Running again at last

Posted on April 7, 2007 by threlkeld

My foot got better earlier in the week, and I’ve done a bunch of good runs:

  • Tuesday 4/3: 7 miles easy
  • Wednesday 4/4: 5 miles easy
  • Thursday 4/5: Easy doubles — 3.3 in the AM, 5 in the PM
  • Friday 4/6: 7 miles not so easy

I admit, I ran a bit hard yesterday. I just felt really, really good. So I ran a 9:04 pace for 7 miles, which for me is a fast run (that’s just a few seconds slower than my marathon pace last month).

Thursday was my birthday, which meant a big martini. And, unfortunately, a mild hangover on Friday morning. I’ve been drinking a lot less since being on a diet, and haven’t had a martini in months. Between the abstention and being lighter, the martini hit me like a ton of bricks, I guess. I’m going to stay away from vodka for awhile.

Yes, I ran with a hangover. Maybe it’s just me, but a good, hard run is just the thing to rid myself of a hangover.

I got lots of phone calls, cards, and even some flowers and books. Plus a cake with a little runner girl on top and ice cream. Excellent birthday overall.

One more day of birthday abandon…then the cake and wine will be gone and it’s back to the Ghandi diet.

I went ahead and ordered an exercise bike off of Amazon, a Schwinn 112. It’s on a UPS truck, even as we speak, speeding its way to Yonkers from Sparks, Nevada. That should help get rid of the cake effects. Review to come.

The freelance work continues to escalate, which basically means I’m working every day. When it rains, it pours. It’s tempting to turn down work, but I can’t bring myself to. It’s just too nice getting those checks! Jonathan just picked up a fairly significant project too. If freelancers are, as someone once told me, the “leading economic indicators” of the overall health of the business economy, then things must be picking up.

So there will be lots more long hours in front my computer this weekend and next…and next. But I am looking forward to getting out of town for two days at the end of the month for the PA race. Even if it’s just two hours away, it will be a nice change of scenery.

I’ve been running MP3-less this week, although I did listen to one podcast on Thursday morning. The latest Phedippidations had an interesting episode this past week: a profile of Joan Benoit. It was very well done. I enjoy the “legend profile” editions, and this was the inaugural “women’s legends” edition. As the kids say, “Check it out.”

Filed under: drinking, eating, everyday life | 6 Comments »

Expanding my eating horizons

Posted on March 31, 2007 by threlkeld

I’m a morning person, which is why I got up bright and early on a Saturday to tackle the freelance work that looms: an outline for a brochure on retirement income options. But I’m sitting here staring at a jumble of source material and my eyes and brain are swimming. So I’ll “warm up” with a blog post. It’s not procrastination. Just, um, oiling the gears.

We’ve been on a diet for the past six or so weeks that has us eating frequent meals, in small portion sizes, of nutrient-dense foods. It’s worked too — I’ve lost about 12 pounds. I’ve got 12 more to go. Halfway home! Of course, since next weekend is my birthday, there will be a slight pause in progress. But at least we’re making a smaller cake and using the “reduced fat” recipe (applesauce substituted for oil).

The diet is heavy on whole grains and legumes. For the first week, we ate brown rice and black beans, seemingly every 20 minutes. I got very sick of brown rice and black beans. So, I’ve branched out and have discovered the following interesting grains and beans:

  • Spelt
  • Steel cut oats
  • Lentils
  • White beans
  • Soy beans
  • Barley
  • Quinoa

You can make some good meals by mixing and matching these ingredients. I’ll post some recipes that I’ve found later on, but here’s a really good quinoa recipe Jonathan found on Cool Running.

I’m also going to sing the praises of Trader Joe’s. They sell, among other things, spelt (which I’d never heard of) in a nice little box with some things thrown in to make it interesting. And most of what they sell in the grains dept. comes with a recipe or two already. Plus they’ve got some great whole grain muffins that weigh about five pounds apiece and fill you up for hours.

I could go on, but I won’t — but check out Trader Joe’s Fan’s blog for more of the madness.

Filed under: eating, resources | Leave a comment »

Road Tested: Clif Shot Bloks

Posted on September 18, 2006 by threlkeld


Sunday was my last long run before the Westchester Half Marathon in early October. In my last race, I carried a few Starburst Chews for sustenance and, quite honestly, they made me feel ill. So I’ve sworn off grocery store candy for running sustenance.

For some reason, I can’t stomach the idea of eating GU (or any of the products like it), and the availability of Gatorade at water tables is unreliable. So, I picked up a few packs of Clif Shot Bloks last week to try those out. On Sunday I tried the Orange flavor (with caffeine).

While I wouldn’t call them tasty, they are not offensive. And, unlike gummy bears, they’re easy to chew. Plus they don’t stick to your teeth like Starburst Chews do. A package contains two servings (100 cals each). They are quite large (about .75 inch square), and the package is hard to open. I ended up hiding the pack with my water and sticking 2 or 3 in my key pocket, then “refilling” when I finished a loop. If you don’t have ample pockets, you’d probably need some sort of fuel belt to carry enough for a longer event.

So, what’s the verdict? Well, I ate one about every 15 or so minutes once I hit the 1:30 mark. I do think they helped. I tend to feel very drained around mile 12 of a run. I started taking the Bloks around mile 9 and didn’t feel as bad when I hit 12 miles and felt quite refreshed at the end of the run (16 miles). Maybe it’s the placebo effect, but I’ll probably carry these for the half.

Filed under: eating, training | Leave a comment »

15 miles in a cool room

Posted on June 18, 2006 by threlkeld

Today was my long run day. It’s been about a week and a half since my last long run, and that one was a wonderful 14 miler in the pouring rain (which gave me a chance to road test some waterproof gear I’ve purchased recently; with the exception of my feet — unclad in waterproof apparel — I stayed dry!).

I got up this morning to discover that at 7:30AM it was already 76 degrees outside, plus there is a Crappy Air Alert going on. I believe the forecasted high for today is 92 degrees, with a UV index of 9 out of 10. Blech. (Many thanks to Joe Garland for his information about the trail runs and Thursday evening 5Ks…I may check those out yet. But for days like today, the treadmill is a lifesaver for those of us who wilt in the heat.)

So 8:00-10:40AM this morning found me chugging along on the treadmill in our tiny air conditioned third bedroom. It’s funny: When you start a 3-ish hour run you wonder how you’ll put up with the tedium. But I had an MP3 player loaded up with podcasts, and the Japan-Croatia World Cup match at 9:00 (too bad it was such a boring game), and the time passed quickly.

Snacks consumed during the run included an orange juice/water/salt mixture (I fill a 20 oz bottle halfway with o.j., top it up with water and add a quarter teaspoon of salt — very refreshing); a Trader Joe’s Sweet, Savory and Tart Trail Mix bar; and a ton of water.

I made this one a progression run, since I want to try to get into the habit of running negative splits for my races. I started out slow (at a 63% heart rate) for the first 5 miles, faster (68%) for the next 5, faster yet (75%) for the next four, and finishing off at a speedy pace (80-82%) for the last mile. That last mile…

…wait…wait…

GOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!!!!

South Korea just scored against France to tie!

Sorry.

Ahem.

Where was I?

Oh, yes.

…that last mile flies by when you’re running faster (and know that you’re almost done). Top it off with a luxurious lukewarm bubble bath, followed by a delicious glycogen-load burrito, and that’s a darn nice way to start off your Sunday. Especally if you plan to spend the rest of the day lying on the couch watching a bunch of men with thunder thighs kick a ball around.

Filed under: eating, training | 3 Comments »

Recipe: Glycogen-loaded burritos

Posted on May 31, 2006 by threlkeld

“Carbo loading” is a term familiar to anyone with a glancing interest in or knowledge of running. Eating carbohydrates helps stock your muscles with lots of glycogen, the chemical that keeps them humming over the course of an endurance event, whether it be a long race or a long run.

Here’s one of my favorite carbo-loading recipes, Chicken and Goat Cheese Burritos. I originally found this on Three Fat Chicks. There are lots of other good recipes there. But I’ve since modified it a bit to bring down the sodium, make it spicier (I like really hot food!), and add more carbs:

Chicken Goat Cheese Burritos
Serves: 4

recipe ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 Tbsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/4 cup tomato sauce
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
8 whole wheat tortillas
1 can (15 oz.) black beans, rinsed thoroughly and drained
1/2 cup (3 oz.) soft fresh goat cheese, broken into small chunks
1.5 cups cooked brown rice

recipe directions
Cut chicken into 1/2- by 3-inch strips. Seal tortillas in foil and warm in a 350* oven until hot, about 10 minutes. (Alternatively, heat them in the microwave for a few seconds just before serving) Meanwhile, place beans, tomato sauce, vinegar and spices into a 1-quart pan and cook covered over medium-high heat until bubbling, about 5 minutes. If too dry, add a little water or chicken stock. Bean mixture should be moist, but not soupy. Spray a pan with PAM and heat it over medium-high heat. Cook chicken, stirring until meat is no longer pink in center, about 6 minutes. Lay tortillas flat. Toward 1 edge, fill each with 1/4 of the chicken, beans (including most of liquid), rice and cheese. Fold over sides and roll up tightly to enclose.

Tip: These burritos travel very well. Just freeze them, then put them in a cooler with ice for the trip. Since I was nervous about eating strange food, I ate them the night before my half marathon in April (I got a room with a fridge and a microwave), and I was well-fueled for the race the next morning.

Caveat: If you’re not used to eating beans, you should experiment with eating these during a time when you don’t have a critical event coming up. If you have trouble with beans, there are two things you can do to remedy the problem. The first is to eat beans more often. Your body may get used to them and be able to process them better if you eat them regularly. If you’re not a big bean fan, you can always try Beano, which contains the enzyme that your body needs to digest beans without discomfort.

Filed under: eating | Leave a comment »

Walk like an Egyptian? No, eat like a Kenyan.

Posted on May 29, 2006 by threlkeld

To make running less grueling, eat more gruel. Or, at least, that’s the message in a study of Kenyan runners’ diets. Is this the nail in the coffin for low carbohydrate diets? No, just more fuel for the dietary flame wars on CoolRunning.com’s Carbo Canteen message board.

Full details and a delicious gruel recipe on Active.com.

Filed under: eating | Leave a comment »

« Previous Page