It's my jam

Since I've been rocking the treadmill a lot lately, I've needed some serious tunes to keep me going. I have no idea how anyone runs more than 4 miles on a treadmill. I start to go crazy around 3.5 miles and that's with music blaring, TV on and a treadmill facing a big picture window. Respect.

For everyone that can't stand running indoors, here are some trusty tunes that I've had on repeat lately:

Easy - Groove Armada

Valerie - Mark Ronson feat. Amy Winehouse

Drive It Like You Stole It - The Glitch Mob

Ooh Wee - Mark Ronson, Ghostface Killah, Nate Dogg, Trife & Saigon

People Everyday - Arrested Development

Kiksu (Original Mix) - Albert & Kyau

Rocketeer - Far East Movement

Let Me Think About It (Club Mix) - Ida Corr & Fedde le Grand

H.I.A - Chemical Brothers

So What'cha Want - Beastie Boys

La Bomba - Ricky Martin

It Began in Afrika - Chemical Brothers

I'm always looking for more music, so please share what songs get you motivated at the gym!

Working it out

If you haven't noticed, I've been on quite the group fitness kick lately. In addition to pilates and my latest obsession, Burn, I've added TRX to the mix.

TRX combines adjustable straps suspended from (very sturdy) ceiling beams with music and cardio. You basically use your own body weight to workout. By slightly adjusting angles, you can make your workout easier or more challenging.

A friend forwarded a promo for a free unlimited intro week so I totally jumped on it. I love free. My first class was an Endurance Training class, which I had no background info on. I (foolishly) squeezed my 2 mile run in during lunch and figured I'd be fine for my 7pm TRX class. Nope. Had no idea what I was in for.

So, in great contrast to Burn, this class was mostly guys - there were only 4 ladies, one of whom was the instructor. Equipped with a basic knowledge of how to adjust the straps, a thumping soundtrack and no shame in looking like a fool, we started the 55 minute 'oo, it hurts so good' sweat session.

The endurance training class is targeted toward people that participate in endurance sports like marathons, triathlons and the sort, targeting muscles and areas endurance athletes need/use the most. A little cardio is thrown in, you know just for fun, and reps are longer (we were doing 8 20 second reps with a 10 second recovery in between). 

It was in this class that I discovered how weak my upper body and core are as I struggled with a suspended leg plank. It was challenging and I think I'm still feeling it in my abs 4 days later.

The instructor was super helpful and kept us going. She took some time to walk around and correct/adjust our form, which I totally appreciate. I got my butt kicked and absolutely loved it.

The next class I took was Power Stretch. I figured at 8:30 on a Sunday morning, it wouldn't draw a big crowd, but it sure did - every strap was taken! This class was the exact opposite of my first one. I knew it was going to be mellow and a stretching class, but I honestly didn't expect to be anxiously watching the clock. Friend and I agreed that the moves really didn't require the TRX and most bothered my knees even with a thick mat. Needless to say I probably won't be taking that class again.

Why do I like TRX? Same reason I'm into bootcamp and Burn - probably because of my gym/workout ADD. The 55 minutes zooms by when you're sweating it through a variety of exercises. It's definitely fad-y, but I'm ok with that. Still on the fence if I'll be returning post-free intro week. It's convenient to my home, but I think I still might prefer Burn and its super small classes. We'll see. 

In the meantime, my core and booty are getting whipped into shape! I'm hoping this puts a little more speed into my step...I'd like to see another half marathon PR this year and no more injuries!

Finding a balance

Finding a balance between work life, running life and life life can be pretty tough. It's even harder when you're not much of a planner. Since I've had a lot going on lately, I've found that planning is necessary if I want to stay sane and be social while training. 

Here are a just a few things that have worked well for me:

Color me organized

Setting up a detailed, color-coded calendar keeps me on track and ensures I don't miss any important events. 

Once I know what races I have coming up, I devise a detailed training schedule and map it out on my calendar. That becomes the base for all future planning. I know it sounds lame, but training has to be a top priority no matter what your skill level. Plus, spending hundreds of dollars on a race (registration, travel, lodging, etc.) automatically bumps it up on the priority list.

Naturally this is synced with my phone so I get friendly reminders all the time. 

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Sweat it out with friends

Get your friends motivated and keep yourself in check. Research group fitness classes in your area and recruit a couple of friends to check them out with you. Catch up over coffee, drinks or food afterward.

The group fitness classes I've come to love (bootcamp, Bikram and Burn) were introduced to me by friends. It's not like we were hanging out and chatting in class, but working out together lets you squeeze in much needed QT with friends. The great thing about group fitness classes is that you have to sign up and pay in advance. I don't know about you, but that makes me less likely to bail.

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Make workout dates

This sort of goes in line with group fitness. If you're not into spending money on classes or hanging out with large groups, set fitness dates with friends...friends that will hold you to it. This lets you multi-task - chat and workout! Some buddy-friendly activities: biking, running, urban hikes, tennis.

Run errands

Literally. If you have to go to the grocery store, office or need to pick something up, make it part of your running or riding route. I've planned long bike rides to meet people for lunch and carried portable bags on runs to the grocery store. Multi-tasking. Embrace it.

Lunchtime quickie

The lunchtime workout doesn't work for everyone, but if you have access to a gym (or shower), take advantage of it. Even if you're not a fast showerer/changer, you can still get a 20-30 minute workout in. To make the most of those precious minutes, I've found that running intervals is best. For easy runs, I've maxed out at 3 miles during lunch. Beware of the post-gym glow. I stay pink for at least 20 minutes after I get back to my desk. Eeh.

Don't sweat it
It's taken me awhile to accept it, but it's ok if you miss a workout. It's ok if you want to bail on a 2 miler if you've had a really rough day and all you want is to grab a beer with friends...as long as you don't make it a regular occurrence. It's also ok to shift workouts around to work with your schedule.

Happy training season :)

Testing the waters

Since I've run into some overuse injuries lately, I've decided it's about time I started cross training and incorporating more strength workouts into my marathon training plan. 

I've got the biking thing down, but that really only happens on nice weekends, so last weekend I tested out this fun new workout a friend recommended. 

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A few of us signed up for a Sunday morning class at Burn's Valencia Street location and we were all pleasantly surprised at the 55 minute long butt kicking session. Burn is basically boot camp meets pilates meets random strength training classes you've taken at your local gym. Throw in a super enthusiastic instructor and a good playlist and that's my kind of class!

We did a ton of squats, some arm work with weights and then we spent some quality time with the pilates springboard (which I soon discovered is more challenging than it looks) before jumping into ab work. Let me just say that I was already feeling jello legged and sore 30 minutes later...and I was crazy enough to bike to class! Needless to say, I popped my bike onto a bus on the way home!

I'm still shocked at how sore my abs were - it hurt to use the salad spinner that night. HA! That being said, I'm going back for more. I love the sweat and jello leg feeling. The hurt that hurts so good. I love. Even if it had me hobbling like a fool the next day at work...

After this extremely successful pilates(ish) experience, I decided to schedule a private pilates reformer class with a coworker that is training to be a pilates instructor. I think part of me thought it would be similar to the Burn class...just lower impact?

Coworker is a great instructor; she's super patient and informative (I tend to ask a lot of questions). I felt the burn as we worked on my triceps, abs and some splits, however, it wasn't the burn that lasts. I walked out of there feeling like I got a solid hour's worth of stretching and I will say that my IT band, hips and hamstrings were feeling significantly looser than when I walked in. However, I didn't feel like I got a workout in. Is that weird?

I think I'm one of those people that needs to huff and puff and sweat buckets. I mean, let's think about yoga - the only kind I'm willing to do (and enjoy) is Bikram...where I sweat a ton! Is it any surprise I preferred Burn over regular pilates? I'll give regular pilates one more shot before totally scratching it off my list since this was my first time and I'm going to chalk it up to getting acclimated. 

It's heeere!

Race day is so close I can smell it! :)

So I'm definitely suffering from training burnout. How do I know this? Well, I'm no longer looking forward to my long runs...I just want race day here. NOW. Who knew I'd get so antsy?

How am I maintaining sanity? Apparently by doing some speed and hill work. Hill work?? Meh...it's pretty tough to avoid at this point. I'm going to embrace the hills. It'll only make Chicago seem easier, ya?

Tonight's run was FABULOUS. I met up with the running group for a breezy 5 miler that went over Fort Mason, through Fisherman's Wharf, along the Embarcadero and back. My legs were feeling particularly speedy and I whipped that puppy out in 44 minutes! Woooo! I even closed it out with a charge up the Fort Mason hill. Definitely feeling it in the booty, but nothing a little extra stretching won't fix!

And I had the pleasure of closing the run out with this lovely view:

Now the important question...who else, aside from Val and Jessica, is running Chicago??

M.I.A

I know, I know, I haven't posted in over a week. I was doing so well, too! Here's a quickie about what I've been up to. Recipes will follow.

I was so excited about the half marathon that I forgot to tell you guys about my Ferry Building Farmers Market experience! Since the race fell on the same day as my usual farmers market, I figured I'd take the opportunity to explore another one.

I've been to the Ferry Building market a couple times, but I've never actually shopped before. I started my morning off right at the Primavera stand. Instead of going with the Chilaquiles, I decided to try something new...

Oaxacan Tlacoyos (black bean and masa cakes with queso fresco, chorizo, salsa verde, white onions, radishes and cilantro) - I might even say these are better than the chilaquiles! The masa cakes were perfectly crisp and soft in the inside...sort of like a super crispy pupusa. The chorizo provided a nice kick, but it was a little oily for me. I loved the crispness and flavor of the radishes and onions. They were a refreshing contrast to the masa cake and chorizo!

After enjoying my breakfast on the pier, I wandered around for an hour totally overwhelmed by all the vendors. I am not allowed! I can zoom through Fort Mason in 15 minutes max...I've already flagged my favorite vendors! I ended up doing 5 laps trying to figure out what I wanted to buy. Yeeh. I ended up with a few peaches (I think I'm now up to 8 as far as varieties I've tried)

That super light colored one was a last minute grab and it was called Strawberry somethingorother. I'm not a fan. It was the first thing I snacked on when I got home that day and I thought the skin was way too thick for a peach. Bleh.

I also got some mixed greens...I found a stall that let you mix and match. My mix included dandelion greens, sweet mixed greens and wild arugula.

I enjoyed my little mix...especially the arugula :) I also snagged some baby bok choy and a little gem. My bok choy was only $.50!

A long, but successful farmers market adventure. I don't think I'll be hitting up the Ferry Building Market anytime soon since it was super crowded and a little pricier than my Fort Mason one. Cannot wait to return to Fort Mason this Sunday :)

Ok, so what have I been up to since we last chatted...

I built a couch with the help of a friend. Yeah, that sucker finally arrived and to my surprise it wasn't assembled. Boo.

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Happy houred at Gordon Biersch with a couple out of town friends.

Visited some tourist attractions with the out of town visitors. I also hijacked friend's fancy camera so keep an eye out for more pictures.

Dined on a yummy Quinoa Bowl (with sautéed vegetables & greens in ginger miso sauce) at Plant and sampled a friend's PLANT burger (made in house from lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews & bulgur wheat). My quinoa bowl was nice and gingery, salty and sweet, however I think it may have been a little too salty since my fingers puffed up a little afterward. Bleh.

Friend's PLANT burger was awesome. The beets actually made it look like he was chomping on some raw beef, but once you bit into it there was no denying it was a lentil burger. I loved it. I'd even eat the patty on it's own!

Brought back early morning runs with a 6:45am start Saturday morning. I had a 16 miler planned, 7 of which would be run with a running group through Golden Gate Park. I mapped 6.25 miles through Presidio Heights (with 3 massive hills I had to walk up) and the o so very flat Richmond District. I managed to get to the group run just in time and we looped through Golden Gate Park and then I convinced a couple ladies to keep going for another 3ish miles along the Great Highway. Total milage: 16.88. Total time: 3:13.

Hosted dinner at my home for the first time ever! On the menu:

Tomato, Fontina and Basil Tarts

Trader Joe's Arancini

Sole Wrapped Asparagus with Mustard Tarragon Sauce served over a Potato Pancake

Stay tuned for recipes of all these goodies :)

Dang!

I haven't posted since Monday. Woah. I am happy to report that I managed to find motivation the following day :) Instead of rushing over to the Marina Green for the scheduled 2 mile group run, I opted to run my flat office route...until I realized I forgot my access card. D'oh!

Since my home is on top of a hill, I decided to walk down to flatness and run until the timer on my phone went off. Seemed like a pretty good idea. 30 minutes later, I had completed exactly 3 miles...a pretty rough 3 miles. Yeeh. Dinner was leftover couscous salad (hooray for eating all my leftovers this week!)...exciting, I know.

Wednesday's run was MUCH better. I left my office and did the same timer thing (15 minutes, turn around, 15 minutes) and almost made it to 30 minutes, except the stupid light changed on me :( I got home, mapped my run and turns out I did 3.23 miles. In 29 minutes. O hey!

My run must have been an indicator for how the rest of my evening would pan out. I got home by 7 and knocked out some laundry and cleaning. I even sorted my recycling bin and broke down a bunch of boxes! Talk about productive ;) I also made a random quick dinner: Ghetto Tempeh & Swiss Sammich.

There's a whole lot of yellow going on in that picture. I sliced up my block of tempeh and spread some Nando's Peri-Peri Garlic Sauce on each side before baking.

Toasted up some bread, a slice of swiss cheese and a generous smear of my favorite mustard:

Dinner was served in no time.

Was it good? Eh, not really. It lacked greens and flavor. I ended up digging through my fridge for something to dip my sammich in. Sadness.

Since I had 2 slices of tempeh leftover, I made a similar sammich for Thursday's lunch subbing in hoisin sauce for the mustard. I crossed my fingers that it added enough flavor to keep my tastebuds happy.

Again, flavor fail. Belly was full and happy though! Happy all the way through my last group run...a whole MILE from the Marina Green to a bar. Haha. I love my running group. To justify changing clothes, having to shower, and rushing out of the office, I tacked on a little more for an even 2 mile jog to the bar.

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At the Final Final in the Marina, I had a wonderfully balanced dinner consisting of a Racer 5 IPA and bowl upon bowl of free popcorn. Hey, they were addictive! I also chatted with fellow runners and managed to find a potential new long run buddy. Hooray :)

Farmers market goodies

Hey all, I know it's been awhile since my last post. I actually had another one drafted up for Tuesday but I figured I'd start from scratch.

Saturday started with a nice and easy 7 miler that took us along the Marina Green through the Presidio,

along the Promenade at Crissy Field,

past the Warming Hut

to Hopper's Hands

and back. (no I'm not skilled enough to carry a camera with me...I am skilled enough to stalk Google images) Oh, and for good measure, to the top of the Fort Mason Hill I love so much.

I polished that run off at an easy 10 min pace with a minor snafu...a familiar little tug tug from the achilles. D'oh. Thankfully we had some Active Release Therapy (ART) specialists on hand after the run. I explained my previous achilles issues and mentioned that the tightness/pulling started up again after my accidental hilly 5 miler the other week and Dr. Kris Blum from Financial District Chiropractic was SUPER helpful and informative.

The whole ART thing is new to me and I told her about my winter of PT and how it would take a lot of massages and foam rolling to get my crazy calf knot worked out. She explained that since this was an injury and a tightness that resulted from movement, static massage wasn't going to help as much. Not going to lie, the 5 or 10 minutes she worked on my left calf hurt like hell...but in a good way. Definitely different than when I went to PT as she worked from my actual achilles all the way up to behind my knee. Apparently everything is connected and affected!

My front ankle joint and calf felt SOOOO much looser after that mini session and I was sent off to do some serious foam rolling. Too bad I trashed mine before I moved...more spending :(

So, what shall I name it??

I decided to have dinner for breakfast since I had a bizarre cereal craving and picked up some milk and Total at the market down the street.

It's been a LONG time since I've had a bowl of cereal and I LOOOOVVEEED it. Especially with some deliciously sweet raspberries :) Do you ever get random cravings for cereal? What kind do you prefer? I prefer flakes (I went through a freak Special K Red Berries phase where I ate around the dehydrated berries).

I woke up early on Sunday with a serious game plan - take a nice long walk to the Fort Mason Farmers Market for groceries, stop at Safeway for some non-farmers market goodies, Wine Market, and whip up two meals to freeze. Of course my plans are never set in stone ;)

I did take a long walk to the market and arrived shortly after it opened. It's a lot smaller than the Ferry Building Farmers Market and less crowded (well, at least at 9:45 it was). I did a quick lap before shopping and walked out with a ton of goodies for under $20! Check it out:

Super sweet pluots

A couple white peaches and nectarines

Some broccolini (WAY cheaper than at the store!)

A HUGE bunch of kai-lan

Just enough grape tomatoes for me

Some little gem hearts (how cute are they?) and some Foggy Morning (fresh cow's milk cheese, hand made) from Nicasio Valley Cheese Company. No picture b/c I tore into the packaging before taking a picture :\ These folks were sampling 4 (or maybe 5) of their cheeses from mild to sharp and Foggy Morning was the very first sample. It was so fresh and creamy...very mild. It reminded me of ricotta, texture and flavor-wise.

Unfortunately, I was so overwhelmed by the people, vendors and produce that I couldn't keep track of who I bought from! Don't worry, I will be frequenting this farmers market and I'll be sure to take note of my favorite vendors :)

I walked over to Selin's afterward to chill my cheese as we took a long walk through the Marina, enjoying the weather and catching up. Ahhh leisurely Sunday indeed!

Stay tuned for the afternoon antics and cookery!

Back into the swing of things

Happy Saturday everyone!

The day started a bit foggy/cloudy/chilly, but is slowly turning into a gorgeous sunny day!

Things have gotten a little better since my last post. I think I just needed to load my plate a little more. I'm really bad with downtime, but I'm also really bad with stress...hm. Can't win. I also got cozy with my latest book - Under the Table: Saucy Tales from Culinary School:

What can I say, getting lost in a book makes me happy and calm. Love it so far...it's a really easy and entertaining read. Will keep you posted.

After a nutty day at work on Thursday I met up with Selin and a couple of her friends for some Thai food in North Beach. Super easy to get to via bus (have I mentioned my new love of busses??), I met everyone at King of Thai Noodle on Grant Avenue.

(photo courtesy of the Yelp page)

Selin promised a cheap and delicious meal, but I didn't expect dirt cheap!

I kicked things off with a pint of Fat Tire...for TWO DOLLARS. Awesome. That was (eventually) followed by some Chicken Pad Ke Mao (stir fried dal rice noodles with green long bean, bell pepper, thai chili and basil). No picture because I was SO hungry and devoured it before thinking to take a picture. Service was S-L-O-W and I swear our waitress forgot about us a bunch of times. Annoying, but the food was tasty. Another round of beers and then the bill came. We split things 4 ways...$10 meal. I was full for $10. AMAZING. Next time I think I'll give takeout a shot. Boo slow service.

By the time Friday rolled around, I was looking forward to a half day at work. Unfortunately I was so busy that half day Friday didn't happen. Ugh. To remedy things, I did a little retail therapy (only for things I actually needed, plus a cute shirt I didn't really need) and promptly vegged/passed out on the couch. I figured I'd take it easy since I had my first training run in the morning.

I started my Saturday around 9am when I popped out of bed realizing I overslept and had to rush out the door to make it to the run on time. Yeesh. As I mentioned the other day, I decided to check out The City 13.1 - the half marathon training program affiliated with Fleet Feet San Francisco. I figured I should test the waters a bit before committing to the program...I wanted to make sure it would be a good fit for me and my summer/fall training schedule.

The first run started at 9:30am on the Marina Green. 9:30?! That's late for me! haha. Whatever. I'll take it considering I won't have to battle heat and humidity - SCORE!

I got there at exactly 9:30 and didn't miss a thing. We got a quick rundown of what to expect with the program followed by a 4 minute yog to loosen up the sleepy muscles. Then we did something a little wacky - range of motion drills (penguin walks, walking leg lifts, swimming movements, knee lifts). As weird as it felt to do them, I definitely felt looser at the start.

The plan for the day was a 2 mile run to get an idea of our pace. God, I can't remember the last time I only ran 2 miles...it was weird. I knocked it out in 18:15, which I'm pretty sure is one of my fastest 2 mile runs to date. Hurrah! Afterward I chatted with a few runners and then headed over to the complimentary breakfast at the store. More mingling and snacking took place and I officially registered for the program! I'm really excited to get into a structured training program and meet new people :)

After breakfast, I made a trip to Sports Basement in the Presidio. I figured I'd check it out since I wanted to stock up on some Nuun. I had no idea what I was getting into. O my goodness. This place is insane - lots of stuff to choose from and pretty low prices. I snagged a North Face fleece for $26! Ok, it's a kid's fleece, but the women's small was $35 or something...um, I'm going to go with the one that's $10 cheaper. I also grabbed a bunch of fun nutritionals and I'm pretty sure I wandered around for a good 40 minutes. Eek. When I got home, I made sure to photograph all my goodies just for you guys haha

Check out the training shirt (right) we get with the program. Super cute, right? I don't even like purple! O yes, I also grabbed another pair of my Nike capris, since the training program also comes with a $25 coupon. The Feetures are for my sister since they were ridiculously cheap at $8.50 for a pack of 3. I was also psyched to see that they carried the Clif Shot Espresso Gels...I like these on occasion but they are really hard to come by. It was an exciting day :)

I closed out the morning with a visit to Citizen Chain to chat about bikes. I'm in the market for one and have been pretty intimidated by the reviews I've read about bike shops. Citizen Chain seemed to be the most down to earth option so I decided to give it a shot. I walked in, said I was in the market for a bike, but I hadn't owned a bike since I was 12 and didn't have a clue what to do. The guy immediately commented on my pullover (yes, I was a tool and wore my PRR pullover to the Fleet Feet run...whatever, it's my fave) and turns out he's from Bethesda. Yay East Coaster!

He was really helpful, knowledgeable and willing to help me look at not so fancy/expensive bikes. I chatted for awhile trying to figure out what sort of prices I'd be looking at and what other essential items I'd need. I'm excited to go back this week to test out some bikes!

Again, I've rambled on about a ton of different things. Sorry! More to come this evening!