Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh

Finally, FINALLY, I was able to get outside for a run yesterday afternoon. I hadn't run at all since Sunday and that was only 4 miles on the treadmill at the gym. The last time I was able to run outdoors was a week earlier at my parents'. I hate it when circumstances keep me from running. This was a combination of really bad weather and the holiday (gym not open at normal times). Thus I was very antsy and agitated and sad to say feeling very fat. I figured the snow removal situation was under control enough for me to brave the sidewalks/roads of Chelsea. Yesterday it was cold and sunny and IMO, perfect for a nice post-work run. Which I did. Five and a quarter miles. Thank god. The sidewalk situation was severely sketchy, with some stretches being well-tended and free of snow while others were untouched or poorly cleared. It's official: I hate people who don't clear their sidewalks. After weaving on and off the sidewalk via driveways I just gave up and stayed in the road. This meant more slippage in the mushy stuff at the road's edge (sometimes I felt like it was a "two steps forward, one step back" situation) but at least the road was basically clear. I got some "WTF?" looks from people I passed in driveways and such. Yeah, yeah, I'm clearly nuts.

It was all made worthwhile as I had probably the nicest run through the cemetery ever. The road was unplowed but a few brave vehicles had passed through, creating a two-track of firm snow. The rest of the cemetery grounds were a smooth, pristine carpet unblemished by foot or tire. The snow clung to every tree branch and twig. The smaller headstones were reduced to white lumps. It was very, very quiet; the only sound was the squeak squeak of my feet on the packed snow. The sun was setting so the snow was beginning to glow blue and purple in the twilight. I wished I had a camera with me. I wished the road was longer because I could have run like that forever.

Scratch that idea

I know a few of you are from southeast Michigan and thus it will come as no surprise that I did not run in the midnight Eve On The Ave 5K in Jackson Monday night.

Too bad, though, because according to the race results I probably would have won my age group had I run.

I got my New Year's workout by shoveling 5,000 pounds of snow instead.

Reflecting on 2007...and Goals for 2008

It's the final day of 2007, a year of great change and upheaval for me. One year ago I was at the the midway point of a great downward spiral which would end only when I had surgery in February. I had lost about 20 pounds on Weight Watchers and was managing to run (when I had the energy) maybe twice a week, one or two miles at a time. More than that and the fatigue brought on by persistent anemia would lash out and strike me down. Most of those final gruesome weeks leading up to surgery it was all I could do to make it through the day, lured by the promise of sweet, sweet rest when I got home. Afternoon naps were my lifeblood, considering that my actual blood was leaking out of me faster than it could be replenished.

That is all behind me now, a horrible phase which has thankfully been relegated to memory only. 2007 was the year I was REBORN!

I ran (as best as I can guesstimate, considering my stats are spread out over three different record-keeping places) about 460 miles since May.

I ran one one-mile, six 5Ks, one four-mile, one 5.25-mile and one 13.1 mile race.

My best mile time was 7:48.

My best 5K time was 25:01.

My best (unofficial) 10K time was 54:45.

My half marathon time was 2:07.

I killed off two pairs of running shoes and am now working on my third.

I acquired the greatest piece of electronic wizardry known to man, the Garmin Forerunner 305. They can have my Garmin when they pry it from my cold dead hands (I say the same thing about TiVo).

I lost a further 40 pounds (slight setback over the past week of holiday feasting but I'm back on track now)

I made some excellent new friends who also love to run.

I have annoyed family and friends with endless blather about running.

I learned to love the quiet predawn hours. I also (sort of) learned to love the biting cold.

I learned how to love life again.

For 2008 I want to:

• Run my next half marathon in under 2 hours
• Run a 7:00 mile
• Run a sub-25:00 5K
• Get a new 5K PR (will have to be less than 23:21)
• Run a 10K race
• Run the Detroit Marathon!
• Reach my Weight Watchers goal weight
• Run as much as humanly possible without injury

As for this New Year's Eve, there's a 5K race in downtown Jackson that starts at midnight...

Holiday Wrap-Up

Apparently this year I was "easy" in the gift department. I got a new iPod Nano and headphones (for running). I got a Velcro wristband for my Garmin (for running). I got a totally rocking three-piece Pearl Izumi outfit (for running). I was very happy.

I went for a couple of long runs while I was in Ohio, an 8-miler and a 10K. The 8-miler was a nice easy lope (9:44/mile) to the dead end of my grandmother's street and back to my parents'. The 10K I did in 54:45 (8:48/mile) including the final mile which was almost all downhill (8:23/mile) and the 0.2 at the very end for which I basically ran as fast as I could just to see how it felt and I ended up running at a 7:14 pace. I was tired but not totally overwhelmed. Breathing fast but not out of control panting.

That 10K was one of my nicest runs ever right up until I turned onto Sherman Rd. from Caves for my final 0.8 mile and in the ditch on the south side of the road was a headless, half-skinned dead deer. It had probably been hit by a car and had probably been a buck with a big rack hence the chopped-off head. It was horrible and disgusting. It was decaying there in the ditch and because the ditch was full of water the stink and contamination were being carried downhill and I was running alongside the ditch with my nose full of dead animal stench. I went faster and faster, trying to outrun the smell. I had to go about 200 meters before I moved out of the stink zone. Part of the reason I ran so fast was because I was so disgusted by the sight of that dead deer and pissed off that someone would just lop off the head and leave the rest to rot. That was probably some perfectly nice venison.

I also installed SportTracks so now I can keep track of everything that ever happens on a run and see my running routes in full color. Thanks to Fritz for the suggestion.

The Few, The Proud, The....Totally Nuts?

Anyone who lives in the Midwest or Northeast and has a window knows what the weather has been like for the past day. Why, here in southeast Michigan we got over a foot of snow from this, the Blizzard of December 2007, which is unusual for this area.

When I got up this morning and peeked out the window, I saw a landscape not conducive to anything but donning flannel and sitting on the couch all day preferably with an endless mug of hot Irish whiskey. (See picture at left. That's John trying to clear the driveway.)

Snort. Yeah, if you're TOTALLY WIMPY!

However, if you're TOTALLY HARDCORE, you look at the snowy world and think, "It's a GREAT day for running!" Undeterred from plans made earlier in the week, myself and Tina agreed to give it a go, each of us armed with many layers of clothing and a set of Yaktrax. Never mind that I almost didn't even make it out of Chelsea after getting nearly stuck in the snow at one of the intersections downtown. (Sometimes I miss my Jeep with its four-wheel drive. But then I think, "47 mpg" and all is well.)

We met at Hudson Mills Metropark in Dexter, a little more than a month ago the site of the Ann Arbor Turkey Trot. There were other people at the park, too, including one other runner, so we weren't as insane as I thought. Though, oddly enough, most of the other people I saw were on cross-country skis...hmmm...

We did two loops of the park path for a total of about 5.3 miles, which was probably enough given the conditions. Fortunately the path had been cleared recently so we weren't breaking a trail through over a foot of snow. The Yaktrax worked beautifully and I was warm and dry from head to toe though the occasional cold glob of snow blew into my ear. Sometimes the wind blew fiercely in our faces, other times it was at our backs. After our second circuit of the path we decided to stop because the path was becoming drifted over due to the incessant wind.

A few hours later, the snowstorm ended and this was the view from my front window:


Damn! If only we'd waited until the afternoon to go running! Now it's a beautiful day! Then again, there's something to be said for really braving the worst of the elements, for getting out there when normal people hide indoors, for being not normal enough to think that running during a blizzard is fun, and for finding someone to do it with.

Just One of Those Days

Nothing special...just a nice six-mile run after work yesterday. The weather was an absolute joy, unlike Tuesday. When I set out I didn't really have an idea of how far or where I would go. I headed west on Cavanaugh Lake Rd. to Conway Rd. and turned north. Conway was a bit of a struggle. I ran my first two miles at a steady 9:15 pace and then when I began mile 3 about 100 meters into Conway Rd. my pace dropped to almost 10:00. Conway was an icy, mess not conducive to going very fast. I minced along, dodging potholes and puddles, muddy ruts and icy patches. My sparkling white brand-new shoes managed to avoid becoming dirt-splattered, much to my surprise. Once I turned east on Bush Rd., which is paved, I was able to pick up my pace again. The sun was starting to get very low in the sky and I had to decide whether I wanted to stretch my run to six miles or do a little less. I chose to lengthen it because really, the weather was too good to pass up (for December in Michigan, anyway) and I was feeling perky. Ivey Rd., paved though it was, was an ice-covered nightmare and I went even slower on it than I did on unpaved Conway Rd. When I finally reached the relative ice-free comfort of Werkner Rd., the sun was setting and the western horizon was ablaze with orange. I felt fortunate to be outside, generating my own heat to keep warm, breath billowing in great clouds, churning along, happy and strong. (6 miles, 58 minutes, 9:40 pace.)

New Stuff!

Friday evening John and I went into Ann Arbor to the downtown Running Fit store. They were having a one-day sale, and since I had been unable to get to the big sale the previous weekend, I knew this was my chance to get the new pair of shoes I had been thinking about since before Thanksgiving. And, while I'm at it (and how could I say no to 20% off everything?) how about a new really-bad-weather jacket, a new really-bad-weather pair of pants, some new socks, and new running bras...

One hour and several hundred dollars later I walked out with a big bag full of my new goodies. The next morning I suited up in almost everything I had purchased (forgoing the pants because the weather wasn't bad) and hit the road for a lovely 6-mile run. No hurry, no pressure, just out and about on a crisp, clear Saturday morning.

Mackinac Bridge Run Lottery

Today I entered the lottery for the Labor Day Mackinac Bridge Run. I was able to do so because I participated in three Governor's Council on Physical Fitness-endorsed events this year. I really hope I get picked. I think being able to run the bridge would be a fantastic experience. Only 300 people get selected. I won't know if I won the lottery for another six months.

I also filled out the section on being a Fitness Ambassador and leaned heavily on my 60-pound weight loss as well as the "overcoming adversity" angle in regards to my illness and subsequent surgery. It doesn't improve my chances of being randomly selected in the lottery but if I am chosen maybe it will help me stand out from the crowd.

In other news, I was recently made aware that a new group run is starting up on Wednesday evenings at my favorite place (aside from my couch), the Running Fit store by Jackson Rd. Only 10 minutes from my house! I'm there! Unfortunately I found this out this morning and the first run was yesterday. Oh well, maybe next week.

Note: yes, I did say that my favorite place is my couch. Even though I work out a lot, I still make room for quality couch-sitting time every evening. I watch a lot of TV. A lot of TV. And there's no place better to do so than bundled up in warm clothes and blankets with quality cat, dog, and husbandly companionship. They don't all sit on me at once, though. My lap only has room for two cats at the same time. Or one if he spreads out a lot.

Running is important, but so is loafing around!

Why?

Why do I run? That is the question. Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune...wait, that's my high school A.P. English extra-credit assignment come back to haunt me (isn't it strange how something I memorized in 1991 can still be lurking in my mind but I can't even remember to bring in a check to pay my co-worker for the Weight Watchers cookbook she found for me at Sam's Club?).

No, the question is: why run when there are so many things that are so much easier to do?

Why do something that pushes my heart rate past 150 bpm when I can sit on the couch watching TV and expend no energy at all? Why be forced to don three or four layers of clothing, hat, and gloves, when I can be inside wearing jeans and a T-shirt? Why go outside on purpose in a frigid Michigan December when my house is warm and climate-controlled (though some might say that 63 degrees is a bit frosty...hey, natural gas is expensive and that's why God (or Malden Mills) invented synthetic fleece). Conversely, why go outside on purpose in a sweltering Michigan July when my house is cool and climate-controlled? Why sweat profusely when I hate being sweaty above all things and once again, sitting on the couch watching TV does not make me sweaty. Why pound away at my joints when I should be mindful of their aging status and how such pounding will affect me 20, 30 years in the future? Why spend oodles of money on attractive, tempting, soft, warm, fancy, 100% necessary-all-the-time running gear when my wallet can't handle the burden of an expensive passion?

Hold it right there, that's the key. Passion. This is my passion. At this point if I had to stop running it would be like asking me to stop breathing. It's that important, that vital. Running makes me feel alive. I can hear my heartbeats, feel cold air in my lungs, taste the sweat on my lips (damn, there's that sweat again...seriously, people, if you could have seen me after one of my summer runs you might have thought I had had a bucket of water dumped over my head). Oh, and then there's spitting, nose-blowing, phlegm-gargling, runner's trots, callouses, funky toenails, chafing, PVCs, tears pulled from my eyes by a biting headwind, chapped lips, side stitches, cold air-induced spastic coughing (does anyone else get that?), aches, pains, exhaustion. Yes, running certainly makes me feel alive!

But seriously.

I took the easy path through life for a long time. At the end of that road I weighed over 220 pounds and couldn't even go up the stairs in my house without getting winded. The couch was much more appealing than the outdoors. I considered the walk from my car to the front door of my workplace my daily exercise. I was alive, but I wasn't really living. I was just sort of...drifting along.

Running changed that. Running changed everything. Running has helped me shed almost 60 pounds of excess weight. Running has driven me to want to achieve things that were unthinkable a year ago, and, even better, actually do those things (half marathon, anyone? Sub-8:00 miles?). Running a half marathon successfully has made me want to do a full marathon. Running a sub-8:00 mile has made me want to run a sub-7:30 mile. Running has tempered my loathing of being outdoors in cold weather, unto itself a nearly unthinkable achievement. Running lets my mind wander freely onto any subject imaginable, for what else am I going to do for an hour when it's just me, the road, and the occasional bird in the bushes? Running begets running, too; the more I run, the more I find I want to run. I want to run farther, faster, stronger.

Yesterday as I neared the conclusion of my afternoon run, I crossed paths with my next-door neighbor who was out walking her dog. I paused to say hello and she commented that it certainly was cold to be out doing what I was doing. I replied that after nearly four miles, it didn't feel cold at all, I was as warm and toasty as could be and I was also wearing four layers of clothing (I really need to get one extremely warm outer layer, oh, would that be more expensive running gear, perhaps?). We parted ways and I continued onward, cold wind beating against my face. It was a beautiful day to be outside. It was a beautiful day to be alive.

How True...

This was Saturday's Frazz comic.

Wow!

I was recently made aware that registration for the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon was already closed. Boy, that was fast. I looked at the race's Web site and saw that registration was open for only two weeks! I'm glad I only waited until 12:20 (20 minutes after registration opened at noon on November 1) to register. I am so fantastically excited to be a part of the race.

You know, they sent me my race shirt already. I'm not really sure why. It's actually a pretty cool shirt: navy blue and white, short-sleeve, tech fabric, the word "DETERMINED" on the back. Kind of reminds me of high-school cross-country T-shirts that say things like "pain is temporary" and the like (I still have all of my high school cross-country team shirts...so what? 1988 wasn't that long ago).

In other news, I had a very enjoyable 8.5-mile run on Saturday on the paved path at Kensington Metropark. At this time of year and with the weather particulars over the weekend in the area, the path was deserted but for a handful of runners and rollerbladers. Bird life was abundant and weirdest of all some kind of fighter jet made a very low banked pass over the lake. Freaky!

Like I Said...

Just a Quick 5 Miles

Easy-peasy. What's five miles after work? So nice, that's what. I came home from work at 4:00 and by 4:15 I was into my running clothes and out the door. The sun was shining and everything, though it was quite cold and the headwind was a little harsh. I decided to head into the country on one of my favorite routes, the Conway-Sibley loop. I didn't have to worry about slamming out a run and getting home in time to shower and get to work. It took me about 2 miles to get warmed up and settle into a good rhythm but once I did I felt on top of the world (literally; at one point on the route I can see all of Chelsea spread out in the distance, the skyline dominated, as always, by the Chelsea Milling Company (aka Jiffy Mix) grain elevators).

When I got back into town, instead of veering away from Main St. and taking Buchanan or West North to Middle in order to skirt the downtown proper, I just ran right up the Main St. sidewalk past all the stores and restaurants. There was a time not so long ago that I refused to run through downtown and pass people on the sidewalk because I was still embarrassed by how fat and slow I was. I didn't want people to see me and think, "She's barely moving, and boy, is she overweight."

Not any more. I'm a lean mean running machine. I don't care who sees me. I want people to see me as I run proudly up Main St. Now I hope they see me and think, "She's really moving, and boy, is she in good shape!"

What a difference six months makes!

Rosemary Chicken with Wild Rice

Another one of Weight Watchers' one-dish dinners that I've incorporated into my meal plans. The combination of orange marmalade, rosemary, and Dijon mustard might sound weird but it's really good.

Ingredients:

• 2 smallish-sized boneless/skinless chicken breasts (about 4 ounces each or a total weight of 1/2 pound), cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes
  
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
• 3 tbsp sugar-free or reduced-sugar orange marmalade
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup wild rice
  
• Salt & pepper

Begin cooking the rice; most wild rice takes close to an hour to fully cook so you can use this time to prep the rest of the ingredients and still have time to kick back in front of the TV, read the newspaper, do some laundry, play with the cats...

With about 15 minutes left of rice cooking time, heat the olive oil in a large sauce pan or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the rosemary and continue cooking for 4 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Add the orange marmalade, mustard, salt, and pepper; stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes. The rice should be done now; drain any excess water and add the rice to the chicken mixture. Stir to combine and serve.

Makes enough for two good-sized portions. According to my Weight Watchers cookbook, a "generous" 1 cup of the stuff is 6 WW Points.

In other news I must be doing something right because the scale this morning said 161.4. That's a full 4-plus pounds less than what it said on Tuesday. I've been very carefully tracking Points and not going over my daily allowance because I am so determined to reach Goal before the end of the year. If my scale is to be trusted I have 6 more pounds to lose.

Watch for a picture post the first day I slip under 160 pounds, territory that hasn't been visited in 11 years.

Defeated by (Almost) December

I just couldn't do it anymore. The mornings are too cold, too dark, too harsh. I've decided to start running in the afternoons. I went out yesterday after work for a "test" run. It was great! I could see where I was going! I wasn't blinded by oncoming headlights! It wasn't so bitterly cold!

Thus, after more than a year of morning runs, I am switching to the afternoons, at least until it gets too hot next spring, by which time it will be light in the mornings again. I'm still getting up at my usual time, but not running before work means I will be able to start work at 7:00, which also means I will be done at 3:30, which means I will be home and ready to roll (run?) at 4:00 or shortly thereafter. Running in the afternoon also means I will be able to go for longer runs in the middle of the week. My pre-work run length was kind of limited to what I could do in about 45 minutes, which meant really nothing longer than 5 miles.

Additionally, when I start training for the Marine Corps half marathon in February, I am going to be doing interval and tempo work, for which I would like to use the local high school track, and it's not lighted. I don't relish the thought of running around a track in the dark.

Thus, afternoons it is. And if it's crappy and raining, I can always just go to the gym. I think I'm sufficiently addicted to exercise at this point that I don't have to worry about skipping workouts because I "don't feel like it." I always feel like it these days. Once I had decided, while I was on my way home from work yesterday, to go running when I got home, I could hardly wait. I was so excited to get out there. And it felt so damn good once I did.

Gumbo!

First of all, let me just say thank you to the various folks who emerged from the woodwork and left comments in my previous post! I was very glad to "meet" you!

Second, this dish has become a staple in our house. It's a Weight Watchers recipe, but I've tweaked it slightly to fit my tastes.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp canola oil
  
• 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
• 1 white onion, diced
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
  
• 6 scallions, sliced
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 14.5-oz can crushed tomatoes
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp thyme
• 1/2 tsp Cajun seasoning or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
  
• 1 bay leaf
• salt
  
• 1/2 cup brown rice
• 1/2 lb cooked shrimp
• 1 turkey kielbasa link, sliced (I don't know the exact weight but it's one link from a package of two Oscar Mayer brand turkey polska kielbasa)

Get the brown rice going while preparing the rest of the dish. The rice will go into the pot with the rest of the stuff after a while. My brown rice (Lundberg long-grain) takes about 50 minutes to cook fully, so factor the cooking time of your rice into the recipe. I set my timer for the rice cooking time and use that as the basis for the rest of the dish.

Heat the canola oil in a soup pot or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper, onion, celery, scallion, and garlic and saute for 5 minutes. Add the crushed tomato, chicken broth, spices, and bay leaf. Salt to taste, stir to combine, reduce heat to medium, and simmer for 15 minutes.

When the brown rice has about 20 minutes left to cook, add it to the vegetable mixture and stir to combine. Cover and continue cooking. With about five minutes left on the rice cooking time, add the kielbasa slices and shrimp and simmer uncovered for the remainder of the time.

Makes 4 servings.

Comment, Please

I have this nifty little application installed in the code for this blog. It's called Statcounter and it tells me everything I could ever want to know about anyone who reads this thing. Along with the handful of people I actually know IRL or from other places on the Internet who are semi-loyal readers (I have your static IP addresses labeled so I know it's you) there are a few of y'all who keep coming back...yet I have no idea who you are. Lakewood, Ohio, I'm talking to you. I know you're not my friend Ellen 'cause she moved to North Carolina. And who's that from the U of M Medical Center who keeps coming back? What about you, Jacksonville, Florida? I don't know anyone there. How did you find me? So don't be shy, comment! I love comments! I like knowing who's reading beyond the four to six people I'm absolutely sure about.

In other news: Tomorrow afternoon we have an all-company rah-rah meeting at the Sheraton across the street. Refreshments and snacks are being provided. This would all be well and good except Tuesday is my Weight Watchers weigh-in day and I don't eat anything but breakfast all day to increase my chances of a happy result at weigh-in, and tomorrow has the potential to be really good (55 pounds lost total!) or very irritating (gain for the week including Thanksgiving) But...free cookies. Lots and lots of free cookies. Sigh. What's a girl to do?

Must. Stay. Focused. Maybe I'll have one cookie.

Aurora Turkey Trot and Shocking Development

Thursday morning (Thanksgiving Day) was the Eastside Turkey Trot in Aurora, Ohio, about 30 minutes from my hometown of Chesterland. My dad and I ran the race together. I had registered some weeks before after scouting out potential Thanksgiving holiday races in northeast Ohio. We were coming to the area for the holiday, and these days I like to do a quick online reconnaissance of road races in places I will be visiting. I never know when there might be a 5K I could do.

It was a miserable morning, cold, drizzly, and generally the kind of morning which should be spent indoors drinking hot coffee, bundled in pajamas, and looking out at the world, not spent outdoors bundled in many layers of special fabrics contemplating the fact that one has to run four miles. However, we and several hundred other nutjobs showed up for this race which started and ended at the Aurora Farms Premium Outlets Megaplex and if that's not a statement about the American love of consumerism I don't know what is. Maybe they wanted us to come back on Friday and go shopping?

Besides, I love running in bad weather. The crappier, the better! Frigid? Drizzle? Wind? No problem! All three at once? Awesome!

As far as races go, it was fine. Four miles isn't a distance with which I have much strategic racing experience, my preferred distance being the 5K. In true scatterbrain style I failed to activate the Garmin at the start line so all of my distance and pace data is off. Moron. I still averaged about 8:18/mile, and finished the race in 33:15 or so. Update: official race results were finally posted, although not broken down by age group, and I finished in 33:16, and appear to be fifth in my age group and 122/299 overall.

The race course doubled back on itself so at one point we middle-of-the-packers were passed by the front-runners heading in the opposite direction. I rarely if ever get a chance to see race leaders so it was very interesting. There was one hardcore guy (dressed only in shorts and wispy tank top) who was up with the top male runners who must have been in his mid- to late sixties. I just thought, "Rock on, old dude."

I liked the course; it was broad, gently sloped, well-tended and marked, and not overly difficult. Aurora Police were on hand to halt traffic, which was nice, considering I have run road races where traffic was allowed to continue going past.

I hope the race returns next year. Or whatever year it is that we return to Chesterland for Thanksgiving.

Now, the Shocking Development. Friday I braved the insanity and went to Beachwood Mall with my mom. We ended up at Ann Taylor (again) and I found some cute stuff on sale. To my EXTREME SHOCK (and delight) I am now wearing SIZE SIX pants from Ann Taylor. I know their sizing runs bigger than other stores so I might not necessarily be able to squeeze into a size six from, say, J Crew or whatever. But. The label on my pants, pants I am wearing right now says "6." This is totally unprecedented. I haven't worn a size 6 since I was in high school when I was 15 or 16 years old.

Tomorrow I will see if I suffered any collateral damage from all the feasting last week. I hope my exercise efforts offset the increased consumption. I ran four miles on Thursday, two on Friday (plus weightlifting), and six on Saturday. I am so close to my Weight Watchers goal weight that any setback will make me very disappointed. I really, really want to reach my goal before the end of the year.

Ann Arbor News Article

The article in the Ann Arbor News is out! Read it here.

Y'all. Listen to this.

I was going to keep quiet about this but I can't help myself any more. This afternoon a photographer from the Ann Arbor News is meeting me in Chelsea to take my picture, dressed in full running gear, for the Thanksgiving edition front page feature story.

So what in the world is going on? Well, on Saturday I saw a tiny little blurb buried at the bottom of the News in Brief page that asked for personal stories from people who are especially grateful for something this Thanksgiving. I thought, man, if there was ever a year for which I am thankful, it has to be this one, and it's all due to the wonderful woman who performed my surgery back in February. I sent an email to the woman who is writing the story, an email which included:

The surgery was a complete success and after my recovery period was over I flung myself with everything I had into my new life, a life I had almost lost sight of before surgery. I lost 30 pounds, started running, and in October I completed the Detroit Half Marathon. I feel more vibrant and energetic than I ever have in my entire life, and next month I will be 34.

She wrote back, we talked about running and such, and lo, this afternoon I will be standing in the cemetery in Chelsea (my favorite place to run) in my running outfit, which includes a free shirt from Running Fit. I went there yesterday ostensibly to pick up a pair of nice warm gloves (check) and nice warm hat (check) but also to casually mention that I was going to be photographed for the paper in my running clothes and I really wanted to wear something from RF with their name on it...since it's my favorite store and all...free publicity...hence, free shirt. Thank you, Victor!

Thursday, Ann Arbor News, front page. Me. Holy crap!

(By the way, my face is in a state of extreme pimpliness the likes of which I haven't seen in years. I don't know what happened but I am leaving work at 3:00 today to go home and plaster on as much foundation as my skin can handle. Stupid zits. You'd think they would go away by the time you hit your thirties. Bah humbug!)

French Green Lentil Soup

I haven't posted many recipes here which was one of the things I intended to do with this blog so here's one.

FRENCH GREEN LENTIL SOUP
(from Bon Appetit magazine, December 2006)

1 1/4 cups French green lentils, rinsed and drained
2 cups diced white onion
1 cup sliced celery stalk
1 cup sliced carrot
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 14-oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
Balsamic vinegar (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, lentils, and tomatoes. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Transfer 2 cups of soup (mostly solids) to a blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to soup pot and stir. Season with salt and pepper and a splash of vinegar (if desired).

This is sort of the basic recipe; many things can be added to it according to one's individual tastes or desires. For example, last night I browned ~1/2 pound of turkey breakfast sausage links in a separate frying pan, cut them into chunks, and added them into the soup after the pureé step.

I think the next time I make this I want to experiment with some other seasonings. S&P are all well and good but I think it needs something a little more zesty.

And lastly, why French green lentils (specialty) and not just plain old green or brown lentils one can find at any grocery store? It's worth seeking them out because their flavor is more intense and earthy than other lentils. The recipe is timed to accommodate the longer cooking time and more robust structural integrity of French green lentils so I can't vouch for what might happen if one used another kind of lentil. Lentil mush, maybe? I buy my French green lentils in bulk at the Ann Arbor Whole Foods store. However, I see that Bob's Red Mill has packaged French green lentils (I love Bob's Red Mill! I put his ground flaxseed meal into all kinds of things).

Race Report: Ann Arbor Turkey Trot

This morning was the Tortoise & Hare Ann Arbor Turkey Trot. It was my kind of running weather: cold and dismal. I've always done better in bad weather, reaching all the way back to my freshman year and first season of high school cross country. That year (1988, practically prehistoric times) at our District meet I ran a 24:13 (my PR for the season) in abysmal weather conditions, even worse than today's. My preferences were set for life.

We were issued timing chips, but there was no timing mat at the start of the race, just the finish. I don't know how this could be considered completely accurate. Especially since I was so close to breaking 25:00. I was timed in 25:01. If there had been a timing mat at the start, would my time have been different? Especially since according to my Garmin I finished in 24:52? I guess I will have to look forward to breaking 25:00 in my next 5K , whenever that may be.

I had a good race; my mile splits were 7:48, 8:02, and 8:06. I finished 11/31 in my age group. I averaged 8:03 over the full distance. There was no one at the mile splits announcing times but I glanced at the Garmin. I shouldn't have done so as my immediate reaction to the first-mile 7:48 was to think, "That's much too fast! I can't sustain that pace!" And sure enough, I didn't. I should have just left well enough alone and not peeked at the Garmin. Maybe I could have maintained the faster pace for just a little longer and busted past that 25:00 barrier.

Nevertheless, what a difference a year makes. One year ago I ran this race in 32:58 and my goal was just to manage to get/stagger across the finish line. I had been on Weight Watchers for a little over 2 months and had been running for about a month. This was me then:


And here is me, one year, 35 pounds, and 7:57 less later:

Stand up and stop SLOUCHING!:

Why do I always look like a TOTAL GOOBER? (oh, and get a load of the nice spit trail up and over my right shoulder):

One year ago today is also a Big Deal date for me because it was on this day, after coming home from the race, that I noticed my period had started unexpectedly. I had no way of knowing at the time that it would be my last one ever, and that it would last 83 days, until I had surgery on February 2, 2007, putting a permanent end to that nightmare.

Then vs. Now

In March of 2005, shortly after joining the Wellness Center here in Chelsea, I underwent a baseline fitness evaluation. On Wednesday of this past week I had myself retested out of curiosity about how much I have changed myself since I began losing weight and running. I knew that I had lost a considerable amount of weight, but what about all the other things that aren't as easy for me to measure? Thus my fitness re-assessment.

Thursday I picked up my results:

Parameter	March 2005	November 2007
Weight (pounds)	220	166
Body Fat Percent	37.3	24.6
Fat Weight (lbs)	82	41
Lean Weight (lbs)	138	125
BMI	33.4	24.9
Resting Heart Rate (bpm)	72	64
Ebbeling Treadmill VO2 Max (mkm)	42	40.7
Curl-Ups (1 min)	54	62
Push-Ups	13	31
Sit-Reach Hip Flex (inches)	21.25	24.25

Obviously, a huge improvement in many areas, especially my weight (loss of 54 pounds), body fat percentage (change of -12.7%), and body mass index (change of -8.5 from "obese" to "normal").

One of the statistics I found most interesting (and kind of gross) was that of the 54 pounds I have lost, 41 of them were of fat. 41 pounds of fat is a LOT of fat. I tried to picture a big quivering heap of 41 pounds of fat, glistening and sickly yellow, and all I did was make myself queasy.

I'm a bit mystified as to how my estimated VO2 max could have decreased despite my greatly improved physical conditioning. I'm suspicious of that number. Still, a VO2 max of 40.7 for a female my age is considered "superior."

I tried to calm myself enough to get my resting heart rate to go below 60, but it didn't. I've measured my RHR in a state of extreme relaxation as low as 52.

My arms are still like wet noodles, though. I didn't put my submax bench press or leg press results on the chart because the Wellness Center changed the testing method for both and the results don't compare. I could only bench press 10 reps of 53 pounds and that was a gigantic struggle. I'm "well below average" in the arm strength category. I don't really care; I'm not out for the bulging bicep look.

In other news, tomorrow is the Tortoise & Hare Turkey Trot in Dexter. One year ago, I ran that race when I was still in the nascent stages of my weight loss and running efforts. I am totally pumped for the "one year later" version. I went for a short, slow jog this morning to keep myself in prime condition. I want to better my time from the Big House Big Heart race (25:28). If I break 25:00 I would be thrilled.

Surprise

All of my teeth-gnashing over the fact that I posted substantial gains two weeks in a row was for naught because I lost 7.2 pounds in one week, which wiped away the 5.4 I gained plus put me down another 1.8 for a grand total of 53 pounds. I'm now at 165.2, which, for my height, puts my BMI at 24.9, which is considered "normal." I'm also just barely above the weight range for my height that Weight Watchers considers "normal."

There are many ways in which I could be considered not normal, but for the first time in 10 years my weight is not one of them.

Milestone

If my home scale is to be believed, I weighed 163 pounds this morning. This is important because my highest recorded weight (doctor's office visit, maybe late 2005) was 223. Which means that I have lost 60 pounds. 60 pounds!! Of course, by the end of the day, the scale at Weight Watchers may say something different (it always does). Oh, whatever...I'm back on track again after those two annoying weeks of gains.

I don't even want to start thinking about dropping into the 150s. I haven't been below 160 pounds since...uh...??? I know it was in college sometime, so at least 10 years ago. I don't want to get prematurely worked up about the one-fives (but when I see "159" on the scale for the first time...oh man).

With the time change I actually have a bit of morning light to run by. I know it won't last long so I will try to take advantage of it. This morning, along with the (somewhat gloomy, overcast) sunrise, I also encountered...snow. That's right folks, it be snowin' here in southeast Michigan. Well, not any more, but it was earlier. Now, for those of you who don't know, I absolutely HATE HATE HATE HATE cold and winter. I was born and raised in northern California where if the one inch of water in the birdbath iced over once all winter it was a major event. We moved to Cleveland when I was 13 and despite now having spent well over half my life in the Midwest I still hate winter. I've gotten used to winter, but I don't like it. Not at all.

Therefore, the fact that I went running outside this morning WHILE IT WAS SNOWING is grounds for me to ponder whether or not I've totally gone insane.