You know what's nice? Well yes, sleep, but also not having to train for anything specifically.

The past two weeks I've just been winding down, and then slowly returning to a regular schedule. I don't know if I'll ever be a morning person, but damnit, I'm trying. There's been a lot of changes going on lately too, mainly because I think I'm just burnt out of the whole MAF and low carb thing. Girl's gotta live, yo.

So what have I been doing with this newly found freedom? Running, climbing, and eating lots of food, glorious food (including rice! And cake!)! Guess what? I'm still alive! Is anyone surprised? I've also been gardening which is a serious work out in itself. But look, RADISHES! They don't come fresher than this, folks.

Breakfast Radishes!

Just a portion of the gardening I did.

I also had a group of friends over for a steak night! I wanted to share my absolute love for US Wellness steaks. Sure, they aren't cheap, and it probably isn't the best way to spend my artist's salary, but I think that the buttery, bloody, melt-in-your-mouth goodness is worth every penny. We also did some blind wine tasting. We had five different types of red wines (Malbec, Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pino Noir, and Zinfandel), and we tried to figure out which one was which. This confirmed my assumption that I know absolutely nothing about wine, because I don't think I got any of them right, even though I had to taste everything at least twice (FOR SCIENCE). :|

Also, I am a lightweight, and my body hated me deeply for eating crappy food and drinking. It's almost never worth it.

Tuesday I went climbing for the first time in several months. I used to go to the indoor gym to boulder (not with a rope, but on a shorter wall and a pad to fall on) a couple times a week. I never really excelled at it to be honest, but it is a great way to exercise without really feeling like you're exercising. If you like to solve puzzles and problems, then you should definitely give climbing a shot. I think it's a great compliment to running, except for the fact that you have to jam your swollen and abused feet into teeny tiny climbing shoes.

It felt amaaazing to climb again, even though my body felt about 3x's heavier than normal, and the calluses on my hands have disappeared. I went with my friend Diana that I haven't caught up with in AGES, so the session was mostly yapping about life with some sad (on my part) climbing in between topics. I managed to scoot up a few V2's though, so I'm happy to know my muscles haven't completely disintegrated.

With our remaining energy, we decided to do some planks and lunges. Lunges are a good way to make yourself stupidly sore the next day if you haven't done them in months.

Despite the sore inner thighs from the lunges, and the swollen forearms from the climbing, yesterday I decided to wake up at the crack of dawn to get a 10k run in. I was feeling particularly feisty, so I joined my boyfriend on his run of the day. Just like, a mile behind him.

We did a 10 min warmup followed by a 30 min moderate effort, and then a cool down. Apparently moderate effort is around 165-170hr for me. I found it WAY easier to keep a 170 hr than my MAF of 149. I think this was the average heart rate I used to run at on a DAILY BASIS. I felt so free running that pace, even though it was only a 9 min mile. I think I would normally be faster if I wasn't so sore, and had just ran a 50 mile race, and the wind wasn't gusting, but who knows.

I haven't completely given up on MAF. I intend on doing MAF for 80% of my running, with the remaining 20% at harder levels with mixed intervals, tempo runs, and hill sprints. Matt Fitzgerald has a book out called 80/20 Running: Run Stronger and Race Faster By Training Slower. I haven't read it (yet), but I listened to a podcast with him discussing the contents, and it seemed like a solid middle ground for those that want to live a little but still be injury free. Despite what it may look like, I don't plan on blowing everything I worked so hard for, or ignoring everything I've learned.

It was also great just to participate on a run with my boyfriend again. My MAF training has not only made my runs lonelier, but his as well. I'm looking forward to pushing myself on the trails again, and tagging along with him.

I'm still trying to figure out my next major goal, but for now I am going to really focus on building my speed back up, and reviving my long neglected muscles. I also want to get back to a V3/V4 level of bouldering, and hit some tough trails for running. The next race I have is the Double Dipsea, then in July I want to do a 6 hour race and see how far I get. There's talks of a trail Ragnar in Tahoe in August, and a possible trip at the end of July full of running! It's looking like a fun summer!

Oh, last but not least, the next book I'm reading is Christopher McDougall's Natural Born Heroes, which I believe actually touches on some of Maffetone's philosophies. Very interested to read what he has to say. At the rate that I read, you might just want to read it yourself before I write a review.


Later, Gators!

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Feeling free!

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The training log is wrapping up this week, which means I'm going to be a nervous wreck! I already started to freak out just from last week. Things really started to sink in once I got the official race emails and Facebook posts. Eek.

Running this past week was a bit lackluster. I'm also suffering from some minor food poisoning which made this morning's run noticeably bad. High heart rate, chills, and later in the day a massive headache and nausea. Eugh.

I didn't get any runs under a 10 min mile average, which was kind of a bummer. My longest run Saturday was 10 miles in Marin, so I decided to ignore MAF altogether and run free with my friend and training partner Rini. We did a gorgeous out and back course through the Tennessee Valley. It was only about 4 to 500 feet of elevation gain, but was a harsh reminder of the hill work I've been slacking on.

Can I just mention how awesome that run was though? It was an event at the San Francisco Running Company that was sponsored by the sock company Stance. If you have a thing for socks, running or not, you need to check them out. So many designs!!! Anyway, they seriously went all out! Not only was the run a big hit with over 60 participants, but they gave away free socks, had a food truck, beer, and foot massages! Here's a pic with me and Brett Rivers, the owner of SFRC. I feel so lucky to have known him back in our Zynga days, and find it incredible how fast and how far the store has developed in the past few years! He is also blazing fast on the trails (9th place this year in Western States), and I expect big things from him in the future.

Anton Krupicka was there too, as he's sponsored by them. Jon, Rini and I totally geeked out about it. If you don't know who he is, he is a legend in the ultra running community. I watched him in the documentary Unbreakable, and it's amazing to see him in action. His gait is so smooth, and it's amazing to see him flying at 7 minute miles at the end of a 100 mile race.

Left: Me, Anton (yeah, first name basis) and Rini

Back to the socks - they were awesome! Talk about high quality, and the patterns are really fun. They are lightweight and snug. If they made knee high socks I would totally be hooked on them, but with the mid calf ones I have to show my embarrassing runners tan, and I'm not too keen about that. I was super happy to score a free pair though.

My awesome tan line.

I only have three more runs left until we head up to Folsom on Friday for the race. I don't think I've ever been so nervous for a race before! It is a deep unknown considering that it will be 18 miles more than I've ever done before in one go. Butterflies are going nuts in my stomach. 

So what's one piece of advice that you'll hear from pretty much every running veteran? Never try anything new on race day. Typically in an ideal situation you've worn the exact outfit, ate the exact gels/food, ran in the exact shoes and socks...with nothing new. My friend that wore this cotton shirt for a marathon at a last minutes notice understands how important this advice is, since his repercussion was some seriously bloody nipples. 

That piece of advice is also one that runners repeatedly ignore, despite knowing it. This week I'm trying a handful of new things in my mad attempt to survive these 50 miles. The weather is showing some warmer temps than I've been training in and used to, and considering that I don't do well in heat, I've gone into panic mode.

So here's my new running vest that I've never gone over 10 miles in. It's the Salomon S-Lab Advanced Skin 3. My boyfriend has it and swears by it, and I primarily wanted one because my 1 liter Spry wasn't going to cut it. I also wanted something with two bottles so I could have both water and electrolytes, and I could swap them out at the aid stations quickly. I'm treating this race like I'm not going to be doing any stopping at all, when in reality I'm sure I'll probably crawl into the fetal position for a quick sob session.

First impressions of the vest: it's a good fit. I got the XS/S but think an XXS would fit too. I wish there was one even smaller for petite framed girls like me. The water bottles are 16 oz, and I tend to fondle them and it gets a bit awkward. HOW CAN YOU NOT FONDLE THEM THOUGH. They're...right there. The pockets are numerous but I feel like they're all a little bit difficult to jam stuff in. I also wish the front clips were a little less messy and more clear. It didn't come with a hydration bladder, but came with an insulated pocket for a bladder if you buy one. I got mine at a discount at Sports Basement, but otherwise the normal price of $160 seems a bit outrageous to me. I'll give a better updated review after the race.

Last, I decided to try out this hiker's wool that was recommended to me by my friend and AR50 training partner, Rini. She discovered this stuff in New Zealand, and it's popular with long distance hikers there. 

I was a bit skeptical and worried when I put it on, but once I did it was kind of amazing! I think it's a hidden secret. The wool is so soft, and it binds with your sock when you put it on. That was the hardest part for me, putting my compression sock on it, but I found that if I turned the sock almost completely inside out and then put it on, it was better. Once the sock was on, it almost felt like there was gel between my toes because it was so slippery and soft feeling. I didn't feel hot, and I didn't get any blisters. Granted, the farthest I went with this was 10 miles, but I seriously don't think it's going to be a problem. This seems like a great alternative to Injinji toe socks. Pretty thrilled with this.

Well that's all! Sorry for the lengthy update, I'll try to squeeze another post in before the big race. :)

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Last week before the race. Plus check out my new Salomon Vest!

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Major progress this week! I hit milestone after milestone, and the taper has only just begun! 

Four out of the five runs this week were all under a 10 min/mi average. Which is INSANE because this week was also the very first run that I've averaged under a 10 min/mi. I don't know what my body is on, but I like it. 

Tuesday's run was a teensy tiny four miler. It was a 9:56 average. Wednesday was a 10 miler, which was a 9:44 average. Thursday was hill day, and I did over 700 feet of elevation in 8 miles, and that was a 10:35 average. 

That run in particular was still a huge leap for me, considering the last hill day 8 miler I did exactly one month ago was just over 600 feet and 24 seconds slower per mile. 

February 19th

March 19th

Saturday's run was 16 miles. Even though it is significantly shorter than my previous long runs, my legs were still tired and revolting against going since I've been going so much faster. I still managed a 9:51 average, and broke my half marathon PR (2:08:44) since starting MAF. And then this morning's 10 miler I snuck in just under 10 mins with a 9:58 average, but that also included the two hills at Coyote Pointe. NOT TOO SHABBY.

Sorry to be so braggy, but after four months that required EXTREME patience, it feels amazing to finally reach my goal of hitting under a 10 min mile average at my MAF heart rate (149). I feel like screaming it from the rooftops! My goal for this whole thing was to hit a 10:30 min mile by the time the 50 miler came up, so I'm quite thrilled. 

Speaking of which...it's only 12 days away. I am officially done with long runs, and the longest one to do now is only ten miles. It's starting to hit me. EEK.

My legs are surprisingly tired after this week, I think because of the pace increase. While my heart rate is remaining the same, it's really difficult to convince my legs to move faster. This is one of the downsides of MAF, you lose your speed. While before I would think that moving at a 9:45 pace would be beyond easy, now it's a bit of a struggle to get that spring back in my legs. I'll take it though. People that do MAF need to realize that the speed will go away but you can earn it back with hard work and elbow grease. :) 

Aside from the great running week, I have been experimenting with some paleo baking. To satisfy my sweet tooth I made some Double Chocolate zucchini cupcakes. They are incredible!!! Plus it's pretty cool that I snuck in a whole cup of grated zucchini and they taste absolutely sinful. In all the recipes I cut down the honey by about half since I am a bit sensitive to overly sweet foods now.

I also made some banana bread with some old bananas we had sitting on our kitchen table. Jon LOVES banana bread, and now that he's trying to eat healthier, he can indulge in these paleo slices instead. I threw some walnuts in there, and you can't even tell that it's good for you. 

Lastly I made some Lemon Poppyseed Mini Muffins, made with fresh lemons from our neighbor's tree! They are so cute and tiny, and perfect for when you want a bite of something mildly sweet. 

Other than all the baking and running, I've been spending a lot of time in the garden. I'm taking it seriously this year. Yesterday we spent a couple of hours at the SF Flower and Garden Show, and my mind was blown. Talk about a gardening heaven! However after several hours of standing and walking after my 16 mile run, I was EXHAUSTED. Seriously, I think walking slowly for four hours is worse than running a marathon. But I did buy these little guys to brighten up my garden and office space.

Speaking of gardening, back to work for me!

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Holy Record Running Week, Batman!

HeatherIhn 0

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YEE HAW. The crux of the training is OVER. Now I can sit back and chillax while I finish these last three weeks of tapering. I'm glad to get the hard weeks over to be honest. It wasn't injury inducing *knocks on wood* but I was definitely pushing my body more than it was used to.

This weekend I completed a marathon. I sneaked out of the house at 6am, an hour and a half before sunrise. It was so dark that my head had both a headlamp and sunglasses on my visor. I bet I looked like a real winner. I was perplexed when I saw that the trails had a couple of morning birds out there doing their walks and runs.

Eventually the sun came up. I really love seeing the sun rise in a new setting, so it was cool to see the San Mateo Bridge all lit up. If you haven't run at night, I think you should give it a go. It is sort of invigorating to have such a change in environment.

It was a long run but honestly, it wasn't too bad. The last six miles that I usually dread and slog through were not shabby at all! I finished with an average of 10:28, and an avg hr of 153. I only needed one gu, and kept my water pack filled with two tabs of NUUN. Yesterday, the Chocolate Outrage Gu was on the menu. It was DE-licious. I actually had a small portion of the Pocket Fuels Chocolate Expresso which grossed me out. It was like they ground up a bunch of coffee beans and mixed it with a small amount of chocolate hazelnut butter. The texture was unappetizing and left my mouth really dry. For the amount of effort that goes into mixing those packets, I'm kind of leaning away from them and would rather just have a packet of Justin's Chocolate Hazelnut Butter instead.

Oh and I wore my new Injinji Compression socks! They seemed to work at keeping my worrisome pinky toe blister at bay, but I'm afraid they cramp up the toebox of my shoes now. I'm not sure if I should risk it. They were nice though. A great material and decent compression to them. I was pleasantly surprised!

My other runs weren't memorable enough to talk too much about. It was a bit of a rough week, I think I was still getting over the 50k from two weeks ago. I still averaged my runs between a 10:00min/mi and a 10:30 min/mi so I was happy with that. Even today's run was strangely fast considering how I felt. As my legs warmed up and got comfortable I kept getting faster. It was almost a negative split 10 mile run.

In other news, I got some new sunglasses. These are the Rudy Project Stratofly SX's. I got the Photochromic Clear lenses. I wasn't sure if I liked them at first because the lenses didn't get as dark as I was used to, but now that I've used them in some pretty strong sun I think it's sufficient. It's nice to have them transition since I run from dark to light. They are comfortable, don't fog and don't bounce. I wanted to splurge on some nice sunglasses because my old ones were cheapo's from a race expo. They felt okay but were ill fitting for my tiny asian face, with my almost complete lack of nose bridge. These are great because the nose piece is adjustable. 

Last, I wanted to mention my boyfriend's AH-MAZING trail mix he has whipped together for our lower carb lifestyles. He also got tired of me picking out all the good stuff and leaving him nothing but sunflower seeds, cranberries, and raisins. He doesn't have a specific recipe, but this combination of hazelnuts, walnuts, toasted coconut shavings, 72% dark chocolate, and beef jerky is just heavenly.

Oh and before I forget, be sure to like my FB page to get random running updates and photos. The posts and photos will be kept mostly different from the FB page to keep it somewhat interesting. 

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ON TO THE TAPER! Plus, my new Rudy Project sunglasses, and my boyfriend's trail mix!

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