Running a 5k on Turkey Day?

I know some of you out there, like myself, are running a 5/10K on Thanksgiving morning as it's a fun way to burn some calories and start your day with a bang. As I was researching for myself about what I should do for a proper 5K warmup, I thought you might like to know as well.

After all, when it's something we're not used to, we might need a little refresher. Running 1/2 and full marathons are much different than shorter races because most training plans suggest not needing to warmup because you'll have plenty of time to get into your groove during the race. I know I've read somewhere (most likely in RW) that the shorter the race, the more important and longer the warm up.

I had an idea of what I should do come Thursday morning, but wanted to look to the experts for more specific advice. So here it is, courtesy of Runner's World, the perfect warmup.

Unfortunately, most runners warm up and then stand around for a while before their races begin. They might as well not warm up at all! Research has shown that for the best performances at 5-K intensity (about 95 percent of maximum heart rate), you should rest for no more than 30 seconds after your warmup; longer rests allow the heart rate to slow, thus slowing oxygen transport to the leg muscles. Your warmup should continue until just before the starting gun goes off, even if that means jogging in place in the starting area.

Scientific research on warming up has confirmed the following key points:

1. To enhance performance, your warmup should involve at least 10 minutes of continuous activity--long enough for the muscles to reach their optimum temperature.

2. The warmup should elevate your heart rate to about 70 to 80 percent of maximum. Less vigorous exercise doesn't seem to activate your cardiovascular system adequately, while more intense efforts can increase fatigue during the race.

3. For competition lasting more than 60 minutes, it's a good idea to interrupt your warmup briefly, 10 to 15 minutes before the start, to take in about 10 ounces of sports drink. The carbohydrate in the drink will help you sustain your pace as your muscle glycogen begins to run low. (Also sip at least 5 ounces of sports drink every 15 minutes during the race--but make sure to practice all of this in training.)

4. If you feel any muscle tightness while you're warming up, stop jogging for a moment and stretch out the tight area (but don't count this stretching time as part of your 10-minute minimum). Studies confirm that this jog-stretch-jog combination can significantly improve the flexibility of muscles and connective tissues.

5. As you begin to feel loose and ready to race, visualize yourself running fast, particularly over the toughest portions of the course.

6. Toward the end of the warmup, it's important to do a few 50- to 100-meter surges at approximately race pace. These surges "wake up" your nervous system and boost your coordination and efficiency.

7. If your race takes place on a hot, humid day, limit your warmup to 10 minutes and try to do it in a shady area to decrease your risk of overheating.

8. Even if it isn't hot out, warm up for no more than 15 to 20 minutes.

Follow the above guidelines before fast-paced workouts as well as races. Prior to less intense training sessions, you may not need to warm up, as you can gradually increase your pace during the workout. In effect, the first 2 miles of a moderately paced training run will act as the warmup.

And, if anyone is interested in coming to Oregon to run the inaugural Portland Half Marathon (or full marathon), registration is open! This is a beautiful course, fairly flat and well organized!

Look who got an apron...

It all started when Lisa mentioned her recent purchase of an Anthropologie apron. Well, it truly started a few years ago when I really got into baking and cooking and began the hunt for a fabulous vintage (real or inspired) apron. I looked at etsy, home/gardening/kitchen stores, second hand shops, etc, but found nothing. Until...the Anthropologie suggestion.

Don't be jealous of the blue crocs or messy pony tail. It just happens.Last week during my lunch break, I went to the library and picked up a few fun books, one of which was this Eating Well (and in season) cookbook. While browsing the pages, I found this fun cranberry-orange pistachio bar recipe and thought, "hey, why not? Something different than the usual cake or sweet bread."
Little red jewels

Red jewels chopped


Pre-bake

Finito! This was definitely a less sugary dessert with great colors and a nice little punch with the sour/sweetness of the cranberry-orange combo.

Thanks, Oprah!

Not gone, but different. I can't imagine how many young women like myself grew up watching Oprah from middle to high school,through college and beyond.

Truth is, whether or not you can get behind the whole Oprah thing, she has inspired and touched the lives of hundreds of thousands, if not millions. I received this little video about her new network and what it aims to do. It truly speaks to everyone and creating your best life.

There is something truly amazing about being able to dream nearly impossible dreams and yet have the capability to realize them. We're all looking to be/do something great (I hope), so what's your dream list? I'll go first...

In no particular order, I dream of living a truly fulfilled life that consists of one or many of the following things (after all, if you can't dream big, where's the fun in life?):

1) working for the Olympics/XGames/major event as a publicity/marketing/social media/event planner
2) traveling to India, Africa, Ireland, going back to Italy
3) freelancing for running/fitness/lifestyle magazines
4) creating a beautiful/comfortable/creative home
5) raising a few amazing children
6) taking a bike adventure with the man through the small backroads of Italy and France
7) becoming fluent in Spanish and French
8) establishing serious photography skills
9) visit all the major U.S. ski towns (Jackson Hole, Sun Valley, Colorado Springs, Vale, etc)

Wait, did you watch the video? You need to.

Run to Stay Warm Race Recap

Friday night, after a fierce game of Scrabble between manfriend and I (which I lost), J arrived. We headed out for some carb loading/dinner at a local brewery. I loaded up on their smoked salmon fettuccine while the other two had pizza.

Saturday morning, I woke up early to watch ESPN College GameDay because guess what, my Ducks are still on the race to the Rose Bowl! After some almond butter/jam toast and tea, J and I put on our spandex and long sleeves. To our sheer luck, the rain from the night before had subsided and the sun was out. It was a chilly morning so I put on my ear warmer head band, Smart Wool long sleeve and a thin vest.

With a 9am race start, we headed down to the water front where the race begins, around 8:20. I chatted with several of my running groupies and the manfriend before ducking inside to enjoy real bathrooms and heat.

So, a little about the race. For just $25, we entered the EWEB Run to Stay Warm 1/2 Marathon, whose proceeds go to benefit the Customer Care Program, which helps those in need pay their water and electric bills. How awesome is that? Definitely a race I can get behind!

With just five minutes to go, we headed out into the crisp air to wait. And we were off. The entire race consists of one big loop along the river path so it's beautiful scenery and fairly flat. The first few miles were great. I was immediately too hot and took off the gloves and ear warmers. I stuck out the vest and eventually was completely comfortable wearing it when we'd hit those chilly shaded spots or a gust of wind came along.

By mile six we hit that point where we still felt strong, but could be done any time. The race included a 5k and 10k so after the 5kers peeled off, it was a bit confusing when for example, a lady with a baby stroller comes blazing past us with no troubles. I'm going to assume she was running the 10k.

We hit the bridge around mile nine to cross the river and that little slope felt like a mountain. At this point, we still hadn't seen a SINGLE mile marker. Thank goodness we didn't really care how fast/slow we were going or where we were on the course. At mile ten a fellow runner shouted "just three miles left." Oh jeez, I thought. This 1/2 marathon thing is harder than I remember.

By this point, J and I's conversation was limited to a few fragmented thoughts now and then. With two miles to go, for no apparent reason, I began hyperventilating. This had happened one other time during the San Diego Marathon in 2007 and lasted from mile 17-21. Because I didn't want to slow J or myself down, I just kept on going, focusing on even breathing.

In the last mile, J and I just powered through and finished the race shoulder to shoulder. Manfriend, as usual, was awesome. I think I spotted him six times on the race course, no joke! We never saw a single mile marker, but we made it 13.1 just fine. I was definitely a bit sore afterward, but it wasn't that "oh, you really put 100% into this sore," but that's just fine with me.

Finish time: 1:51 (not a PR, but that's ok)
Pace: 8:33
Division place: 4/25

an easy four

My schedule for last night was an easy four miles. So, I headed out in the darkness running comfortably, forcing myself not to push it. What I remembered was how hard the easiest runs can be. At every moment I wanted to take it up a notch and do some 8 min/mile work, but I stuck to the plan.

I met up with the running group for my final mile and then a little walking before heading off to dinner and beers with the gang. Today I've managed to do 20 min of yoga, which consists of my entire workout for the day. But I know that fresh legs mean a strong race tomorrow so I'm crossing my fingers here and sticking with the plan.

Thank goodness taper week is almost over! It nearly drives me insane every single time. My friend J is coming tonight for the race! I've already done lots of cleaning and laundry. Now a few errands, lunch, coffee/book, and who knows what else. It's a perfect rainy day to spend inside. Happy weekend!

Dragging him along

Since it's that time of year for white elephant gift exchange, upon holiday event, upon family gathering, there are many opportunities to be inviting your S.O. along to something he/she may or may not want to attend. And I for one, am not the type to force people to do things they're not interested in. Sometimes I feel like I'm dragging him along.

Because it's a first holiday with boyfriend (FHWBF) for me, I'm feeling especially apologetic to man friend for these various family affairs I feel obliged to attend. Being that his family is over 2,000 miles (and an expensive plane ride)away and we just saw them a few weeks ago for the wedding, he won't be traveling east for the holidays. And because my family is generally all within an hour or two's drive, I have the luxury of being able to see them whenever I'd like. As a result, I also feel obliged to say yes because I am lucky to live so close to them.

So, in the next month, man friend will be attending two Thanksgivings, two or three Christmases, perhaps a high school friend get together and a few holiday work events. And some of these events will involve about 50 family members. Insert screeching breaks.

Each time I invite him or we discuss details for these events, I put on smiley face and remind him he really doesn't HAVE to come if he doesn't WANT to. But no, no...he wants to come. I'm not sure he'll be so sure when my various aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents begin asking when the wedding bells are coming. Thank goodness he's a keeper!

Can anyone else relate to my FHWBF anxiety?

P.S. I'm taking tomorrow off because I simply need it for my own sanity. And, I worked 9 hrs on a Saturday. I deserve it. My plans are just to relax and maybe grab a hot drink and a book and loose myself in a cushiony chair at Borders. What do you like to do on your day off?

Feel like you're entering holiday survival mode?

Hey-o! Are you surviving the holidays? So far, more so than past years, I feel like this season isn't riddled with weight gaining opportunities. Maybe that's because Thanksgiving is still a week away.

But even so, I have a plan. In addition to the 1/2 marathon I'm running this weekend, I'll also be racing the local Turkey Stuffer 5k on Turkey Day morning. Anyone else racing before your feast? It's always a fun way to start my morning with a bunch of enthused runners and friends before heading off to see the family.

And on top of that, I feel like I'm already ahead of the game by fitting in workouts these past few weeks even when I have just barely 45 minutes to spare. Tuesday night for example, I had a girl's night to get to, but a long day chalked full of meetings required a little gym time. So, I busted it to the gym, hopped on a treadmill and enjoyed 35 min of sweat inducing fun before showering and heading off for my night of soup, salad, bread, cheese, chocolate fondue and wine.

And, instead of only sometimes fitting in time for yoga in the mornings, I've been making it a regular habit. I like the RW article I linked above because it talks about spending more time working on your strength and stretching during those winter months when you can't get outside as much for runs. It's true, even on my most hectic days when I can't get much of a real workout in later in the day, I feel okay because I've already completed 30 min of walk/run and yoga in the morning.

I'm not gonna lie, it's not all perfect. I probably had 10 too many pieces of cheese the other night and more than my fair share of fondue goodness. I definitely tend to overindulge when too many goodies are within arms reach, but it's all about balance. I've definitely moved on from the days when I left thanksgiving feeling utterly stuffed. And because I know my grandma will have the works prepared for us on Thanksgiving, I generally avoid alcohol and save the calories for the turkey, mashed potatoes and berry cobbler.

Do you have any strategies you enlist when trying to stay on track during the holidays?

Welcome back, race week!

I realized while talking with my friend J last night that it has been quite a while since I last race raced. So, here it is...race week! After an early Thanksgiving brunch with my mom's side of the family, man friend and I came home and took the best nap ever. I had to gently force myself to get out of that cozy place and into my spandex. It reminded me why I try to get my weekend runs out of the way early so I don't struggle in the afternoon.

The sky was looking darkish and a bit breezy so I layered up, grabbed the ipod for support, forced the man friend to get on his bike, and headed out. The first 20 minutes killed. Maybe those hard five miles on Saturday and four extra miles of walking weren't the greatest idea...

Once I got in the groove, it was manageable. I ran along the river, the same path Saturday's half marathon will be along. The second half was mentally tough, but I picked up the pace a bit anyway. I finally made it back home with 90 minutes under my belt and some tired legs and lungs. A good stretch and some tea helped.

I feel like it's been so long since I've raced that I've nearly forgotten how it will feel. Luckily, my friend J (whom I ran those six miles with @ Portland Marathon) is coming to run it with me, so we will keep each other in check and hopefully take it nice and easy those first few miles.

Dinner last night was an easy, but fun mish mash of bruschetta on a baguette, caprese salad, salami slices and apple thanks to man friend's suggestion. And tonight...vegetarian crock pot chili! Little work, but lots of goodness in a pot! Anyone else racing next this weekend?