Two Weeks in Review

Well, I'm back! Not that I've been "away" for THAT long, per se, but the last two weeks have been crazy. Not that I couldn't have blogged, but...I chose not to. For whatever reason. Let's recap:

Saturday, July 18: Weird Ale Fest going on at Lincoln Park; was gonna go, but didn't. Ate at Dish with Claire and Derek for lunch and then at the Bistro on Lincoln Park for dinner.

Sunday, July 19: Taste of Tremont! People were trying to explain what this was to me, and they were like, "All the restaurants come out onto Professor Avenue, and you can buy stuff..." I don't know about you, but to me that sounds like a STREET FAIR! And it was glorious! Tried Edison's Pizza for the first time, which was actually very good. Also, Derek had the loaded chips from Farenheit which he loved.

Week of July 20: Study, train, study, study, train, train, study, cram, pratice test, train, study.

Friday, July 24: Drive over an hour to Ashland, OH to stay at a weird hotel the night before the NTE/Praxis-II exams (yes, I had to take those even though I've been teaching for 7 years. Go figure). Figured out where the exam was to be held (at Ashland University - nice campus!), got some mango sorbet at the supermarket and watched What Not To Wear and Say Yes to the Dress in the hotel room ;)

Saturday, July 25: Exams at 7:30 and 10:30. Busted outta there and came home. Stuffed my face with delicious rolls from Blackbird Baking Company (which we had gotten in this week's large CSA package from Fresh Fork Market), drank some gatorade, and then...ran 2 miles downtown to the Winking Lizard's A Shot in the Dark 4-mile race! I love night races. It started at 5:25, so I left around 4:45 from the apartment to make sure I made it there in time to use the restroom and find the starting line (uh, no problem there; there were burgers grilling and Chumbawumba playing, not to mention that most people were drinking BEFORE the race - not my way to get a PR! ;)

The course was really great, we went through Ohio City and part of downtown. I saw bits of Ohio City that I had never seen before which was awesome. The only part(s) that were a little annoying were 1) there were not one, but TWO bridges involved - but of course I was thinking about the NY marathon and how this is just good practice for that!, and 2) I had to listen to two women talk about ovulation, and trying to get pregnant, for the middle 2 miles or so (that gave me the motivation to run faster to avoid hearing this conversation). I mean, does anyone else feel as though people talk about the most personal things during races that, like, nobody else really wants to hear? I don't know.

Started strong, kept it going through the middle, and finished VERY strong. A great race overall, although I didn't PR. But I am still happy that I rocked those bridges and I ran negative splits!!! That almost never happens. I was definitely reigning it in at the beginning, which is why that probably happened. But I usually have trouble pacing myself at the start because I get so excited and end up running at least one min/mile faster than I intended. Actually, for this race I was very shocked when I saw 10:40 for the first mile because, based on the huge bridge and the fact that I was trying to go slowly, I thought it was going to be around 11:30 for that mile.

Mile 1 - 10:40
Mile 2 - 10:36
Mile 3 - 10:13
Mile 4 - 9:39

Finishing Time: 41:08, 108/144 women 25-29. Hey, maybe I'll place better in these races next year....when I turn 30!!!! Yikes!

And on to last week...

Monday, July 27 - Put together IKEA bookshelves! All by myself! Wow!

Wednesday, July 28 - Sent my Ohio state teacher license application out, finally (although they have to wait to process it until my Praxis scores come in in 3 weeks - D'oh!), and then went to the airport to DETROIT! Becca picked me up and we drove 4+ hrs to Walloon Lake, Michigan. Paradise...pictures to follow (perhaps - I forgot my camera!! But Amy brought hers).

Now, back to the grind...training, looking for jobs (sent out 2 more resumes this week), etc. Roasting beets as we speak, actually! Always better to multitask. ;)

Doing Nothing, Well

It's been a little while since my last post -- I guess I've been "doing nothing well," as some of my fellow teachers used to say about kids who wouldn't behave. ;)

But seriously, I have been spending my days doing the following things, more or less in this order but with some variety:

• Get a mediocre night's sleep; drive Derek to work or sometimes sleep in
  
• Drink coffee and make fun of the Today show; eat something; talk to Mom
  
• Run a short to medium distance, more often than not in heat and humidity
• Kick self after forgetting to wear sunscreen and then vowing to do so next time*
• Shower and put on something "normal" (i.e., NOT pajamas or running clothes)
• Eat lunch while watching Netflix DVDs
• Attempt to get some part of the apartment looking nicer, in spurts (e.g., putting up 2-3 framed pieces of artwork; obsessively scrubbing kitchen floor)
• Take a walk/do something productive outside (like go to the West Side Market, walk around the neighborhood, or read on the balcony)
• Change back into pajamas and take a nap
• Pick Derek up from work/cook dinner
  

etc.

This has pretty much been satisfying for the most part, even though I am really doing not much of anything. I think it's the joy of summer vacation. A lot of people plan trips to new places, go to the beach, go explore the great things a city might have to offer during the summertime (damn you NYC and the High Line among so many other things I want to do and see!), but I worked myself so much into a stupor this past year that I am content to do pretty much nothing.

Don't get me wrong, I am very excited to go to Walloon Lake, Michigan at the end of this month (more to come on that) or for a VERY brief visit to New York for Heather's wedding at the end of August (wish I could stay longer!). But I pretty much don't feel like I need to make any other major plans right now. My life, for the last year or even two, has been filled with excitement, stress, change, etc. (moving twice AND getting married!) so I am fine right now. I would say I like being lazy, but marathon training and lazy don't really mix, so I will say I am being active physically and mellow mentally. Hmm, that doesn't sound great either. Oh well. But I am happy.

Training schedule for this past week has been as follows:

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 3 miles (I ran this one easy on the Ohio Erie Towpath, and then had a rather invigorating pilates session at Studio 11 in the evening)
Wednesday - 5 miles, with 2-4 x a mile @ 5k - 10k pace. This was a GREAT workout, and I enjoyed it far more than I expected. (I usually dread speedwork.) Ran a mile slowly to warm up until I got to the Steelyard path, then did my first fast mile @ 9:08, which was TOO FAST for my 5k pace, but it was mostly downhill (plus I saw some sketchy dudes on bikes so I thought I would pick up the pace...just kidding Mom). Then cooled down for a mile, and did the second fast mile @10:40, a little slower than 10k pace, BUT I noticed on my Garmin that I spent a good portion of this mile at just around 9:53 pace, which is great for 5k. What killed me is that humongous hill--the same one that got me shooting down at first, really pulled the brakes on my speed at the end. Still, I am glad for that split because I usually struggle up that hill. :) Then cooled down for a mile on the way home.
Thursday - another easy 3 miles
Friday - Off!!!!
Saturday - 13 miles
Sunday - 3 miles.

I may switch Saturday and Sunday, and substitute the 3-miler for this "Skinny Bitch" class at the yoga studio Saturday. I don't usually like changing the schedule around, but this class is awesome and I haven't gone to it in a few weeks. I've heard it's often good to change around your workout; once you reach a weight-loss "plateau" it's good to vary the exercises you do and stuff. Plus I need upper-body and core work and this class takes care of that for sure! Speaking of which, I am annoyed that since marathon training I have actually gained 2 pounds! Arggg! I am hoping it's just that I've built muscle tone...and not that I've been overeating as a result of overrunning...haha. I looked this up online and actually found an about.com blog written by Christine Luff, one of my former TNT coaches! She is awesome so of course I had to read it.

Anyway, that's about it for now. Oh, one more thing -- Derek and I signed up to be members of Fresh Fork Market, a food co-op, in order to support local agriculture. We get our first package tomorrow! More on that later!

*Note: I did remember sunscreen on my Wednesday and Thursday runs!

How many Clevelanders does it take to put together an Ikea bookshelf?

Hey! It's been awhile since my last entry, partially because I've been going crazy trying to get this apartment looking "decent" for my mother's visit TOMORROW, and partially because I was away for the weekend. Derek and I went to Troy, Michigan, to visit his parents and sisters. We had a great time. I did my long run of 8 miles (at least part of it) on the beautiful and serene Clinton River Trail, and it felt great. I wish I could run all of my runs on trails and not on city streets.

Which brings me to today's run. It felt good for the most part, but it was a little bit hotter than last week. The breeze was nice, however, especially over the Lorain bridge (also known as route 10) that goes east into downtown Cleveland. Here's what it looked like: Tremont/Lorain Bridge

The map says it was 4.2 miles, but my Garmin Forerunner said 4 pretty much exactly (in fact, I had to circle the block once more to get to 4 miles). Oh well, no biggie, just as long as I'm logging around the right amount.

Mileage for this week is as follows (by the way, in case you're wondering, I'm following a 16-week training program outlined by Bob and Shelly Lynn Glover from their book The Competitive Runner's Handbook) :

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 4 miles
Wednesday - 4 miles (with 3-4 long-hill repeats)
Thursday - 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - 10 miles
Sunday - 3 miles

Total Mileage: 25 miles.

I am also going to try my best to do some "core" work as well as strength training/flexibility (pilates, yoga, weights). I figure I have the summer free, why not make the most of the training? Plus I have a tendency to get (minor) injuries...I want to make sure that I protect my muscles and stretch often, and also build core strength so that I don't get any more back pain - what a nuisance.
In other news...Derek and I went to Ikea on the way back from Michigan! We got some stuff for the apartment but plan on ordering a few bigger bookcases online. I'll keep you posted.

Training Time

I started training for my next marathon this week (New York City folks!!!!) and so far, so good, although it doesn't really start getting "weird" until the double-digit long runs start taking over the weekends. That's when I resign myself to finishing my 15-miler or whatever, taking a shower, getting a burrito bol from Chipotle (which Oh My God, HAS SO MANY CALORIES!!!!), and watching America's Next Top Model reruns all day.

But that's not happening yet. This week, I'm just doing/did the following:

Monday - Off
Tuesday - 3 miles
Wednesday - 4 miles (2 miles @ tempo)
Thursday - 4 miles
Friday - Off
Saturday - 8 miles
Sunday - 3 miles

Total Mileage: 22 miles.

I've been using google's gmap-pedometer to create routes around my new neighbhorhood, although to be honest, I really hate running on sidewalks. I've been able to get to a couple of paths here and there, but there just not as accessible as in Madison (where it seemed like everywhere you turn there's another continuation of another bike/running path) or in NY (hello, Central Park and Riverside Park!). I know about the Cleveland Metroparks, but they are not within walking/running distance so I'm going to have to take a couple trips in the car. But when our friends in the area took us to one in Rocky River, I was amazed at how beautiful it was, and how the paths stretched on for miles and miles. Those parks will be worth it for long runs, I'm sure.

Also, nearby (about 1 mile away) there's this development called Steelyard Commons, which was put there fairly recently and has a Target, Staples (yay teacher supplies), Best Buy, Old Navy, Home Depot, Wal-mart (my soul dies each time I set foot in there), Starbucks, and, as fate would have it, Chipotle! Anyway, all this stuff was constructed on the site of an actual steelyard, and there's a paved bicyle/running path that curves down along the side of it and then winds behind it. Apparently this turns into 30-something miles of bike path, called the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath. It's pretty cool. I've only ventured a couple of miles down it, but I'll try more on the longer runs. The added bonus for this route is that there is a huge hill that you have to run down to get down to the Steelyard area...and thus, will need to run back UP to finish. :) Do I see some long-hill repeats in my future? Yes, I do.

Also, our landlord just gave us this addendum to our lease granting us access to the fitness center in one of his other buildings downtown, which is great! This means that I don't have to suffer through the winter as much. Plus, I do like the treadmill for the sake of having headphones on without worry, and a water bottle you can just sit next to you, plus it's a little easier on my legs than pavement :)

In other news, Derek and I plan on visiting his family in Detroit for the long weekend (Derek gets tomorrow off!), so that'll be fun. It's always nice to be surrounded by family :) And my mom visits next Wednesday! Look out, Cleveland...

To Market, To Market

So, one great thing about Cleveland that Derek and I have discovered is the West Side Market, Cleveland's oldest marketplace. This amazing marketplace has two main components: the indoor Market itself, which features vendors selling an array of different foods, such as meats, cheeses, homemade pasta, grains, salads, breads, fish, sauces and oils, and the like. The other part is what is referred to as the "Fruit and Vegetable Arcade," a partially-outdoor Farmer's market selling ripe, locally-grown, delicious fruits and vegetables at an amazingly low cost. (Yesterday I bought a box of strawberries, a box of blueberries, one mango, 2 pounds of cherries, 2 pounds of grapes, 4 nectarines, a bunch of asparagus, and a bag of salad for 10 bucks. What a great deal! And they smell and taste awesome.)

In the above picture you'll see a tilapia filet with sauteed zucchini and yellow squash, as well as a helping of a "supergrain" that everyone is going crazy for these days -- quinoa. They had different types of quinoa at the market, including red, black, and white. The woman suggested as a "first-timer" to go with the white, as the black is a tad more sturdy when cooked. Basically you cook this grain like rice. It's very simple to make. I added a little bit of salt to the water when I cooked it. I liked it, but I didn't LOVE it. The closest thing I could think of that it reminded me of was couscous, although it wasn't as moist or soft. I would try it again, though, especially since it's supposedly a complete protein that has all of the 8 (9?) essential amino acids (or something like that).

Continuing in this tradition of going to the Market during the week (did I mention it's open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, AND Saturdays?!), I paid a visit yesterday and got (in addition to the produce I mentioned above) this funky-looking squid ink pasta and fresh tiger shrimp. According to the guy selling me the pasta, the ink is mainly for color, but it does give the pasta a slight seafood-y taste, briney, like salt water. He was right. This pasta tastes delicious. It's not overly salty, but it gives the pasta wonderful flavor. We sauteed a little onion, garlic, asparagus, and the shrimp (which we sprinkled with a little paprika and jerk seasoning) in olive oil. After we cooked the pasta (which took only 2 minutes because it was fresh), all we needed to do was add a little olive oil and mix everything together. We squeezed some lemon on there and topped it off with ground black pepper. It was a delicious summer meal! We were proud of ourselves. :)

Tryin' to Break 30

No, not 30 years of age, although that'll come in less than a year. I'm talking about 30 minutes for the 5K.

I've been running for about three years now, and I think I've improved quite a bit in terms of consistency, stamina, and endurance. In fact, the first 5K I ever ran (The Coogan's race in Washington Heights) was 35:13. Little by little I ran faster, but for this distance, I have never been able to beat that 30 minute mark! The closest I have come was last Fall, in Madison, at The Free to Breathe 5K (30:13). This past winter I ran the Frosty 5K, also in Madison, in 31:23 -- I attributed that to the snowy, slippery conditions.

But again today. I ran A Most Excellent Race -- my first race in Cleveland! I thought I had it - I thought I paced myself well. And it really wasn't bad - in fact two of my miles were under 10 minutes, which is good for me. I even got to the three-mile mark in under 30, but...it's always that last .12 that kills me! I did have to pat myself on the back, though, for my finishing kick. I can't go that long at that speed, but I did outrun quite a few in that last tenth of a mile.

Splits were 9:53, 9:38, 10:20, and 54 secs for the last .12. Finishing time was 30:37.

All in all, I was happy with today's run. I am still getting acclimated to warmer weather (averaging about 10 degrees warmer than Madison). Plus I have started going to yoga again (and even tried a pilates class!) at Studio 11 in my new neighborhood, Tremont.

Also on tap...about to start my training for the New York City Marathon!!! A toast to my hometown!

More later. I think I'm going to become obsessed with this.

Hello out there!

Wow. . .it has been over a year since my creation of this blog. I feel the need to continue this now, for several reasons:

1) I have moved yet again, this time to Cleveland, OH, and I want to keep everyone in my life updated (and entertained) with news and stories.

2) I have the summer off - yes! - and have more time now to write freely and without restriction.

3) I have, well, stuff to say. Some of it could be funny.

Anyway, stay tuned. This is going to turn out to be a project for me. Additionally, how to add photos and make the blog look "cool." Ish.