Just when I think I can't get any slower, I get slower. So this HAS to be the bottom, right? I literally don't think I can go any slower without walking! Even Strava/MyFitnessPal thinks I'm "jogging in place". Way to kick me when I'm down!

Okay yeah, I kind of messed it up with an hour of English horseback riding yesterday. I knew it was a bad idea but...HORSES! It was well worth the soreness to come, and I had a blast. A big thank you to Jon's sister for teaching me for an hour.

It's been a week since I posted my last body comparison photos, so here's another. I think there's a pretty noticeable difference here! I am still comparing it to the first photo I took, just to give people an idea of how much has changed. I've also dropped a couple pounds unintentionally, starting at 105 to 102.6 this morning. I still need to work on eating more, especially with these long runs sucking away all these calories.

My long run today was over a 12 minute mile. :|  I knew it was going to be bad though, because while horseback riding was a blast, I was sweating from all the legwork and balancing that I'm not used to. "Posting" was probably the hardest for me to get used to. For those of you that don't know, posting is a technique in English riding where the rider lifts up from the saddle at the same time as the horse's gait. This makes a smoother technique, less jostling for the rider, and is easier on the horse's back. With Western you kind of sit deep and loosen up the hips and move with the horse more.

Anyway, enough about horses. Basically I just wanted to say that today's run was really rough and I got more stiff as the run went on. My heart rate was high the entire time, and I struggled to keep it below 150. Eventually I just walked, and even at a slow walking pace my heart rate was 125-130 because I am so sore!

I think I'm just going to take it easy tomorrow if I am still this sore. Just have to keep a calm head and remember that this hard work and patience will pay off sooner or later...right?  SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME THIS IS WORTH IT...

MAF training

This is the bottom of the barrel right? Week 2 progress

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Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

My wonderful boyfriend and one of my dogs.

This morning I had a lot of time to reflect on what I was most thankful for. Especially going at an 11 min mile. There are too many things to list actually. Most importantly, I'm thankful I found a wonderful boyfriend that loves the same things as me, and also supports me in all my crazy food things and running activities. Thank goodness for my health, my legs, and this often forgetful but determined brain of mine.

I've had a rough week, running wise. I seem to be moving backward, each run getting a little bit slower. I'm sure there are a lot of factors, the most important one being that on Monday I felt a little too ambitious and did some high impact strength exercises and rock climbing which I think set me back. Apparently you're never supposed to get your heart rate into your anaerobic zone while you're trying to get a good base. Whoops. I paid for that, not only in soreness but in slower times and a higher, angrier heart rate. Running slower has given me the ability to go much farther though with no injury or soreness. Goodbye ibuprofen! (I never recommend taking ibuprofen before runs, but I'm not going to lie and say I never did it.)

On the flip side, my diet is awesome. Even after the big turkey meal, I think I stayed pretty true and stuck with the green veggies and turkey meat. I have never felt so great. I think my body really needed the extra fat, as well as a break from all the sugar. My energy seems to be endless and I've been bouncing off the walls most of the week. I don't get food comas anymore, and I never get hungry on my runs even if I don't eat anything prior.

Pelican on the bay trail this morning

I also tried this whole butter and coconut oil blended with coffee thing (Bulletproof coffee started the trend, read more about that here but I'm not endorsing it). I see why it's such a popular thing now! It's delicious! I did a tablespoon of coconut oil, a few drops of vanilla, and a tsp of butter. It blended into a frothy fatty goodness (about 20 seconds), and kept me satisfied for a few hours. My magic bullet blender was perfect for this.

All in all it was a pretty successful day. It may have started out a bit disappointing with my slower times but I made sure to stop and remember that I'm just lucky to be out there, and that my legs are healthy and that I have such a beautiful place to run. And finally, my last "thanks" for the night will be to you for checking out today's post.

training

Happy Thanksgiving!

HeatherIhn 0

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First of all, I want to announce that I feel AH-MAZING today. I must have gotten over some kind of nutritional hump because I woke up bouncing off the walls! My legs also feel surprisingly fresh for running a combined total of 17 miles this weekend. I want to lace them back up and head out there for another 10, and I honestly feel like I could with no issues.

My boyfriend made this for me! Asparagus,
frozen scallops, tomatoes cooked in butter and
lemon juice! SO GOOD and only 10 mins!

But I won't. Because rest is important, Kids.

Today's post is about FOOD! I've had a couple people ask me about my diet, so I thought I'd chime in with some tips and tricks I've found.

Essentially, all I'm doing is taking out a lot of processed foods, sugars and a good amount of carbohydrates. The first couple of weeks I intend on being fairly strict, omitting even starchy vegetables like some squashes and potatoes, and also omitting a lot of fruits. I include a lot more healthy fats (and some saturated), and a moderate amount of protein. If you want the percentages I've been averaging is 20% carbs, 30% protein, 50% fat.

The first week was ROUGH, and yes, I am only on day #1 of week 2. The hardest part was taking out sugars since I was so hooked on them. I found myself desperate for any sugar I could find, and my mood swings and chills made it really apparent at how addicted I was to them. No bueno! I also came home Friday night and crashed for 13 hours of sleep.

I have been using MyFitnessPal to keep track of my nutrition, and it has been amazingly helpful. The app has improved drastically since I first used it in the late 2000's. You know it was a really long time ago because I listed myself as "sedentary". I feel like every kind of food has been entered now, so it's a breeze finding exactly the brand you've eaten and the portion sizes. It also organizes your total nutritional content and connects to Strava, Fitstar and my Withings scale.

Strangely, one of the biggest obstacles has been that I have trouble eating enough calories. I just am never super hungry anymore. The fat is almost TOO satisfying. I still need to figure out how to solve this issue actually.

My typical lunch sans the tofu that I already
ate.

Mmm toasted coconut!

Some of the foods I swear by during the week are boiled eggs, tofu, unsweetened shaved toasted coconut (you can find this in the bulk section of whole foods and get a giant bag for cheap!), nuts (cashews are surprisingly sweet once you take sugar out, also walnuts pack a lot of good fats in a little package), half & half for my coffee, and a lot of greek yogurt and cheeses.

Pico de Gallo stuffed Branzino from Whole
Foods.

I also eat a mass quantity of veggies. Red bell peppers are a favorite, as well as plenty of greens and mushrooms! As for meats, I've been loving our fish nights. We splurge and get our fish from Whole Foods or the farmer's market. It's totally worth it. Trust me. Make sure it's fresh! As for all the other meats, I think it's important to get free range, organic and free of nitrates. After growing up in rural Michigan, I never thought I'd say those words...

This tea is tha BOMB. Caffeine free, sugar free, and cheap!

If you have a sweet tooth, I've been putting a little bit of whipped cream on some raspberries for dessert. Be sure to get the fuller fat versions because not only does it provide more calories but often times companies dump more sugar in to makeup for the loss of tastiness from taking out the fat. I also have been exploring new teas! Passion, by Tazo, is pretty tart but satisfying if you're craving fruit. My go-to at home is Trader Joes' Harvest Blend tea, which is full of ginger and cinnamon tastes with hints of apple. I plan on stocking up this season so I can have it all year long. Trader Joe's also nailed the gingerbread taste in their gingerbread flavored coffee.

The Gingerbread Coffee from Trader Joes

Additionally, I have been taking vitamin D3 supplements because my blood work says it's low. Little did I realize how much vitamin D can make a significant difference in your athletic performance and immune system, so make sure you are getting enough!

A few things I've noticed are that I don't have dips in energy anymore. I don't get that starving panicky feeling that I used to get when I go too long without food. My skin does seem a bit more oily but not breaking out. It wouldn't bother me except that I have bangs. It might be in my head, but sensitivities to certain foods seem to have lessened, like my ability to process lactose (I eat a lot more dairy than I used to and I seem to be completely fine) and my garlic/onion sensitivity seems non existent now (although I'm not going to push it).

I am still discovering new things daily and it's a learning process for me so take my tips with a grain of salt. I'm DEFINITELY not a doctor the last time I checked, so check with your doctor if you have any concerns. Oh, and read this book with me! The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing by Phil Maffetone if you want to learn even more.

Here are a couple of other articles and books to check out.

• Fuel on Fat!
• Outside Magazine: Is Fat Making a Comeback?
• Metabolic Efficiency: Sunny Blende
• The Art and Science of Low Carbohydrate Performance
• Cutting Back on Carbs for Weight Loss
• Phil Maffetone - Trail Runner Nation Podcast

I LOVE FOOD low carb tips and tricks

FOOD! What I've been eating.

HeatherIhn 0

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Welcome to my running blog! Sit down and prepare yourself for a lengthy first post.

My whole life until I was in my mid 20's I was pretty unfit. I was not athletic by any means, but I slowly got into a fitness routine starting with yoga, then kickboxing, then a bootcamp class which inspired a group of us to do our first half marathon.

Me in 2007 before my workout frenzy started

That ignited my running addiction, and I'm sure all of my friends would both roll their eyes and agree with me. Since my first half marathon in November 2009, I have done over 50 races.

All the medals I currently have

The start of my running "career" was a success. For my first marathon July 2010 I managed 3:54:03. And a couple of months later in a tough and rainy Nike Women's Marathon course, I managed to qualify for Boston at 3:39:37 (the qualifying times were a little friendlier back then). My best half marathon was 1:42:06 just a couple of weeks prior. I credit this to the fact that I was constantly trying to chase my friend/trainer and all of my runs were practically tempo runs.

Our First Half Marathon Ever!

Of course I ran Boston, even though at the time I had gained a lot of weight (stress?) and had flu symptoms and a fever. I was determined to cross that finish line no matter what.

Skip to the present, several races later, and I can tell you that my progress has been on a slow and steady decline. I feel like no matter how hard I try, I either injure myself or just can't get near to the paces I was running before. Constant overtraining as well. I always had a tendency to run all out, and never paid attention to my heart rate (partly because I was scared to see how high it was). I can't seem to get my marathon time under 4 again either.

What better way to deal with that, then to sign up for a 50 mile race?

I had met my newfound running doppleganger Rini after a tough trail half marathon. I came in first in my age group and she was close behind in 2nd. There are some people that you make an instant bond with, and she is certainly one of them. I convinced her to run the Santa Rosa marathon with me in August 2014 and after she dominated that with little effort (she is a hardcore mountaineer), we decided to move to the next level and try an ultra.

My Doppleganger

We will be running the American River 50 in April 2015. Since then I have dived head first into learning everything I can about ultra running. It's a totally different beast, and I like to be (overly) prepared. I've been reading a lot about nutrition and have decided to try to convert my carb loving body into a fat burning one.

I've also been trying the Phil Maffetone 180 method of training. A crudely short summary is that you find your "magic" heart rate that is at the peak of your aerobic capacity without entering you anaerobic stage (180-age+random variables). You then continue doing all of your runs at this pace and slowly your paces should get faster at the same low heart rate. You will want to check out the guidelines here to find your number, but for me, my heart rate that I would maintain was 149.

Armed with a new (used) hr monitor, I have been watching it like a hawk and trying my best to be patient with the progress. My average pace previously was around 8:30-9:00 and with the low heart rate, it was around 10:30-11 mins. Talk about a mental challenge.

I did 5 runs this week. A 4, 5, 4, 9, and 8 miler. The long runs were a REAL struggle, I don't know if it was the weather or just fatigue, but I was closer to a 10:50 min mile. I found myself so frustrated by the pace that I almost came home in tears. I'm sure that didn't help. The positive things I've discovered are that I am learning to be more mindful about my surroundings, learning to breath slower and better (breathe in 3 steps, and out 2 which I never could manage before), and I am never too tired by the mileage. I also have been trying to meditate a bit and calm my heart rate on the very tiny uphills.

In addition, my diet has changed drastically. I have gotten my carbs to about 100 grams or less, and have been omitting breakfast before runs and any calories during runs as well. Taking out the sugars has been the most difficult part since my diet prior to this was mostly orange juice, potatoes, rice, and candy. I was going through some serious withdrawals and my temper has shortened (apologies to my poor boyfriend!).

I have noticed significant changes. Most importantly, there were some moments in my early high carb/high heart rate training where I would feel very lightheaded and faint, and start to panic, and now there has been absolutely none of that. I also come back from my runs feeling totally fine and not needing a quick sugar fix. I do feel a bit leaner, and while I'm not looking to lose any weight, I think I see visible changes after just a week. (BTW I think Hell has just frozen over, because I never thought I'd be posting body progression photos in my lifetime)

This post is a bit long winded but there's so much more that I want to tell you. I plan on keeping a very detailed diary of my progress and invite you to check it out if you're interested in running an ultra or the methods that I'm following. Thanks for reading to the finish!

MAF training

Week One - Phil Maffetone 180 method - Patience.

HeatherIhn 4

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