Long run, no fun

Late post today and I'm pretty exhausted from this past week so I'll try to keep it short. It's weird. I can never and will never get enough of running. I love the training, the tense muscles, the soreness, the early mornings, the sound of my breathing, the gear, the fuel...all of it. And today's run was probably my favorite run to look forward to all week: the long run. My long runs are considerably shorter than when I was in full training-mode for the Tesla ultramarathon, but nevertheless the two hours I put in today still count for me. But something was different about today and I am still trying to wrap my ahead around it.

I was looking forward to the long run all day. It was raining when I woke up for school, but there was a three hour period from 3-6pm that was apparently going to be cloudy skies, but no rain. Great! The universe is helping me out here (although I certainly would have run the long run anyway!). So I arrive at my apartment after school and am trying to figure out what gear to throw on. It was about 56 degrees at the time which is and felt amazing but I knew the sun would be dropping while I was out there. So my questions: Gloves or no gloves? Headband or no headband? Just long sleeve or add the running vest? This kind of back and forth could have gone on for another twenty minutes if Val wasn't there to give me the straight answers. Gloves? "Nooo." Headband? "I really don't think you need it." Okay, well if no headband and no gloves then the running vest is a done deal.

So out the door I went with her biking by my side for the first half mile as she was heading to the Barnes and Noble on campus to get some studying done. An hour and a half later and I was struggling. "This never happens," I found myself thinking. I thought my 8-8:10 minute pace was a perfect speed, but my knee started bothering me and I was being challenged mentally by something I can't explain. At the 1 hour 45 minute mark I was about .4 miles from the apartment and I was considering stopping and walking it back. Fortunately this isn't the first time I wanted to stop a run short, but I decided to slow it down instead and stick it out for another 15 minutes.**

When Val got back from the Barnes and Noble to drop off her bag before we head out to our dinner date (veggie rolls with brown rice at a local sushi place we love), she asked me how my run was and I found it quite difficult to say the usual, "It was good!" It sure as heck was Not good! But that's what I love about this running thing. The relationship I have with running is not much different than any other relationship. We have our good days, our great days, and, like today, our not-so-good days. But if we only had great days, if all of my runs were these amazing, time-shattering runs and workouts, then how would I be able to grow as a runner? It is the difficult days, the struggles, that keep my mind open and challenge me to think about what went wrong or how to improve myself. Should I have eaten better the past couple days or week? Did I get enough sleep this past week? <-- This is why I think I started bonking with about 25-30 minutes left to go. In other words, lack of adequate sleep this week, I think, led to my body to want to throw in the proverbial towel after 90 minutes.

So I completed the two hours, went out for dinner to get veggie rolls and salad appetizers with Val, and then went out to dinner...again. Those veggie rolls just weren't doing it for me. I was craving heavier carbs and there was nothing I could do about it! So I busted out the iPhone, dialed the pizza place around the corner from our apartment and yep...ordered a vegan cheese pizza for pickup before we even paid the bill at our first dinner. What can I say...we may be vegan and we may love exercising and health, but we sure do love our food! Let's just call that proper fueling for tomorrow's 90 minute run with Val.

Speaking of tomorrow, Val and I (maybe just "I" if Val stays up all night studying for an exam) are volunteering at a YMCA 5k in the morning. I've never volunteered at a race before and I've been wanting to for a little while now. I'm so excited to see what this experience has to offer and what I can learn from being on the other side of the water/sign-in table or wherever else they station me! I'll be sure to post about it tomorrow night so check back in the late evening!

**It is usually not a bad thing to stop a run short especially if you are physically drained or are returning from an injury or something of the like. I pushed myself because I knew my struggle was mainly a mental struggle. My knee wasn't it's best today, but that wasn't what made me want to stop running with 15 minutes left. Always look at the positives of a run, not just the negatives. It's important to learn from the negatives, like I will hopefully do, but finishing an hour and 45 minutes would not have been anything I should have been bummed about....Same goes for any time you may struggle during a run or any other kind of exercise you may take part in.

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Pre-run fuel: Honey Stinger's Strawberry Waffle (160 calories)
During-run fuel: energy gel
Post-run recovery: veggie rolls w/ brown rice, avocado and tofu salad, 1/2 of a small vegan cheese pizza pie, two small, gluten-free gingerbread cookies, banana and peanut butter. No judging!

Catching up

Happy Thursday everybody! I've been pretty bust the past couple of days,but I seriously missed this! I was getting observed by my supervisor today at the middle school so I've been trying to perfect the lesson that I was to be teaching. Time well spent, I'd say...She loved it!

In the meantime, the same race organizers from the Tesla Hertz Ultramarathon that took place back in October announced that registration for their Fat Ass was officially open; I guess that Facebook "I'll be there" wasn't enough for them! For those of you who don't know, a "fat ass" running event means that there are "no fees, no awards, no aids, no wimps." In other words, running the event is free and the event is entirely self-supported which means no water or aid/snack stations.

This particular run is called the Happily Running Fat Ass and will be run on the same 10 mile loop as Tesla..I think. Needless to say, I registered on Monday for this January 11th event and am planning to run the full 50 miles (runners can run however many miles they want). I honestly can't express how excited I am for winter break right now and not only because of the, well, break part. For anybody interested in a freezing cold, early morning, but otherwise life-memorable experience, I encourage you to check out their Facebook page by clicking on the link below. As for my training, I will be including as much of it as I can in my posts until the race including my fuel intake for those curious what a vegan diet looks like during 50-60+ mile weeks.                    
                                          https://www.facebook.com/events/554429074626206/

I haven't been able to share any of the news articles I've been reading these past couple of days so I'll take the rest of this post to share some of them with you! 

If you suffer from the pleasure of coffee-drinking like I do, you might want to consider this article: http://www.runnersworld.com/nutrition-for-runners/why-you-might-want-to-avoid-afternoon-coffee

 

Of course I suggest this article as I'm drinking my PM cup of coffee!

If you are worried about childhood obesity, children's health, encouraging our youth to exercise, then please please please check this article out: http://www.runnersworld.com/health/kids-aerobic-fitness-said-to-decline-dramatically

And lastly, if you're interested in how to please a vegan this Thanksgiving or to share in the beauty of a cruelty-free Thanksgiving feast, then check out this article: http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2013/11/20/vegan-holiday-recipes/

Until next time everyone!!!

Happy Monday!

Woke up this morning to an alarm that I wished hadn't gone off; this is rare for me. Typically, if I set my alarm for something like 4AM, then I'm up at 4AM. Fortunately that was not the time I needed to be up for school and I was allowed another 2 hours of sleep, but still, 6AM was too early for this morning. My body was and still is tired from a 17 mile run Saturday (the longest run since the 50 mile ultra I ran back in October) and a 7 mile fartlek run the next morning. So those were my runs this weekend, and in between I celebrated my dad's 50th birthday with the family at home. Little did I know I'd be heading to bed at 1AM (this has rarely happened in the past two years) after having some great late-night conversations with Val and my aunt and uncle who came up from Virginia. 

Anyway, I'm venting now about lack of sleep, but what about those people who just ran the Philly Marathon and Half-Marathon yesterday morning?? I have to say that I really wished I was in Philly for the marathon yesterday. It's 19th annual marathon last November was my first and only marathon event and it truly does have a special place in my heart. Were it not for student teaching (Read: a tight budget), I would have registered and ran these beautiful 26.2 miles on a gorgeous Fall morning, but...the universe had other intentions. Instead it wanted me to enjoy a nice run around my hometown with Val. Too bad it didn't want her to enjoy it, too, as she gave in to my nagging and joined me for 7 miles despite her congestion and overall sick-feeling (sorry, Val!). But really. To all you runners who completed the Philadelphia Marathon or the Bucks County Marathon (or ventured out of the area for another marathon), be it your first marathon or your 20th...congratulations on an amazing accomplishment. If you've been contemplating running a marathon and are or keep putting it off, don't worry! It'll happen when it is supposed to happen. It took about a year for the thought of running 26.2 miles to evolve into an act. The training can be intimidating and it is truly an astounding commitment that requires loads of time and energy. So yes, it can be daunting, but trust me when I say that it is absolutely, unquestionably worth every drop of sweat and every hour of sleep you give up! 

For those of you like me who like reading about running news, check this Runner's World article out! While you may not exactly follow suit, maybe it will inspire you to consider registering for that marathon or 5k, 10k, or half marathon you've been eyeing!

http://www.runnersworld.com/elite-runners/two-marathons-in-a-day-including-a-win

And for a quick read about additional benefits to eating a plant-based, vegan diet, click here:

http://vegnews.com/articles/page.do?pageId=6329&catId=8

Stafko...I can't get over it!

For those of you who haven't read the provocative Wall Street Journal op-ed, "Okay, you're a runner. Get over it" by Chad Stafko, please do so. When you read it, or if you have already, you may wonder why in the world I, a self-identified runner and lover of the sport and lifestyle, would recommend you do such a thing. It's simple: Stafko's op-ed made me even more proud to be a part of the ever-inclusive running community.

Stafko talks about bumper stickers and 5k t-shirts and how they are all apart of the selfie, social-media age. It was pretty clear to me that Stafko is or was a frustrated man when he wrote this opinion, so it's hard to take seriously, but it sure did get my anxiety levels up!

Here's an excerpt I'd like to share:

Many of my friends who regularly run have done so for years, decades before there was a thing called social media to put humanity's self-absorption in overdrive. These folks also tend to be infatuated with fitness anyway. If they're not out on the streets showing the sedentary world how it's done, they're at the gym or in a spinning class.

But what about the others? You can spot them, wandering through the mall or killing time at Starbucks, proudly wearing their "[Fill in the blank] 5K Run" T-shirts. They're getting what they want, without losing a drop of sweat.

So Mr. Stafko, does this mean that all older runners are legitimate runners, safe from your literary judgement, but all younger runners, because they were born after, let's say, 1980 they're phonies who just crave attention? What kind of message does this send to the youth in this nation who suffer from obesity? Is posting a picture or writing a story of a huge weight-loss success a negative, self-promoting act if it inspires even 1 other person to make their lives better by living a more healthy lifestyle?

What made me proud to be a part of the running community were the responses to Stafko's op-ed. Like I said, if you haven't read his piece, do so. Then, feel free to read these responses or Google them yourself. My favorite title retort: "Okay you're a runner hatah. get over it." Check them out!

http://runningblog.dallasnews.com/2013/11/writing-a-bad-story-about-marathons-is-like-a-bad-selfie-you-just-did-it-to-make-yourself-feel-warm-and-fuzzy.html/

http://danerunsalot.blogspot.com/2013/11/my-response-to-chad-stofkos-article_13.html

http://www.badassfitness.com/2013/11/dear-chad-stafko-ok-youre-a-runner-hatah-get-over-it/

http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?board=1&thread=5485798&id=5485822

http://www.iamrunningthis.com/dear-chad-stafko-ok-were-happy-to-be-runners-get-over-it/

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Today's run: Rest day!!! Rest days are crucial for runners though not all runners take them. That's fine. What's important is to listen to your body and if you need a rest day, but don't want to avoid all exercise then hit up the gym or do some exercises in the house--as long as you don't run, it can be considered a rest day. I don't like rest days a whole lot unless I really need them, but my legs were feeling a bit weakened from yesterday's long run in the 35 degree evening (probably from the cold asphalt/concrete).

Just a feel-good day

I'm going to try to keep tonight's post short and, well...pretty darn sweet. Another cold day here in New Brunswick, NJ but that wasn't going to keep my spirits down. I had an amazing second day of student teaching at the middle school and am pretty confident that I want to start out teaching at the middle school level. Now, I know it's only been two days, but I have truly had such positive experiences with the students and my cooperating teacher these past two days.

So on top of some meeting three periods worth of new students today (approx. 70 students), my cooperating told me, during a conversation we were having, that he would see if there is or will be a job opening to help coach the track team at the high school where he coaches football. I'm pretty sure he could see my ear-to-ear smile I was holding in, but thankfully he didn't comment! Hopefully that plan and my plan to substitute teach in New Brunswick work out.

After school I went for a 90 minute run in place of an 8 mile workout I was going to do. Somehow I thought a 90 minute slow run would be better than an 8 mile workout...I couldn't be more wrong. Because it was so cold and I ran in shorts (don't worry; I was appropriately covered up everywhere else), I ended up running a quicker pace, but that wasn't enough to keep my legs warm. I'm pretty sure they were numb when I got back to my apartment. I'm also pretty sure that the temperature dropped about 10 degrees on my way back (out-and-back run) when the sun dipped behind the buildings. Guess I learned a few things from this run so it wasn't all that bad.

I'm pretty tired at this point in the evening, but I would like to share with you what Val and I stopped to do on our way back to the apartment. After dinner we went out to get some coffee and some kind of vegan snack--cookies were on our mind--and on our drive we looked for a certain homeless man that frequents a convenience store area asking for change. A few days ago we both saw him and bought him a few food items from that convenience store, but this time he wasn't to be found. On our way back from the George St. Co-Op where we decided to go, we saw Billy, the homeless man, and I quickly swerved into the alley-way parking lot next to the convenience store. We re-introduced ourselves as he only remembered our faces and we asked him if he'd like something hot to drink and some food. "I'd love some coffee if you could," he told us. Well Val wouldn't have it that way. After asking where we can get coffee for him, she asked him if he'd like to come with us. So the three of us went for his coffee at a small food place that served every kind of food Val and I would not normally be buying for somebody (e.g. burgers, chicken sandwiches, gyros, etc.). I wasn't about to go into a fast-food place and not offer him some food so he was quite happy to be getting a beef gyro for the night (sorry, cow--I mean this). Although it goes against our philosophy of food, I didn't know how long it'd be since this man had a hot meal and I wasn't about to narrow his options down to french fries and onion rings.

Billy was so appreciative of the generosity we displayed, but I think we should be looking at this in another way. Instead of "generosity" I hope you see this as "humanity". It's easy to say, "No, sorry" to a homeless person asking you for change and the guilt may only last a few seconds, maybe a minute at most before our minds move on to the task at hand. But I can promise you that if you changed that answer to, "Sure, here you go," or offered him/her some food instead, then instead of guilt will be a feeling that is difficult to name, but wonderful to experience. And the good thing about it is that unlike guilt, it won't go away; this feeling will stay with you and you'll want to do it again. We can all make this world a much better place if we just started saying "Okay" or "Yes" to those in need. Our time is cherished, but so should be all the people with whom we share this world.
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Today's run: 90 minute run, 11.5 miles

Pre-run fuel: a Honey Stinger Honey Waffle (I know. I know. Honey. Val and I have slowly been weening ourselves off of it, but for now it is still in our diet)

Post-run recovery: Val made hot soup again for dinner and boy did I need it after the run!

Weather Channel?? Just check Facebook!

I did it! I made it through my first day at the middle school. I observed an 8th grade teacher there last semester for 4 or 5 days and it was not nearly enough. Despite what many elementary educators and even colleagues have to say, I really like the middle school aged kids. As long as you can understand and accept that the infamous attitudes are only their means of testing you and the rules of school that confine them, then you can overcome that and help them reach their potential. Especially in the urban districts, the three grades of middle school are crucial for the community's youth and can dictate whether or not they will succeed in high school or even enter the high school. I'm so happy to have the next six weeks to not only learn from these students and my cooperating teacher, but also to do what I can to help these students realize that "their best" is not even 50% of what they're capable of achieving...and that goes for pretty much everybody.

When I woke up this morning I had no idea I would feel like I do now. I tried thinking about how many students I'd be meeting today and how I'd introduce myself, but I wasn't about to pretend like I didn't notice the flurries being blown this way and that by the icy winds. I didn't even have to turn on a weather channel or check my phone for the weather. I'm pretty sure Facebook proved today that it could instill some job insecurity in TV weather reporters! Anyway, even if I had the blinds closed I'd still be able to feel what was going on outside as inside the apartment was around 50 degrees. Val and I caved two days ago and turned on our heat however it actually hasn't turned on. Thanks to a text from the former tenant, we are both now aware that our heating system isn't exactly...efficient. Thanks for the heads up Noah! Oh well. There are plenty of worse things than inefficient heating and our situation only means we get to cozy up next to each other and start making hot cocoa earlier than we would have otherwise!

Winter may have beaten Napoleon, but it sure as heck won't stop me! Oh. Not a fair comparison? You mean...it's not even winter yet?? Crap. Well what I'm trying to say is that I still got my run in: a quick out-and-back 5 miler towards Highland Park right outside of New Brunswick. I embedded a 200 meter, pretty elevated hill into the run that I sprinted up and jogged back down three times to tire out my legs a bit so my last two miles would need a bit of pushing to complete. Yes, it was/is cold, but if you can dress appropriately you really do kind of run out of excuses--pun intended.

So I'll leave you tonight with that bit of advice. Many people want to start exercising and the cold shouldn't stop them. If you are one of these people and don't have access to a gym where you can exercise, then all you have left is the great outdoors. Dress warm! A good pair of gloves and a headband are must-haves for me. My most recent purchase, though, that has become a life-saver so far has been some running base-layer tights that I just bought about a week ago. Under Armour? Erhh. Nike? Try again! How about a brand called Layer 8 that Marshall's carries. What I've seen cost upwards of $50 only cost me $12. See yourself running out of excuses the more I continue? I sure hope so.

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Today's run: 5 miles with hills

Pre-run fuel: Truthfully, a tiny Halloween package of three rainbow mini-Twizzlers that one of my former 1st grade students gave me when I went to drop off my good-bye goodie bags I promised them. Hey...vegans can have a sweet tooth too, right?

Post-run recovery snack: Small handful of raisins and pumpkin seeds

Dinner: Finally finished Val's soup; mostly beans were all that was left. Also, green beans, cauliflower w/ hummus, and quinoa mixed with split peas with a bit of pasta sauce for some added flavor.

V02? Sure! Why not?

I would like to begin this post by saying, "Thank you," to our veterans for their service and putting their lives on the line to protect this country and its people. 

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Today is my last day of "break" and tomorrow I will be heading over to the middle school where I will be teaching 7th grade social studies. It is truly amazing how at ease I feel after just a short five day reprieve from teaching. Now, don't get me wrong. I love teaching and I loved being with my first graders each and every day. I'm grateful not for being away from them, but for the time I have had to do things for me such as going home to see my family, catching up on some TV episodes, and most importantly, getting to run in the morning again.

During my time on a NJ track team a year and a half back, I was known for getting my runs in before anybody else even thought about brushing their teeth. An alarm set for 6:15 means I can enjoy as peaceful a run as I can get in a city such as New Brunswick. I get to lace up my running shoes, strap on my watch, and head out the door without having to worry about stopping at lights or running on the sidewalk. I can't wait for the day I'll be heading out on the trails instead of the roads...One day, Will. One day. 

But on my last day of break I decided to sleep in and by "sleep in" I mean I had my alarm set for 7:30. So of course at 7:15 my body said, "Enough sleep already!" My plan for that morning was to run a few wake-up miles and then run a 40 minute tempo run before lunch. Val had other plans for me. 

Val was awake before me and came into the bedroom to say, "Good morning," and proceeded to ask me if I wanted to go to her lab for a VO2 Max testing. To clarify, Val works as a research assistant in an exercise psychophysiology lab and I have been trying to get a VO2 Max test done ever since I knew I was allowed. I told her that I'd be there at 9am and finally followed through with it. Procrastination won many battles throughout the past couple months, but it finally lost the war! 

For those of you who don't know what a VO2 Max is, allow me to borrow (okay, steal!) an explanation from an About.com article on the subject:

VO2 max refers to the maximum amount of oxygen that an individual can utilize during intense or maximal exercise. It is measured as "milliliters of oxygen used in one minute per kilogram of body weight." 

Any athlete whose performance is immediately contingent on their oxygen intake/utilization would greatly benefit from knowing such information. As an aspiring endurance runner, I plan to use the numbers from my results to help enhance my training and further progress my knowledge of and performance in this amazing sport. 

Anyway, I told Val I would be there at 9 and of course I don't leave the apartment until about 8:52. I had three options to get to the lab: bike, run, or bus. I didn't want to go back up the stairs and lug my bike back down the stairs so that option was quickly ruled out. I also didn't want to affect my testing results by running there and having an increased heart rate before I even began the test. I compromised. I would run to the first Rutgers bus stop along the way and then take that bus to the campus I needed to be on. One problem: the bus wasn't there when I was arriving and I was feeling too good to wait around. Next bus stop; same thing. There would be two more stops I could catch a bus at or else risk some skewed VO2 Max results. As I am arriving at the third stop, a bus catches up and stops just ahead. Perfect! New problem: it was a packed bus with nobody exiting and a lot of people boarding. My solution: keep running. There was one stop left and I had to make it count. See, I forgot about the hill I would have to run to get to the campus where Val's lab was and walking the hill was not an option given how late I was already. Fortunately, I caught the ever-elusive bus at the final stop before the hill and several people exited and only one person boarded: me. Whew! Figured I'd let the length of this paragraph reflect my little journey. But to think...the fun was just getting started!

I finally arrived at Val's lab and after some introductions and filling out a health history form, I was ready to get started. Val fitted me with all the necessary equipment and told me to hop up on the treadmill. If you've ever experienced a VO2 Max test, then you'll understand how uncomfortable my mouth was feeling. Running and breathing efficiently is a technique in itself, but this test raises that bar to a whole new level. Don't quite understand? 

 How about now?

The treadmill part is continuous running, but consists of several stages with each stage increasing in intensity. By stage 9 my legs were searing and I felt like they could anchor a ship or at least a speedboat. I gave Val a "10 seconds left" signal and pushed through those final seconds so hard that the feeling I felt when the treadmill slowed down and declined in elevation could only be matched by someone handing me a winning jackpot ticket for no reason at all.

I am very happy with my results, but I know they only mean that I need to start running by heart rate as often as I can until I am able to gauge my body's levels on my own. This VO2 Max test is a door to a level of running--there are many-- that is unknown to me and I'm grateful for the opportunity to continue my learning about this sport. 

Here I am on the lab's treadmill. Wish I knew how warm it was going to be so I could have brought shorts to run in!

To see Ultramarathon runner Dean Karnazes participate in a VO2 Max test, click on this link and fast forward the clip to the 07:15 minute mark. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZiC4fK3jFY