Quotation marks, labels, and a CrossFit booty (TOL#3)

Hello, friends!

So, it’s been an interesting week so far.

Especially for this guy.

You see, on Tuesday, it seems that the pantry door wasn’t shut all the way and Mr. Max decided he needed a snack while we were at work. I came home to discover a bag of potatoes in the bar – there were only a couple in there and I don’t think he ate any but I didn’t check for tooth marks. yes, I threw them away – and dog food bag trash all over the kitchen floor.

You see, I had just purchased (on Monday) a REALLY big bag of dog food. I didn’t get it all into the plastic tub we keep it in (I could have put more in but I decided to stop at 3/4 full) and I rolled up the bag nice and tight and set it on the floor next to the tub.

Well, I don’t know how much he actually ate but I’m thinking it was about 1/4 of the bag (I think there may have been about 1/2 left but I’m not positive). Needless to say, he wasn’t feeling too well.

And while I’m sure Abbey ate some too (note: she’s been guilty of this before), but Max definitely ate more. His behavior told me so.

He was very unsettled and wanted out, wanted in, wanted out, wanted in, wanted out, wanted in, wouldn’t lay down, wanted out, wanted in, stood there staring at me, wanted out, wanted in.

Of course, he played that game all night long and I got up at 4am on Wednesday to go to spin class and I was EXHAUSTED from a lack of sleep.

He was much better when I got home last night – no longer bloated (yes, I called him my chunky monkey) and no longer so unsettled.

Of course, he wanted out at 4am this morning.

Except I wasn’t getting up until 5:45. So, I told him to shush and lay down.

He’s actually really funny. He goes out of the bedroom, goes all the way to the kitchen, sits down and woofs once (“Vasily, give me one ping, and one ping only.”) when he wants out.  Now, I don’t know how many times he does this before I wake up but it’s always one woof at a time. lol

Then, he woofed again at 5:22.

*sigh*

How do I know what time it is? We have an alarm clock that projects the time to the ceiling. Because, it’s too hard to roll over and look at the clock.

Yes, I got up.

And, I think he should be responsible for cleaning up the back yard. #justsayin

Okay, so I went to Starbucks after spin on Wednesday and what the what? What happened to the Sharpie?!?! I mean, I guess I should be pleased they got both my name and my order right but, there was something endearing and personal about the handwritten name, even if it was spelled wrong on occasion. Have I been labeled?

Or, is it because of this?

I don’t even know where to start.

I guess I’ll start at the top.

(For the record, we were at a red light. I was not tailgating and snapping pictures at the same time. Sheesh.)

“Warning. May contain explosive mixtures with air. Keep ignition sources away when opening.” (punctuation clearly added by me)

What are ‘explosive mixtures with air’ and why would anyone be standing there holding an ignition source, ie. a lighter, when they opened those doors? I’m so confused.

Then, what’s up with the quotation marks? I mean, why not just state LIGHTS ON FOR SAFETY? Wouldn’t it be easier and make more sense? Or is it more tongue in cheek? “Lights on” for safety! *wink, wink* Can someone please explain this to me?

Oh, and for more awesome unnecessary quotes, check out this blog. 🙂

Look what happened to my new pair of Calvin Klein slacks!! 😦

I just (as in on MONDAY) bought them and was wearing them for the first time (TODAY) and everything was going so well until I got up from eating breakfast (egg white omelet, chicken sausage, gluten free blueberry waffle – definitely not a feast) and I noticed this.

What the heck, Calvin? What. The. Heck. Are you trying to mess with my head? Those pants fit me perfectly! I didn’t even hear it – the seams just quietly separated. Rude. (although, I probably would have cried if it ripped AND made a sound.)

Guess Calvin doesn’t dress CrossFit girls with amazing quads and a squat bootie. Whatevs.

But seriously, they fit perfectly! Not tight or anything. Guess I’ve gotta start doing squats in the dressing room to test the durability of potential new pieces of clothing. #crossfitproblems

Oh, and why are slacks called slacks when that is the same word for something that a lazy person does? Which came first? The slacker or the slacks?

Meet Cleo. Isn’t she precious? She’s Thing 2’s new kitty.

Omigoodness, that makes me a…a… *gulp* a grandma! #ijustgotagreyhair #hadtomatchthecat

(Thanks, Amanda, for hosting Thinking Out Loud!) 🙂

Talk to me: What do you normally get from Starbucks? Do you have fuzzy alarm clocks that woof and meow? Can you see my grey hairs? Do you or do you not LOVE ‘The Hunt for Red October?’

– jennifer

Learning to eat on the run…..

Hello, hello!

T-minus 2 days until FitBloggin!!!  EEEEEPPP!!!

And I just learned today that one of my faves, Lindsay at The Lean Green Bean, is going to be there on Saturday!

I’m totally going to be that starstruck girl standing there trying to stammer out an intelligent word. #dorkproblems

Got my business cards in the mail yesterday!

They’re plain jane because, well, honestly, they were a last minute thing! I hadn’t even considered needing them and I was emailing Lena about getting stuff ready for FitBloggin and she asked me if I had them. Um, no, cuz I’m a big clueless dork!  So I had to quick order some from VistaPrint. Paid more for the shipping than the actual cards because I had to have them rushed to me! I was totally overwhelmed by all the choices so I took her advice again and just went with the plain ones. Once I’m back and I have time to think, I’ll probably design my own. But, for now, watch out – it’s bizness time!

Oh, wait. Don’t get the wrong idea. FitBloggin isn’t THAT kind of conference.

Aaannnnd, moving on.

So, I’m learning that running a 50k is a little more than just running 5 more miles than a marathon.

I mean, I knew that but still. I have to learn a whole bunch of new things to be successful!

I have to learn how to use and run with a Camelbak (okay, fine, I don’t actually HAVE to run with a Camelbak but I’m pretty sure I don’t want to wear a fuel belt with bottles of water bouncing around my hips for 31 miles – I don’t even like them for 20 milers. Can you say chafing?) and I have to learn how to eat on the run!

And no, by eating on the run, I DON’T mean going through the drive-thru and grabbing a quick burger.

I’m not quite sure how that’s going to go.

The most solid thing I eat now when I go for long runs is the Honey Stinger Waffle.

source

Otherwise, I usually carry Hammer Gels with me because they don’t make me feel like I’m going to vomit.

I’m waiting on some Ignite Naturals Reload Gels to come in so I can try those. I’m really excited because they’re made from real food – figs, brown rice and fruits – instead of artificial stuff like processed sugars and preservatives.

(OH! Don’t forget, if you want to try any Ignite Naturals products, you can get 10% off with this code: IN00344.) 🙂

But, I don’t usually take any of the food that’s offered during races – unless it’s an orange wedge. Love me some orange wedges! – because I’m afraid of it upsetting my tummy.

I know that I’m going to be running slower than I normally would in a marathon – my thoughts right now are trying to keep a 10:00 – 10:30 pace throughout. we’ll see how THAT goes. – so I know that I’ll need more fuel to keep me on my feet and moving that whole time.

According to the race website, the aid stations will be stocked with pb&j squares, fig bars, salty snacks, candy, and fruit.

I’m not sure how my tummy will handle pb&j and salty snacks like pretzels.

But, I’m pretty sure if they offered me some jelly beans or some Swedish Fish, I’d probably be okay with that. #sweettooth

So, I guess I’m going to have to pack some pretzels in a small baggie for my next run. Or maybe some Fig Newtons. And a gallon of water. And someone to carry all my stuff.

Talk to me: If you’re an ultrarunner, what sorts of things do you eat during a run? How long did it take you to figure out what works and what doesn’t? Have you ever rolled up a whole pizza like a burrito and eaten it while running, a la Dean Karnazes? 

– jennifer

Running naked and eating right

Hello!

Happy first Thursday of 2014!

I hope you had a safe and fun New Year’s celebration! 🙂

I hit the road this morning for a short run. I actually forgot to charge my Garmin so I ran naked.

Um, not naked as in “not wearing any clothes” but naked as in “not wearing a watch.”

Sheesh.

Do you know how cold it is out there?

Get your mind out of the gutter.

Anyway, do you ever do that? You should! It’s quite liberating!

I’m sure running in your birthday suit would also be quite liberating. Until you got arrested. Then, not so liberating any more. So, I don’t recommend THAT kind of running naked.

Running without a watch also gives you a chance to run by feel rather than being so focused on running a specific pace.

It’s good for you both physically and mentally. It pulls you out of your head and just puts you out there IN the run.

So, there’s 9 days until the Mississippi Blues marathon!!

I’ve only got one longish run before I really taper next week.

Because it was a short-ish run this morning – I just did 5 miles – I fueled up with some orange juice and a handful of raisins.

If you’re just getting in to running, or your trying to use running as a weight loss tool, you want to make sure you’re fueling your body properly both pre- and post-run.

You certainly don’t want all that hard (and FUN!) work to go to waste. Or, to your waist! 😉

So, the general rule of thumb is, if you’re running less than 30 minutes, you probably don’t need a snack before you head out the door.

If you’re running longer or harder (hills, tempo run, etc), you want to grab a 100-200 calorie snack about an hour before your run.

Now, if you’re like me and you run early in the morning, getting up to eat a snack an hour before a run just isn’t going to happen.

I mean, seriously.

If you’re heading out on your run at 4:30am, who wants to be up at 3:30 just to eat?!

Um, yeah, not me.

That’s why I choose orange juice. It gets the calories and carbs through my system quickly. The raisins hold me through the run.

Of course, if I wake up STARVING, I’ll usually eat a banana and/or a spoonful of peanut butter and skip the OJ and raisins.

For longer runs, I’ll usually have small bowl of cereal with some blueberries or strawberries or some instant oatmeal.

What? It’s early in the morning. You think I’m going to COOK up some oatmeal on the stove?

This is NOT the time to eat Fiber One.

Well, at least not for me. You could have an iron stomach and handle it well but, generally, too much fiber before a run can make a tummy feel really blech.

I don’t like blech.

In fact, I don’t like blech so much that I pack my own food when I travel for races. I’m sure the TSA folk think I’m strange for having packets of oatmeal, Justin’s peanut and almond butters, Larabars and Jelly Bellys in my bag. Don’t care.

Now that you’ve run and you’re back home, what should you eat?

If you’ve done a short, easy-ish run (and yes, easy/hard is different for everyone so you will need to learn to listen to your body), you’re probably fine with just drinking some water (rehydration is KEY! You don’t want to feel bad later. It’s not fun. Trust me.) and then grabbing a healthy breakfast after a shower, etc.

If you’ve done a hard/long run, you want to fuel within 30 minutes to an hour of your workout. Your muscles need it even if your stomach thinks it doesn’t.  Again, trust me. If you don’t fuel then, you’ll eat the entire McDonald’s menu later. And then your belly will REALLY hurt.

You want to aim for a ratio of 4:1 carbs:protein. I don’t know why that is the magic number but it is. Science is awesome. And chocolate milk is the BOMB-diggity after a workout and gives you the right amount of fuel. This one is my favorite! It’s the perfect size!

If you’re not a fan of chocolate milk (seriously, there are people out there who actually don’t like it. like my uncle. he’s strange.), try to keep your snack around 200 calories.  Then, a few hours later, eat a healthy snack/small meal and continue on with your day.

If you’re like me (okay, fine, I have a somewhat disagreeable tummy), you’re probably going to feel a little ick after an especially long run (for me, that’s a marathon) and you don’t want to eat anything AT ALL.

Don’t do that. It’s bad.

If you can’t do chocolate milk, make a fruit smoothie and add a scoop of your favorite protein powder. Or, if you’ve traveled for a race and you can’t just whip up a fruit smoothie, maybe you should have remembered to pack your blender.  Ha! I’m kidding. 🙂  You should check out the selections by Naked Juice, Odwalla, and Bolthouse Farms. Many of those have a great blend of fruit (and vitamin C!) and have a shot of protein to help refuel your tired muscles. Just make sure you watch the serving size or you may bounce off the walls because of all the sugar!

And then, don’t forget to stretch!

I get a lot of information from Runner’s World. They have a plethora of articles on nutrition for runners, how to fuel for various races and distances, suggestions for both pre- and post-workout meals, etc.  I am not an expert on this subject nor am I an expert on nutrition although I DID stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. No, not really. 🙂 I try to make as many healthy choices as I can and I have learned my own requirements through trial and error and listening to my body (most specifically – my tummy) but I have taken guidance/ideas from them and tried them out. You have to find what works for you as far as what fuels you properly before a workout and what your tummy can handle post-workout.

Question: What’s your favorite blend of fruit smoothie?

– jennifer