How Not To Have a Bad Day

On Tuesday, October 21st I had a bad day. From the moment I woke up, I had a little dark cloud following me. Have you ever had one of those days where everything is going wrong? Of course I'm being a tad bit dramatic, but lets learn from some of my mistakes to enjoy most days from now on...

Rough day in Progress

1. Don't skip your workout the night before. Yup, I skipped mine. My boyfriend wanted to run with me after work so I promised him I'd wait to hit the trails until he got home. While I was waiting, I fell into a deep sleep dressed in my running clothes. To my dismay, he let me sleep and I finally woke up at 8:00pm!! I just assumed he would wake me up when he got in the door. Needless to say, it was dark and we still needed to eat dinner. The run never happened. Boooo.

The run we missed.

2. Don't wake up late because you hit "snooze" one too many times. Don't, just don't do it. You never feel any better staying in bed an extra 10-20 minutes. I ended running around the condo like a crazy person, tripping over one of the cats and forgetting my coffee on the counter. The fear of being late brings out of a whole lunatic side of me. I get serious road rage.  It such a crappy way to start your day. 

Don't do it!

3. Don't skip breakfast, it only sets you up for failure. I am not a happy camper when I have low blood sugar. My brain is in a flog and it makes working in a lab really difficult. I'm much more prone to make mistakes that could potential harm my experiments. Luckily, I have my work bestie to double check my work or I'd be in t.r.o.u.b.l.e. 

Bagel with peanut butter, banana, and a touch of honey,,. my favorite.

Two things that turned my day around... 

 1. Starbucks vent session at lunch with my work bestie. If you guys don't have a best friend at work, I highly recommend you start finding one. Work friends are the greatest. They are always there for you if you're super stressed or really bored. They make coming to work a lot better and you always have a friend at lunch time. 

This is my work bestie, Bae- not Bei. Silly, Starbucks

2. Seriously decorating the office for Halloween. If you haven't noticed by now, I REALLY like decorating!

No more bad days!

Taper Can Make You a Little Crazy....

Tapering is difficult. Most people would think that the hardest part of training would be long runs or intense speed work sessions, but for me the taper seems to be the most challenging.  

I guess I'm just a really proactive person and I constantly want to be working towards my goals. Tapering feels like sitting back and letting my fitness slip away. I tell myself this isn't true. Taper will allow my body the rest it needs to kill it on race day... I just have to believe it. 

Taper can also make you do really crazy things....

Like dress up your cats for Halloween! 

Peanut the Unicorn!

Chloe-Shark and Peanut-Unicorn :)

With all this free time on my hands, I finally had a chance to add some fall touches to the condo.

I also felt inspired to bake pumpkin muffins for my co-workers to help us ease into Monday morning.

I added some pumpkin cream cheese from Trader Joe's and adorable leaf sprinkles.

Taper workouts for the week...

Monday- 5 miles

Tuesday- OFF, sports massage :)

Wednesday- 3 miles

Thursday- OFF

Friday- OFF

Saturday- 20 minute shake out run

Sunday- Lake Hodges 50k! 

Have a great week! 

Beyond the Marathon...

Gearing up to run 31 point whatever miles next weekend!

Race course maps always freak me out a bit. This will be the longest distance I have ever ran straight and my first real trail race. I am nervous! Pretty big difference from the Bank of America Chicago Marathon I ran last weekend. Just look at that monster hill a little after mile 13....

At first I wasn't even sure if running an ultra marathon was a great idea for my body so close to finishing a marathon. After speaking with my coach, I told myself I would listen to my legs and if I didn't feel 100% healthy I would pull out. Fortunately, I feel great! I've had a few easy post marathon runs and think next weekend's run really will happen.

Let's compare some major differences between the Bank of America Chicago Marathon and the Lake Hodges 50k....

1. Hills!... DUH, Kate! Well yes, there will be hills, but ultra marathoners have a different take on hills than most marathoners. Most ultra runners will quickly walk/hike most hills in order to conserve energy. I already have it in my race plan to be walking/hiking those monsters.

2. Trails vs. Roads... ok, another no brainer. I'm actually excited to be back out on trails. My body doesn't hurt the same way on trails as it does on road after long runs. I don't get as stiff and sore. I'm really hoping this 50k won't hurt.. at least not as bad as marathons. :)

3. Aid Stations. Ultra trail marathons have really spaced out aid stations when compared to road races. Most of these aid stations are about 4-8 miles apart. I felt like every mile there was an aid station at Chicago. Lake Hodges will have pretzels, potato chips, and bananas, in addition to the usual water and sports drink. I think mentally this will help me break up the race. I'm going to tell myself to take it one aid station at a time.

4. Nutrition.  I met with my nutritionist before each race. I will be introducing protein into this run. I have always just taken Gus during marathons. My new plan includes pieces of protein bars at the top of each hour.

5. I'm running just to finish. Yup, I have no time goal other than to finish within the cut off of 8.5 hours. It feels freeing to only concentrate on finishing and not PRing! :)


This is one of the many views I will be enjoying next weekend...

Till next time :)

Bank of America Chicago Marathon

This past weekend I ran the amazing Chicago Marathon.

My boyfriend and me at the Expo. Course Map behind us :)

I have been very sporadic with posting. Mostly because I feel sort of embarrassed sharing my thoughts but I'm trying put that behind me. I know I'm not a fast runner but for some reason I've fallen head over Asics with this sport. I love racing against myself. It's about making me a faster and stronger person.

The Chicago Marathon was a PR for me... finally!

Race outfit ready to go!

Ashley and me getting into our corrals 

Post race- Medal in hand

The last two marathons, Nike Women's Marathon- 2013 and San Diego Rock n Roll-2014, I hadn't PRed. Looking back, I wasn't putting in enough effort to achieve a PR. Sure, I was making all my long runs but I wasn't actively working on speed work or practicing great nutrition. That all changed this season. 

My coach instructed me to ease into the first mile and then run a consistent 10:45 pace, picking it up at the last two miles. My race goal was 4:40 and I ended up with 4:52. 

As you can see, I tried! Keep in mind there was a potty break (number 2) around mile 18. My Garmin died around mile 20 (not that it was being very reliable under bridges and with the tall buildings). I knew my last 10k was rough. Mentally I checked out. I felt like I was swimming up stream. So many runners were stopping and in my way. I just didn't have it in me to fight anymore to pass them. Although I am happy for a PR, those last split times are eating me up inside.

But as usual, I'm moving onto the next exciting challenge- a trail 50k!

See you in a few years (or maybe next year), Chicago!

Nutritionist and Condo Purchase

I have decided to start seeing nutritionist Kim Mueller at Fuel-Factor in order to PR Chicago.  When I first started running, I assumed the only nutritional advice I needed was to eat pasta the night before a long run.  Throughout these past 3 years of running, I've begun to wonder exactly what my body needs to run my best.

The start of carb loading the Friday before Nike Women's Marathon 2013

Post Nike Women's Marathon 2013 recovery lunch/dinner/food coma

I've signed up with Kim to do a nutrition analysis and custom menu plan- we start Tuesday, August 12^th!

Yesterday, we met for a body fat analysis and I found out I have about 8% of body fat to lose to be at my ideal “racing weight”.  I was shocked and a bit overwhelmed. I’m not going to lie, I cried a little on the way home. I felt insecure and ugly. How could I be so far from a healthy race weight?

I tried to remember my previous post and told myself this number shouldn't make me love myself or my body any less. I will lose body fat the healthy way and it will ultimately make me ready to conquer Chicago this fall.

For the next three days, I will be filling out a food and activity diary for my nutrition analysis. I need to include what times the food was eaten, where the food was purchased or eaten, how it was prepared, and the quantity.  I don’t think I ever paid this much attention to eating! Maybe that’s part of my problem. J

Food & Activity Diary

On a happier note, my boyfriend and I bought a condo! I can’t remember that last time I was so excited to move! All day I seem to dream about Pottery Barn Furniture and paint swatches. We should be all moved in by September 1st. Tonight the paper work signing begins. 

A girl can dream.... :)

How running has changed me...

I often ask myself, “Would I have started running if I was skinny?” These days, I don’t like to use the word “skinny” but to be perfectly honest, most of my life I wanted to be SKINNY… not fit, not toned, just runway model, size 0, A-cup breasts skinny.

 It’s almost hard to for me to admit to myself, but I am being completely honest. I remember feeling this way since the 2^nd grade. I always wanted to be those skinny, adorable, little girls, not the medium sized girl with the little belly.

I never was skinny. I played sports my entire life. I grew up playing soccer and later switched to lacrosse in high school. During college studying Molecular Biology consumed my life and what free time I had was spent socializing.

#home?

I remember thinking in college that I missed sports… but did I? I missed feeling in shape. I missed the hope I had that if I ran hard enough, played hard enough, trained hard enough, I would be skinny-not fit, not toned, just runway model, size 0, A-cup breasts skinny. I was extremely optimistic and misinformed.

Post undergrad, I gained weight. I began living with boyfriend and went to the gym occasionally. I ate poorly and I drank multiple times a week. The weight gain was not substantial (maybe 12 pounds at the most) but it was enough for me to be very enviously and crave to be skinny. 

First few months of dating and weight gain

My solution was to run a marathon.

I did not want to run a half. I wanted to run the full 26.2. My thinking behind this crazy feat was only skinny people run marathons. Sure, they were fit but the idea of fit was growing on me. Maybe a size 2 wouldn't be so bad and it sounded so much better than the size 8 I was currently wearing. 

I began training January 2012. I signed up Team in Training for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society. I had no idea what it would take to run a marathon and it might be nice to raise money for cancer (I’ll have a whole separate post of how LLS changed me).

Boy did my life change at that point. Not overnight and not even until my 5^th full marathon that I began to accept my body. On average, I run from 30-40 miles a week. My weight hasn't changed that much (although I did lose my post-college pounds). My thighs still touch but they are strong thighs. I think of my legs as powerful. I really do! In fact, I kind of like my legs and they are by no means skinny legs. I am even fond of my butt now, which I hated for so long because it held me back from fitting into a smaller size pant.

This body has run 5 full marathons and a whole bunch of halves. It is strong and I’m starting to like it. I have running to thank for it… not for the weight lost (because let’s be honest there hasn't been that much) but for confidence.

Dear running, I am grateful.  Love, Kate 

Update!

So I totally failed at creating a blog but I'm trying to get back at it. I read so many inspiring, awesome running blogs each day and I want to "be apart of that world" (to quote my good friend, Ariel).

Despite my unsuccessful attempting at blogging, I have been keeping my "14 races in 2014" resolution.

Here's the list so far..

Date	Race	Distance	Location	Time
4-Jan-14	Revolutionary Run 15k	15k	San Diego, Ca	01:41:00
19-Jan-14	Carlsbad Half Marathon	13.1 miles	Carlsbad, Ca	02:23:00
9-Feb-14	San Dieguito Half Marathon	13.1 miles	San Diego, Ca	02:23:00
16-Feb-14	10 miles 20 bands	10 miles	Del Mar, Ca	01:43:00
1-Mar-14	Chelsea's Run	3.1 miles	San Diego, Ca	00:26:04
23-Mar-14	Hot Chocolate 15k	15k	San Diego, Ca	01:39:00
27-Apr-14	Big Sur 21 Miler- Carmel	21 miles	Carmel, Ca
4-May-14	Safari Park Half Marathon	13.1	San Diego, Ca
1-Jun-14	San Diego Rock n Roll Full Marathon	26.2 miles	San Diego, Ca
20-Jul-14	Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon	13.1 miles	San Diego, Ca
August	America’s Finest City Half Marathon- Undecided	13.1 miles	San Diego, Ca
October	Chicago Full Marathon	26.2 miles	Chicago, IL
26-Oct-14	Lake Hodges 50k	50k	San Diego, Ca
16-Nov-14	Disney Avengers Half Marathon	13.1 miles	Disneyland

And pictures of the finished races!

1. Revolutionary Run 15k

2. Carlsbad Half Marathon

Pretty stoked to be finished

My flat momma for Carlsbad

3. San Dieguito Half Marathon-Hilly but BEAUTIFUL 

Beautiful running friends

4. 10/20- Loved the energy at this race- So FUN

The race started off rainy and chilly- just the way I like it

Post run coffee with my finisher's medal :)

5. Finish Chelsea's Run 5k 

This was my third year running the race and I had a 3+ minute PR. The race commemorates the life of 17 year old Chelsea King who was raped and murdered during a trail run in San Diego. It's a very emotional race to say the least. For more information on Chelsea's Light Foundation- http://www.chelseaslight.org/programs/finish-chelseas-run/

The sun came out just in time for the 5k

6. Hot Chocolate 15k- Delicious but HILLY

Finished at PETCO Park!

Notice my NWM 26.2 medal? :)

I'm never and excited for Big Sur in a few weeks. I've been hearing the hills are pretty challenging. I also signed up for my first ULTRA marathon in October!

I'm still undecided about AFC. Any other summer halves I should run instead??