Of Geese and Rain

Well, friends, it's been a while since I've posted (yet again), so I'll focus on highlights again this time...

First, things have been going really well with the training runs! I've been running about a 12-minute mile pace, but last week I found my pace picking up.

My great accomplishment was my Sunday run (two Sundays ago) in the pouring rain at 40 degree temperatures--brrrr! That said, it was definitely my triumph thus far. Allow me to explain...

I decided for my first "official" 6-mile run to head back to Shelley Lake, a 2-mile loop around an (obviously) tiny lake in Raleigh. This was the site of my first real training run after I decided to train for a half-marathon, a 4-mile attempt with one of the women's running groups in Raleigh. That first attempt was dismal: I ended up walking at least half of it and felt like I was completely out of my league, and I even contemplated switching to training for a 10K instead of the half after it.

This time, a month or so later, I not only ran the full 6 miles (in the cold, pouring rain, I'll reiterate) but I managed to do it at an 11-minute mile pace. It was glorious. I was soaked to my undergarments and shivering with enormous goosebumps by the time I made it back to my car, but I felt amazing. What a triumph! (I may have lost a cell phone to the downpour, but I gained a huge chunk of confidence with this run.)

Two days later, I managed 4 miles (at 6am, thank you very much) at a 10-minute mile pace!! I know it's likely my race pace will be slower than that, but it's helping me look forward to running some shorter runs at faster paces after the big race. (At this point, my goal is to finish the half in May, then spend the summer working on 5K and 10K runs... and training for another half in the fall.)

I've started running without any music, which I think is helping my pace. I focus on keeping my breathing even and find it easier to get into a mental zone that way, whereas with music I try to run with the music's beat, which isn't always ideal. I enjoy the silence, too, and I'm finding it very therapeutic this way. I compose some great blogs while I'm running, if only I could record my thoughts and transcribe them after it would be perfect! During my Shelley Lake run, I amused myself with mental blogs about the geese that crowd one section of the path--I'm always a little nervous they'll go on the offensive ("Geese survival tip #1 for runners: run past them gingerly, and avoid flapping your arms about"). So, I'll keep my iPod with me for now as a safety blanket, but I think this is my new strategy.

And, a quick update on my trip to Florida. I didn't stick to my training schedule, but I did manage to squeak out two quick runs Thursday and Friday mornings--about 2-2.5 miles total. (Plus, I did some strength training on Friday, from which I'm still a little sore!) The first day was ROUGH, I think because of the humidity. The second day? Not so bad. I was just proud of myself for getting outof bed for 8am runs on my vacation. It was a good sign of future things to come for my lifestyle changes.

The bad news? I got three hours of sleep Saturday night (between nerves over the early a.m. flight and having to get up at 3am for the flight). As a result, I felt a little queasy and generally off on Sunday, so I didn't run then, and I took tonight (Monday) to finish settling back in and take care of paperwork. (The good news: I was only supposed to run a 5K on Sunday, so I didn't miss a long run.)

I'm a little nervous for my 4.5 mile run tomorrow morning, given the break I took, but I'm just going to go for it. If I walk for a minute or two, I walk. I just need to focus on building up to this weekend's long run: 7 miles!! (Which will officially be the longest distance I have ever run at once. Yay!)

Okay, time to sign off and get some sleep for my a.m. run! Keep active, y'all!

Runs, Lessons and Laughter

It’s been a while since I last blogged—life has been busy! There’s so much to write, but I’ll have to be selective about what goes here so this post isn’t ridiculously long.

Here are some highlights: I’ve managed to complete both of my long runs this weekend and last (5 miles). Actually, I figured out today that my route is closer to 6 miles.

Last week, I got a little lost and ended up wandering through a neighborhood of very, very fancy homes. This week, I reversed my route and was able to find the correct path. However, this path changed my route from more of an oval shape to a B shape. That’s right. “B.”

This makes me feel better about my pace, which is slow, but would be VERY slow if I was running 5 instead of 6 miles. And, while we’re on the topic of my route, can I just pose the question: How is it possible that one running route could have so many steep and low-grade hills when you run it both ways? Both times I’ve had moderate and prolonged moments of pure torture with these hills, and I’m learning that running one direction is not any easier than the other. Ah well. Better training for me, right?

Since my last posting, I’ve also realized that I can no longer run at the gym on the treadmill. Running on the treadmill has become torture. (Hm, second time I’ve used that word this posting.) Seriously, I hit about 1.5 or 2 miles on the treadmill and want to curl up in a ball and lay there, gasping for breath. Outside, it’s tough, but I can push through those moments to run 3.5 or 5 or 6 miles. Running outside, I even have moments of pure joy—my breath comes easily, my body feels strong but loose, and I feel like I would run forever if it always felt that good.

I realized last weekend after my first 5 mile run that I hadn’t run that distance since my last 10K: 2005 in Scotland, almost 4 years exactly. In fact, I really hadn’t run much more than 3 miles (if that) since then. Sure, I’d done interval training on the treadmill that brought me to 4 miles, but never a full, steady run. It was a great moment.

(Side note: DANG. The UNC/Duke game is on, and one our players just landed on another guy who was on the floor—came down right on his groin area with his foot. OUCH.)

Anyhow. Here a few things I’m learning:

• Strength training is key. Pushing up those hills is hard work that requires intensely engaging my legs and butt, and even just being able to run for more than 2 hours straight is going to require really strong legs and arms (strong arms will help propel me when I get tired).
• A good workout iPod mix is a blessing. I’ve been able to push through many a hill with the right song. Today, I finished my workout (uphill, of course) to Foo Fighters “Hero”—perfect.
• I need to purchase a fancy baseball hat that has ventilation and will wick the sweat away. Otherwise, my hat makes me feel like I’m going to overheat. And I like that the hat keeps away rain, sweat and sun. Speaking of which...
• Judging by the brown freckles that cropped up on my face during my run today (they didn’t look so hot for a while, but they seem to have tamed down a bit now), I need to invest in some really good sweat-proof sunscreen for my face. My daily SPF 15 lotion just won’t cut it.

And, to close, here are some things that, had you told me in December or early January, I would have outright laughed at you:

• I’d be training for a half-marathon.
• I’d be sticking to a half-marathon training program, making my schedule fit the program instead of making excuses for missing days. (Okay, well, except for the snow day. But I didn’t even open my front door that entire day to step outside. It was treacherous out there.)
• I’d be getting up at 5:15 in the morning to run before work.
• I’d wear spandex while I ran (knee-length “running tights”).
• I’d wear spandex while I ran in public, in broad daylight.

’Nuff said. I’ll post again soon!

A series of unfortunate gym events

Today’s training task: run 3.5 miles. With my weight training class tonight, I needed an early morning trip to the gym to accomplish this. Although I’d prefer to run outdoors at this point, with temperatures in the low 30s, running outdoors in the dark and cold was not ideal, so I was treadmill-bound. (In retrospect, this is misfortune #9.)

At 6:30, I prepared to climb onto the treadmill and geared up my Nike+ to track my workout with my iPod. Now, I had noticed when I walked into the gym that it was warmer than normal but didn’t think too much of it (misfortune #1). The treadmill I typically use has a built-in fan. I signed it out on the gym sign-up sheets and walked over to it, only to realize it had an “out of order” sign on it (misfortune #2).

Back to the drawing board. I found and signed out a functioning treadmill. On my iPod, I scrolled to the Nike+ menu and selected a workout based on distance—3.5 miles. Yet, for some reason, my Nike+ will only let me select 10K as a distance (misfortune #3). This means that it’s not really tracking the workouts I’m aiming to accomplish, and I will not finish that workout until much later in my training schedule.

I tried to start at a slightly brisker pace than normal thinking it would be a piece of cake after my big run on Sunday—a mere 5.4 instead of 5.2. It didn’t feel so hot. So, I managed for a mile to jog between 5.2 and 5.3 miles an hour. My legs felt like lead posts, I was mopping my brow every 30 seconds with the heat and humidity in the gym, my face felt on fire, my throat was painfully dry, and I started to feel queasy (misfortune #4). I managed a mile, then slowed to a walk to grab some water with the intent of resuming my run to make my 3.5 mile goal. After a minute of rest, I picked up the pace again to 5.3. After less than a minute, I felt seriously ill. I had to stop (misfortune #5).

Panting and feeling worse than I had after running four miles only two days earlier, I stumbled to an exercise bike (the cross trainers seemed a little too intense at that point) that would allow me sit back and just let my legs fly.

Finally, success. I managed to bike 7.5 miles in 20 minutes at a reasonable level of intensity. I stretched for a few minutes but realized that it was 7:30. For me to make it to work on time, I’d have to leave the gym by 7:40 to stop by my car in the parking deck, exchange bags, and walk to work. Ten minutes for the shower (which is a process in and of itself in a gym locker room), makeup, hair drying (with a dryer on the wall). I was going to be late (misfortune #6).

When I made my way to the showers, I had two options: a handicap-accessible stall with no shelving to put my things on and a hand-held instead of wall-mounted shower, or the open showers where anyone could walk in and see me in my birthday suit, as it were (misfortune #7). I went with my first option, which made for a less than satisfying shower, I’ll say. On top of that, the girl in the stall next to me kept hacking and gurgling and making unfortunate sickly cold/cough sounds. Great, like I need to get sick because some girl is hacking up her lungs in the shower next to mine? (misfortune #8).

I managed to throw my outfit and makeup together, and made it to work at 8:20 (not a huge deal, really, since I’ll stay later anyway with my weight class at 6 p.m.).

It was somewhat discouraging to realize that I could bike a half-marathon today if I had to. So why does running have to be so much harder? I’m hopeful that soon the weather will begin to cooperate a little more and allow me to run outdoors before 7 a.m. Another lesson I learned today? I really do need to get out of bed closer to 5 a.m. (versus 5:30 a.m.) to allow myself enough time to really drink some fluids and also get to the gym earlier so that I can build in more time for stretching and still make it to work on time.

And, hey. Tomorrow’s got to be better, right? (At least tomorrow I’m getting fitted for new running shoes, which will be exciting!)

To end on a positive note, I’ll share a quote (from a Starbucks cup, surprisingly) that I think really speaks to this whole half-marathon thing for me:

“The irony of commitment is that it’s deeply liberating—in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.”

– Anne Morriss, Starbuck’s customer

Down Goes the First Toe

I have a limited history of posting on this blog, and part of the reason for that is that I didn't really have a purpose when I created it. Now, I do. This past week, I decided to commit to running a half-marathon on May 2nd in NC. 11 weeks of training to jump from a 3-mile jog (paced about an 11- or 12-minute mile) to running 13.1 miles.

Why? Well, mostly gut. I saw a posting about the half-marathon and my gut kicked in to tell me it was time to go for it. I keep thinking I'll train to run 5K or 10K, but somehow with those smaller goals in mind, I can't do it. I think the half-marathon will be the perfect recipe to get me out and training. A bit drastic? Yes. Worth it? Heck yeah.

I don't have a great history of running: as a novice runner, I ran 10K races in March 2004 and 2005 (with minimal training for each--about three months both times), and any running I've done since then has been mostly sporadic. Most recently, since the fall, I've gotten into a jogging routine (about 2.75 mile route outside or whatever I can manage on the treadmill).

Today was my first "long" run, and the first time I've run outside since, oh, November. Maybe October. Each week, I'll jump up my mileage on the weekends. Today was four miles, and let me tell you, it was not easy. In fact, I had to walk a few times. I felt like my chest was going to burst, and my knees ached. I was a sweaty, gross, purple-faced mess by the time I finished, and I injured my toe for the first time. (I expect it will continue to happen: it is not unusual for me--I lost the same toenail several times in my 10K trainings... the same one that now hurts.) As I finished the four miles and met back up with the group I had started with, I heaved out a raspy "I think I should aim for a 10K first."

The good news? I have a running partner, my friend Kelly from graduate school. Upon my retraction of intent to run a half-marathon, Kelly exclaimed that I couldn't give up. She was right. As I drove home, a mess of internal temperatures (head steaming from the rain, legs aching from the cold, torso vacillating between overheating and freezing), I realized something: "Duh. It's not like this is going to be easy. You knew that going into it." Well, that and the fact that I've told about 20 people I'm close to that I'm running a half-marathon and posted about it on Facebook.

So I'm committed. Kelly and I went and bought some higher-tech running gear this afternoon, and I'll be back out there again Tuesday (tomorrow is my "stretch and strengthen" day on my training schedule).

Here, in my Natalies blog, I will chronicle my journey from 3-miles to 13.1 miles. I may not run the whole thing come May 2nd. It's not going to be pretty. But darnit, I'm in this thing now. No going back.

Time to Change

For most of us, January is a time to change our habits. I'm no exception. January instills a new sense of enthusiasm in me--I feel inspired, like I have a clean slate and a starting point to tweak my habits. First up for me: it's time to change time.

For years now, I've had a habit of keeping all of my clocks on different times--anywhere from 5 to 30 minutes fast--to keep me off balance and, supposedly, help me be on time. My only accurate time comes from my cell phone, which is how I make sure that I'm really on time/not too late.

My morning commute typically requires me to leave my house about 40 minutes early--so, if I'm out the door by 7:20, maybe 7:25, I can make it to work by 8am (factoring in the drive, parking, walking from the parking deck to work, etc.).

This morning, my alarms went off starting at about 6am (who knows what time that really means since I refuse to look at my cell phone that early)--my CD player in the bathroom played club-ish music to get me moving; my alarm clock in my bedroom screeched its typical buzz; and my cell phone's three alarms went off with my dance-inspiring ring.

Yet, after I snoozed and turned off all my alarms, when I finally jerked fully awake and looked at my cell phone, I realized it was 7:12. Let's do the math there--I had 8 to 13 minutes to go from pajamas, rumpled hair, smeared leftover makeup to work clothes, tidy hair and a fresh face of makeup. I managed to be here just 10 minutes late, but it helped me realize something.

I don't bother looking at my clocks, because I know they're not right. And that is just foolish. It's time for me to be on time. Accurate time. All clocks on the same time. My haphazard time-keeping system isn't working, and really--isn't having clocks that aren't accurate just some form of denial or delusion? No more. Tonight--the clocks change. I'll keep you posted on my success.

The second thing I'm changing will seem like any other New Year's resolution--to change my diet. But I'm not talking about going on a diet. I'm talking about completely rethinking my approach to food. A few years ago, I read a book called You Are What You Eat by Gillian McKeith. I remember loving it at the time, but somewhere along the way I lost track of the book.

A few weeks ago, I felt the urge to revisit McKeith's writings. Essentially, the book talks about what the title suggests--if you eat processed, fatty, sugary foods, you'll look and feel like it. If you eat natural, vibrant (think living food, like plants), wholesome foods, you'll look and feel like it.

I've been toying with just how much I want to subscribe to her plan. I mean, is it really realistic to swear off processed foods? But I had a revelation in the grocery store last night when I started reading nutritional labels to see how much sugar foods I commonly eat contain.

It was an eye-opener, let me tell you. A UNC nutritionist recommends limiting yourself to 40 grams of added sugar a day--a typical yogurt will have at least 20g of sugar--half the day's allowance! Sugar is everywhere in processed foods. And I'm kind of mad about it. No wonder the US has such a problem with obesity! Sugar is everywhere--everywhere!

So, with that in mind, I've committed to really trying to cut out most processed foods. A few things, I'll keep--like my light, multigrain English muffins (I've checked the nutritional values--they're okay). But otherwise, it's time to change.

What will this look like for me? Well, cutting out desserts; swapping salad dressings out and balsamic vinegar in; choosing brown rice over white rice; changing from instant, sugary oatmeal packets to rolled or steel-cut oats sweetened with pure maple syrup; avoiding white bread and pasta; adding grains like bulgur and quinoa to my diet.

I already dropped coffee and soda from my diet on Nov. 1 (green tea and white tea I will not lose--they have actual benefits), and I've greatly decreased my intake of cheese (an addiction, as you can see in my last blog posting!) and increased my intake of vegetables.

I know not everyone will understand or appreciate these changes, and I know it will be difficult when I go out for meals. That's why my goal is to make healthy decisions most the time--but keep a balance where it's not a big deal, or I don't feel guilty, if I have a cookie or white bread or a glass of wine.

And, I'm still trying to negotiate how far I'm going to take this. Will I buy a juicer? How many/what supplements/vitamins will I add to my diet? I won't decide that today, but today I have decided to be very conscious about what I'm eating and what that food will do for--or to--me.

Update as of 2/24/09: I've really been focusing on eating whole grains and lots of fruits and veggies (I've discovered kale and beets, yum!). I still eat sweets (more than I should), but I'm trying to be more selective and make better choices. I drink wine only when I'm out to dinner or having dinner at a friend's house, and I've cut waaaay back on cheese, a former staple of mine. I haven't started juicing just because it's so expensive to maintain, but hopefully someday I'll be able to.

The clock thing has helped--it does stress me out less to know what time it actually is, and I get up three days a week now by 5:30 a.m. to workout at the UNC gym before work. (Tuesday and Thursday nights I'm taking a weight training course through UNC, which I'm loving!)

A Big Block of Cheese

I have to credit my friend & co-worker Jeanine for honing in on my one-liners and urging me to blog about them. Good thing we had the Natalie conversation first, or this entire blog might have been called "a big block of cheese."

Allow me to explain: I'll start by saying that there are two TV shows that I truly love and make an effort to watch every week--The Office (that's what she said!), and The Biggest Loser. On last night's episode of TBL, Michelle (my favorite remaining contestant) said "Nothing tastes as good as thin feels."

As I shared this with Jeanine this morning, I said something to the effect of, "So I'll just have to tell myself that when I'm faced with..." (pause to imagine a tempting food) "...a big block of cheese."

For some women, it's cake or chocolate. Alas, for me it's cheese. What can I say? Two best foods in the world: bread and cheese. (Think about it--bagels and cream cheese, pizza, grilled cheese, cheese and crackers, cheese quesadillas, brie and baguette... uh-huh.)

At any rate, enough about cheese. I have to share with the world how happy (and completely sad) I am that my two favorite dogs at the SPCA, two American Staffordshire Terriers named Brutus and Buttercup (60 & 70 lbs, respectively, and 6 & 3 years old), were adopted last Friday!

Brutus and Buttercup were surrendered by their owners over the summer--probably sometime in July if I recall correctly. They quickly became favorites of mine and the bulk of the staff and volunteers at the SPCA. Although they looked quite intimidating (especially to someone like me, who grew up with miniature schnauzers), they were complete sweethearts. Brutus wanted nothing more than to cuddle and have his belly rubbed, and both were very affectionate. A number of times, I went into their room to visit them and sat on the floor, and both would curl up next to (or sometimes on) my legs. (My heart would melt.)

I am delighted that we were able to place them in a home together, but I did tear up when I saw their empty room on Saturday. Although I'd been fortunate enough to work with them the week before, I still felt like I hadn't had a chance to say a proper goodbye. If all goes well, though, I won't see them again because their new owners will love and adore them as much as I do! Okay, enough sappiness.

For a final note, I will leave you with an amazing quote from a NYT article. I will preface this by saying that, although I have my political leanings, I consider myself a very open-minded person who tries to focus on merit rather than political affiliation. In fact, I split my ticket pretty evenly this November. That said, the thought of Sarah Palin in any other office outside of Alaska frightens the dickens out of me. Here's why:

"Here’s Palin’s response, after Matt Lauer asked her when she knew the election was lost:

'I had great faith that, you know, perhaps when that voter entered that voting booth and closed that curtain that what would kick in for them was, perhaps, a bold step that would have to be taken in casting a vote for us, but having to put a lot of faith in that commitment we tried to articulate that we were the true change agent that would progress this nation.'

I have no idea what she said in that thicket of words."
-Timothy Egan, Guest Columnist http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/opinion/07egan.html?ref=opinion

Blog, The First

Welcome, friends and soon-to-be-friends!

...So. I grew up in the 1980s--the height of teased bangs, blue eyeshadow and intensely emotional and synthesized music. And along with the Sarahs and Kims, there were Natalies. I realized today, however, after talking to a friend and colleague (I won't go into the specifics of what prompted this discussion) that I don't know anyone named Natalie now. Natalie Wood (deceased). Natalie Portman (I will never meet her). And, um. That's it. So--I ask you--where have all the Natalies gone? Perhaps by the end of my blogging days, I will have that answer.

Okay. Now that that's out of the way, onto the blogging topic itself. Public speaking teaches us to never open with an apology or something that could undermine our credibility--"I'm not a great public speaker, but..." or "I'm not an expert on this topic, but..." Well, since this is blogging I think I can bend the rules a bit and openly admit that I'm not quite sure what I want this blog to be.

I have visions of chronicling my dating escapades (ahem, assuming I ever go on a date again... perhaps this blog should be called "Where have all the single, eligible, kind, career-oriented and family-oriented men who like women like me gone"). Or perhaps I could chronicle my perpetual attempts at self-improvement (go to the gym more, stay on top of paperwork, keep in better touch with friends), or I could talk about my favorite tv shows, music or movies. I could be the next Bridget Jones! Ha! Somehow I don't think the world needs another Bridget Jones (although I'd settle for a Mark Darcy).

Perhaps (more likely) I'll post regularly about my adventures volunteering at a local animal shelter, about good (and not so good) experiences I have about town in the Triangle area, and, well, whatever else comes my way.

And (just in case you were wondering): (a) yes I do enjoy using parentheticals, and (b) no, my name is not Natalie.