Natalia's Running Blog: trying to run and wanting to tri

Hello Chicago and Hello 2012!

2012-01-19T18:15:00.000-05:00

The last year has been quite crazy and hectic. Besides my surgeries which had me laid low (and failed), we also moved house twice in one year, which was equally difficult. Stuart was also headhunted for a new position in Chicago, and another in Pittsburgh. It was a a hard choice, but in the end we settled on Chicago.
I did very little running last year, as it was quite a difficult year, and I did not enjoy most of it. I think my surgeries left me feeling really bad and I was in a lot of pain. I was glad to see the back of 2011, especially since Stuart moved to Chicago in August and I was left in Boston. Reason being, I did not want to move without a job. Thankfully my company have allowed me to keep my job, and work from home.
Although we are still surrounded by boxes, it is nice to be living in a flat again. Ours overlooks Grant Park, and I have set up my office so that when I look out of the window, the above pic shows the view which greets my eyes.
After an 8 month lay off, I started running again - albeit very slowly. It is very convenient to have that park and Lake Shore Drive so nearby. After my first run outdoors on Monday, I thought I was going to collapse after 5 minutes, but I kept at it and managed half an hour. I ran for half an hour yesterday on the treadmill as it was quite icy outside and it was great to be able to go for half an hour - at a still very slow pace. I had another operation over Christmas, but luckily it did not leave me as drained as the first one did. I still have 2 more to come later this year, but I feel more enthusiastic about things than I did last year.
Well, tomorrow is a run day and I am planning on 45 minutes...baby steps, but I'll get there! Hope you are all well, and enjoying your running.

Glorious Autumn in Cambridge

2011-11-09T17:52:00.000-05:00

Well, I girded my loins and went out for a run at lunch time today. It was such a beautiful day, that it was easy. On my return I discovered that I had left shower stuff etc at home. I always carry a packet of Nathan Power Shower Wipes in my bag, in case I run out of time, but alas, that too was nowhere to be found. So what could I do except try and get rid of the sweat as best I could and then get dressed. Anyway, for the record, I had drenched myself in les Delices de Cartier this morning, and that will overpower any other smell - it's now a proven fact!
The run itself was short - just 30 minutes. I had also gone out for a run on Sunday past, and run 2.1 miles in 25 minutes, at a very, very leisurely pace. I think I might have covered the same distance today, as I also took a few walk breaks. Sunday's run was fine, just one short break at the turn around point - today was a bit harder. But I enjoyed it, and came back to the office feeling revitalized! I don't know if that is solely due to my little run, or the fact that I had some very good news from work. My company has agreed to let me transfer my position to Chicago and work from home. I will need to come down to Boston on occasion, but that will be decided upon later.
I am starting to feel excited about the move. Not only is Chicago a stunning city, but there are lots and lots of tall buildings to run up. I guess I am going to be doing a huge amount of stair climbing next year. I love it, and it gets me going like nothing else. It also brings out a really competitive streak in me, as I am always trying to improve my time. Running should be the same, but stairs somehow seem to have more 'bite' to them.....
I am slowly getting back to reading your blogs, and my how much has changed! But it will be fun to see what you have been up to during the summer.

What I did this summer......

2011-10-31T23:05:00.002-04:00

Well, one thing is for sure, I did no running. OK, so we had the usual spate of visitors, but I was too exhausted to enjoy them, because our big news is that we are moving - again. So summer was spent trying to decide whether to move to Pittsburgh or Chicago. I enjoyed visiting both, but in the end we plumped for.....yes, we are moving to the Windy City!
The idea of another move after not even 3 months of moving to this place, left me reeling. I did have a little bit of a burn out, so much so, that I did not even get to Italy this summer. Ahime' it was a sorry business, but there were so many logistics to sort out. Anyway, a very long story short, we managed to find a very nice 2-bedroom flat right in the city.

View of our building from the park.

View of Lake Michigan from our living room.

Early evening view.
I am slowly getting ready to move. Since we will be having space issues again, I am trying to get rid of stuff I have not used/worn in a long time. These items though are mostly books. Unfortunately almost all of them are non-fiction. I have decided to put all my anthropology books into storage, and just keep the art, science and exercise books out. Oh and I also bought a Kindle as I felt I was being smothered by books. No more buying of books, unless they are art or architectural books.

Next big ticket item of the summer was that I started going to church again - the Catholic Church. I was born a Catholic and became a very strong secularist this past 25 or so years...anyway, I won't bore you with the details, but here are some highlights from the summer.

The Feast of St Francis has the traditional blessing of the animals. Mine were blessed, and the Franciscan monks kindly gave them a certificate and a medal each.

I have rather been enjoying myself - especially when I finally found out that I actually do have a saint. When I was teaching at the University of Siena, my students always wished me for my saint's day, but this was before the days of the internet, and I could find no trace of my saint. My mum had always said that the priest refused to baptise me because "Natalia is not a saint's name". My mum held fast to her guns as she is a a Dostoevesky fan. Now, in high speed internet land, I finally found out who she is. And since tomorrow is All Saints Day, and it is traditional to celebrate all of them, but especially your patron saint, I intend having a very good day indeed!

St Natalia

Finally, we get to the topic in hand - running. I have missed it dreadfully. But I have just not had the time or will to run, especially as I have been busy running up and down to Chicago on job interviews! Still, our new flat is below a beautiful running path, which stretches northwards for more than 25 miles. There is a bike path too......Oh, and the Chicago Marathon runs past our building. My goal is to start running again at the start of December......the move should hopefully be done then. I feel like a complete novice - any advice fellow runners? I also feel I should do my usual World Run Day run which comes up quite soon. But what can I do after not running for more than 6 months now?

It's fun to stay at the...YMCA

2011-08-22T22:14:00.002-04:00

Well, I just wanted to use a snappy title - though it is true to some degree. I have joined the Y! I am finally starting to feel myself, though all my fitness is completely gone. I know when I need help, and this is that time. So our local Y had a special summer rate, and I joined. Thus far I have taken advantage of their free session with a trainer, and have signed up for a few sessions with him.

Taylor is very good. He listened to me and devised a circuit-type training incorporating the types of training done by football players. I told him that I wanted that kind of fitness, because that will get me to the starting point of where I want to be.

The first session was Thursday last. We went down to the stadium near the Y which has a football field as well as a track. He had me do lots of really interesting plyometric exercises (I knew some of them, and others I had just seen in pre-season football training on tv). Two days later I was really stiff.

The next session was this past Sunday, and boy was it tough. I was a bit tired as I had spent the day with my sister in law and her husband going around the shops (they are visiting from the UK). We started off with running 10 rounds of the bleachers. Yes, at 8am on a Sunday morning. And that was the warm up. I was drenched by the next exercise which were press ups, then sit ups, then bridges, planks, squats, running to the end zone and back, on and on it went.

By the time we were finished, I felt as though I had done something. But more than that, I am slowly starting to feel excited about this kind of training again. I think I was a bit off it, because maybe I had overdone it a bit in the past. Today I was actually looking at my old books and thinking about what I want to do tomorrow. This is a very good sign, and I am very pleased.

There is not much running going on, because I feel like I am in such bad shape. I can manage 3.1 miles, but they feel like 'poor' miles. So I am trying to get fitter, because I know I will have more stamina to run faster and hold better form.

My next session with Taylor is Thursday, so I have some homework before then. I was shocked at how poorly I did a squat thrust. I managed 5 before collapsing. I could do 3 sets of 10 before. This was never a favourite exercise, but I could get through it with relatively decent form. But if you want to see you non-fit you have become, try 5 of those. If you can do it, then you are a fit person indeed.

The horror story goes on. From being able to hold a plank for a minute, I can now only manage 10 seconds - let alone a lateral plank. When did that happen??! It is quite amazing and not in a good sense. How does one lose one's fitness so easily? Still, the advantage is that I can push myself because I know I have done these exercises before. And that is where Taylor is such a blessing: I need him to there counting, telling me what to do, because it would be so much harder to just do it all on my own. And how worthwhile. After just 2 sessions, I am feeling a lot better about myself, and since I am actually thinking about doing some "homework", I will take that as a sign that my motivation may be peeking on the horizon.

Well, baby steps, but at least I feel a lot more driven than I have been in a long time. MInd you, I even whipped up a Green Monster (spinach, banana, almond milk and flax or chia seeds). That can only be good, right? And it is fun to stay at the YMCA

Two months have passed.......

2011-07-10T10:44:00.000-04:00

.....since my last blog entry! So much has happened over these past two months, that I have not had a chance to even think about blogging. Needless to say with everything that has been going on, running has fallen to the bottom of the list. However, I finally feel a bit better and will try and go out for a short run tomorrow.

I went to South Africa for 2 weeks just after my last blog entry. I had a great time with my mum - shopping, going around and meeting up with my old friends. I spent most of the time with my mum, as 2 weeks are not very long and we only see each other once a year. I try and ring her at least twice a week, but it's not so easy as we are in different time zones, and when I get back from work, it is already near midnight in Cape Town. I will write another post on that visit, but this is just a quick update post. As soon as I got back to Boston, Stuart had to have a surgery. It was something that he had been putting off for a long time, but now he was at the limit and had to do it. A week later, I had my surgery. I too had been putting it off since forever, as the idea of power tools slicing through me did not sit well. I tried to control my anxiety level, but in the end my doctor prescribed me a course of valium pre-surgery. It was not a pleasant experience. It makes you feel dull and really out of it. It is like watching yourself in slow motion. I still have my stitches, and it is a bit of an odd feeling, but I am glad it's done. It will take another 3 months to know if it has been successful. Still, I am an optimist! Stuart's surgery went well so we are over the worse.

When I got back from South Africa, I did go for a few runs on the bike path, and also on my usual path up to the yacht club. It has suddenly become so hot in Boston, that it is impossible (at least for me) to run outside. I leave for work at 6:30am and am at my desk by 7am. Although I get home before five, it is still baking, and I have not quite worked out a schedule yet. However, I did join the Y! This was very exciting, as I would like to try and get back to exercising regularly (first goal), get my fitness level back to what it was 2 years ago (second goal), lose the 10 pounds I have put on (third goal), and run a fast Philadelphia half marathon in November (fourth goal). Perhaps the fifth goal should actually be the first - get back to eating decent meals. I suddenly became very tired of eating the same things, and then found I wanted to eat icecream and have liquids. Admittedly the icecream was suggested by the doctor as I could nto eat anything after the op. I have taken a bit of advantage and since I was already on a slippery slope, the rest of the slide was easy.

Anyway, as the Chinese say, a journey of a thousand miles starts with one step. That fist step will be taken tomorrow - when we get back from Pittsburgh.

Five and half miles - Done!

2011-05-15T20:54:00.001-04:00

This is the view that greeted me yesterday morning as we stepped out, and went off to do our errands. This is a stunning neighbourhood, and I can't wait to take some pics, but alas, that will have to wait until I get back from South Africa. Yes, now that we have finally moved, I will be off to see my mum.
It's just a quick visit, and there are no races on the calendar that I could see. Still I will try and fit in a few runs - it will be challenging, and although I have always failed in the past, who knows, I might get lucky......There is a lot to do in Cape Town. In between taking my mum around, seeing my friends, and having family friends drop by, it is really hard to just go off for an hour - but we shall see (at least I have my mum's elliptical machine and weights to be getting on with).
So quick update on the running front: I had a long run planned today. This morning was out of the question as there was so much to do at home. I finally got out of the door at 5:30pm. However, I was feeling highly motivated, even though I had some sharp stomach pains. My goal was to try and run at least 5 miles. Six would have been perfect. Since I have not had a long run (or even a short one, bar this week) for ages, I was looking forward to it. As it was quite late and rainy, I decided to keep to the loop I do regularly, and just increase the loops. There are 2 steep hills on the run up to the yacht club, and 2 on the way back. I did the loop 3 times for a total of 5.5 miles. At this point I was having some severe stomach pains, so I called it a day. The garmin informs me that my pace per mile is slower, but I feel that I am building a quality run that will pay dividends in the long run (so to speak).
Have a great week!

That's the way I like it.......

2011-05-10T20:54:00.000-04:00

Yes! that's the way aha aha I like it aha aha.......it's like KC said. I had a rave run today. Did a 2 mile warm up, then 6 hill sprints, and a mile and a half cool down run. This may not have been my fastest run, but the stars aligned and it was a good quality training session. Even though my legs felt like jelly after the sprints, as I started running again, they felt ok, and I felt fine. I also had 2 Tony Manero moments.
I love Saturday Night Fever. I have probably seen that movie 20 times in English, Italian (La Febbre del Sabato Sera) and French ( La Fievre du Samedi Soir). Indeed, I bought the record at Stigmate in Geneva.....they kept an eye out for it for a year, before they finally came across a copy.
Anyway the point is, I run through a neighbourhood that is full of Catholic churches. There are parents bringing their children to catechism and so on. So today, whilst doing the repeats, a very elderly man came out. He had a walking stick, and ambled to the house next door to his. As I passed, I greeted him, and he greeted back, commenting on the rain. It was then that I had a look at him. He was wearing a large gold crucifix around his neck, prominently displayed. His gestures and demeanour would make him a brilliant cameo in any movie. I almost expected to hear a voice say, "action".
The next Tony Manero moment came as I neared the Italian pizzeria. As I ran past some young girls, a car was pulling up. The window was down and the guy looking out, just looked so Italian. I know what I mean - it was not like being in Italy, but it did seem very Italo-American ala Tony. I will collect more data, and provide a better analysis, but this will have to do for now.
Well, tomorrow has a 4 mile run on the cards, and I am looking foward to it! Now I am off to do a little dance before bedtime.

New home, new drill!

2011-05-08T17:20:00.000-04:00

We have moved! Last Monday the movers came around, and packed up everything. Tuesday was the actual move. It was a bit stressful and emotional at the same time. This had been our first 'home' in the US, but we needed more space. A two-bedroomed flat with 4 bikes and 2 cats made for a very cramped space - even more so when we had friends staying. We dilly-dallied for a long time, then found ourselves left with 4 days to find something. Although we did not have a lot of choice, I am very happy with our new home in East Boston. It reminds me a bit of the East End in London, but has a lot more going on.
At the moment we are still surrounded by quite a few unpacked boxes, but about 75% of the unpacking has been done. We picked the Toffy and Mr Jones up today (as they have been in a hotel this past week), and they seem to be settling in.
On Wednesday, I decided to go out for a run, even though there was a lot to do in the house. I felt that it was important for my mental health. The great thing about our new area, are the hills. Properly steep hills! I am really going to make an effort and run outside. Mentally I feel in a much better place now that the move is done. I have gotten over my disappointment of not being able to go to South Africa for the Two Oceans half marathon, and the new move has totally changed my daily schedule.
This shake up is good for me, as I had gotten quite lazy and complacent over the past year with my health and fitness. I had a good run on Thursday, and then went to watch the Bruins win their third match against the Philadelphia Flyers. Another run on Friday, and finally a great run this morning. I am still trying to work out the running routes, as I would ideally like to include a few hills in a 'normal' run. I also found a really good hill for repeats, and there is a track not far away to do some track work. The set up is very similar to Cambridge - except here we have hills. There is no reason why I can't make a go of this. There is also a bike path nearby, so tomorrow might be a cross training day!

Meeting Christina

2011-04-28T23:08:00.000-04:00

I finally got to meet Christina when she came down to do the Boston marathon. The first time I heard her voice was when she called me on Friday morning whilst still in Arizona. Her soft lilting voice made me wonder if she was originally from Scotland or Ireland. We arranged to meet at 9am at the expo. Indeed, our first meeting was just as she describes on her blog!
When you have been in contact with someone for a while, you have a sense of how the person is. The reality though, can be a harsh and very different thing. Meeting Christina in real life was meeting exactly the person I had gotten to know through blogland - sparkly, effervescent and very cool. She is petite and very pretty. We connected immediately, and it was like meeting a good friend whom I had not seen in a while - it was like we were picking up where we had left off!

Christina picked up her race packet in a trice, then we went off to pick up mine for the 5K. Of course I had no idea where the postcard with my race number on it was. The BAA had sent it weeks ago, and I eventually found it under a pile of magazines when I was tidying up the other day. Still, those BAA people are terribly organized, and I had my race packet and t-shirt with no problem at all. The expo was very good, and I loved going around it, chatting with Christina. All too soon it was time to part ways, and Christina told me she would come to the race the next day.

Never did I dream she would actually get there for the start! It was an 8am start (which is considered very early here in MA), and since it was also quite chilly and rainy, I mucked around at home, thinking to get there in time and just start. When Christina rang to say she was looking for me, I felt terrible at not being there. This is the first time every that someone has actually come to see me. Yes, Stuart has accompanied me to races, but only because I didn't want to drive there myself, not necessarily "to watch you run slowly", as he puts it! I did not manage to see her prior to the race, but as I filed out of the tent, bagel and medal in hand, there she was. Even though I was sweaty and stinky, I gave her a hug and was very happy to see her.
I told Christina that I would be at Cleveland Circle (mile 22) on Monday morning. Stuart and I were down there amidst throngs of people waiting. However, I have never seen so many people running so fast altogether. It was very hard to read numbers, look at faces and keep an eye out for Christina. Sadly, we did not see her so that was a bit disappointing. But thank you BAA for this lovely pic.

Our last meeting was on Wednesday evening, when we went out for dinner. The weather was chilly and rainy all week (except Marathon Monday), and Wednesday was no exception. I met John, Christina's significant other, and Christina met Stuart. After the hellos, we went off to the restaurant immediately. What a delightful, relaxing evening. It was like being with old friends. I know it sounds a bit odd, considering that we had all just met, but that was exactly how it was. All too soon it was time to part, but it was merely an au revoir as I know we shall see each other again quite soon. What a great couple of days, and the best part? Meeting Christina of course!

Thank You, Merci, Grazie, Tak, Kiitos......

2011-04-24T21:00:00.000-04:00

This post is a long overdue "Thank You! I received some wonderful gifts recently and would like to say how thrilled I am! It is always very exciting to receive packages both in the post and face-to face.
The first thank you goes to Stefano aka Black Knight at Run with the Black Knight who sent me a lovely technical shirt and a memento of Venice. Both bring back very good memories: the shirt reminds me of the Golden League which takes place in Europe around this time. It has recently been replaced with the Diamond League. I know athletes in the Golden League used to run for bars of gold, can one assume that has been replaced with diamonds? Anyway, the shirt from Stefano commemorates the Golden Gala portion of the event on 28 May which takes place in Rome, featuring the likes of Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell. I will have fun wearing this shirt!

The Venetian mask brings back great memories, as Venice was one of the cities I loved visiting over and over again - either to see some exhibition at the Peggy Guggenheim museum or the Biennale. The only time I have not been there is for the carnival.....the chaos I can do without.

The first visit ever - in a vaporetto (water taxi) and having a coffee in Pzza S. Marco.
My next Thank You goes to Christina at Lazy Bones Running. I met the lovely Christina recently in Boston, when she came here to do a little race on Monday 18 April. That though, will have a separate post. Many thanks for the lovely gifts - I was really spoiled as she touched on my diva side, my running side and the part of me that loves to read. And all my treasures came in a very sassy bag that I am looking forward to using.

The photo does not do it justice, but that is a lovely silver and turquoise bracelet in the left hand corner which is sparkly and also very typical of that part of the US. When we went to the Southwest, I was hoping to find something like that, but was so overwhelmed by the choices, that I came away with nothing. This is perfect, as is the journal. Writing is not something that comes easily to me - now I have no excuses. I am going to give it a go!
My final Thank You goes to a young woman I met at the expo prior to the Boston marathon. I had just said goodbye to Christina, and went back in for a a final look around. Hey, this was a very good expo with lots to see! Anyway, I stopped off to have a chat with someone who was handing out the New England race calendar, and she was doing a promotion for the Tufts 10K which is run here on Columbus Day in October. This is not a holiday in MA, though I think it might be a state holiday. Anyway, I have never done this race as we don't get the day off, and they start at 11am - which means I would have to take a day off work to do it. I did say I would see how it went this year as I really liked their race slogan. "Start Strong, Finish Stronger". At that point she asked me if I would like a race shirt. I said yes please, and she gave me a lovely technical shirt with THE slogan.

A very nice and unexpected haul. Thank you guys, you were awesome and very kind!

Rave Run

2011-03-27T21:08:00.000-04:00

Things have been quite busy and I have not been doing much, but I finally reached a point where my body was crying out for a run. So I went for one last night, and a longer one this morning. Both were rave runs.
I love running on a Saturday night. When I was at uni, my college had a gym onsite. Saturday nights would find me in there at midnight, and that became a very nice habit. When we moved here, Stuart had a season ticket to our local football (or soccer) team, and would go and see them on Saturdays. That meant a good few hours in the gym. This was before I started watching telly and found alternatives on a Saturday night. So when I go for a run on a Saturday night, good memories come back, and last night was a gentle 3 mile run and I jumped rope for 10 minutes afterwards.
Today I went for a longer run of 5 miles - my usual loop around the Charles River. The sun was out, it was windy and the MIT yacht club was out too. Everyone was up and about and it was good running up towards the science museum. However, on the way back along the river, I found myself running into the full force of the wind. Yes, all of its 40mph speed. Since I had not been outside for a run in ages, I was dressed in gear that was far too Springy. By the time I got home, I was frozen and not even a hot shower warmed me up. It took a hot water bottle.
But the run itself was fabulous. I loved being outdoors again, seeing everyone and getting into the rhythmn again. Two runs in 2 days....hmmm maybe this will inspire me to do a few more this week. Actually I need to get some speedwork in as I am running the BAA 5K the day before the Boston marathon. This is a great race that sells out quickly and the course follows the last part of that of the marathon. Nice!

Ras na hEireann Race Report

2011-03-17T23:04:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday I took the red line to Davis Square in Somerville for the Ras na hEireann U. S. A. race. I did not do it last year (and did the An Ras Mor race which starts at the pub nearby and the course is down to Harvard Square and back). Although the An Ras Mor is a lovely race, it is also a "no frills" kind of race, and I was feeling in the mood for some bling. Hence the sign up for the Ras na hEireann race.
I was so busy at work that I forgot to pick up my race packet during the week. Typically I like to go to the pick up in Boylston Street, because then I can also go around the shops in the Prudential Centre. We ended up driving up to the Olde Magoun Saloon on Saturday afternoon for the pickup. Come Sunday, I started catching up on emails and before I knew it, it has 10:15am and the race start was at 11. I hadn't even had any breakfast! I rushed out the door, and ran all the way to the T. Of course I had to weave through all the runners from the An Ras Mor race who were racing back from Harvard Square. Anyway, pinned on my number at the station and finally got to the starting line with 10 minutes to spare.
There were 6000 runners. Somerville has narrow streets and it was already hectic when there were 3000 of us. I actually stood much nearer to the front than I usually do, because it is quite difficult to get past the walkers and other runners who do not start in their allocated time spots.
Notwithstanding all of this, the Ras na hEireann is a great race. It's funny, but when I run in Somerville, I always think about deep and important stuff! I think Somerville has some kind of cathartic effect on me. I could feel that I was keeping a 10 minute mile pace, and I thought that I might finish at 30 minutes. I have not done any work to hope for better. But these kinds of races are inspiring. The energy and joy that you feel emanating from the other runners stays with you long after, and creates a memory that you can reference when you are having issues running.
Mile one came up quickly, mile two seemed the longest, and mile three flew by. I felt the strongest in mile three, and even though I did not think to go under 30 minutes, I was running quite strongly - until we came to the bike path.
It had been raining and the sides of the path were either muddy or covered in water. This meant that you had to stick to the narrow bike path, and that was already so crowded that everyone had to slow down. We also had to stop and walk twice because the bike path was flooded in parts. The last minute and a half or so, everyone stopped dead, and had to walk towards the finish line! There were just so many people. Still, my result for the 5K was 32:02 and I was relatively satisfied. Of course one always hopes for a good time, but I have nothing to complain about, as I have not been running regularly. I picked up my medal, and took the T back home.
Sunday afternoon's treat was "For a few dollars more", having watched "For a fistful of dollars" last week, and next Sunday is "The good, the bad and the ugly". Now I have only seen these films in Italian, so it was quite good to experience them in original language. Mind you, "the good, the bad and the ugly" translates into "Il bello, il brutto e il cattivo". This I think is a very good idea, as Il bello is more fitting to the young Clint than "the good one"....

Managing Change - Take 2

2011-03-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

I know it's been a while since I posted anything, but things have been quite hectic at work, and I have been facing a new set of challenges related to change. In buddhism they say that life will keep presenting you with the same challenges until you change that aspect of your karma. Well, all I can say is, given how terrible I am at handling change, and what a pig's ear I made of it last year, now I am facing round 2 of this.
I changed roles at work and am extremely happy in my new position. It is truly my dream job, as it allows me to combine my strengths, and poses a suitable intellectual challenge to make me jump out of bed every morning and thank the universe for finally having the job that makes me want to run to work. So that is one change that I am really pleased to finally leave the wilderness for.
The next set of changes has brought with it insomnia. I can't sleep at night and am now an exhausted zombie. We are moving house - or at least we are moving from our flat to a town house. This is more stressful than you can imagine, since there are all kinds of implications for both here and Switzerland. Anyway, after weeks of trying to sort with all this, I finally feel that this is the start of something .....good.
So, as you may remember, when all this change happens, I usually stop running, revert to type and read a lot. Well, this did not happen this time around, though I did watch a lot of telly. Although I did not run as much as I would have liked to, run I did. I also continued climbing stairs - this time hands free. I can report that I can climb 1000 stairs in half an hour, completely hands free and I walk down rather than taking the lift. I did not record my mileage on dailymile, but I have written it down. Last year I had to forgo the Hyannis half marathon, this year it seems like I will not get to South Africa for my half marathon, as we will be moving over that period. That was enormously disappointing, but there is next year. Move on. This is new to me - last year I allowed the disappointment of Hyannis to cloud my entire year and I could just not leave it behind me. The period of disappointment was much shorter this time around, and I even signed up for two 5Ks (which I had no intention of doing).
It is good to have these smaller more immediate goals, and I am going to revel in my training for them. Yes, revel. Enough of this wishy-washy attitude to running: disappointments happen, get over it.
I have not read any of your blogs in ages, but I am slowly going to start catching up. I hope your training is going well, and see you in bloggie land.

Skipping rope - it's not just for school girls anymore!

2011-02-18T21:10:00.003-05:00

A big thank you to Fen, my jump rope maestro, for being my first guest blogger. As usual, tonight the class was phenomenal, and I even managed to get a little video footage (therefore I am not in the video) which will hopefully enthuse and inspire you to join in. Your ropes will be in the post this weekend - they are currently piled up on my dining table. So here is Fen's blog post on jump rope. Enjoy!

There are numerous health benefits to skipping rope:

1. Improve cardiovascular endurance (10min of jumping rope is as effective cardio-wise as 30min of jogging)

2. Great option for high-intensity interval training (best way to torch calories)

3. Less impact than running - safer for joints (one should jump less than 1 inch from the ground just to clear the rope)

4. Burn ~700-1000 calories/hr depending on the speed and intensity

5. Total body workout (tone your legs, arms, abs)

6. Inexpensive and portable (of course you have to find a suitable surface and cleared space to jump, but still better than lugging a treadmill around)

7. Build bone mineral density (weight bearing exercise)

8. It's FUN - variety of footwork (mental health benefit - you won't get bored)

9. Improve athleticism with emphasis on speed, agility, power, endurance, timing, coordination, rhythm

10. Boost your metabolism (high intensity workouts elevate the metabolism for several hours post-workout - helps with weight loss goals).

The not-so-good news:

1. Learning to jump can be tough coordination-wise

2. There is a learning curve

3. It's aerobically challenging - you'll get winded

4. You may accidentally whip yourself (it's not that painful)

5. It can be very frustrating when you mess up over and over again.

BUT...IT'S WORTH IT! There's a saying "you have to be in good shape to get in better shape." It's hard to get the heart-pumping, endorphin high of rope jumping if you keep tripping on it. You may think it's more productive to do your usual elliptical routine (which you can do for 30min straight compared to the 'stop and go' action of trying to jump), but IT'S NOT. You'll benefit more from trying to jump for 5min than from doing your regular cardio.

You'll never experience the amazing benefits of jumping if you don't take the time to learn the technique. Get out of your fitness rut and try something new. Challenge yourself every time you are in the gym. Be patient, take your time, check your ego at the door, and don't give up - you WILL be able to master the jump rope.

And now for the skinny........

2011-02-07T22:38:00.000-05:00

I know that my previous account was not really a race report, as there were no stats etc. I realized this, and when Cristina emailed me asking how I felt, what it was like etc., I thought I would give you all the skinny on it.
I had been feeling pretty lousy all of last week with a strep throat infection. That combined with a stomach virus left me feeling depleted of energy and under the weather. I took no end of herbal remedies because I did not want to take any antibiotics before my event. They must have been slightly efficacious because I did feel a lot better by Sunday. I did my last stairclimb on Monday, and I could feel my chest was still tight. Tuesday morning I felt ok, but tired after a sleepless night. It is no joke driving down to NY in bad weather, and everything was such a rush. We left at around 4pm, after I had done a full day's work. Got to NY at around 8:30, had dinner and straight to bed.
Perhaps my previous race report lacked a certain sense of excitement, and this is true. Quite honestly I felt a little disappointed in my performance. I wanted to do better, but did find the stairs slightly challenging at the ESB. In the end I think the real reason as to why it turned out so differently, is because this is the result of last year's non-training. Certainly 3 months are not enough to get back into tip top shape. It has taken me at least a year to lose all my fitness, and I guess it will take at least a year to build it back up again. But one always hopes to do a good job, and when it is a so-so job, it is a bit disappointing. However, I can say that I trained for this, and did it to the best of my ability of the moment.
The fastest woman in my wave did it in 16:06, the fasted guy in 13:38. I did it in 31:03. I have decided though, that I will go back next year and improve my time. This time I will take a few days off, and be more in the moment.
I also did my second stair climb on Saturday, at the Mellon Financial Centre. This is my annual event which raises money for the American Lung Association. I ran up 82 floors, 786 stairs and my time was 12:00.
Two years ago I did it in 10:29, but I was also very fit then. I am pleased with my time, though what shocked me is just how unfit i have become. Well, the stairs are going to be a fixture in my training this year, as I am determined to reacquire my previous fitness and then some. Report and pics for Saturday's race will follow shortly.

Run Up the Empire State Building - 1 February 2011

2011-02-03T00:59:00.001-05:00

We drove up to New York on Monday afternoon and arrived at the Hotel Metro which is a brief 2 minute walk from the Empire State Building. We had dinner immediately and went to bed as the drive was exhausting. I set two alarms, but kept waking up during the night. In fact I was awake at 3am and never got back to sleep again. I was supposed to be at the ESB at 7:30 for my number pick up, and indeed, after a short snowy walk, there was the stunning Art Deco building looming in front of us, that is the Empire State Building. It provoked quite a strong emotion, as it is so aesthetically perfect and knowing that I would be running up those iconic stairs also made me pause.

When we got to the number check-in, it was chaotic! I had just collected my number and t-shirt, when the first call to line up was announced. I sent Stuart off to the bag check-in whilst I pinned on my number, and asked a very nice lady to pin my tribute bib on my back. Then the timing chip went under the shoe laces and I lined up, ready to go to the start line. It was all a bit hectic, as I had not even had a coffee, and eating anything was out of the question. I did not even have a chance to warm up and had to do a few lunges at the start line! I also met another colleague from Millennium, Beth, and we had a nice chat just before the horn sounded about 5 past 8.

We lined up downstairs, the horn sounded and we all rushed off toward the stairwell. On first entering the stairwell, there was a strong smell of pot which accompanied us for the first 5 flights. All stairs are not alike, and these proved to be a revelation. Modern buildings have staircases which are placed in such a way that you can run up them two at a time. Naturally an Art Deco building has matching Art Deco stairs – so these stairs were quite high and could not be taken two at a time. Instead, I had to run up each of them individually! The time seemed to be flying by, and I just kept going, though it tough going in some places. It was over before I knew it. That is the downside of a stair climb: time flies by really quickly. I arrived at the observation deck and it was raining large chunks of snow. I did a very quick lap of the deck, and then we were ushered indoors, to make way for the others coming up. I collected my medal and went to meet Stuart. Every one was full of congratulations and good wishes, and it was also nice to meet up with Beth again and we had a celebratory hug at our achievement. There was no time to dawdle as we had to leave immediately before the weather got too bad. It was a bit rushed, but I think it will still take a few days for all this to sink in. I am still not sure about my finish time, as my watch said 25:56, the finish line clock said 30:56 and my official time came out at 31:06.

This race though, was about so much more. What started out as a race goal (to climb the Empire State Building), soon morphed into a desire to raise money and support the vision of the MMRF. I had asked some friends to advertise my climb on their blogs, and I soon received a donation from a woman I did not know. I received an email from her in return to my thank you, and she told me that both her mum and her cousin were in remission from multiple myeloma – though her cousin is not yet out of the woods. My race was in tribute to her mum Kathy, and I wore her name on my back, all the way up those 1576 steps. I thought about her a lot during my climb, especially when my legs and lungs caught alight. Although I feel excited about having done this race, I feel prouder about the fact that I managed to raise some money for the MMRF (with all of your help) – admittedly it might only purchase 10 mice, but it is one small step nearer to finding a cure for cancer – something we all aspire to. What is even more awesome and inspiring is the kindness and generosity of all those who contributed to my climb, and who share that goal and vision. I have never done an event for charity before, and did not quite know how to raise the money. But I asked, and family, friends and colleagues did not hesitate for a moment. I also had many contributions from people I have never even met. In fact this has been such a great experience that I am going to do it again next year and improve my time. In fact, some of my regulatory colleagues have already committed to joining me. If anyone else wants to join, please let me know as we are going to have the climb of our lives! Please see the link below for some pics.

Words cannot express my deep thanks to all of you for your kindness and generous giving spirits. I may have physically climbed the Empire State Building, but you were all right behind me. As Sir Isaac Newton once said, "If I have seen a little further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants".

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=329833&id=616442651&l=c381fd611f

Operation Big Girl Knickers aka Panties

2011-01-26T22:46:00.000-05:00

Sunday was my last workout. I started feeling tired and achy in the afternoon, and come Monday morning, I had a sore throat. I thought nothing of it, and tried to ignore it, but by the time I got home, I had very achy bones. Tuesday saw a very sore throat, and all the rest of it. In fact I went to bed as soon as I got home from work. I thought I would do a little run or a few stairs tonight, but I was coughing and hacking so much, I thought it best not to. However, tomorrow is Thursday and I need to take some drastic action as my stair climb is only a few days away. Hence Operation Big Girl Knickers - though I am sure the US version, Big Girl Panties, renders the idea more clearly.
Tomorrow I shall put them on and sort this out - I need to take some kind of action as I have not done anything for 3 days now. I am hoping to do some stairs and skipping. I will report back - and give an update on the panties.....

1+1=3: A One Act Play

2011-01-23T10:58:00.000-05:00

Characters: Stuart, Natalia, a waitress, 2 cooks and approximately 20 patrons.

Scene: A Cambridge diner on a wintery Saturday morning. The scene opens with Stuart and Natalia having just placed their brunch orders with the waitress. They have been discussing the past week, when the conversation turns to Natalia's stair climb.

S: So how is your training going?

N: OK, I think. I did 3 climbs this week, and managed to chop off 5 minutes during the last climb.

S: That was Thursday right?

N: Yes. I did 1600 stairs in 60 minutes. I still don't know what the exact time might be on the day, but I don't agree with your estimate of 40 minutes for the Empire State thingy. It sounds slow.

S: Why don't you use a stopwatch on each run up?

N: I don't have one?

S: So your Garmin does not have that feature?

N: No, and anyway, as I told you before, the Garmin is useless.

S: Hmmm, I find that hard to believe....have you read the manual?

N: Look, let's not get off the subject, I don't want to talk about the Garmin. I am slightly concerned about how slow I am on the stairs. I don't want to finish last.

S: How many stairs do you do in a session?

N: I just told you - 1600.

S: How many floors are there in our building?

N: Twenty.

S: And how many flights of stairs?

N: (with a deep sigh) 20. I do 200 stairs in one run up. So I do 8 run ups, for a total of 1600 stairs.

S: How many stairs are there in a flight?

N: God, this is hard. How many times have I told you this? 20!

S: So you are doing 20x20? That means you do 400 stairs in 1 run up.

N: Impossible!

S: Thickie, if you have 20 stairs on one flight and you do 20 flights, what would that work out to?

N: (with dawning revelation) OMG! So that means....

S: ...that you have been doing 3200 stairs in an hour.

N: OMG.....Me?! I have been doing that without knowing! Oh wow, this is amazing......

S: Perhaps you should think more about simple maths, rather than Fibonacci!

N: I am in shock.............3200 stairs...that means.........

The End.

It's cold out there, but it's warm once you start...skipping!

2011-01-21T21:28:00.000-05:00

Like the rest of the US, Boston saw more snow this week. Lots of people working from home, but I went in to the office, as this is the sight that greets me on leaving! But a brief overview of the other activities: I have been running a bit as my training programme for the Two Oceans half marathon starts on 1 February (the day of my stairclimb). I only managed 3 stair climbs this week, but will fit 2 in over the weekend. Yep, next week is the last week before the ESB...yikes!
Since this is Friday, today was a skipping day. And what a blast! Our teacher, Fen, is terrific. She is really good at transmitting information - it is not just the clarity, but the message arrives straight to your core. I practised a bit during the week, but not much, yet it is quite amazing how much we get done in half an hour.
Today we learned how to skip doing 'basic' and then doing a crossover. Believe it or not, after a few tries, I got it right, and boy does it look good! It is rare that anything physical 'clicks' immediately with me, but if this course had an 'exam', I would get a first class pass. Mind you, I would have to practise a bit first.
The bit I am struggling with is running whilst skipping. Naturally doing a double hop on each leg is also another move I am not quite getting yet. I need to practise this week, as next Friday is our last lesson. That is such a pity, as this course is phenomenal! Maybe Fen can organize some informal lessons, as it is just a fun thing to skip together with other people.
I had a stroke of luck this evening, as I ran into Jane, a woman who held a beginner triathlon course 2 years ago which I also took at MIT. You may remember that I could not swim in the 'big' pool which has the shallow end starting at 7 feet. I will probably start some lessons with Jane, as I am determined to overhaul that entire area.
Ok, there are still a few people who need to email me their addresses and height, so that I can get their jump ropes out to them. Fen will give me her expert opinion on the correct length for you. So please get them to me asap as Friday is the last class.

Jump Rope Update

2011-01-16T15:59:00.001-05:00

I hosted my first giveaway last Friday, and I was surprised (and happy) to see the enthusiasm with which that post was received. My husband says I was too cheap in offering 1 person a skipping rope. I am therefore happy to be able to send those of you embracing the skipping culture, a rope. So please email me your height and mailing address at: runlikehermes at gmail dot com.

This was a slow week on the training front. I managed to get in few runs and stair sessions, but I have been having some stomach issues so have not quite been up to scratch. It seemed like a long week! Highlight of the week was our departmental outing to the Museum of Science on Friday, where we went on a scavenger hunt. We had to solve a murder mystery, and I unfortunately could not drag myself away from Fibonacci, and his Sequence! What I did not know was that he was known as "Bhigellone" (dunce) and his father (also an outstanding mathematician was known as "Bonacci" (dope). I spent a long time in the section "Mathematica"! Anyway, after a long lunch, I was barely back in the office when I had to go to my skipping class and I was still feeling completely undigested.

This week we learned to do back and forth, scissors and run whilst skipping. We skipped with our eyes closed, and then we skipped for speed. I finally understand why people say you can burn zillions of calories skipping.

We warmed up with music at 140bpm. Then for the speed training part she revved it up to 170bpm and we had to skip fast, flat out. I had sweat pouring down my face and my shirt was soaked afterwards. It was incredible, but what great fun. It does seem to take a bit out of one, as I tried a slow 1 mile cool down and my legs felt like jelly! Go on, give it a go - I dare you!

Page from Fibonacci's Liber Abacci leading up to the Sequence (Biblioteca di Firenze)

Did you know?

2011-01-12T20:10:00.001-05:00

I have been tagged by the lovely Julie over at Adventure is Out There, with the Stylish Blogger Award. Hmmmmm very nice! So here are 7 miscellaneous things you may wish (or not!) to know about me.

1. Stuart and I eloped when we got married, and the ceremony over an anvil in a blacksmith's shop. For lunch we went down to the pub, where we had Moet and shepherd's pie.

2. Although I am scared of deep water, I did go snorkelling on the Costa Smeralda in Italy!

3. I was into mullets big time.....and jumpsuits....hey it was the 80's!

4. I loved parties when I was little......

5. And it continued as I got older. I soon became very well known for my parties......

6. I did have boring moments in between - like when we had to put on a Shakespearian play every year at school.

7. But once upon a time, I was a thoughtful and serious person....and here's the proof!

I'm passing on the

to the lovely Christina at Lazy Bones Running; the lovely JK at A Clunk Upstairs and finally to the lovely Fran at Dutch Girl Gets Healthy.

A jump rope giveaway

2011-01-07T22:53:00.000-05:00

This evening I went over to MIT as I had signed up for a jump rope class, or skipping as we called it in South Africa. The class runs once a week for half an hour and will run for 1 month only. I decided to do it because this is the kind of plyometric training that will hopefully give me the quick leg turnaround on those stairs.
I like skipping. In fact, I do so regularly. Admittedly I do not do more than 5 minutes, because the astonished stares from the cats is very hard to ignore. But skipping has served me well, and when I saw this class, I thought I could learn some fancy, new moves.
There were 9 women and 1 bloke there tonight. Four people had never skipped in their lives, so they stood in front so that the teacher could help them, whilst the rest of us skipped away merrily. It was great fun, and I enjoyed it. I learnt 2 new moves: the first being how to do a figure of 8 from side to side and then open it up to immediately start skipping without breaking the rhythm. The second is to do star jumps whilst skipping!
Prior to this I could only do 'regular' skipping (like a boxer) and 'skiing' (moving from side to side). I have not quite gotten the double star jump move she showed us, but she also exhorted us to practise.
I had such a great time as well as a terrific workout, that I am hoping to spread the love, by having a jump rope giveaway. Just share your best/worst jump rope story here, or if you have never jumped rope before, why would you like to try it. The winner will be chosen by the random selector. Final entries by Friday 15th January.

Amping it up

2011-01-05T00:02:00.000-05:00

I hurt my back last Monday, lifting weights. Initially it seemed like a normal stiffness, then it seemed as though my back was in a vice-like grip! I could not even bend my knees. Thanks to massages, endless applications of Bengay and the use of those heating pads, it passed. It also meant that I did no stairs in a week. Yesterday was the first time back on the stairwell, and it was tough!

I only did 800 stairs and limped back completely out of breath, and exhausted. Tonight I went back, and did the full 1400 that I had built up to, and guess what....yes, they rocked! I cannot believe I am saying this about stairs, but I actually enjoyed it. I felt in control of them and my breathing, and it was only on the last set (the final 200) that I need to stop a few times for 15 seconds to recover.

The plan is to work up to 1600 next week, and do that for 2 weeks, and then wind down a bit in the final week. I can't believe it's almost time...... I still have some preparation to be getting on with. Friday I will start a jump rope class at MIT. Thirty minutes every Friday - that should help with building some dexterity and agility. In addition to that, I will also swim twice a week. Since swimming is a bigger challenge for me right now, it will reframe the ESB event, and allow me to be more competitive on the day precisely because the event is 20 feet in the sky, rather than in 20 feet of water. Not sure if I explained that one very clearly, but you know what I mean!

That was then, This is Now

2011-01-03T21:10:00.001-05:00

In 2010 I:
- Ran my first official half marathon
- Ran my first marathon
- Realised that we would be staying in the US for the next few years
- Put on 10 pounds

In 2010 I did not:
- Race regularly
- Run more than 500 miles
- Swim
- Do any triathlons
- Do any circuits
- Achieve the 1000 mile goal I signed up for with Tall Mom
- Do any Buddhist meditation for 7 months
- Challenge myself in any focussed way

If 2008 and 2009 were good fitness years, 2010 was terrible. The turning point came after the Philadelphia marathon. I felt pleased at finishing it, but disappointed in the poor quality of training I had put into it. It was a relief to have it over and done with, and I immediately decided that this was my moment for starting over. I felt that I needed to regain control over my life as I knew it, not this other alien life I seemed to be living. And all this needed to happen independently of my circumstances. I had become a slave to my environment, and had been allowing the external factors to shape and influence my life. The worse part was that I did not even realize it. My vital state was that of the state of hell, so naturally everything around me was perceived through the filter of hell.
Each year I draw up a list of goals: they are divided into 2 main parts: goals for my life and goals for my Buddhist practice. They are usually equal in number. I do a check at 6 months to see how things have been coming along and what I need to improve in. Then I check again around October as the year starts drawing to a close. On 31 December I draw up new goals for the upcoming year.
This past year I reached 1 of the 12 goals I had set myself. So those 11 goals will carry over to this year - they were important to me then, and they still are. But perhaps part of the reason why I have not achieved them, was because I lived 2010 in fear. A good example is how I started feeling panicky about swimming again, hence no triathlons. So this year, my focus and actions will be governed by the underlying spirit of DARE: to dare to do the exact opposite of what I did last year.
For me this is not only about challenging my limits, but also about daring to do things properly no matter what the circumstances. To dare to be the architect of my own life and destiny - after all, isn't that why I am a Buddhist!

2010 Race Report

2011-01-03T20:27:00.001-05:00

2010 Races:

* Race Up Boston Place - 6 February 2010 - 13:19

* Boston's Race to Remember - (half marathon) 30 May 2010 - 2:40

* Salem's Wicked Half - 25 September 2010 - 2:31

* World Run Day - 7 November 2010 - (20 miles)

* Philadelphia Marathon - 21 November 2010 - 6:15

* Black Knight's Virtual Race - 29 November 2010 (6.2 miles) - 1:10

* Winter Classic - 19 December 2010 (5K) - 31:20

Rave Run - 1st January 2011: First Run in Lowell or Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:58:00.001-05:00

This past week I only did the stairs once. It has been a bit challenging because I had a sprained back. I was almost completely immobile, and could not even bend my knees. Various topical applications and heated pads did not seem to be working. In fact, I was starting to feel a bit concerned, because I was in quite a lot of pain and I had signed up for a race on 1st January. My back issues meant I could not run at all, and had to hang around.

Anyway, this morning, it was feeling quite a bit better, so Stuart and I set off for Lowell. Oh, did I mention that Stuart is finally starting to sort out his plantar fasciitis issues and has slowly started running again! This was a perfect start to the year and I was really pleased.

We got there, picked up our numbers (which also had our names on them), and then lined up. I do not know how many people there were as the results have not yet been posted, but there was quite a crowd. I started off gently, and passed the first mile at 10:32. Hmm a bit slow, so I sped up a bit and passed mile 2 at 20:30. Ooh I thought, that looks good - perhaps I can get under 31 minutes. However, after not running for 2 weeks (last run was on 19th December), I started to feel it. I did however push hard, but had to walk for a minute as I had a stitch in my side! When I recovered, I set off hard again, and passed a few people (naturally loads had passed me too, but I managed to catch up to some of them). As I got closer to the finish line there was an old man running with someone who looked like his son. So I slowed down. I just did not want to pass them, and I was glad I did it. I was in pain when I finished, but content with my run. I was not that thrilled to see the clock time of 32 minutes, but as I was mulling this over in my mind, I heard someone calling me.
I turned around and there was a guy running up to me. He asked me what my time had been, and Stuart said 32 minutes. When I asked him what his time was, he said maybe half a minute more than you. He then went on to say that he had been trying to keep up with me since the start of the race, but had wanted to overtake me, but just could not manage to pass me. He ended off saying "you are really good!" Me?! Someone had said that to me! I thanked him and felt like a million dollars. What was already a wonderful morning, just became fabulous.
And what a rave run to start off 2011! Stuart finished in 29 minutes, passing mile 2 at 18:20 and then getting hemmed in in the final mile, and is looking forward to the next race already! We got very nice technical t-shirts, hats and medals.......not too shabby for a run on 1/1/11. When our final times were posted, Stuart's is 28:28, and mine is 31:46.

Christmas and other tales.......

2010-12-28T10:52:00.000-05:00

Christmas was a quiet affair. We usually go away at this time, but since we were both feeling a wee bit tired, we stayed home.

After a morning of phone calls to family and friends, I did my stairs, Stuart went for a run and then I got lunch on. This year we decided to to stockings only, and I was well pleased with my Bruins t-shirt!

Turning to another topic, I signed up for the Two Oceans Half Marathon in Cape Town on Saturday 23rd April! The marathon is out of the question, as it is an ultra and I do not have sufficient time to prepare for it. Also, Cape Town is very hilly, and this takes some strong preparation - who knows, maybe in 2012.....

It was quite an emotional experience when I received my email confirmation that I am runner number 58668! I am not usually this excited, but I was out of my skin! I guess doing my first race at home really does have quite a deep effect on one. My mum, as you can imagine, is thrilled, and has already told all her friends. They have all said they are coming "to watch me". Since the race starts at 6am, I told her I will take everyone to brunch afterwards at the Waterfront!

I have only told two of my friends in Cape Town that I have signed up for this, and I know that are coming along too - I shall inform the others this week!

Anyway, amidst all the excitement I also took a quick look at the route, as I cannot quite remember all of it. Starting on the Main Road in Newlands, the first 10 kilometres are flattish. Once you hit the bottom of the Southern Cross Drive, kilometres 11-17 are sharply uphill and you go from an elevation of 100m to just under 200m. Then kilometres 17-21 are undulating and you finish on the rugby fields of UCT, my alma mater.

All I can say is that it is hellishly uphill - even though you do have breathtaking views of Cape Town. There are some parts of the Southern Cross Drive that you can only do in first gear (in a car), so I am looking forward to a jolly time. Anyway, I am still super excited, and any advice you may have is most welcome. Since this is my first race in CT, you can imagine I might want to put my best foot forward.......

Rave Run - 19th December 2010

2010-12-22T22:51:00.001-05:00

* Warning - this is a photo fest!

On Sunday 19th December, I ran a 5K in Cambridge called the Winter Classic. This was a small race (less than 500 participants) and the start was 100m from our flat. It was one of the most fun, jolly and entertaining races which I thoroughly enjoyed - both for the spirit and the course.

The course was fast and flat - down Massachusetts Avenue, straight on to Harvard Square and then loop back. I was undecided about doing a race at all, and rushed down to the pub at 5pm on Saturday evening to register for it. The deciding factor was the weather forecast predicting snow!

After delivering the two dozen fairy cakes I had baked to the fire station, I made my way to the start line. It was rather cold and a chilly wind was blowing. Without much ado, we were off.

Everyone was cheering and there were smiling faces everywhere. There were also some great costumes. Besides which, you could also see people in tights, shorts and pyjama bottoms.

Perhaps the bravest of us all was the boy in a red speedo......and believe you me, it was really cold!

When I started out, it felt like I had not been running in ages. The air was so cold, it was almost painful breathing in. A mile into the race I suddenly wondered at the race distance....was it 5 kilometres or 5 miles? It was tempting to ask someone, but it was too cold, so I thought why bother, just finish it. Shortly after the turnaround there was a water stop, and I had some....yes you guessed it, icy cold water. When I started up again, I had fully recovered and picked up the pace a bit more. Towards the end of the race I started feeling really strong (that would have been useful at the start and in the middle). I thought about what Johann has written re getting stronger through stairs, and I can say that he is 100% correct. During the last few 5Ks I have always run out of steam towards the end, and have not been able to finish really strongly. This past Sunday I got better and better towards the end. The final quarter yard was a good solid sprint and when I finished, I was satisfied. I am 5 minutes slower than last June, and finished in 31:20. My 5K goal this year is to get my time back down - a nice round 26 would do nicely thank you. I will run the same race next year, and see how I've done. And now for a few final pics of that truly Rave Run. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year; Happy Holidays everyone!

Tagged!

2010-12-19T18:58:00.006-05:00

Johann tagged me with a few questions, so here goes:

1) Do you prefer winter or summer running? Why?

I prefer running in winter. I loved running during the winter in Tuscany, even though the fog was so thick and sometimes there was some intercostal pain involved. Here in New England I love the cool, crisp mornings. The silence of running in the rain or snow is beautiful, and makes me truly thankful that I summoned up the energy to go out for a run. During summer my running really suffers. High humidity is a death knell for me, and I really struggle. During summer the gym is my friend.

2) What's been your toughest race to date?

My toughest race was in Abbadia San Salvatore, at the end of the race year in Siena a long time ago. There was a prize for the best new comer of the year, and I knew I could win my age group as I had run the entire year, and knew all the women in my category. Everyone else in my club thought so too. But I had a Canadian friend, Roxy, whom I had introduced to running and she was faster than me. I used to invite her along to some of the club runs and I knew she would love to participate in this event. But I also wanted to win that trophy - in the end I invited her. The hardest part was seeing her pass me on a very steep hill, grit my teeth and keep going. I never did catch her, but she came running towards me at the finish line, arms outstretched and hugged me. It was a tough race, from start to finish - she has since stopped running, but we are still friends.

3) Running goals for 2011?

I am concentrating on improving the quality of my running this year. I would like to be more focussed, and train harder. My main goal is to increase my endurance and speed. My first big event is my vertical run up the Empire State Building in February, with lots of anaerobic training! I am thinking of doing the Two Oceans Half Marathon in Cape Town at Easter, as I am going to try and see my mum. I definitely want to do the Karhu 13.1 half here in Boston in July, and the Wicked Half in Salem in September. I also have a marathon on the cards, and am thinking of the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington in October. In between I think I will be going to Switzerland and Italy, and hope to do a local 5K there, or in nearby France.

4) Do you have any other passions in life?

I love watching foreign films - that along with reading are my two main passions. I also listen to a lot of music (from classical, to world, to rock, pop, blues, opera etc). I enjoy adding to my record collection, and spend a lot of time in second hand music shops. I love ice hockey very much, and am a Bruins half season ticket holder - we went to the Torino winter olympics and watched 6 ice hockey matches, 2 man bob, moguls and short track (yes, I did see Anton Apollo Ohno). I am also enjoy southern hemisphere rugby, and love watching the Springboks. I have some other passions, but enough for this round.

5) If you could live anywhere, where would it be?

Hmmm, tough one. I would love to live back in Siena - with a pied-à-terre in London and New York! Whilst South Africa is and always will be my connection with the earth, Siena is my home. It is the place I feel most in my own skin, and at ease. The countryside is stunningly beautiful, and the runners are very friendly - besides you get the best race loot there: olive oil, pasta, wine.....

The three people I have tagged for this are: The Black Knight, Jenny, The Yogi and Scarlett.

Rave Run

2010-12-13T20:07:00.000-05:00

Every week I will try and write a post about a 'rave run' that I have had (thank you, Runners World). It might be related to the scenery, quality of run, length of run, spirit of the run, or challenging my running karma.

Karma is formed by thought, word and deed. If you want to know the causes you have created in the past, look as the effects in your present. If you want to know your future, look to the causes you are creating in your present. My running karma is not brilliant, but with a little work (emphasis on little), I was starting to get to a good place. And then 2010 happened. I have no idea why things went so screwy, but with the 20/20 vision that hindsight brings, I had the opportunity to change some small aspects of my running karma. When I was feeling down I could have forced myself to go counter-tendency, and go for a run. When I was having a poor run, I could have challenged myself to demand a bit more. But I did not.

Nothing is ever in vain though, and the suffering of this year (missing my goals, poor performance etc) has strengthened my determination to try and create some new causes that will manifest stunning effects - not that I am trying to trivialize the concept of cause and effect. You can change your karma - especially your running karma, and this was what I had decided after Philly.

The first opportunity came this evening. I was in a bad place when I got home. But the thought of the responsibility I have committed to, as well as the desire to create some good mojo, forced me out of the door.

I did 1000 steps in 35 minutes. It was good. There was a degree of lung burn involved, but it was a small price for a huge return! And this was my rave run. I do the stairs without music as I am trying to focus on, and think about what I am doing. Now all I need to do, is repeat!

Japanese Garden in Montreal

Stair Tales

2010-12-12T10:05:00.001-05:00

This has been a busy week. It seemed to be composed mainly of running up stairs, running up hills and walking up hills! Time is pressing and this week I am racking the stairs up to 1200. I have also started mixing in some press ups and upper body strengthening as it is quite useful as I hold onto the bannisters on either side of the staircase to get up.

I have also been busy trying to get donations to the MMRF as I am committed to raising 2500 USD for them. People have been really generous thus far, and the amount raised stands at 915 USD. Also a big thank you to Christina from lazybonesrunning.blogspot.com, for her generous donation to my climb. So if you are feeling the love, please visit my site at http://www.active.com/donate/2011MMRFRunUp/RUNUPNShunmu and make a donation. My aim is to reach the fundraising goal by Christmas. Talking of goals, I signed up for the Race Up Boston Place and registered as an....Elite! The cut off time is 9:54 (my old time was 10:29), and that gives me a good goal to work towards - after all, the stairs are half those of the Empire State Building.
Nothing much else, except my Finnish Marimekko dress arrived, and I am very pleased with it. I adore their fabrics, and the dress looks very sixties - a look that I am rather partial to!
Kruuna tunic

A New Challenge - Run up the Empire State Building

2010-12-06T21:21:00.000-05:00

On 1 February 2011, I will run up the Empire State Building - 86 flights, 1576 stairs - to the observation deck. I am doing this for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation (MMRF) to raise money for cancer research. I work for a biotech company, and more specifically I work on cancer drugs. It has always been a bit abstract, since you think about the science, and how to get the drug to patients, but since moving to the US I have met so many people who are affected by this disease. Over the last year I have had a colleague who passed away, another one who is in remission, and finally at our company meeting earlier this year, I heard Elijah Alexander speak, telling us how he battled this disease, and thanking us for what we do. Two months later he passed away - just like that. His spirit was amazing, as was his love for football. He told us about his life growing up in the South, in a really poor family, and what it meant to him playing in the NFL - even though he was "only the fourth round pick". He transmitted his love of life that day, and I felt profoundly touched.

Recently I did some research on cutaneous t-cell lymphoma (a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma), which attacks the lymphatic system and compromises the immune system - the effects of which are horrendous. I think the combination of all these things has made me want to do something more to help find a cure, and in my small way, I would like to raise some money for the MMRF. Hence my run up the Empire State Building. I have committed to raise 2500 USD for them, and if you have some time (and wish to make a small contribution), please visit my homepage for this event: http://www.active.com/donate/2011MMRFRunUp/RUNUPNShunmu .

Today was the start of my training for this event. I climbed 800 steps but it took me half an hour! I need to climb at least double that in less time. Well, I am focussed and committed to this goal, and so have no hesitation in going to the max. This is too important to me, and I want to do it right. I also managed to squeeze in some weight training, and finally ran a 10 minute mile. This is also a great opportunity, how terrific is running up that gorgeous building? My annual stair climb here in Boston falls on the Saturday of that same week, and I am thinking about maybe racing that one competitively. It is a much smaller climb (only 789 stairs), but I would certainly like to improve my time! I did it in 10:29, and the winner of my age group did it in 6:37 - I know with some work I can beat my time. Interestingly enough, I did my training without music, and enjoyed it much more. Sometimes I think the music might help me along, but I think it distracts me somewhat. I think I prefer being without it....anyway, I only use it when I run on the treadmill.

Final story of the week - a very good colleague and friend is moving to Chicago, so we bid her farewell. The upside is that she suggested that I run the Chicago marathon next year.....hmmm not sure yet, as it gets pretty cold there! Still, it is something to look forward to, and I know that they have an extreme stair climbing event in Chicago - and I don't mean the Hustle up the Hancock nor the Willis (Sears) Tower Climb. I mean the Presidential Towers Climb - running up all 4 buildings for a total of 2340 steps in between sprinting from 1 building to the next! Seems like a good reason for a visit - after seeing my friend of course. Farewell Nurit, and see you soon.

Working it out

2010-11-29T18:15:00.000-05:00

First things: On Thanksgiving, I went out for a short 2 mile run. It was pretty cold, but it was good to be out and running for the sheer hell of it. Today, I went out for my usual long run, and did 6.2 miles for my participation in the Black Knight's virtual race. I enjoyed it, and put the finishing touches to some of the new goals I have been thinking about.

As I mentioned previously, things have been really stressful, and to dissipate some of that stress, I started doing a jigsaw puzzle I had lying around for ages. It is The Beatles White Album cover.

The process is very therapeutic and gives one the chance to think about things. I thought quite a bit about my running this year. Although I tackled 2 new events (half marathon and marathon), it seemed as though my running had regressed in other aspects. My 5K pb of 26:03 run last June seemed a million miles away - let alone the 10K. No triathlons either - and it seemed that every challenge I started seemed doomed right from the start. I had signed up to run 1000 miles in 2010, but no sooner had I signed up, when I stopped running and I cannot even remember why anymore. I have had some moments of joy whilst running, but the enthusiasm and joy I experienced over the last 2 years, has been completely missing this year. I slogged through my goals, and completed most of them, but in a lacklustre kind of way. It seemed as though I had lost my running mojo, and I just could not work out where, when or how. Nor could I work out how to get it back.

Choices, choices: Perhaps part of all this hearks back to the question I was faced on the day I missed my Hyannis marathon way back in February: did I want to follow the path of biotechnology or anthropology? I skipped the marathon as I had an interview scheduled that day, at a very crimson-coloured university. It went well - very well, as did the others. Long story short, I decided to stick with the biotechnology stuff as I did not want to start all over again - then began the doubts which have hounded me this year: did I make the right choice? I went back and forth, back and forth, and I am still not that sure, but sometimes when you set your mind to something (forgetting about whether you "like" it or not), the results can surprise you. And yes, I have discovered that I am not science-phobic after all!

My Aha Moment: After Philadelphia something clicked, and I think I understand partially how to move forward. Over the past 2 years I have covered 5Ks, 10Ks, stair climbs, sprint triathlons, half marathons and a marathon in this time. But what does that mean? Firstly that I can do it. Next? Now that I know I can do it, I can step it up a notch. This might not seem that important, but initially doing all these things meant ticking them off on my to-do list: one down, on with the next challenge. Since this year has been such a struggle, it has made me question whether I am really a runner.....but I suppose to bastardize Descartes, I run....ergo I am a runner. If nothing else, this year has taught me sheer dogged persistence!

Next Steps: Now that I have taken a step back to mull things over, my goals for next year are slightly different. It is not the race, but rather the preparation it will take that I am setting as my goals. My first event comes up in February, and I will reveal all in my next post. My second event comes up a few days after that. My goal is to follow the programme and train hard. I like this event, and I know I can do well. I owe it to myself to improve. I see next year as a 'building' phase, meaning that I want to build on the base I have acquired over these past 2 and a half years. Now I want to build up my endurance, stamina and speed - in that order. The key to all this will be FOCUS. A buddhist story tells of a general whose mother was killed by a tiger. One day he thought he saw the tiger and shot an arrow at it. On nearing the tiger, he saw that his arrow had fully penetrated a rock. Even though he tried shooting other arrows at the rock, they all bounced off. The upshot of the story is that when your focus and belief is clear, you cannot miss your goal.
In conclusion, to this rather long post, I think I am slowly starting to work it out..........

The Philadelphia Marathon - Sunday, 21st November 2010

2010-11-22T23:10:00.034-05:00

Run Up

I have not posted anything in ages as there was not much going on. My training was going really badly, and I felt overwhelmed by some of the choices I might have to make. These are potentially life-changing, and given the accelerated rate of change in our lives over the past few years, I had a bit of a melt down. I have been feeling quite worn out, both physically, emotionally, spiritually and mentally. My running came to a halt, as it seemed a bit futile to me at the time. I have realized that this is an area I need to sort out as I want next year to be different. Anyway, on a positive note, I actually managed to take the exam I had been thinking about! I still don't know the outcome, but I feel it was a step forward in unblocking a stagnant situation.

Friday

At work very few people know that I run, and those who have an inkling, have no idea of what that entails. So on Friday, in response to the eternal question of "So what are you doing this weekend?", I told a few people that I was going to Philadelphia to do the marathon, and they seemed shocked. Now, even though my training had fallen apart, I was convinced of one thing: I would run that marathon, and I would finish it. The only way I would not, would be if they carried me off the course in a wooden box. The physical aspect did not concern me either. By the time Friday evening rolled around, I knew 2 things for certain: I would have a tremendous marathon experience and I would never waiver mentally.

Saturday

   Approach to Philly

I flew to Philly in the morning, and then went to pick up my race packet. I felt anxious and a bit sad that Stuart was not with me, but I walked around a bit and chatted to a few people. Since I had no clue about what I was going to wear, I asked for some advice. In the end I wore something I bought at the expo, but more on that later. I promised myself no trawling around the expo for hours on end, so I left and had a short walk around the city centre. Philadelphia is simply stunning with it's beautiful Art Deco buildings.



After a quick lunch at the Reading Terminal Market, a wonderful indoor market with everything from Amish pickles to yummy Greek baklava dipped in honey, I went back to the hotel and decided to try on my race outfit to see if it was comfortable enough. On went my newly purchased CW-X Pro Tights after all, if they are good enough to be worn by cheetahs (minus the hole for the tail), they are good enough for me! OK, I was not just taken in by the publicity, but I had read about them on the Julie, the Hotlegs Runner's blog, and since I have some IT band issues after a long run, the idea of supporting those muscles and the quads seemed like a great idea. Dear all, let me say that was probably the best purchase I made this year. It was amazing, and yes, it did support my IT band very well.

I had planned on wearing this.......

but ended up wearing this other stuff instead..

Sunday

I spent an almost sleepless night and was up at 4pm. I got to the Philadelphia Art Museum around 6:00am, as I was staying at the airport (and took the train in). What a beautiful morning! A bit nippy, but it promised to be warm.

Now I know what Rocky really saw from the steps of the PAM....

The Race

Was exciting, with a terrific atmosphere. My corral started at 7:30am, and was the last to go. The route passes through the Museum District, Chinatown, the Historic District, University District etc, and really showcases this stunning city. Philly is also very green with lovely shady areas, and hilly woods. I seemed to be trotting along at a decent pace, until I lost the group I was running with around mile 10, as I had to make a stop, and there was a 10 minute queue at the porta potties! Things moved along until mile 14 when an aching back suddenly seized up. I had to lie down on the ground and stretch it out until it loosened up a bit. My new tights really came into their own around mile 20. Usually my hips and the sides of my thighs are in agony, but they were fine in their new CW-X casing. My back started up again and I walked for a bit, then ran on until I needed to stop again. Miles 22 and 23 were a bit hard, and I felt like crying for no apparent reason. But I also felt rather happy, so no tears came. All I could do was call out to the others (who were doing the same to me), and tell them what an awesome job they were doing. It took my mind off things, and miles 24 and 25 were a slow jog. I had a bit of a walk at mile 26, and then ran about three quarters of a mile. When I finished, I had nothing left in the tank, and although I was feeling physically sick, it went hand in hand with another very cool feeling: I had completed something I had set my mind to. Perhaps not in the way I had originally imagined, but I did the business, and got the job done despite everything else that had been going on. It really was a great learning curve, even though it took me 6:15. At work no one asked for my time, but everyone asked me if I had finished.....

Thank you Fran, and yes I do wish you lived nearer, as I would have loved for you to have come to Philly (maybe another time.....) a shout out to Stefano, Yogi and Johann who never seemed to doubt that if I could do 20 miles I could do the marathon. A big thank you to Christina who helped me early on in my programme as I was suffering with some minor ailments....and thanks for keeping me on the programme on fb. Thank you for the good wishes Hungry Runner girl, Ole, Mary, Alan and Jenny. A very unexpected source of support came from a group of colleagues, ranging from Rachel who wanted to fly out with me to Philly (and then had a family crisis to attend to), to a few people who wrote me such sweet notes of encouragement (Indra, Eileen), the good wishes (Colleen, Irache,) finally to Kathy who rang me up to ask if I wanted a place on the MMRF team to run Boston next year (which I declined by the way).

I feel like I have finally gotten the monkey off my back and that my Annus Horribilis is drawing to a close. For the moment though, I am looking forward to the massage I have booked for tomorrow evening!

World Run Day - 7 November 2010 - Summary

2010-11-07T18:44:00.000-05:00

Today was World Run Day, and it coincided with my first ever 20 mile run. I had been looking forward to this run, because as you know I have not been having such a great time on the running front. Well, the first few miles were fine, then it started getting a bit challenging and finally it seemed like these miles were stretching on into eternity! But I got through it all, and ran miles 19 and 20 hard. Afterwards I needed a brief rest before getting into the shower, so that I could collect my thoughts and muscles, both of which seemed to have gone on a walkabout.
I am going to Philadelphia. I booked my flight, and I will book my hotel shortly. Unfortunately Stuart will be away in Switzerland, and not here for an exam I am taking on the 18th, my marathon, my birthday, and Thanksgiving! That's too bad, but I am going to make sure that I have a rocking time all the same. In a way, it's quite exciting, as I hope to have lots to tell him when he gets back.
Anyway, many thanks to everyone who joined me on World Run Day - I thought about all of you as I was mashing through the miles. I really appreciated it, and as you may know, World Run Day is rather special to me. Indeed, shortly before getting out of the door, I did wonder if today might indeed be the day that the sky fell on my head. As you can see, it didn't.
I have a small thank you to send to all those who participated in World Run Day, so please send me your addresses.....In the meantime, thanks to Johann, and to Stefano who I definitely know have participated.

It was the best of times, but mainly it was the worst.....

2010-11-02T22:34:00.000-04:00

The past three weeks have been both good and bad. We have had friends visiting from Switzerland and Italy these past 2 weeks, and they have passed in a whirl of dinners, trips, outings and shopping. This has been the great part. The challenging part has been trying to keep up with my programme. I have not managed it at all.
What has been even more difficult was catching up on the news....illness, divorce, children.....all the small, meaningful dimensions of our friends lives that we are no longer actively part of anymore. Even though there is a fleeting sadness, what remains behind is a sense of disconnection. And so it continues, the exquisite agony of lives being lived in parallel, but never quite meeting. However, the ray of hope on the horizon must surely lie in the scientific proof that even parallel lines do meet at some point, at infinity - or does infinity begin where parallel lines meet? Anyway, enough of that.
I had a great time with my friends from Italy. It was wonderful to show them Boston, and the culinary delights of Cambridge! They were amazed, and fell in love with Boston. In fact, they have promised to be back soon.
My running programme is totally topsy-turvy now, and I have been wondering if I could even think about doing the marathon in November. Well, Sunday I did an 18 mile run, and whilst it was not pretty, I finished it, and I know I could do more. That pretty much decided it: I have set myself a goal, and come hell or high water, I will see it through. I know if I went for the half I would do rather well. In fact I am fairly convinced I could do a 2:10. But I said I would do 26.2 miles and I am not going to back out now!
Just a quick reminder that this coming Sunday, 7 November is World Run Day, and here is the honour roll of participants in this run:

* Fran - undefined distance
* Johann - recovery run after 32K
* Stefano: 10K
* Mary - undefined distance after marathon in Greece
* Wendy - 8K
* Christina - half marathon
* Erika - undefined distance
* Natalia - 20 miles

Thank you again everyone for being so game in participating in this event - and don't forget to make a donation to a charity of your choice. I will be catching up on reading all your blogs too.

Belle and Sebastian

2010-10-16T14:16:00.002-04:00

Last night I had the opportunity to see one of my favourite bands in concert - Belle and Sebastian. They are a Scottish indie rock group, and take their name from a French telly series for children about a boy (Sebastien), and his dog Belle. I heard about this band many years ago from Stuart when we were still living in Italy. In fact I owe a lot of my love of indie bands to him. I first saw (and heard) The Bravery before they were famous, play at the Montreux festival in Switzerland, as a fringe act!

Anyway, last night was pretty special. We were lucky to get these tickets, and had grand seats! One of their best concerts was live at the Barbican in London in 2005, but the tickets were all sold within 2 minutes of going online, so we missed that (which sucked big time). There they played the entire album of what is probably my number 2 desert island disc, If you are feeling sinister.

The opening act last night featured Dean Wareham Plays Galaxie 500. They were fabulous, and the next album on my wish list is their 13 Most Beautiful: Songs for Andy Warhols Screen Tests.

Finally Belle and Sebastian took to the stage, and by song 2 the entire theatre was on their feet. I always find that a bit odd here - sitting down to a concert! They were absolutely magnificent, and the lead singer Stuart Murdoch, also runs marathons (so you see, this is not just an arbitrary post). Alas, the time flew by much too quickly, and soon it was time to go home. But not without a tshirt.

Well, all in all, it's been a pretty good week - not so much on the running side, as I am trying to work out a few things that are giving me a severe headache! However, we saw a good movie from South Africa, White Wedding, and it was great to see something positive and funny about SA - and the feeling of, I know exactly what that is like!
See, I did my anthropology fieldwork in the Eastern Cape, and I do remember driving for miles and miles without seeing any road signs, or eventually coming upon ones with arrows pointing in both directions (this was before the time of garmins or tom-toms). But I loved driving through the Eastern Cape, it is breathtakingly beautiful, and this movie does a pretty good job of showing some of that. So I guess I should get ready for that half tomorrow. I had hoped that this week would be a bit better, but it is what it is. Main goal for tomorrow: enjoy the race.

My first 16 miles ever!

2010-10-10T20:08:00.001-04:00

Today I ran 16 miles. They were mostly good, high quality miles, even though the average time is much slower. I achieved 2 very important goals: I ran at a good, strong pace and I have no physical pain. I know that I should have run at a slower pace, but I am trying to improve my form and run more strongly. Most importantly, I want to do all those things and still feel fresh and lovely at the end!
I decided to do the run on a treadmill for a specific reason: I wanted to make sure that I would do a good quality run. Now whilst this might be a false positive, the treadmill has proven to be my friend in the past, and for me the issue is more psychological: if I can do it on the treadmill, I can do it anywhere. Sixteen miles took me 3:06:21. Most of the miles were pretty fast, but since I was running on the treadmill I thought this strategy (of running faster) would make up for the missing elements found in an outdoor run. I ran consistently, and when I needed to, I walked for a minute to recover. That is actually a very useful strategy, as it allows me to come back at the same or even a faster speed for a prolonged time (not unlike a tempo run). Given how good I felt afterwards, I think this might be the way forward for me to get a bit faster.
I am still in awe of the fact of how good I felt/feel after that. Touch wood, nothing hurts. Whilst I felt a bit tired, that was all, and I am so grateful. Had I run outside, I am not sure if I would have had as good a run, but I needed this confirmation of where my training is at (given the last 2 weeks). My next long run is 13 miles, and I will be doing it as another half marathon next Sunday. When I got to mile 13 today, I still felt very good, considering that I was fading at mile 12 in my last half. So, let's see what happens!
My other news is that I have decided to watch all 80 Boston Bruins ice hockey games this season. So, having watched the 2 opening matches in Prague on tele, only 78 (plus playoffs) to go. I am ordering a new shirt, and will probably go with Bergeron's name on the back. I believe that the Stanley Cup is coming home to Boston!

Monica (an ex-colleague from Italy) and I on our way to a Bruins game in April this year.

The Boston Bruins face-off with the New York Rangers.

The past 2 weeks

2010-10-08T23:21:00.003-04:00

I will not bore you with the details, but suffice it to say that these past 2 weeks have been......hectic. During all this sturm und drang, I read a lot, watched quite a few movies, and chopped off my hair. The result can be seen above, after my interval run tonight.
I am just about half way through with a very interesting book of short stories which I got in South Africa a few months ago. Duiwelsbrood is a stunning collection of "short and long" stories. I am struggling with the language, as it is written in Afrikaans, and since I have very little opportunity to speak this, let alone read it, I am having to read very, very slowly! Still, it does force you to savour the words, which is exactly what this writer manages to get the reader to do. I will write more about this book when I have finished reading it.
Five fabulous films to see are: Europa Europa (Germany 1994) which sees a Jewish boy joining the Hitler Youth League; Mother of Mine (Finland 2005) which sees a Finish boy removed from his family and sent to neutral Sweden during the war; Caramel (Lebanon 2007) tells the stories of 4 women who work in a beauty salon, Dennis (Denmark 2008) is a short, which sees a body builder out on a date, and finally Open Your Eyes (Spain 1997) dichotomizes love and good looks.
I cycled twice, and was quite surprised that I managed to get up to 17 miles per hour, considering that I have not cycled since last summer. I am definitely going to practice more! Finally, I girded my loins and went for a run yesterday. I did 8 miles, and it was not too shabby. Actually I had a decent time (for me) of 10:32. Today I did some intervals, and I have 16 miles on Sunday.
This past week and a half has been very difficult. Sometimes it is hard to see a reason to do things, and my tendency is to be quite nihilistic. I am trying to change this (well for a long time now!) but as with all tendencies, this is quite deeply rooted. Running helps a lot because it has the power to generate a sense of purpose. Anyway, this seems to be the challenge I am facing during my marathon training. Well, a day off tomorrow and I will catch up on all your blogs....so long!

Salem's Wicked half marathon race report

2010-09-25T20:57:00.006-04:00

Today, as part of my training programme, I did the Wicked half marathon in Salem. It was a bit hot, and around 80°F at the start. Given last week's less than sterling long run, I tweaked this week's training and was looking forward to seeing how it would all turn out. We set off at around 5:30am since the race was starting at 7 and I still had to pick up my race packet etc. I had an espresso, and then a chocolate underground yoghurt in the car as I find it difficult to eat so early in the morning.
Let me just come out and say it: the race rocked! I finished it in 2:31. Considering that the time for the last half (Boston's Race to Remember in May) was 2:40 AND I was wrecked afterwards, I was rather pleased with this one. I ran strongly, and felt good throughout. Even more amazing is the fact that I have no physical pain! Usually after a long run I have real pain in my muscles - nothing that a few Advils cannot fix, but still. Today, I finished and felt as fresh as a rose! I had a quick bathroom break at around mile 5, and walked a few times during the last mile to catch my breath, and also because it was starting to feel that I was going to start running slowly, and I did not want to do that. Those short walks helped me recover and finish strong.

What I did differently this week:
1) I did my 3 workouts on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and I put my heart into them. I rested on Thursday and Friday.
2) Drank lots of water especially on Friday, when I also ate my meals quite early. I had dinner at around 5:30pm, since we usually eat quite late - that was wise as I sometimes wake up feeling 'undigested'.
3) Although I only managed 1 weight session this week, I actually 'felt' strong in my core. Whether it was my muscles or my mind, I do not know, but I do know that the feeling of strength comes from feeling that you have your workouts under control - or at any rate that you are trying your best.

The race:
I love the Salem/Marblehead area. It is on the sea, so you feel and smell the sea when you bike or run. Salem is also quite hilly, so the first five miles were a combination of hills and flats...quite gentle ones though. As you can see from the map, we then ran across this bridge, to Marblehead neck. This a terrific part of the town. These are good hills, and for my Marblehead triathlon last year, I had to cycle 3 times around the neck. If you remember I only learned to ride a bike last year, and had not quite mastered the art of getting out of the saddle. So I had to do all these hills sitting down, and peddle ferociously, because they are quite steep, and if you stop, I am not sure you can start on that kind of hill again!
Anyway, I know the course well, and I loved accelerating up those hills today. I sprinted up them, and what a great feeling that was - especially since I remembered to keep the pace going on the downhill as well, rather than relaxing. Two rather surprising songs for uphill and then downhill sprints are Part -time Lover and Take Me Home Country Roads. In fact I would go as far as saying I could have run the entire race with those 2 songs....for some reason today, that was the right beat! But most importantly, I felt happy. Yes, today I felt like I did Run like Hermes - messenger of the gods, with wings on my feet. This is the first time that I can say I actually felt like that!

Conclusion:
You all gave me some great advice, which I took, and what you have said is true indeed. I made sure to have enough rest, and kept up the quality in my training sessions this week, which resulted in a good run today. I realize that I might be over-simplifying things somewhat, but I needed to have a good run today, and see at what point my training is. My running confidence has been renewed, and I am ready for week 12. In the meantime, all that running around Marblehead today made me want to cycle! So tomorrow morning, a bike ride is on the cards.

Mile 13: I may look a bit hallucinatory, but I am actually smiling in this pic!

A pic just before driving back to Boston.

Now for something fun....yes, fun!

2010-09-22T23:13:00.000-04:00

Last November saw the inaugural run of a 5K Super Hero race here in Cambridge. You could run as one of a quartet (the Fantastic Four) or seven of you could run as the Magnificent Seven. Finally, you could run as an individual super hero. I wanted to participate, but could not think of a female super hero I wanted to be (besides Wonder Woman or Cat Woman). Indeed I thought about it so much, and how this is so gender-skewed, that I got into some heated discussions with Stuart, and forgot about the race. Deep was my regret when I saw them running down the street, outside our flat. There was Wonder Woman, Dorothy (complete with basket), and other characters. Most of all, these people looked like they were having a ball!

This year, I will be prepared, but I need some help. A simple option is to go as Wonder Girl - the costume is awaiting in the new party shop that opened a few blocks down. What I would really like to go as, is Master Yoda. However, the costume consists of a full rubber mask, a long, flowing robe and of course a light sabre to add the finishing touch. The robe and sabre I can just about manage....the full rubber mask which you have to pull over your head, seems a bit much to run in for 5 kilometres!
But there are not so many female super heroes around. I know Master Yoda is not exactly a girl, but there are female jedi (and anyway, under the mask it makes no difference) In a perfect world, I would like to go as a female super hero, but .......Who else is there?

Lessons in Running.....

2010-09-21T19:51:00.001-04:00

Let's start with Saturday's long run. It was supposed to be 14, I ended up doing 10. It was painful, I was tired and I just ran out of steam. It is one of the worse (if not the worse) run I have had to date, as I always finish my long runs, even if I have to struggle through them. I was disappointed in myself and disappointed in not finishing it, but there you have it. It was a bad one.
I thought about it a lot on Sunday, and decided that not every training session works out, but that there is a lesson to be learnt in the ones that don't work out. For example the Friday 'tempo' run which I did with my colleagues was really quite challenging for me, as it started off at quite a strong pace. But it has also made me realize that if I want to improve a bit, perhaps I need to occasionally run with a group who are quicker than me. That is something I need to force myself to do, because it would be like Waiting for Godot if I waited until I 'felt' like it.
The second lesson was in Saturday's long run. Should I have just insisted and do a run-walk finish, or even just walk 3 miles and run the last one? Well, all good options, but I stopped - now let's move on. I listened to my body (as everyone has been telling me, and reinforcing my belief anyway). I felt terrible and in pain. I rested, and my next long run will be better.
My interval run last night was pretty challenging. Again, I was out of my comfort zone, and quite a few times felt like crumpling up in a heap. I think this programme is quite good, even though last night I did have a fleeting doubt. Every workout pushes me out of my comfort zone, and it feels like it's an effort. And that is what I need to work on - so I have started doing my circuit training again to build some stamina.
I have also discovered a most wonderous thing: this Kefir drink is delicious- the only down-side is that it has 21g of sugar!

I suppose one should drink sparingly, but it is really good! And what better way to watch the pilot episode of the new Hawaii 5-0, than drinking a glass of this. Now personally I think Jack Lord was just too hunky and classy to have any pretenders to the throne. That being said, last night's pilot was passable. It is certainly the best police series on telly at the moment. The atrocious rubbish that is on is just mind boggling - no wonder Dexter reigns supreme. In all fairness, I am not sure if I can give a good assessment yet, as the build-up to last night was so heightened, that I suspect nothing can really live up to the original. I will definitely watch a few more episodes, and see if they can stand on their own..... Meanwhile thank goodness Dexter is back on Sunday.......

Running with Colleagues

2010-09-17T22:10:00.000-04:00

Today was a fairly rainy day with a high humidity index. Work was a bit of an early start, with a meeting at 8, and then the rest of the morning was a series of annoyances and by the time 11:30 came around, I did not feel like a run in the least bit. That plus the fact that the other participating runners were of the fleet-footed variety - in the extreme. There was Jonathan who ran Boston last year in 3:28, Jill who runs a 7 minute mile (yes really) and all the others who run sub-eight minute miles. On a good day, I can manage a 9:13 pace.....
At this point I wanted to cop out. This is quite typical of me. I feel stressed out running with others, and when my head is 'in' work, I cannot disengage. I am sure there must be some kind of formula, as this must get easier, yes? Anyway, we were a group of 8 in the end, and off we went. I think that must have been one of the fastest 3.78 miles I ran. Jill led the pack, and the start was intense, but I could not hold that pace for long, and after about 2 miles, the distance started increasing between all of us. Still, even though I was running pretty fast (for me), they were far ahead. I think I put in a good effort, but I ran my own 'race'. I am glad that I went counter-tendency and did the run, even though I needed all afternoon to recover!
So tomorrow I have a 14 mile long run. I missed last week's, so I hope I am not too rusty. I am just thankful that I can do it. Let's see how it goes.
Finally, I received a reply to my email from Matt Fizgerald. And yes, all of you were right! So thank you again for the kind words and excellent advice. Matt's email was the cherry on the cake....

Natalia,

Thanks for your message. Don't lose confidence! You still have plenty of time to build the endurance you will need on November 21. While my plan may have less volume than some other beginner plans, it has more high-intensity work, and ultimately that's more beneficial. Stick to the plan and you'll be ready, I promise!

I know I have to work a lot harder as I only have 9 weeks left. As mentioned in a previous post, I am sticking with my programme. Indeed, as with all things, you have to see these things to the end if you want to assess whether it works or not.

National Run@Work Day is September 17, 2010

2010-09-16T22:56:00.000-04:00

I did my first run in a week this morning. There were some unforeseen events which made it difficult (but not impossible) to run. However, I did not run, I took refuge in Kurt Vonnegut's Look at the Birdie

and my soul was restored. I hope that the day will come when the equation is reversed, and I reach for my running shoes first, rather than a book, but that's the way it went down this time. The last thing I will say on this topic is that Vonnegut is pure class! His writing is beautiful. Ownership of a copy, should be mandatory.
Anyway, although my programme suffered a little this past week, I did a 6 mile (including cool down) run this morning, and it was not too bad. I felt really good, and berated myself afterwards for not doing it sooner! Tomorrow at lunch time I will try and do a tempo run. For those who may not know, it is National Run@Work Day, with the aim being to encourage everyone to do at least 30 minutes of exercise tomorrow, and move toward a healthier, active lifestyle. I was unaware of this day, but an email came around in our company explaining it, and we were encouraged to join up and go for a run together either at lunch time or after work. When the final logistics for the run came out today, 10 of us had signed up in a company with approximately 1000 employees!
The organizer has programmed a 3.75 mile run at noon for us. There is also a storm raging outside at the moment, but hopefully it will have cleared by tomorrow. I am looking forward to it, and will certainly try and give it a good go. If anyone reads this in time, you might wish to organize something at your place of work too. At present my colleagues show no interest in running, but who knows when that spark might ignite in someone, and it is thanks to events like these, that we get to spread around a little bit of the running love!
I shall give an update tomorrow, but in the meantime, Happy Friday, and don't forget to run at least 30 minutes today!

World Run Day - 7 November 2010

2010-09-06T21:43:00.002-04:00

I have just signed up for World Run Day on 7 November. It is an international event to celebrate running worldwide. I did this run last year and the year before last - indeed it has a special place in my heart. This particular event is a virtual run, with participation both by teams and individuals. You can sign up, will receive a race t-shirt, and will have to print off your race bib on your printer. You decide on the number of miles you wish to run, and then you have the opportunity to make a donation to a charity of your choice.
For the past two years I have made a donation to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, as this is a cause close to my heart. This year, World Run Day falls on the Sunday that I have a 20 mile run, two weeks prior to Philly. This is quite special to me, a) since I have never run 20 miles in my life and b) because I have the opportunity to make a donation to Chimp Haven, a National Chimpanzee Sanctuary which provides lifetime care for chimpanzees which have been used in medical research, or are simply no longer wanted by their 'owners'. I heard about this organization on PBS, and an overview of the programme can be found on their website.
World Run Day is also special to me, because it was the first time that I actually managed to go outside and run on my own. Indeed my first posting to this blog was all about that first run. If I have made this sound more dramatic than it actually is, let me break it down a bit. In Italy, I was used to running with my team, and my running partner was a very nice man called Francesco. Francesco was a retired policeman, and my coach. He encouraged me and most of all, made me believe that hills were the best thing since spaghetti alle vongole! To this day, I love hills and hill work. During races, we used to run together, and as we neared the finish line, we would always hold hands and cross that line together. It meant a lot to me, as I was not particularly fast, but Francesco would do 2 training sessions: his own, and then a second one with me. Many a day I felt like ditching a work out, but Francesco would ring and confirm our appointment at the track or Pian del Lago, a green woody area in the Sienese countryside.
When I left Siena, I stopped running. I could not imagine running without Francesco pushing me along. A few times just before handing in my thesis, I ran in Oxford, but I can count on my one hand the number of times I did. When I came to Boston, I could only run indoors. In the end, I was too scared to run outside on my own - what would that mean? I know it sounds bizarre, but there you have it. World Run Day in 2008 offered me the opportunity to do just that, and no the sky did not fall in on my head!
It had to be a sign, as I found an old photo of Francesco and I, running the Vivicitta' race in Siena. This is a race which also takes place world wide, and is held to combat racism, and to protect the environment. But that deserves a separate post. I am thankful that I had such a great running partner like Francesco, who had the patience of a saint, and helped me take my first baby running steps! I am also thankful that on 7 November, I will run 20 miles, and finally I am thankful that I can make a small donation to the Chimp Haven.

So dear fellow runners, will you please run with me on 7 November? I would love the 'company' and it would be so great to do this virtual run together, and celebrate our love of running. Any takers?

Francesco and I nearing the finish line: One day, I will be smiling when I finish!

Friday's tempo run on Saturday

2010-09-04T17:58:00.001-04:00

Saturday: Tempo Run

1 mile E: 11:31

2 mile T: 9:47

3 mile T: 9:31

4 mile E: 10:21

Total: 40:30

Many, many thanks to Johann, The Yogi, Beth and Frank for your encouraging words on my last post. I had lost a little perspective on the whole training thing, and I was especially concerned about the quantity of miles I have been running. Week 7 is almost at the halfway mark, and since it took me a while to get my head into the programme, I felt a bit panicky that I may turn up on 21 November and find that it was just not enough.
Since then, I have tried reading a bit more around Matt Fitzgerald's work, and since today's run was a tempo run, I found the means to renew my faith in the programme with this great article from Runner's World. Indeed, today was really good. I put my back into it, and was pleased with the result! I am starting to see how quality sessions make you feel better about your training, and you can see the improvement if you continue. Since I have never actually followed a programme of any sort, this observation is consistent with what all of you have said in your comments.
Well then, I am going to stick with this programme, and work at it. I am quite curious to see the results in November. Initially, when deciding on a programme, I almost went with Tim Noakes's Lore of Running programme. Tim Noakes was at my alma mater (and might still be), and is a guru in the art of running. I chickened out of following his programme mainly because Tim has you running for periods of time, rather than numbers of miles, and I did not feel a confident enough runner to do this in preparation for a marathon.
Still, the book is phenomenal. I have a tatty, old third edition (1991), but it is revolutionary, considering what he said during the 80's is what people like Matt Fitzgerald are saying today. There are definitely some chapters that I will be re-reading as this book is really worth it's weight in gold. Who knows, one day I might be daring enough to give one of his programmes a go!

A crisis of faith

2010-09-02T08:02:00.001-04:00

I am having a crisis of faith, and it started on Sunday with a terrible long run. By the time I stepped out for my 6 miler, it was 95°F...of course it did not look that hot, so I thought I would just go for a quick run at a good pace and left without even a drink. After 2 miles, I was soaking wet, and feeling terrible. I walked the rest of the way home. Come Monday (a rest day), I ran the remaining 4 miles, and was that an effort! It was so hard that I started questioning the type of training programme I am following. Needless to say, these doubts are compounded by reading other people's blogs - people who are pounding out miles and miles and more miles.
So on Tuesday I looked at another programme which has quite a lot of miles per week, and began to think about switching programmes. Not ideal, but I was feeling slightly desperate: I do not want to get to November 21 and find that I do not have the 'legs' to get through it. I had a quick chat with Stuart who felt that my current programme is of a better quality with regard to the type and intensity of workouts. I also had a chat with a colleague of mine who only does triathlons, but her response left me dissatisfied. Why can't people think outside their own little boxes for once??
Well, Tuesday's training was HR1 mile E, 6x1 min HR, 1 mile E. Did the first mile on a 2% incline, then 6 x1 @ 6% and 6.5 mph. Last mile at 1 and a half % incline. I Felt a bit better after my previous 2 runs, but not much since by now I was in the midst of a full crisis of faith. After yet another unsatisfying conversation with another colleague, who seemed convinced that one has to run quantitatively, I took matters into my own hands.
I emailed the creator of the programme directly, and have spelled out my concerns to him. This is a beginner's marathon programme that I found in Women's Running (May/June 2009). It has been designed by Matt Fitzgerald, who also writes for Triathlete. In fact, I first got to know him through that magazine, and always liked his advice and approach to tri training. When I saw his marathon programme (that was not geared towards triathletes), it seemed like a gift from the gods.
So whilst I am waiting to hear back from him, I have also read a bit more about his approach to training. Matt's approach is that Feel Good Training = Better Results. No, he is not advocating cruising along, doing little or no work. He believes that runners should train by feel. The reason is that how a runner feels during runs and about his or her running generally at any given time is the most sensitive and reliable indicator of how well the training process is going. The mind and the body are deeply interconnected. He goes on to say that "There are two enemies of feeling good in training. The first, as I’ve already suggested, is lack of fitness. If you train too lightly to stimulate steady improvement in your fitness, you will not enjoy your training as much as you would if you worked harder, suffered more, and grew stronger for your pains. The second enemy of feeling good in training is fatigue. The more fatigue you carry into a workout, the lousier you will feel, regardless of your fitness level. Therefore, maximizing your enjoyment in training requires that you minimize fatigue".
So far so good, but what does this translate into? It would seem that he proposes shorter and better quality workouts, rather than just grinding out the miles. I have to say that on the few long runs I have done thus far, it does feel as though I am running at a more consistent pace with each mile, rather than falling off midway.....still, Sunday is a 12 mile run, and I am anxious to see how that works out. In the meantime, I will do a short test today, with my 4 mile Easy run. Has anyone else ever had a crisis of faith with their training programmes? If so, what did you do about it?

Pushing through and forgetting about the crocodiles....

2010-08-28T21:26:00.000-04:00

Today was my 3.5 m Easy + 1 m @ level 7 run. Since we had quite a few errands this morning, I went out around 6 this evening, when it was 80°F (around 30°C). Oh, it was a hot and humid struggle. I managed the 3.5 miles in 37:08 at a pace of 10:37, not without a great deal of huffing and puffing, and a few rests in between. I got back home to do the last mile on the treadmill. I do not yet have the 'legs' to run at level 7 for a mile consistently on my own, so the treadmill is a good training tool in helping me build up the endurance needed for that pace. Even so, level 7 was just a wee bit too fast as I felt a bit knackered, so I did the mile in 9:13 at level 6.5. My total time for 4.5 miles was 46:21 and the breakdown turned out to be:

Mile 1: 10:23
Mile 2: 10:40
Mile 3: 10:54
Mile 3.5: 10:22
Mile 4: 9:13

When I run outside, I usually run sans ipod. However, I took my ipod with me today, and whilst I would prefer to run without it, as it is quite hard for me to override the uncomfortable sensation of running slowly, I thought it was worth a try to attempt to get the right beat. I started with Come on Baby Light my Fire and ended with Asereje. It's ok, but I am not easily distracted by music when I run outside. On the treadmill it's fine, as I really think about the songs, whereas outside I actually concentrate on the matter at hand! Still, I am going to try this a few times and see if this actually has an influence on the quality of my running.

Stuart went out for a run as well, and naturally we were starving afterwards. I had not prepared anything before hand, and needed something quickly. Step in Trader Joe's Meatless Meatballs. This is a lifesaver! These meatballs are pre-cooked, so all I needed to do was to make a quick tomato sauce, and add the meatballs. I left to simmer for about 15 minutes and everything was ready in 30 minutes. I started boiling the whole wheat pasta when I added the meatballs. It usually takes around 12 minutes as whole wheat pasta takes a few more minutes to cook. Strain, add to the sauce immediately, and grate the parmesan cheese (takes me about 2 minutes to grate enough for both of us), and voila' it's done. A glass of Bordeaux, and we had a very yummy dinner.

Serving Size 6 meatballs:
Calories 140 Calories from Fat 50
Total Fat 6g 9%
Saturated Fat 0g
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 560mg 23%
Total Carbohydrates 8g 3%
Dietary Fiber 4g
Sugars 1g
Protein 16g

I think these meatballs are actually quite amazing. They are delicious, very healthy and you can whip up a great meal in 30 minutes. We have a very small freezer, so I cannot make a few meals and store them, but I am going to try and make a batch of this, some ragu' and some pesto tomorrow. That way, I only have to boil the pasta if I don't feel like cooking. Have a great Sunday!

Hills and Speed: Check!

2010-08-24T22:27:00.001-04:00

Tonight I had and easy 4.5 mile run with 6x45 sec @ level 8. I ran the 4.5 miles between 1-5% inclines at at varying paces, starting at 11:29 min miles, and going up to 10:29 min miles. I did the hill sprints at an incline of 6, running at around an 8:29 min mile. The sprints were really tiring, and I did not quite manage 45 seconds for all of them, so I did a few extra to make up for it. Nothing more to add, except that this was a relatively satisfactory session, and I was really glad that I ran for more sustained distances on the hills, and at a faster pace. The funny thing is, I seem to have ended up with exactly the same time as my easy 5 mile run on Sunday! But I probably missed a few seconds somewhere, though not many, otherwise what would be the mathematical probability of that happening?

Dinner was a bit of a treat: an Ezekiel muffin with Icelandic butter. Now this is purposely meant to sound as exotic as I first found it. Living in the US has suddenly opened up a new vista of food choices. Topping the list is the Icelandic butter and yoghurt. Even in Europe we cannot buy this, as it is simply not to be found anywhere, and although Iceland is part of the European Economic Area, I have yet to see anything of theirs on the supermarket shelves. Anyway, I know it's not very green and I am probably creating some very bad juju with my girnormous carbon footprint, but my only justification is that much like eating reindeer steaks in the Arctic Circle, I just had to try this. She tried it all, and saw that it was good!

Currently there is a programme on the Food Network Channel entitled "The Best thing I ever Ate". All these chefs are interviewed and they try and describe the best thing they ever ate, and the accompanying sensations. It is quite an interesting experience, because you immediately wonder if you can come up with something, realize that there are quite a few options, and then the fun part begins when you start paring it down. Although this next item is not the Best Thing I Ever Ate, it is one of the most memorable.
I need a bit of a break from the Green Monsters, so this morning I had granola and yoghurt for breakfast. The first time I ever tasted this particular combination, was last July, picking up my race packet at the Danskin Triathlon expo. Walking past a stand, a bloke offered me a cup with some granola and yogi in it. My surprise at the unexpected deliciousness is recreated everytime I have this:

Bear Naked granola and Banilla (yes it's banana and vanilla) yoghurt. It is the best - EVER! It is also a great post-run snack. Finally I will leave you with one last image (and this one's for Christina). A few posts ago I mentioned the straw that finally broke the camel's back, and led Stuart to refuse to eat anymore of my vegetarian offerings: red quinoa, green cauliflower and spinach - well maybe a picture really is worth a thousand words! Happy Wednesday.

I am finally starting to feel the love.......

2010-08-22T21:37:00.000-04:00

Given that I had to play a little catch up this week, after my hill training on Thursday, my legs were so tired on Friday, that I only managed 2 of my 4 miles, and decided to take my rest day then, did my long run yesterday, and did my 4 miles (+ 1 from those outstanding), to make it a 5 mile easy run today.
It was raining heavily all day, and I kept waiting for it to ease up, but no. So wimping out on a rainy run, I did 5 treadmill or "dreadmill" (as Stefano likes to call them) miles. It takes me a while to warm my core up, but I did it in 52:27. Not fabulous, considering that I did a 6 mile race last February in 57:33. BUT, it was pretty good for me, since I actually enjoyed it. I felt like I was having a good run, and had to put my back into it. Yesterday's long run seemed slow and very long. I do not have an exact time for that, since I forgot how to use the Garmin, and only managed to get it to work around mile 2! That just shows how long it's been since I've used it.
You may have noticed that I changed my workout log to the daily mile widget. I never quite got into the buckeye outdoors one, having abandoned my previous one, since this one offered more options. But it was just not right, and so I have only used it a few times.
My physical ailment seems to have passed, and I am finally feeling more in the zone, as I start week 6. My goals for this week are:

* sticking to the training schedule without switching the days around
* do 2 sessions of weights on cross-training days

OK, well off to try and sort out some dinner. Cheers, and Happy Monday!

Yes, it was the day........

2010-08-18T21:55:00.000-04:00

I had a HR: 1 mile E, 6 x 1 min HR, 1 mile E today, for a total of 2 miles and 6x6 minute sprints up a hill. Well, I did all that, and managed to recuperate 2 miles of my missing 5 from last week, which leaves me with 3 to catch up to. Not too shabby considering that I actually did a lot of hill work this evening.
I started off at a gentle pace on the flat, then picked it up at the next mile on a slight hill, did the repeats at an 8% elevation, running at an 8:34 pace. This is massive for me, because I do not think a) I have ever done this before and b) I have ever been so methodical in my calculations! However reading all your blogs has provided me with good inspiration and I want to improve too! I finished off with a gentle jog at an 11 minute pace on a 2% elevation for three quarters of a mile, and then got up to 10 minutes and for another half mile. It was slightly over 4 miles in total, but who's counting, when there are still 3 outstanding!
Nuff said - now all I need to do, is repeat tomorrow. Shower, dinner and a quick start to my new book, ciao!

Today might be the day.........

2010-08-18T08:48:00.000-04:00

.....that I turn a corner! More a psychological, than a physical one, though I have been enduring a rather annoying little ailment which is finally getting better. This means a pain-free run! So tonight is 5 miles. I was up rather late last night reading anthropology blogs, so this morning was a washout. BUT, and dare I say it?! Yes, OK, I think I might finally be feeling hopeful again, and that really impacts my running tremendously. I have never been one of those people who can run through personal hells and back again. For me, that refuge has always been in reading. So I have been reading a lot of science fiction lately, and have just finished:

Lots of it is very cleverly written, but I have always loved the anthropological aspect of it all. I think I will dedicate a post just to this topic, but for now, I am just happy to be looking forward to my run tonight. Have a great day everyone!

Bye bye week 4

2010-08-15T22:30:00.001-04:00

I have had a few physical ailments this week which have slightly derailed my training plan. I still did the training, but had to break the session up into 2, otherwise there is no way I could have finished it. I had to skip a mid-week 3 mile run, but I will make that up this week by just adding a mile on to the regular programme. Anyway, it really was a long pain-filled week, but I am hoping that this week improves - and certainly the signs are good!
Yesterday's run was fantastic: 3 miles easy + 1 at level 7. I got up to 10 minute miles with the 3E, and the final mile was done in increments, finishing the last half mile at 6 and a half minutes. Considering the terrible week, I was happy. Today was a long run of 6 miles. It was not too horrible, but I did struggle, as it was hot and humid, and after having shepherd's pie for lunch, I still felt the pie in my stomach!
So this brings me to the next topic: food, glorious food. Stuart and I have now started having totally different meals. He is pretty good with vegetarian, but I think now there might be a bit of a rebellion going on. Things finally came to a head when I made some red quinoa tossed with spinach and steamed green cauliflower florets for dinner. Admittedly the quinoa does look like rather large red ants, and it did look slight inaesthetic. Long story short, I am going to try and make a few meat-based dishes a month, one of which was the shepherd's pie today. I have my own healthy version recipe if anyone is tempted by a classic British dish.
So I start week 5 tomorrow, which is a rest day. I also got a bit more organized and signed up for 2 half marathons as part of my long run training plan. The first is Salem's Wicked Half on 25 September. And yes, in case you are wondering, it is in THE city of Salem, made infamous by the witch trials in 1692. It is a beautiful city, and I have good memories, having done a triathlon there last summer. The second half is on 17 October, the Baystate Marathon in Lowell, not too far from here. I am looking forward to both, and am hoping to improve everything, considering that the last half I did....
Since the week had been quite hectic, I took advantage of the tax-free weekend in Massachusetts, and bought a few things. I ordered a jolly looking frock on the net, now I wonder if the frock is a bit too jolly, as I intend wearing it to work. I have never owned anything in yellow, so I thought this might be a nice change, but hmmm....maybe a bit too bright? Any thoughts anyone?

The wages of processed foods are......not pleasant

2010-08-09T21:42:00.000-04:00

I have done a very silly thing. In an effort to vary my diet, and still eat healthily, I turned to the Weight Watchers products this past week. I used to share a house with a woman who was on this system, so I got to know how it works quite well. I have also read a few peoples blogs who also follow this system, so I thought I really had the hang of it.
I bought a load of WW cheese (hey it's only 1 point), snacks (which were awful as they were full of aspartame) and other stuff which was all low-calorie and low in points. I ate this stuff for a week, and on Saturday, I started feeling slightly ill. Nothing serious, just a really dry mouth, heat waves sweeping over me and feeling out of sorts, like being in a sugar overload. Come Sunday and I was in full crisis.
Clearly I do not want to blame the WW products. I still eat pizza, and come Thanksgiving, I become a glutton with the Whole Foods blueberry pie. I think however, the problem came with the QUANTITY of processed food I consumed this past week. Most of my food is eaten raw, and this sudden overdrive of sugary 1 point treats left me tired, cranky and wanting more. Sunday I was just violently ill, and today was not much better. When I got home, rather than having some Finn crisps with WW cheese, I had them with proper Brie. Nothing too dramatic happened. However, all this has been a serious lesson to me - indeed my eating habits may be boring, but it is the perfect fuel for me. I do not want to go through this again, and I can say that it will take a lot to tempt me to eat something processed!
I was lucky in that Saturday was a rest or a cross training day. Because I felt so terrible, I had a rest. I do not know by what miracle I managed 6 miles on Sunday, but manage them I did. Clearly they were not the best 6 I have ever done, but I am still on track with my training. Thankfully today was also a rest day, as I almost left work at lunch time. But I stuck it out and things have slowly started improving. Tomorrow is 4 miles with 6x30 sec repeats. I am doing this on the treadmill, but I am determined to do it - even if I have to split the session in 2. Has anyone else had a similar experience?!

HR: 3miles E w/4x10sec HR - Check!

2010-08-06T23:07:00.000-04:00

This morning was hard to get out of bed! It usually takes me an hour to realize who I am, but since I was late and was not going to miss my run, I had an espresso, and off I went. It was around 80°F around 7am, so this was a very sweaty run. It was pretty good and I can see that my fitness is slowly improving. Nothing much to report, just that it felt good to start and finish this run.

I did not make any lunch for work, as I was going out to a Thai place with a colleague. However, I did manage to make a bottle of Green Monster to share with my colleagues. When I drink this at work for breakfast, I have been greeted with "What the hell is that?" to "God, how can you drink that?" So, I brought some in to work for a tasting, and this is the reaction from my colleagues:

Notwithstanding their expressions, everyone was surprised at just how good it tasted, but were unanimous in feeling that they could not go another round in the morning drinking this. I still have a few more colleagues who want to try this, so I might yet get a few converts to the Green Monster Movement!

Progress

2010-08-04T21:10:00.000-04:00

As I blogged this morning, my goal was to do a short stair climb after work today, as cross-training. Well, the day started off well. After my run I made a "Red Monster"for breakfast.

So a red monster has 3 tomatoes, 2 carrots, a stick of celery, a handful of spinach, a third of a raw beetroot and a chunk of fresh ginger. Frullee' and you have a glass of joy. I think I got the proportions a bit muddled in my enthusiasm this morning, and I ended up with a very thick concoction that I had to eat with a spoon!

Still, it was very good, and I will try changing the portion sizes next time. Given my terrrible food day yesterday, I was organized, and made my lunch. A big salad, and a protein sandwich with cheese. So, since moving to the US, I discovered a most wonderous thing - Ezekiel 4:9. In fact, I call it holy bread, even though it's not really bread.

So this is flourless bread, and because it is made from spelt, barley, millet, lentils etc., it is pure protein. I toasted 2 slices with a slice of cheese and had that with my salad. It was the perfect lunch. In fact I also had some for dinner with soup. You will find it in the freezer at Whole Foods or Trader Joe's.
The stair climb was not exceptional. I only did 60 flights of stairs in 20 minutes (walking, not running), and I did some strength training for another 20 or so minutes. Then I tackled that which I most resist: abdominals. Nothing fancy, just a few planks and bicycles which I don't dislike. Tomorrow is a 3 mile run before work - I think I will go back to my usual green monster for breakfast though!

Week 3

2010-08-04T08:02:00.000-04:00

I did a 5 mile long run on Sunday, and that finished week 2. Monday was a rest day and Tuesday was 3 miles E + 4x20 sec S. I did not manage the run yesterday, so did it this morning instead. Since today is a cross training day, my plan is to fit in some stair climbing this evening, and hey, maybe even a few weights!
I was annoyed at missing yesterday's run, but I got up too late, and the choice was to do my Buddhist meditation or go for a run. I chose the former, thinking I could do the latter after work. Well, after work I ended up going for a coffee with a colleague and was exhausted by the time I got home. I was in bed by 9pm!
Up early this morning, and did that run, will have time for a smidgen of meditation, but I can do it with calm tonight! So, you may remember that I have done two stair climbs since moving to Boston. I usually do them as a vertical run. Well, my goal for next year's climb is to race it competitively!
Stairs are hard work, but there is a certain delight in the agony, and it is fun too. Well, off to sort some lunch out. Yesterday was a disaster.....I did not make any lunch and ended up eating half a wilted salad at work and a bag of crisps. Yikes! It got worse. I had a rather large slice of banana and nut bread with my colleague, and for dinner three quarters of a box of chocolate covered peanuts. All in all, it was a nightmare. I felt sick and had to have large handfuls of Citrosodina...which has quite a salty taste. So new day, and no more rubbish!

Friday 30 July: 4.1 miles - DONE

2010-07-30T07:46:00.000-04:00

I got up after 3 and a half hours of sleep last night, and did my run this morning. It took me 45 minutes to run 4.1 miles, and whilst not exactly Speedy Gonzales, I am pleased both with the time and the run.
Tomorrow - Repeat. Cheers!

Coping with Change

2010-07-30T00:56:00.000-04:00

I am in the second week of my marathon training plan for Philadelphia, and I have yet to do a single run. These past few weeks have been fraught with stresses and tensions at work, like I have never experienced before. I do not know if it is because I find the US workplace extremely stressful, or because I need to manage change better, but as I write this, I am wondering it it could be a combination of both?!
In short, our department has been reorganized, and the head of my group has resigned. No big deal....this happens all the time. Indeed the last company I worked for in Switzerland was taken over by a German company, and we had many workshops on how to deal with change. Prior to that, the company I worked for in Italy was taken over by an American company. I am no stranger to change, and yet, it seemed as though I was experiencing it for the first time!
The effect on my running has been terrible - I have not done a single run.....neither outdoors, nor on the treadmill, and not even a stair climb. This week has made me realize that each change is unique, and an experience unto itself - and that the past really is a foreign country (as historian David Lowenthal puts it). When I started getting over the shock of the changes, the lessons that emerged are that: 1) I have some fabulous colleagues, 2) this is an opportunity for me, 3) climb the mountain that is in front of you, 4) don't look back lest you be changed into a pillar of salt. In the light of that, I will go for a run tomorrow morning, AND blog about it before I go to work!
I have however, been making some very good lunches for work. Since I am not rushing in the morning anymore (no early morning runs to squeeze in), I had time to either come home for lunch, or to take something good with me. My lunch had 'three courses' and of course, an espresso afterwards....not too shabby eh! Well, I am up early tomorrow, so I will leave you with a visual image of a typical lunch: 3 baby artichokes with some olive oil, veggie wrap and plain Greek yoghurt. The apple was a snack.

Saturday at last!

2010-07-18T20:45:00.002-04:00

It has been a long week at work, and I was really looking forward to Saturday. My plan was to treat myself well. I started the morning off with my favourite breakfast....a green monster smoothie. I got this recipe from Angela's blog, and it is truly yummy.

Take 2 cups of organic spinach, 1 banana, 1 cup and a half of almond milk and a teaspoon of flax seeds. Put all the ingredients into a blender and whizz until you have the perfect glass of joy. Whilst it might sound a bit challenging at first (especially if you are not used to drinking spinach first thing in the morning), this is a wonderful drink, and keeps me going until lunchtime. I also have one of these when I need some energy for a run. It is the perfect fuel. I have also tried this with 3 kale leaves instead of the spinach, and a cup of blueberries. I have learned that it is not a good idea to add chia seeds as it makes for a rather gelatinous concoction which you have to eat with a spoon, which prompted one of my colleagues to ask, "What the hell are eating?". Still, odd mistake aside, these green monsters are amazing power drinks. I do not add ice to mine, as I am not a fan, but add it if you prefer a more chilled drink. It takes me 5 minutes to make.

I managed to fit in a 45 minute run, and a 20 minute cycle on the stationery bike. The run was at a sustained pace, and although it was not too long, it was good. The weather here in Boston has been in the 90s (around 34°C) for a good few weeks, with up to 80% humidity. Since I got up a bit late, (7am), the sun was already beating down quite strongly, and I did not have the bottle to go outside, so I ran on the treadmill. However, my marathon training starts soon-ish, and that will definitely have to be done outside - or at least a large portion of it!
I really did treat myself on Saturday, and lunch was a standard favourite: a whole wheat wrap, hummus, rucola and jalapeno peppers. An Eastern peach served as dessert and I was set. This is a delicious

hummus made of chickpeas, with kalamata olives and artichokes. The whole meal works out to under 300 calories, and is highly nutritious, though I need a snack around 4pm! Although the weekend was not very dense with running activities, it was very relaxing, and I feel that I am more 'in the zone' mentally, to start running with more commitment!
Well, Monday is the start of a new week, and my goal for this week is to try and run every day - using different distances, and to do 3 stair climbing sessions. Hope you all have a great week too!

My first Lululemon outfit

2010-07-17T00:31:00.012-04:00

I went for a quick 3 mile run this morning. Since it was only 3 miles, I decided to try and speed things up a bit. I increased the speed with each mile, and the last mile and 10 yards was a 10 minute mile. To liventhings up a bit, I wore a Lululemon outfit I had bought a few weeks ago and never got around to wearing.

I had intially shunned these clothes, as I thought the runners items ran more to my taste (no pun intended). However, I am a bit bored of the same colours and styles, and decided I wanted to experiment a bit more. So I went off to the Lululemon store one Friday and tried on a couple of outfits. I ended up with a top and pair of capris. The fit was great and I loved the colours! The top is a great fit, though I find the neck a bit low. I like to have my chest covered when I go running as I do not like the sun on it. The sports bra goes somewhat toward 'sheltering' the exposed flesh. Notwithstanding that, it would be

great to wear in the gym as well. Now these capris really come into their own! They are colourful, and fit like a dream. Made of lightweight cotton with a bit of elastacine, they are quick drying and look terrific. The saleswoman advised me to wash these items by hand, so they are a bit high maintenance. Having said that, I will start off doing that, and I am sure they will end up in the washing machine! I will definitely return to Lululemon for more capris, but am not sure about their running tops. This is what the complete outfit looks like! As you can see I am not too good at the self-image thing, but you get the idea of the Lululemon 'look'.

Imagine my surprise when I saw bags if Quorn in Wholefoods last week! I had tried asking about when we first moved here, but was always referred to cobs of corn. Quorn is a meat and soy substitute and is basically harvested from fungi. Whilst this might sound a bit odd, it is delicious and very healthy!

I usually cook it first, the put it aside. Then I stir fry the vegetables, and make a sauce, to which the Quorn is added last. A few good dashes of seasoning, and you are good to go. I use this when we have tacos, but last night I made some penne rigate (striped pasta) with it. While this can never be classified as haute cusine, it does turn out rather tasty, and fuels a run pretty well too. Tonight was double treat night: we watched the Tour de France, and we had pizza. The stage was not very exciting, but the pizza was very good!

Fabulous holiday, no running!

2010-07-14T20:58:00.002-04:00

I am back from a fabulous and very intense 9 days in Siena. Naturally it was all too short! It was baking every day, with the average temperature around 35°C. Of course, it would have been ideal to get up early and go for a run, but when you have been up until 4am every night, it is a bit challenging. By the time we had breakfast etc, the sun was high and hot in the sky.
I'm afraid there was no time to do anything exercise related, except talk about it! I saw my friends, ate good food, drank good wine, and just generally felt back in my skin again. I felt the old me and it was wonderful. Everyone was curious about the US, and could not believe how easy it is to do a triathlon, duathlon etc. These things are not difficult in and of themselves in Siena, there are perhaps just fewer events - especially triathlons, which are mainly olympic distances in Italy.
Still, I did have a sign, and reconnect to my old running life: I met an old team mate at a concert. Gabsi was a professional athlete, and could run like the wind. He told me that he was getting on a bit, but "is still amongst the first" in races. His idea of 'getting on a bit' is running a marathon in 2:18! Gabsi and I have made an appointment to run another race together. In Siena, I used to see him at the starting line. By the time I finished, he had already collected his medal, his bags of pasta and bottles of wine and oil, and gone home. But next time I go back, we will do a race together again.

Gabsi and I at the Marco Mengoni concert.

Well, I could on on and on, but I've posted a link below, with more pics of my trip, and since I got back, I have done a couple of short runs, and also some stair climbing. My training for the Philly marathon starts at the end of July, and I am looking forward to starting with the right foot!

My other home - SI...e' Siena

2010-06-23T20:51:00.045-04:00

Things have been moving along slowly since my last post. I have slowly been doing more decent runs in the mornings. It has been enjoyable and I keep asking myself, why do I allow myself to be overcome by laziness, lack of motivation and general malaise? True, there is no one answer, but then along came this week, and I have not run at all.
I am no wallflower of timid mind, and yet, there is no clear reason why I cannot overcome the mental barriers that seem to be haunting every footstep this year! Decisive action is being called for, so I am going off to my other home - Siena, to try and re-enervate my joy and passion for running.
OK, truth be told, I have a few bits and bobs to sort out in Geneva first, but then I am going off to Siena. I am looking forward to running in the Tuscan hills, but I am also so looking forward to seeing my friends again, having the aperitifs and walking up and down the main drag decked out to the nines! Now whilst this might sound a bit superficial and provincial, it is not. It is a really quick and easy way to greet old acquaintances and see those one only knew in passing. It is also the opportunity to meet a whole lot of new people too.
I am still trying to find a race in or near Siena. I know there is a 8K on Monday night in Florence, called "Corri lungo le rive del'Arno" or Running along the banks of the Arno. That would be a lovely race, but in reality I do not think I can make it. See, Monday night is the first "prova" or test of the horses participating in the Palio That happens around 7pm, and then the contradas who have been drawn to participate in this running of the Palio will start with dinner immediately thereafter. One of my friends belongs to the contrada of the Torre, so I will be there Monday night. Considering that Florence is at least 1 hour away, I think it will be slightly challenging to do the race! I have seen different websites advertising different days, so I am going to have to ring them.
Still, all hope is not abandoned (to paraphrase Dante really badly). My second option would be the night time run in Sinalunga. Sinalunga is a tiny town on the edge of the province of Siena. This race is being hosted at the Festa' de l'Unita'. My friends seem game to go down to the festa, so that would be very good indeed. Night time races are quite fun. I have only done a few, but running under the newly dark Summer sky is fabulous, and then going on to a hearty meal of pici or strozzapreti pasta with cinghiale (wild boar), is just the best. I do not care much for the frogs legs, which are a must and yes they do taste like chicken, but the pastas and the other courses are amazing. Not to mention the atmosphere.... ah yes, I do miss my second home - especially during the Summer. An important distinction is that pici are Sienese, whilst strozzapreti (priest chokers) are Tuscan. Both are equally yummy.
Anyway, I am just looking forward to finding my running mojo for real, and I am hoping that being in the place where I first started running, will awaken some long forgotten muscle and other memories. This trip was an unexpected gift, and I am so thankful that I get to do all the things I most love, with my second families in Siena. Ciao, and I will try and give an update next week on whether the magic is working! By the way, if anyone knows of any races in Tuscany, please let me know.

The Elixir of Life

2010-06-07T22:41:00.001-04:00

This tea from South Africa is the elixir of life. Let me explain: 'rooibos' literally means 'redbush'. And anyone who has read Alexander McCall Smith's The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency, has met Mma Ramotswe, will know of her penchant for redbush tea. It is a cool refreshing drink, but the reader never discovers whether this is in fact 'rooibos' or an imposter, since the rooibos only grows in the Western Province. Be that as it may, I only discovered this tea when I started university. At home we drank Earl Grey, Lapsang Souchong and of course Ceylon tea. Initially I used to drink it with a little bit of honey, but that soon ended, as this tea has such a refreshing taste. All my friends agreed that Freshpak rooibos is the best brand (off the supermarket shelf), and although I have tasted some rooibos teas here in the US, they have been quite horrible. So, Freshpak has been a staple throughout my migrations. Any friends visiting from South Africa know to bring along a couple of boxes. Unfortunately customs do not like leaf tea, so teabags have to do.
On my last visit to SA, I brought back 10 boxes of rooibos. Eight hundred teabags might sound a lot, but they disappear very quickly. I try and drink at least 2 large glasses of this per day. This tea is naturally caffeine-free, and it's health benefits are huge! From insomnia to colic, from it's anti-aging properties to soothing the tired tried soul, this tea is truly the elixir of life! I usually leave the bag in, so as to drain every last ounce of vitality from this tea. On my last visit, I also had another great find - rooibos yoghurt!

Let it be said that this was fantastic as well! It was a double whammy of rooibos AND yoghurt. Whilst it is not so easy to find fat free and unsweetened yoghurt in SA, (plain or Greek are usually the only options), this was a great find. Having said that, I am sooo impressed with the wonderful range of yoghurts on offer here in the US. Possibly the most sinful has to be the 'chocolate underground' by Stoneyfield. Although it is fat-free, I suspect it has a rather high sugar content. Anyway, nuff said on this. A tall glass of rooibos is the perfect drink after a run, when you are relaxing on the sofa.

Today is ......National Running Day

2010-06-02T05:55:00.000-04:00

I read about this last night on active, and quickly found out, that there is a website dedicated to National Running Day. So click on that link if you want to find out about commemorating the day with others by doing a run together. Not sure, but I may try this evening. In the meantime, I am off for a morning run.

Hope all your runnings today are happy and cool!

Boston's Race to Remember - half marathon

2010-05-31T22:07:00.003-04:00

(photo courtesy of race website)

Yesterday, Sunday 30 May, I ran my first official half marathon. My previous 2 were run on my birthday, and on World Run Day, and rather than pay the fee for an official race, I donated the money to charity instead. Admittedly I had not done much training for the race on Sunday, and I had signed up for it about 2 weeks ago, in the hope that it would inspire and push me to challenge my limits. I do not recommend this to anyone, as this is a terrible strategy, but I desperately needed to do a race, which would make me feel that anything is possible. I managed to get in a couple of early morning runs, and 2 long runs of 8 and 11 miles respectively. No hills, and no fartlek training. My goal was to run, and finish the race.
On Saturday morning Stuart and I drove down to the Seaport World Trade Centre to pick up my race number. There was a small expo, and a huge crowd of people. On race day, there were more than 8000 people. We also signed up as bone marrow donors, and were entered into the international database. this was something that I had been thinking about for a while, and had already discussed with Stuart. Both of us were blood donors, but after the BSE or mad cow disease in the UK, Stuart was not allowed to donate anymore. On moving to the US, the same is true. Since we have both lived in the UK and Europe (which had both BSE and TSE), the US will not accept us for fear of variant CJD. So it was really good to have the opportunity to register on Saturday.
I wanted to run in shorts yesterday, but opted for capris at the last moment, and I think it was a wise decision, since I like to cover up when it is particularly hot. The best running decision I ever made, was to wear my Camelbak 1.5L hydration pack. I usually drink a lot, and the weather has been rather warm here in Boston - on average around 80°F everyday. Well, Sunday morning, Stuart drove me down to the race start, arriving around 7:30ish, and already it was 84°F! After the national anthem, we were off. I stood near the back, since I knew my pace would be around 12m/mile. By the time we set off, I was already sweating profusely.
It was a hill start, and we ran over a bridge, then another. I had a few quick sips of water after that, and heard people asking when the water stop was coming up. The first one came up around mile 2, and there were so many people just standing there, drinking. I ran on, towards another bridge....Boston really is quite hilly! Anyway, at this point the sun was beating down mercilessly, and people had started walking. I passed a few, and then we over the Longfellow bridge, down Memorial Drive and continued to Harvard University, before doubling back, this time cutting through Back Bay, passing Boston Common, up down Commonwealth Avenue, and back to the start/finish.
The highlight of my run, was on the way back up Memorial Drive, as I neared Harvard Bridge and looked up, I saw Stuart standing there. It was so unexpected, that that, and a combination of the incredible heat, made me burst into tears! Let it be said, it is hard to run, cry and breathe at the same time! It stopped as suddenly as it had started, since immediately beyond the bridge, was another hill. All in all, I counted around 5 water stations - too few for such a hot day. I stopped a couple of times to have some gatorade, and throughout the race there were people who were collapsing with either heat exhaustion, or a liquid overdose. I guess it must be quite difficult to know how much to drink at a water station, especially when your internal thermometer has gone haywire.
The miles flew by. I did not suffer, I just got through them. One after the other. I knew I did not have a hope in hell of picking up the speed, but that was not what this race was about. I ran all the hills, and yes, it did feel good passing all those people walking up them. Sure, some of them eventually sped past me, but that was fine. I truly felt that I ran my own race. Around mile 11 my hip joints started feeling a bit achy, so I walked for a bit, had some gatorade, then ran on. At mile 11 and a half they felt seriously achy, and I thought of Paavo Nurmi's quote on my blog - the bit about muscles being bits of rubber. Well rubber bounces, just like muscles and nothing can really happen to them. I am not running fast enough to injure anything, so why stop? That got me to mile 12.
The last mile my darling pussycat Mr Jones, got me through. Stuart had recently taken a day off, but had a conference call with Geneva. He went into the bedroom to take it, and closed the door shutting out Mr Jones and Toffy (our other pussy). Naturally Mr J. wanted to get in and no amount of coaxing could get him to stop trying to open the door. Not even an offering of catnip. He looked at it, licked his lips and turned back to the door. That will power and determination was amazing to see. He wanted Stuart - nothing else. Well, I thought, if he could do it, so can I. And I breezed through mile 13 and the point 1. I crossed the finish line in 2 hours and 40 minutes, and I was so pleased that I had started and finished this race! There were no more medals, as they had taken entries on the morning itself, and had therefore run out. Hopefully they will post me one.
After a bottle of water, and some stretching, I took a leisurely walk to the T, and went home. After a shower, a banana and 2 boiled eggs, I fell asleep. Afterwards I read on the race website that someone had moved some of the cones, so that the runners missed a water stop. There were other snafus as well, and these are currently being addressed by the race director. Well, today saw a nice walk as my hips are still a bit stiff, but I am hoping to go for a run tomorrow morning! More about the race nutrition in another post....I am in need of some more rest....

Five glorious treadmill miles...and a mad hatter's tea party!

2010-05-19T21:41:00.000-04:00

I went out on Monday evening for a quick run after work, and boy was it hard! The humidity was so high, everyone was walking. I managed 2 miles then stopped. Perhaps I should have soldiered on, but my legs and will power were not made of stern stuff on that day. I walked back home feeling a bit disappointed, but trying to be optimistic at the 2 miles. I will deal with the humidity on another day. I cannot imagine what it must be like for those poor people who live in Florida......it is impossible to imagine running in 90°F humidity every day!
Well, today inspired by Frank's brilliant treadmill run on Saturday, I decided to go back to my old faithful treadmill run. True it was raining, but I used to be a huge fan of treadmill running. And what a great run. There were no bells or whistles, and I ran at a slow pace, but I finished what I had started, and that was a good feeling. Thanks Frank!
An entirely non-running related event, was a mad hatter's tea party that I was invited to at work. It was such a cool do, that I wanted to tell everyone! The fun committee at our company had organized this and this was the first of their events I actually managed to attend.

It was a brilliant do, there were cucumber sandwiches, scones, and a tea expert, Afkham, from Sri Lanka to talk about the health benefits of different teas. White tea has the most health benefits - it is also the most expensive. But he did say that if you want good tea (be it white, green, black etc), be prepared to spend around 35 USD a pound. In the end it works out to 12c a cup. He also mentioned that it is very, very difficult to get good green tea. A very good tip was that one should boil the water, and then let it stand for 5 minutes before pouring onto the leaves. If you use boiling water with green tea, it will get bitter! I have to admit that green tea is one I struggle with as it is always so bitter - now hopefully I will know better. Same system is true for white tea - do not use boiling water. Use loose tea if you can, as bags detract from the taste, and they are also made with chemicals etc, that impinge on the tea's taste.
Afkham was really good, and I am looking forward to visiting their shop http://timelessteas.com. He gave us each a pretty china elephant filled with loose black tea and a selection of scented teas. We also received a cup with in-built strainer. Finally, to end the party, I held the winning card for a lovely teapot with geraniums planted in it. Well, I will certainly be trying the green tea again!

A 9 mile run

2010-05-16T12:01:00.001-04:00

I went out for a run twice last week, and yesterday (Saturday), I went out for a 9 mile run. That was not my original intention, but I hoped to do a bit more than 5 miles. It was a very warm day and I had on capri tights and a long sleeved shirt! Of course, before I left the flat I had no idea it would be so warm out. I decided on a gentle pace, as I need to build up my base again and just get a few miles under my belt. It was fine, and when I got back to Harvard Bridge, I decided that I had enough 'legs' to continue up to Boston Bridge.

As I ran along, there were loads of people out cycling, and just walking around. There were also a series of rowing and sailing regattas going on at the same time (MIT and Boston Univ), so there were lots of families out on the river banks, with picnics. It was very pleasant, and after an hour I still felt fairly strong, albeit hot and bothered, and I was in dire need of a t-shirt and shorts! After lunch, I had a great nap - the kind you can only have after a long run.

On a separate note, when I was in South Africa, I discovered some rather wonderful shoes by New Balance, based on a concept called Rainbow Running. These multi-coloured shoes are available only in South Africa, since as the store manager told me, South Africa is the rainbow nation and NB were trying to encourage more people to run (although the picture above might belie that!) Although I am a die-hard "Karhu" fan, I fell in love with these shoes, and tried to get a pair. Unfortunately they did not have them in my size, so alas, that was that. But I did have some very good chats with some of the guys in the shop, and it was refreshing to hear about the running scene in Cape Town, so many beautiful places to run. But back to my shoe-story. Here is a pic of the shoes in question.

How can you not love that! In fact I am thinking of asking my mum to post me a pair.... Max, the guy in the shop also had a look at my Karhus and said "I know why you love running in these. It's like running barefoot". However, he also advised me to look after my feet and do my training in more supported shoes, keeping the Karhus for races. With the current popularity and revival of barefoot running, what is one to believe? Does anyone have any ideas about this?

101 Things in 1001 Days - Update

2010-05-16T11:17:00.000-04:00

Hannes took a picture of us at the traffic lights!

Drawing up this list immediately plunged my life into disorder! It has really been the best of times, and the worst of times. The former because I have diverted my attention to other aspects of my life which have been neglected for the past 2 years, and rediscovered my passion for reading, and have also started re-balancing my life. It has been the worst of times because since I drew up that list, my running schedule has gone haywire, and I have totally gone off track with those goals. In fact, there are none!

Still, having said that, I can cancel 3 things off my list: I have finally sorted through my 4 bags of unopened mail, got another person to draw up their list of 101 things to do, and have been to an a-ha concert - theme of this post.

Having stalked them for 25 years, I finally got to see them live last Friday in New York at the Nokia Theatre at their farewell concert. My friend Kathy and I flew to NY that morning, and checked into the Waldorf Astoria (yes, it is very nice!), after which we spent the day shopping. Ah, there is nothing quite like shopping in New York. Therefore it was not surprising to find that we were running late for the concert. Finding a taxi on a Friday night during rush hour in NY is impossible, and we ended up taking a 'green' taxi - one of those rickshaw-like contraptions. I thought I would be flung to my death! No, that is not an exaggeration, but Hannes, our cyclist-driver did u-turns in the face of 6 lanes of oncoming traffic, that did my head in. Know too that these 'green' taxis are rather like articulated lorries - the front goes in one direction and the back in quite another. It was exhilirating and surreal at the same time, but he got us there in good time.

The Nokia Theatre is like a night club, and although I was rather surprised to find that the concert had sold out, I soon discovered why. All the Europeans living in NY were at the Nokia! In fact it was like being back in Europe...the same style and atmosphere, and it was great. We were standing fairly near the front, and had a good view of the band.

I had a fantastic time, but found it to be a highly emotional experience - this is the end of the line, their farewell concert. And yes, it was like breaking up with 3 boyfriends all at the same time. But it was a great night, and I am thrilled that I finally got to see them!

The long sought-after tickets.

Magne, Morten and Pal.

The one and only, Morten Harket.

Home!

2010-05-12T22:53:00.002-04:00

I know I have been a bit quiet, but things have been quite exciting recently. After my last post in April, I started running regularly, and it was terrific. I also joined a lunchtime pilates class, and slowly started building up my core strength again. Then I went home to South Africa, to see my mum who lives in Cape Town.
Well, despite the dramas of Eyjafjallajökull, after 2 and a half days of flying, I finally got to Cape Town. Oh it was good to be home! Although I had taken lots of running stuff with me, since it was such a short visit (10 days), there was no time to go out running. We had perfect 27°C weather, and the time flew by between doing stuff with my mum and seeing all my friends again. I managed to get on my mum's elliptical machine a few times, but let me emphasize "few"! There was just so much to do, and it was hectic. The photo above was taken on a Friday evening at around 6pm...the traffic from the centre of town out to the southern suburbs was at a standstill...reason being the Cape Stormers were playing the Crusaders (Super 14 rugby series), everyone was rushing to Newlands (where the rugby stadium is), and we won 42-12. Yes, it was a good game...and I finally got to see Invictus. And yes, Matt Damon is quite buff in it - no Francois Pienaar, but we can make do......
Surprisingly the 2 weekends I was there, there were no road races. The first weekend did see Port Elizabeth host Ironman South Africa, but it was an 8 hour drive , and I was not sure that was what my mum wanted to do two days after my arrival, so I skipped that. But with all the glorious weather, it was fabulous to go out, be with other Capetonians again and enjoy the Atlantic seaboard.
I got back to Boston and am just getting back into my 'normal' sleep patterns. Although I'm not quite there yet with the early morning running, as I am struggling to wake up at 5, I went for an evening run today, and it was terrific. Good run, good pace, good weather (very cool) and it all came together very nicely. Well, more to follow, but that is just a quick catch up with where I've been this past month. I am looking forward to reading all your blogs, and finding out what you have been up to! Cheers, and happy running.

Spring time in Boston!

2010-04-14T21:10:00.000-04:00

I really needed a little break. Although this seems a bit hyperbolic, I think I had some kind of psychological crack last month. The past 2 years have been dedicated entirely to sport. All the other things I used to do, were pushed aside. Part of the reason was that I felt I needed to give my mind a rest - I felt mentally exhausted; the other part of the reason was that I truly was enjoying myself. Still, the ancient Greeks did advocate moderation in all things, and this I have found to be true.
Once I started on my list of 101 things do to, I rediscovered the pleasure of German verb drills. Reading non-sports books started awakening my mind again, and I also started feeling that I wanted to pick up my musical instrument again. I had not played it in years, and it is terribly out of tune. That being said, it is not so easy to find someone who can tune a sitar in Boston. All of this, compounded with my work situation, saw my desire to do exercise of any sort, evaporate. There was nothing I could do. I felt very conflicted, and above all that my life was totally out of balance.
Anyway, I have been running again, and it is with the same spirit and joy that I had when we moved here 2 years ago, and I went for my first run along the Charles River. Mind you, it is a bit tough as I have lost all my fitness and stamina, and whatever speed I had, has also vanished. Still, this does matter, as I am enjoying it again, and am trying to do some of the other things I loved, like my German verb drills!
These pics are from my glorious run on Sunday.....what an awesome morning that was!

Taking a deep breath....

2010-03-10T21:51:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of the year I had all these ideas and running plans for 2010. Thus far it has all been very topsy-turvy. We are at the start of March, and I have not even started on any of the (running) events I was so enthusiastic about last year. If I am honest, I believe that the main reason for this is because I have decided to get the job that I want, rather than accepting a compromise. Up until now I had been getting along nicely, not in the job I wanted to be in, but I made the best of it, and am enjoying it. However, it is not what I am meant to be doing. How is it possible that I learned to ride a bike and overcome my fear of deep water (at least for a short while) to do a triathlon, yet I cannot summon my energies and focus to do the same in my job search?

This time I deliberately stopped running. I am doing a race on Sunday, and I am looking forward to it immensely. But I am also looking forward to running regularly again. That though, will be my present to myself. See, running has made everything seem less awful. When I come back from a run, life is good. When I manage to get in a brick, life is perfect. Suddenly the compromises and adjustments seem to be anything but. Nothing wrong with that, in fact many people manage to be quite happy. However, what is wrong is when the balance is missing, then one's life is just plain out of sync with the universe.

Let me explain my case: although I am a slow runner, I never give up hope that one day I will run a 5K in under 23 minutes. By what miracle will that happen? Hard work, and lots and lots of fartlek. I know I will do it one day, and I will never give up trying. So why is it any different with my job search? Although I have never completely given up, my search goes through fluctuations - sometimes I am an enthusiastic searcher, and other times it's just too depressing. Unfortunately I am not one of those people who can balance everything out nicely. I found that as time went by, I could focus more and more on running and feel less upset about each non-response I received to a job application I had made.

When I race, I anxiously check to see if the results have been posted on cool running, every 10 minutes or so. I am elated when I find I have improved (even if it is only by 1 minute), and hugely disappointed when it's stayed the same. I resolve to change the situation, and then on my next run, try and implement some of changes I think that will improve my performance. This then is the approach I have decided to take with my job search, and like with running, for the moment I need to dedicate myself to it 100%. I will let you know how the race goes on Sunday! Hope everyone is well, and running strong.

What food 'rules' do you live by?

2010-02-15T11:08:00.002-05:00

The picture above is one that I have on my desktop, and look at almost everyday. It is a picture that I really like, and it reminds me more of an Arcimboldo, than a Van Dijck still-life. This post is generated by Tricia's question on her blog today: "What food 'rules' do you live by"?
In case it has not been obvious, I have a slightly conflicted relationship with food. I grew up in a vegetarian family, with my mum following the tenets of ayurvedic cooking. It was even worse when we had family come and stay with us. There were even stricter variations on this, and my mum ended up having to cook several separate meals, with separate utensils. One of my cousins had lived in an ashram in India for a couple of years, and he did not eat garlic or onions as they are Tamasic foods, "provoking mental dullness". Going on holiday was an experience as my mother would take her own pots and pans with her - the same with cutlery. We never ate out, as no restaurant could follow the strict dietary principles and tenets my family adhered to. Food was a necessity, a fuel rather than a luxury, and 'treats' were never food-related. So what changed?
Well, I moved to Italy and discovered the Mediterranean diet. When I used to tell people I was a vegetarian, they really struggled to come to understand what exactly that meant - after all, this was Italy in the 1980s, and vegetarianism had not yet become mainstream. Being invited to people's homes was always dramatic, as people just did not know what to make for me, and always felt that I "hardly ate anything". My parents however had always encouraged me to try new things and have an open mind, so I decided to try all these things I had never eaten - salami, proscuitto, carpaccio etc etc. It was fine, and I enjoyed it all immediately, as being a vegetarian was never really about 'ethics', though I guess it is the basis of ayurveda anyway. However, my family never banged on about that aspect, so I really was free to make that leap.
When I left Italy and went up to Oxford, I went back to being a vegetarian. Then, when we moved to Geneva things were no longer so black and white - my perception of food as fuel had changed and food was also now a luxury. In Italy one spent hours talking about food and wine which is such an integral part of la bella vita. I could not just undo all that. Living such a focussed life in Oxford made sticking to a vegetarian diet easy, but once back in the 'real' world, it was hard to get the jack back into the box. Food is part of a cultural backdrop and it is quite hard to now think of it as strictly 'fuel'. Let me also add that Stuart has been very good about all of this, and he enjoys the vegetarian diet. He can take ayurvedic cooking in small doses, but like me prefers a wider variety of world vegetarian dishes. My bible in the kitchen is Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian Cookbook, but I vacillate wildly between Italian and Vegetarian cooking. I just cannot choose. In my mind I would like to go the vegetarian way, but how could I forget about all the other meat and fish-based dishes?
In addition, other issues have crept in: fast food and other stuff. I had never eaten a McDonald's until I moved to Italy. Firstly McDonald's did not exist in South Africa and secondly with all the ayurvedic goings-on, it was the furthest thing on my mind. In Siena, there was 1 McDonald's in the whole town, and hardly anyone went there. The only people who went there were the boys in the military because they had very little money to do anything else. Mind you, a menu meal was about 6 Euros (about 8 USD). Still, it quite a novelty to have it. In Geneva, they send you free coupons in the post, so we used to wait for those to have a McDonald's.
But back to the original question in Tricia's post: What food 'rules' do you live by? I cook everything, we rarely eat out, pizza is a once a week treat. McDonald's never happens. I still struggle with crisps, chocolate, biscuits and nuts. I try not to have them, because it is like opening the floodgates - once I start, it seems impossible to stop, so I just do not buy them. The idea behind this is that if I want something, I am going to have to walk to the shops to get it. Naturally, this plan does not always work, and some weeks I do buy stuff and think I can control it.... I have just had a quick chat with Stuart halfway through writing this post, and he has come up with a wonderful idea.
Stuart has suggested that I add another item to my 101 things: have a vegetarian week a month for 6 months, then have 2 vegetarian weeks for 6 months. That will bring me (us) up to a year, and then I can decide what I want to do after that. When friends come around we can still offer them meat etc, as I do not believe in foisting my choices upon others. I love that idea of a vegetarian week a month, so watch this space for an update, and I love Stuart for being so supportive with my dilemmas! So let me extend Tricia's question to everyone: What food 'rules' do you live by?

January Update on 101 things

2010-02-14T13:35:00.004-05:00

While things were painfully limping along in the running department, I tried to get organized with my list. After all, it was supposed to have started on 1 January. Well, my new blog never got off the ground as I am finding it challenging enough to stay abreast of this one. However, the idea is not completely off the table, so it may still happen. I also think I know what it will be about, and am fairly excited by it!
I managed to book 2 tickets to A-HA's farewell concert. They are doing 4 concerts in North America, 2 in New York and 2 in LA. The pre-sale tickets were impossible to get as the site kept crashing. The tickets were all gone in 10 minutes! Who knew A-HA are so popular in North America?! Anyway, I began to think that I would not get tickets, and this would mean having to go to Norway or Sweden over the summer for their concerts there, and I was rather looking forward to it. Still, I was very pleased when I managed to get my hands on 2 tickets when they finally went on sale on 5 February. It took me the better part of the morning, but on 7 May, I will be at the Nokia theatre in New York with A-HA.
Next, I started reading the first book on the Man Booker 2009 shortlist: AS Byatt's The Children's Book. This is a good one, as I did not like her Possession very much. I am only a few chapters in, but it is superbly written, and a delicious use of words.
The next items were not spending money for a week, which called for organization and forethought, but I managed it. It also meant not going out or even buying a coffee. It was good for me; and today I am finishing my no-spending week for February! I also saved my $5 per day for January, and am also happy to report that I am now down to 2 bags of unopened mail.
The mail story is excruciating, as we get still get loads of mail from Geneva. In addition to all kinds of other stuff - it is truly a nightmare but I am determined to manage this better. Thankfully it does not involve bills, just lots of receipts, statements and what not.
We did not organize a dinner party this month as we were invited to one, which was very nice. This month though I am going to organize one here at home, and get some of our new friends to meet each other. Also, I have a plan to play secret cupid.....there are 2 people whom I think absolutely have to meet.....
I started learning French again, and it's amazing how much I have forgotten since leaving Geneva. For anyone else interested, there is a wonderful podcast (free) called "Learn French with Alexa", which is for complete beginners. There is another called "One thing in a French Day" and is a bit more advanced, but very entertaining! Leticia lives near Paris and has 2 young children. Her podcasts are about episodes of her daily life. The first podcast is good for slowly learning the grammar and pronounciation. If you speak any other romance language, know that French follows the same grammatical rules, and Alexa has a website where you can also download a cheat sheet for lessons 1-15. The second podcast is good for 'building your ear' and also helps you acquire a more colloquial, conversational French. Nice to build on the usual "hello, my name is X and I am from XX".
My final item starting in January, was to listen to one of Wagner's operas. Since my goal is to listen to them all, I started with the first - Das Liebesverbot. Well, Wagner wanted to be Beethoven when he grew up, so you can hear his and Weber's influence in this work. The work itself is easy to listen to, without the sturm und drang of his later work!
Starting the list made me realize how much there is still to do, and is a great way of actually getting things done. I would love to know how this is working for other people!

P.S. - How to get out of a funk

2010-02-14T10:45:00.000-05:00

My previous post did not really get to the nitty gritty of the matter, so to sum up, this is how it went down for me.

How to get out of a funk:
1. Accept it for what it is - a funk.
2. Accept that it might take a bit of time to get out of it.
3. Cycle, do the elliptical, do yoga...just do 1 thing, 1 step at a time.
4. Control what you eat - that is the only thing you CAN control, so be ruthless.
5. Read other people's running blogs - it helps refocus the mind and offers great encouragement.
6. Do not be afraid to ask for help - other people may have been to Funkville too!
7. Use this time to catch up on other stuff.
8. Sign up for something. You will appreciate what it means to run all over again.
9. Do not set absurd expectations: no training does not procure miraculous results.
10. When you finally leave Funkville, roll up your sleeves, work hard and you will get back on track.

How to get out of a funk

2010-02-09T20:00:00.001-05:00

As you know these past few weeks have been hellacious. I went through a bit of an upheaval, even though I did not think so at the time. Technically Stuart and I were supposed to move back to Switzerland this coming March. However, the company was thinking of moving us to Frankfurt-Am-Main , so the toss up was going to be between the US and Germany. Although I felt that I still had some unfinished business here, I was rather looking forward to Frankfurt. I guess there are things in Europe I miss more than I care to think about!
Anyway, things went back and forth for several months, and on 18 December (the day we left for our holidays), we were told that we were going to stay in the US - permanently. It's all very well having 'unfinished business', but to stay permanently? I definitely was not ready for that shock. It only started sinking after the holidays. It was a very strange feeling, and it all seemed to have happened so suddenly. Anyway, long story short, I felt lacklustrous for the entire month of January. I really battled my demons - because suddenly nothing held my interest. And there is nothing worse than trying to run/do yoga/anything, when you actually think that it is a waste of time.
Perhaps I am not explaining all of this very well, but whilst I could process all of the logic, I just could not marry up my emotions to that logic. So there I was in a rather grey wasteland. I do not know if this can be classified as an official funk, but it certainly felt like one to me! I did manage to do the odd run and cycle a bit too, and tried not to analyse it too deeply. I think a very important step toward feeling back in control, was to finally get back on track with my eating. The ribs/chips/beer fest that I had indulged in over the holidays had left me feeling sluggish, tired and irritable. With all this other stuff going on, I knew that the only thing I could really control was what I ate. So I did just that, and have slowly started feeling a lot better physically.
Once that kicked in, I started thinking about how excited I was when we first moved here - all the goals I had set myself, and all the things I still wanted to do. I started thinking about running more and tried to get to the gym in the evenings, as my morning runs seemed to be a thing in the distant past. Well, last Saturday I had my Race up Boston Place - which is a stairclimb to raise money for the American Lung Association. Last year I managed to run up 82 flights of stairs (789 stairs) in 10:29, and this year I was hoping to improve a bit.
Thursday night I felt a bit panic stricken as I had not trained for this event at all. So I ran up the stairs in our building a few times, and afterwards felt like I was on the verge of a collapse of sorts! Running up stairs is a fantastic but painful workout for the unfit. Well, that was all I could manage by Saturday, and since people had actually sponsored me to do this race, I had to go. The race was hard and it took me 13:19 minutes to complete it. But it made me think about why I do all these things in the first place - firstly because I can and there is no reason why I cannot, and secondly because it gives me joy.
I got home and decided to get things ordered and sorted. Well, I still have 2 bags of mail to sort through, but the house is sans newspapers, journals, piles of magazines and general chaos. Once that was ordered, I went out for a run on Sunday. Then on Monday morning at 6:15am, and again this morning. Yes, I am finally feeling the love again! And it's great. I have decided to go for the half-marathon in Hyannis, as there is not enough time to get back with the marathon programme. But at least I am going to try and make it a fantastic half!

The life and times of Zola Budd....

2010-01-23T14:35:00.001-05:00

On my run today, I was thinking about Zola Budd. The October 2009 edition of Runners World had a fantastic article on Zola Budd, and I loved the snapshot of her life. As a runner (albeit a slow one!) I can only have an inkling of the difficulties and frustrations she must have gone through, but as a fellow South African I know only too well the complexities of her situation. Zola Budd was confronted with a dilemma that many faced in South Africa: is it possible to compete in 'normal' sport whilst living in an abnormal society? Since the policies of apartheid left so many without the freedom of choice, the politics of the anti-apartheid movement looked to the freedom of the many rather than to that of the individual. It was an issue that divided South Africa.
It was unfair on Zola, and she was treated appallingly, but she was seen as a star who had the opportunity to shine. For those who thought they would never be afforded that opportunity, it was anathema - and she was crucified. It is hard to analyze her situation 'purely as a runner', because it was so deeply situated in the political unrest in 1984. It was never just about her talent and how good she was, the issue was always about how could she participate in 'normal' sport while South Africans were living under a state of emergency.
Whilst this article is very good, it could never capture the heartache that she must have gone through. I was profoundly touched by the article, and I remember all the furore very well indeed. Like so many before her, she was caught up in a situation that she could never win. But this is a different time and space. Go Zola Go, this is your time to be a rock and roll star.

DVDs, Yoga and Elliptical machines

2010-01-22T02:39:00.001-05:00

This title reflects what I have been doing this week. It started Sunday afternoon, whilst I was watching telly. I had the sudden urge to do some yoga! Mind you, yoga is not really my thing. I have taken 1 class my entire life, but a long time ago, I did have a very good video (yes in the pre-dvd days) made by 2 Australian women that I used to use sometimes. However, I always felt that yoga was not really my 'thing', until this Sunday.
I have no idea where this urge came from, but I felt like stretching my muscles. So I found some poses specifically categorized as 'yoga for runners'on a great website iyogalife. I have managed to do these 3 times this week, and finally the connection between yoga and running, clicked. I felt challenged by the poses, as well as highly inflexible. I added in a few other poses I knew, and could feel the effect on my core when I tried holding them. Well yoga may not have been my 'thing' in the past, but I can see it growing on me very quickly!
The next thing I have been busy with this week, has been a dvd, namely Nell McAndrew's Ultimate Challenge. I bought this dvd when I was up at Oxford. Because I used to keep such crazy hours, often I would be stiff at 3am, after hours of reading or writing, so I would do this dvd. This is the great thing about dvds - you can do them anywhere, at anytime. I am not particularly crazy about fitness dvds, because often they are not challenging enough. This one is the exception. The guy leading the training, is ex-British army, so the format is quite snappy! Given that my struggles to get out of bed in the morning have continued, rather than going to work sans run, I have managed to do this video a few times this week. In the evening, I have gone down to the gym a few times too.
This brings me to the third point, elliptical machines. Rowing is huge in Oxford. I rowed for a bit when I first went up (as everyone does), but it requires huge demands on one's time - from getting down to the boathouse at 4am (in winter, in the dark), to workouts on rowing machines in the gym, to practices on the indoor rowing tanks (naturally all the other colleges used the tanks too, so if your turn was at an ungodly hour, you had to just suck it up and go). Anyway, I quite enjoy rowing machines, and before I got back into running, I used to do a lot of rowing, and elliptical. The great thing about rowing machines is that when there are 10 people rowing together, they push hard and there is no way you are going to stop even if your lungs seem to be bursting and everything is burning! My gym does not have one, and our apartment is too small for one, but that is something on my wish list.... So, rowing nostalgia apart, I have also been on the elliptical machine a few times this week and enjoyed it - without feeling that I 'should' be running instead.
In fact, running this weekend is going to be a 'treat'. The plan is 5 miles on Saturday, 10 miles on Sunday. In the meantime, strength training tomorrow morning, and yoga tomorrow evening.

Running in the Moment

2010-01-17T13:25:00.001-05:00

This past week has been a bit of a struggle for me. Although I started on the core exercise workouts (Whittle my Middle), I still could not get it together to run consistently. I did manage 2 half hour runs on the treadmill but that was pretty much it.
Since things were looking so grim, I started thinking about going on a holiday! Well, let me explain - Stuart has been seconded to the US permanently, so as of 1 January we have 3 months to put our affairs in order in Geneva. That is a nightmare I cannot even begin to imagine....sell the house etc etc. Right now we need to get all our stuff shipped out here, and a 2 bedroomed flat cannot possibly cope with all that. So, lots of things to sort out here as well. Add in the running lapse I am going through, and sometimes I just cannot get it together to go and run. It's not physical, but mental.
Last night I was thinking about how excited I was when I used to have a good run. Mind you, it might not have been a particularly speedy run, but it is what I think of as "running in the moment". In Buddhism the phrase "esho funi" describes the concept of the oneness of self and the environment. It is the realization that you and your environment are the 'same' - if you change, your environment will change. OK, I am simplifying this terribly, but that is the gist of it.
So, to me, "running in the moment" is the the joining of mind, body, environment and spirit. It is that perfect run when you just feel a sense of gloriousness - the gloriousness of being able to run, to run in such a beautiful place and the knowledge that you can do that again tomorrow should you so choose. There can be few things to rival that feeling of possibility. Yes, even if I have had a rotten week (running wise), I can choose to start again (yes Buddhism has another term for that too!). The point is, it does not matter what happened yesterday, what I did or did not manage to do. What matters is my decision to start today.
I set the alarm for 6:30 but only got out of bed at 7:25. Anyway, finally I was out of the door, and off I went. The weather this morning was very Italian - greyish skies, some mist and no wind. Not cold, but with a slight nip to the air, and the ground a bit damp - perfect. I did not make the mistake of pretending that I was some place else though! This was an unexpected surprise, and I was going to try and make the most of it, as it truly is the perfect running weather.
It was a magnificent run. Simple, straightforward, honest. When I got home, I felt energised, and so thankful that I had the possibility of pushing the restart button, embracing my environment, and running in the moment.

The perspective from Wednesday....

2010-01-13T19:23:00.000-05:00

Thus far this week, I have run half an hour every day. I have taken tonight off, to make a Moroccan chickpea stew, which is rather nice but takes some work. You need to start early so that the ingredients can literally stew away. I have also started on the Whittle my Middle challenge and so far so good - in that I am persevering!
More importantly, I have managed to stop eating rubbish. When I first started working, I used to come home for lunch (as I live fairly close by), but then as I started getting to know more people, I started going out to lunch more and more. And so started a vicious circle. Well, now I am hopefully back to my normal self, in that I take my lunch in to work, and do not have a snack from the vending machine. This week was a bit hectic, as I had forgotten how long it takes to chop up vegetables etc in the morning! So why not do it the night before? Well, I had read somewhere, a long time ago, that as soon as you chop up fruit or vegetables, they start losing their anti-oxidants. Chop them up the night before and they lose a significant percentage of their nutritional value. It is for this very reason that I cannot buy pre-chopped anything. However, I do buy bags of stir fry veggies because I use a lot of them. But for the rest, I chop, hack and saw away.
Most importantly, I prepared a dessert each day, with very few calories. My fave is a Greek yogurt parfait with blueberries, very simple too, just alternate layers of yogurt and blueberries. Today I had some baked apples and mixed berries with plain yogurt. It may not sound very exciting, but it is delicious. Naturally it is perfect when the fruit is hot and the yogurt cold, but even so, you get a good 'sweet' fix, and very few calories.
I guess I have been feeling out of sorts due to the poor diet I have been following recently whilst on holiday. Sure, ribs and chips might be very good, but it made me feel lethargic and out of sorts. I think that I am slowly becoming myself again!
Now all I have to do is get through Friday. Friday is the day that our department are having their 'Christmas' lunch. We are going to Top of the Hub, a restaurant at the top of the Prudential building here in Boston. The 360 degree view is magnificent, and the food is not too shabby either! The last time we went out to lunch with my group, we went to the The Capital Grille, and the starter was clam chowder - needless to say the desserts were exquisite - and that was the general vein of December. Last year I managed to resist all of this, also because I did not know too many people, as we only moved here last March. This year, the party started on Halloween and ended on 31 December - just to put the Whittle my Middle challenge in perspective!
Anyway, I am thankful that I have started running again - albeit only for half an hour, but I am happy that I have started shaking off the laziness, and regaining my once sunny outlook on all things exercise-related. I am trying to remember, that if I can do something for 30 days straight, it becomes a habit!

Race Summary for 2009

2010-01-09T23:37:00.001-05:00

* Somerville Jingle Bell run - 13th December 2009, 5K, 28:58
* World Run Day Half Marathon - 8 Nov 2009, 2:30
* Somerville Homeless Coalition - 3 Oct 2009, 5K, 29:01
* Multiple Myeloma Research Fund - 26 Sept 2009, 5K, 28:32
* Witch City Triathlon - 2 August 2009, 9:53; 43:51; 26:45 (1:22:46)
* Danskin Triathlon - 26 July 2009, 9:38; 56:45; 30:35 (1:40:21)
* New Charles River Run - 29 June 2009, 5K, 31:23
* Triathlon by the Sea - 17 May, 13:22; 55:55; 35:55 (1:45:12)
* An Ras Mor - 22 March, 5K, 27:21
* Ras na hEireann - 15 March, 5K, 27:56
* Hyannis - 22nd Feb 2009. 10K, 58:39
* Race Up Boston Place - 7th Feb 2009. 41 Floors, 82 Flights, 370 Stairs. 10:29. American Lung Associaton
* Super Sunday for Live Strong and Lance Armstrong Foundation - 1st Feb 2009. 10K, 57:33
* Somerville Jingle Bell Run - 14th Dec 2008. 5K, 29:25
* Somerville Gobble x3 - 27th Nov 2008. 4 miles, 39:24

Post-holiday funk

2010-01-09T23:24:00.002-05:00

Since coming back off holiday, I have been lazy, and not gone out running. Admittedly it was snowing quite a bit last weekend, and it was icy for most of the week, but I did not even run on the treadmill (except on Thursday). I had also asked some advice on how to restart my programme, and whether my 2 week lay-off had 'ruined' my chances of doing the marathon in February. Coach Kelly from the runnerslounge had some very useful advice:
"Hello Nataila
Happy Hogmanay and Happy New Year to you too! Sounds like you are doing many things right. With this detail and background, I do not see this being a major issue. Listen to your body and pay attention - if things start to ache perhaps you are doing too much too quickly. It sounds like you have a good base and are cross training so I highly doubt that 2 weeks off this far out will cause too much problems. The problem is following a "cookie cutter" type of program though. That is how so many people get injured and actually is a man reason why I have a job as a coach:) We only do 100% customized training plans so we can adapt to all things that come up.
When you take 2 weeks completely off, you can just jump back into the training plan where you would be if you never missed it. That increases your chances of injury! As I mentioned in the beginning, it's so much better to run shorter, more frequently than to run a couple times a week for longer. So, that is my recommendation- build back by doing 20 to 30 minutes 5 to 6 days a week, then if you wish after about 2 weeks, you'll likely be stronger for it. You'll need to adjust your plan for the 2 weeks missed and the new 2 weeks.
I hope this helps! Congrats on all you are doing! I hope you have tons of fun and lots of success!"
What a great encouragement, and yet I have not managed to get my mind into gear yet. I did a half hour run on Thursday, and that was good, but I seem to have lost a few bits in between. I have decided not to complain and go into overdrive about this, as is my tendency. I want to run for the rest of my life, and I also want to improve and get a faster. Therefore, I think that 'slow' periods are part of this. Still, all well and good waxing philosphical about it, but has anyone else been in this position, and have some advice for getting out of this funk?