, something tells me that if I pose this question to her, she'll suggest that we watch the Amazing Race on the couch with a pint of cookies and cream ice cream. Party pooper.

A Note on Survival

So after my recent death-defying camping adventure two weeks ago, this article on SF Gate: Sports bra saves US hiker in German Alps , instantly caught my eye this morning. Essentially, it tells the story of an injured hiker who tied her sports bra to a cable going down the mountain, which caught the attention of a lumberjack that came to her rescue. Personally, I thought her idea was genius! What red-blooded, rugged, outdoorsy man (or woman) who works in the wild, wouldn't come rescue a potentially topless damsel in distress? It's sort of like that assault tip. If you're getting assaulted, it's better to yell "FIRE!" than "HELP!" because more people will come out to look.

Anyway, this US hiker got me thinking about surviving in the wild. She's a marathon runner and had been stranded for a week. Apparently, the most important thing that contributed to her survival was the fact that she is in such good shape. On the other hand, I think it was the combination of her fitness and quick thinking that got her out of danger. It makes me ponder whether or not, I'd be as resourceful as her to survive. Sure, I've been training a bunch, but does that really put me above the "able to survive in the wild" threshold? Am I smart enough to find my way back to civilization? I'm casting this question out to the Internet. What do you guys think? Also, feel free to share your thoughts on if you think you'd survive and how.

P.S. If I were to send something down on the cable line, I would've sent an actual message with GPS coordinates (but that's just me). Noted, I probably wouldn't have pen or paper, but I would have tree bark to pound out tapa with and probably some sort of charcoal-ish rock.

Water, Water Everywhere...

Oh Internet, you're so lucky...it's free training tip from SurfRunner day! I've picked up a lot of important training tips over the last 2 years. But, I think that if I had only one to share to the general masses, it'd be about hydration. We've all heard the mantra of "8 glasses of water a day" to stay healthy. I even recall hearing the phrase "Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!", during my choir days to ensure that our instruments were always up to par. Well when it comes to marathon training, that idea is no less important. Although, it has one variance: quantity.

Gone are the days where I take little gulps of water to just quench my thirst. We're talking about drinking enough water to replace most of the fluids lost during my workouts and to improve performance.* Now, how do I get that much water into my body? With the help of my trusty 32 oz. Nalgene Bottle (it's actually a pretty purple one)! It's like an American Express card, I don't leave home without it.

Now, at first I was skeptical about water affecting my running performance. But, after a bit of experimentation, I'm a true believer. I can run farther, faster, and my joints hurt less when I've been properly hydrated.** Not only that, but I just feel healthier when I drink a lot of water and carry around the Nalgene. It's almost a constant reminder to myself that I'm going to run later that day, so I better be adequately fueled.

And for those who are more curious about scientific fact than my testimonial, I've collected a bunch of health benefits from here:

1. It helps to clear the toxins from your body.
2. It maintains the Ph balance in your body; preventing disease.
3. It lubricates your joints and organs (oh..no wonder why I'm less sore).
4. It helps to regulate body temperature.
5. It maintains muscle tone.
6. It improves your skin and eye health.
7. It promotes weight loss.

Moral of the story: don't snub Mother Nature's drink. And that's my ode to water. I'd like to give a review of the different types of sports drinks out there, but I actually haven't tried any. However, if you want me to give a review of mixed drinks and other yummy alcoholic beverages, I'm your girl!

*Note: This only works for short runs under 30 minutes. Any more than that, and you should probably use other drinks to replace the electrolytes and energy that you lose.

**Note: It also helps to have eaten enough that day.

A Kick in the Pants

Alright, it's one thing when I stare at a bar graph representing how far behind I am on my running goal, but it's something completely different when my cartoon mini-me starts mocking me. I actually don't know how to replicate the action I just saw her do, so I'm just going to have to describe it to you good people.

Imagine my mini-me standing there, playing with a toy ping-pong paddle (ball attached to it's surface with an elastic string), and saying "It's been 10 days since our last run. This ball is getting more exercise than I am." Thanks Mini-me. That was a very swift kick in my pants, but for your information I haven't exactly been playing couch potato. I've been off communing with nature and conquering mountains. But, I appreciate the not so gentle reminder to get back on the running schedule.

Sometimes, I just hate technology...

Hau'oli la Hanau e Raquel!

And while I'm in the mood of giving shout-outs, here's another one to my girlfriend.

Happy Birthday Raquel!

I promise that we won't have to eat training food tonight. I'll make Grilled Pork Tenderloin with Spicy Chile-Coconut Tomato Salad, and Chocolate Lava Cakes for dessert. If I'm going to cheat on my training, I might as well go all the way for you.

History in the Making

Today's post has nothing to do with training, well..not directly. I'm just feeling really blessed and privileged to be living in this time and place. At 5:01 pm yesterday, the very first official gay wedding ceremony began at San Francisco City Hall. Here's the full coverage: Same-Sex Marriage at SF Gate. Check it out people, it's history in the making.

I just wanted to give a big shout out to those couples who tied the knot yesterday as well as the ones who are intending to wed soon. Congratulations!! It's been a really long road, and I know that they all must have toiled through decades of struggle. But in the end, it sounds like they never lost sight of what was important: each other. I wish them all the best.

So how is this tying back to training? Well, after reading a lot of their stories I can't help but think about when my turn might come around. And if it does, I can't tell you how hard the training schedule would be for that event. Preparing for a marathon is one thing, but preparing for a wedding dress and pictures that my mom will be showing everyone is an entirely different ballgame. By the time the wedding rolls around, I should be fit enough to run the Ironman!

Note: I was just kidding. All I'd really want out of a wedding was for my friends and family to have fun and get drunk. ;)

My Little Adventure

Alright folks, I admit that I've been ridiculously lazy with keeping up my blog as well as updating my runs. But, that doesn't mean that I haven't been keeping up with the training. This past weekend happened to be Raquel's birthday weekend. So, being the adventurous girlfriend that I am, I planned a surprise camping/climbing trip in the wilderness with her friends. Now when most people think of camping they think of campfires, smores, and beer. I'm not going to say we didn't have that, but we didn't exactly sit there and sing Kumbaya the whole weekend. This is Raquel and me we're talking about. It's not an outdoor trip unless it involves some element of danger and a degree of physical torture.

Thanks to the ingenuity of Picasa, I've included the pictures from our trip. It chronicles all of the ridiculous physical achievements from the weekend, which include: a 3 hour roundtrip hike up and down the mountain with backpacks in tow, and a 5-pitch climb up the mountain with 5 people. For those who are unfamiliar with climbing, a multi-pitch climb means that once you complete a climb, you don't rapel back down. Instead, you climb to another spot after the end of your first climb. In this case, we'd have to repeat this process 5 times, and each "rest stop" between climbs turned out to be a piece of rock to hang from in the middle of the air (not a ledge).

Now contrary to what my activities indicate, I do not have a deathwish. In fact, this past weekend made me more aware of my fragile mortality and how precious it is. But, I am going to say that I'm darn proud of where my physical fitness level is now. It may have not been the best performance, but at least I made it out of there alive AND I completed every physical test. That being said though, perhaps the next vacation should basically involve the couch, the tv, and some fruity alcoholic beverages.

Mini Me

Sometimes you just gotta love the little add-ons that Nike+ has. There's a new feature on the website which allows you to create a mini likeness of yourself that reflects how you are doing with your goals and how you did on your last run. For instance, if you've been lagging on your runs, your mini-me will seem a bit lethargic and sad. If you've been doing great, he/she will be jumping all over the place and doing fun stuff. I've created a quick link to it on the right, so you guys will always be able to see it. Unfortunately, it won't paste nicely into blogger yet, but I'm sure they'll add that feature soon. For now, here's the link to my mini-me:

Mini-Me

p.s. For those of you who know me, let me know if you think it's a fair comparison to my own likeness.

Refreshed

Whoo!! I ought to listen to my body more often. It's like a naggy girlfriend. It knows what it wants, and it wanted it last week. Well, when I finally granted it the 2 day rest that I promised it last monday, it granted me a better run than I've had in weeks. I have to admit that sometimes your body really does know best. And this is just another lesson learned for me. I really need to figure out where that exhaustion line is, so that I can learn the balance between overtraining to exhaustion and pushing myself in a good way.

Honestly, I was a bit apprehensive when I started yesterday's run. After my string of bad runs and not being able to shake the stress-related problems from my head, I thought I had perhaps dropped behind a couple of months. But, I forgot about the fundamental benefit of running. After a 5 minute jog to warm up, everything started to melt away and I began to refocus. And even if my temporary problems were still plaguing my thoughts, I used it to feed energy to my next set of sprints. Emotionally driven runs are just as good as focused runs. Yes, you haven't necessarily solved any of your problems at the end of it, but at least you feel more centered.

I'm also happy to say that even though it wasn't an especially long run, I still had enough energy to have done 2 more miles at the end of it. That's a sure fire sign that my batteries have been recharged and I'll be doing harder runs in a couple of days again. So Naggy GF body, you win this time. But soon enough it will be my turn to win an argument, because you can't always be right.

These "slippahs" were made for walking..

I know that on Monday I prescribed myself a 2 day break from running, but sometimes I don't like to listen to myself. I ended up running during my "break", and finally rested for the last two days. So as much as I'd like to report about a fantastic post-recovery run right now, that will have to wait until tomorrow. Instead, today's entry will be about relaxing in my slippers.

For me, after a long run there is nothing better than slipping off the shoes, soaking your feet in hot water, and taking a short walk in slippers ("flip-flops" for the mainlanders) to stretch out my cramped muscles. So imagine my shock when I read this article this morning:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/06/05/summer-flip-flops-may-lead-to-foot-pain/?em&ex=1212897600&en=d87164748fc2d7c4&ei=5087%0A

Essentially, the article tells you that wearing slippers are bad for you and will lead to lower back and hip problems. Now, I've been finding this hard to believe because slippers are the footwear of choice for the entire population of Hawaii . If this were true, everyone would be hobbling around. And while I do agree that a majority of our elderly popluation does indeed hobble, I doubt it's cause is any more from footwear than from old age.

Having said that, I'm not about to say that slippers are innocent from engendering any foot related afflictions. My particular brand of injury is rough feet. Now, most Hawaii people tend to think that having this gives you "street cred", because you can walk all over the island barefoot without getting hurt. So, I've never had a problem with it. But, apparently girlfriends don't find this very attractive. Who would've known?? Luckily, this is nothing a nice long barefoot walk through the sand and surf can't fix.

In any case, whether it be in slippers, barefoot, or clogs, I can't stress relaxing your feet during training enough. As hard as I push myself, an injury from over-use will put all that training to waste if I can't run the race. Perhaps there will even come a day when I get some muscly guys to carry me around in a divan chair between workouts. Then again...maybe not, I'd rather they run my errands and do my taxes than carry me around.

Slump

Yes Internet, I'm in a running slump. I can see my running goal graph getting worse every day and the guilt is piling on worse than a Jewish and a Chinese mother combined. But, you know what? Sometimes I need to take a break. I meagerly tried a measly two-miler yesterday and it was pathetic. So for the time being, I'm going to listen to my body. The deadline for this mini-break will be this Wednesday. And hopefully by then, I'll be refreshed and ready to put in a quality run. We'll see if my theory proves to be correct.