Slumping and grinding, and my new thingamajig

I've been in a bit of a slump over the past few weeks.  My motivation has not been high and I have lost momentum with my training.  I think it's a combination of burnout, fear of exacerbating nagging injuries, and analysis paralysis.

I find that when I'm working or training consistently, that it's easy to keep going... but once I undergo lapses, then it gets progressively harder to get back on track.  Lately I have been lackluster about doing my physical therapy and I've been rewarded with a resurgence of left-knee and left-hip wonkiness... Because of this I have cut back my weekly mileage to avoid aggravating things further.  But the mileage reduction only serves to make me less motivated to do my physical therapy and to log my miles.  It's a vicious cycle.

I have also been experiencing some recurring neck soreness over the last several weeks.  Initially I thought it might have been a relapse of a muscle pull from a few months ago, but the soreness this time around is much different than before.

Another thought was that perhaps I was just sleeping with my head at an awkward angle.  I've been in a tweener spot with my pillows where one pillow is not enough elevation for my head, but two pillows is too much.  I've gone back and forth between:

A) Using one pillow and trying diligently to reinflate it (similar to what I do with all the loaves of bread I buy from the grocery store that somehow always get squished in transit)

and

B) Using two pillows but trying to mash them both down (similar to when I'm traveling and I try to squeeze an obscene amount of belongings into a carry-on suitcase)

Unfortunately neither option has worked.

As a general rule, I don't like going to the doctor unless I really, really need to... however this problem has gone on long enough now that I am starting to think it really is necessary.  The word on the street is that a chiropractor might be the best professional to consult. 

Does anyone have any chiropractor experiences, recommendations, or words of wisdom to share?!?

Allright!  Shifting gears here...

After a 3-year relationship with my Blackberry, I finally moved on and got an iPhone.  I was apprehensive about the process of shopping for a new phone given all the options.  But, it turns out that my firm's IT systems only support Blackberry or iPhone, so it became a very straightforward decision.

The biggest adjustment for me so far with the iPhone is that I've always been very accustomed to having a keyboard on my Blackberry, which the iPhone doesn't have.  Touchscreen typing really does take some getting used to.

On that note, I've learned the hard way that spelling auto-correct is both a blessing and a curse.  For example, the other day I was trying to IM my friend Ed "okedoke" and instead it came up as "ole dole" (apparently both a Swedish film and Swedish nursery rhyme.) 

My friend Katie was also telling me about how she once tried to send a friend "prayers" but instead she sent her friend "pirates." 

In many situations, pirates are still very useful to send.

In short, lesson learned that I will have to be very careful to grind out the correct words when typing iPhone messages!

Beyond that, I am really enjoying the iPhone's capabilities.  It's fun customizing my interface and downloading apps (hello, Blackhawks app, Epicurious app, and Shazam!)  The iMessage system is nice - with Blackberry Messenger you had to get someone's PIN to message them, but iMessage doesn't require that step.  It will also be fun trying to confuse the iPhone's voice command system (e.g. speaking to it in Pig Latin).

My one issue so far is that the iPhone's battery longevity is not great.  This isn't helped by the fact that my office environment eats phone batteries for lunch.  But, overall I think it's a small price to pay for the iPhone's vastly improved functionality.

Folks, we have officially added another element to the Bermuda Triangle (now Quadrilateral?) of Productivity!

Randomness du Jour Part Deux

Aloha folks, my apologies for having fallen off the planet for the past week.  My schedule has been a complete disaster.



Today brings another edition of random thoughts - this time generated from a perfect storm of schedule craziness.

Go Blackhawks!
I've gone to two Blackhawks games in the past week with my friend Katie.  I won tickets to the first from a Blackhawks/Goodwill sweepstakes, and my friend Jenny gave me her tickets to the second which she couldn't use (thanks again, Jenny!) 

Katie and I at the Hawks vs Wild game last night.  Katie is sporting a brand
new Hawks throwback jersey that she bought just minutes before the puck dropped!

I could go into a ton of detail about both games and about the Hawks in general.  For now, though, can I just say for the zillionth time how much I love going to watch Hawks games at the United Center?  There really is nothing like it. 

"Hello, my name is Emily and I'm addicted to watching live Blackhawks games."

In the meantime, I am so excited that the Hawks are going to the playoffs again this year for the fourth consecutive year.  Bring it on!!!

MAASU Spring Conference at UIUC
The 2012 MAASU Spring Conference took place this past weekend at my dear alma mater.  It made for some crazy traveling and juggling, but it was a great time.

The planning committee invited some prominent UIUC alums to speak/perform at the Friday night variety show and Saturday night banquet, and I am always amazed at the level of talent they bring.  As usual, I thoroughly enjoyed all the students' energy and enthusiasm - I always try to bring some of that back with me to apply to my daily functions!

I have a workshop on Self Branding that I've presented at the MAASU conferences many times over the years, including this past weekend.  Here's a picture that one of my participants (who also performed at the Friday night variety show and was AWESOME) took of the workshop in action:


(There were a plethora of other great photos from the weekend that I would love to share, but at the moment I am still waiting for the sources to put them up on Facebook!  Hopefully more pictures will come soon.)

Every time I go to the UIUC campus, I see more and more improvements that have been made since I was a student there.  The students really do have every imaginable resource right at their fingertips or at their doorsteps.  It makes me very nostalgic for my college days.

On a runners note, I saw various signs posted around campus for the Illinois Marathon, which takes place in Urbana-Champaign at the end of April.  There is a program of some sort where for $25 students can join a training group, I believe.  What an unbelievable deal!  If I was still a student, I'd be signed up in a heartbeat!

Blackberry Life Support
I have had a Blackberry for at least the last 3 years, and its battery has been undergoing a slow and painful death for at least the last 6 months.  I also think I am one of the very few remaining blokes (blokettes?) out there that still has a Blackberry and not an iPhone or similar. 



Phone replacement time is approaching.  All suggestions welcome.

Random Training Notes

• I said before that I didn't really feel much difference between any of my various pairs of running shoes, but I'm starting to think that the Brooks Glycerin 8 shoes may not be my favorite.  I feel like they don't absorb the shock of impact as well as some of the others.  I'm considering getting a pair of Superfeet insoles for them to see if it helps, but if not these shoes might be relegated only for shorter weekday runs.
• Between now and when official marathon training starts, I'm thinking that I'll do a long run of 10 or 11 miles every other weekend.  The intent is to maintain my current distance threshhold without pushing too hard, hopefully reducing the risk of injury in these next few months.  I would still like to do some speed training every week, but I plan to specifically focus on speed training during those off weeks.
• I ran 10 miles yesterday morning and was not very motivated at the start.  Despite my goal to wean myself of listening to music I had my headphones going the whole time.
• My next race is the CARA Lakefront 10-miler on April 28.  I'm feeling pretty good with my current level of conditioning to the point where 10 miles seems fairly easy.  Therefore, I don't really plan to train specifically for this race.  Although, I'll have some family in town that weekend who plan to come watch me cross the finish line (thanks in advance for the support!).  Therefore, it would be nice to not finish in last place.

Small steps towards positive changes

I've mentioned before that I am constantly battling with the office candy jar(s).  They are all located in very conspicuous arterial by-ways which are impossible (IMPOSSIBLE!) to avoid.

When I get frazzled or stressed at work in combination with being hungry, I'll often eat the first convenient food I see.  More often than not, this comes from the candy jar. 

In an attempt to change this, I decided to test the theory that we are creatures of convenience, and if something is easily accessible we are much more likely to partake in it.  That accessibility can be either towards favorable habits (e.g. healthy food) or unfavorable habits (e.g. junk food).

Today I put a bag of baby carrots and a container of hummus on my desk.  The hope was that I would eat what was healthy if it was within easy reach, instead of traveling the arterial roads to the chocolate.  This would be at least one small step towards healthier eating habits!  As a result, I am proud to say that I did bypass the candy jar today and instead plow through the carrots/hummus.  It was more out of pure convenience than anything else, but it worked.


Now on one hand, it was good that I didn't eat the usual chocolate selection.  But on the other hand, I probably consumed more calories from carrots/hummus than I would have from the chocolate, and I never got up from my desk.  In a sense you could probably even describe it as being efficiently lazy!

Unfortunately this also means I am now conducting a side-test of whether or not you can really turn orange from consuming too much beta-carotene.

(By the way, this isn't the first time I have tested the changeability of skin tones based on overconsumption of a certain food.  I've been to two blueberry-producing capitals during their peak growing season - one being Southwest Michigan, the other being Nova Scotia.  In both places I've purchased industrial-sized containers of blueberries and then proceeded to eat the entire contents within obscenely short periods of time.  I thought I was going to turn into a Smurf.)

In any event, there is definitely something to be said for making sure that the things you want to do have as few roadblocks to them as possible.  The carrot method (literally and figuratively) may require some refining in the days to come, as it's certainly unrealistic that I'll never pilfer from the candy jar ever again.  But at least it was a step in the right direction today.

On that note, I had mentioned earlier that I was considering trying to wean myself of listening to music while running, at least on occasion.  I did a 4-miler yesterday successfully without listening to music.  I did wear my headphones but just didn't turn on my MP3 player (though I did have it in my hand ready to flip on at a moment's notice!)

I've heard it said before that if you tone down one of your senses, that your other senses will be heightened. Case in point, I did feel more aware of my surroundings yesterday.  For the first time this year I smelled the flowers from blossoming trees and bushes while running.  I enjoyed hearing snippets of conversations from folks that I ran past.  I also heard the sounds of a afternoon baseball game, which made it feel even more summerlike outside.

It actually wasn't so bad running in silence when I was prepared for it.  I still do think that it will take some time to get used to it on a regular basis.  But at least the first non-music run is done, so that's progress. 

Baby steps, baby steps!

NYC weekend recap, getting used to silence, and Chicago 13.1 Marathon registration winner

Just got back from NYC.  It was a very fun weekend and the wedding festivities were incredible.  I also got to meet a lot of Adam's old Penn State friends for the first time, as well as catch up with some of his other friends that I'd already met before.  Good people.

We stayed at a very nice hotel right on Wall Street.  The location was fantastic and even with our limited time we were able to see some great sights within walking distance, e.g. the New York Stock Exchange, the Wall Street Bull, Battery Park, and South Street Seaport (where the wedding took place).

South Street Seaport

I am always amazed whenever I see the New York Stock Exchange building.  It looks so serene from the outside, even with all the security detail.  It's hard to comprehend the billions of worldwide dollars that are fought for and traded within its walls every day.

The New York Stock Exchange building.  If you didn't know what it was,
you could probably walk past it without a second glance.

Unfortunately, there wasn't enough time to go check out any of the Food Network chef's restaurants or even to go to one of the ethnic neighborhoods to eat.  But, Adam and I did stumble upon a location of The Original Soup Man restaurant, which was right by the hotel.  For those of you familiar with Seinfeld, this was the inspiration for many an episode! 

NO SOUP FOR YOU!!!
(Only because yours truly liked it so much that I ate all of it already.)

Even if you're not a Seinfeld afficionado, I would definitely recommend checking it out.  Their soup and the selections were outstanding!  I had a lentil soup and it was so good that I'm now going to be spending my nights and weekends trying to reverse-engineer their recipe.

I did get a chance to go for a run over both the Brooklyn and Manhattan Bridges, through a little bit of Brooklyn, and also through some parts of Chinatown.  The bridges were very cool!  They have more of an incline than one might realize from just looking at them.  I rarely do hill workouts since Chicago is so flat, and running the bridge inclines was a challenging, but nice change of pace (i.e., it really slowed my pace down!).

Kim had warned me that the Brooklyn Bridge might be very crowded and indeed, parts of it were packed with camera-wielding tourists.  I felt like an NFL running back trying to weave my way through the masses.

One of my fellow Fighting Illini alums, Rashard Mendenhall, demonstrating how it's done.

Despite the crowds on the bridge, it was awesome getting to run through some areas of New York and seeing a little bit of life as some locals might.  I'm all about trying to get off the beaten path whenever possible, even if just for a short time!

On a related note - I had my headphones on during the run as usual.  But, for the second time in a week, I actually didn't pay much attention to my music because I was so focused on everything going around me.  Plus, there was a lot of ambient noise - traffic, construction, and even trains running past me on the Manhattan Bridge.  It probably wouldn't have made any difference if I didn't have my headphones on at all.

Based on these experiences, I am starting to consider trying to wean myself of having to listen to music while I run. 

This is a very scary consideration for me...

I'm completely unaccustomed to self-induced silence.  However, when I have my music on all the time, it does start losing its effectiveness after awhile.  I've heard some people using their music late in their runs as a booster when the going starts to get rough.  It makes sense to me.  I may give it a go, even though I know that I'll be bored within 10 minutes for at least the first few times that I try it. 

To be continued...

In the meantime, thank you to everyone that entered the Chicago 13.1 Marathon registration giveaway.  The winner is Kelley!  Congratulations!  I'll be emailing you with more details in the next few days!

A New York Minute

I'm heading to NYC this weekend with Adam to attend the wedding of one of his college buddies, Dan.  It's going to be a very quick trip.  But, I always thoroughly savor opportunities to visit New York, no matter how short.

One of the first things I do whenever I go someplace these days is research local races.  It turns out that the 13.1 Marathon Series (the same series that is providing the Chicago 13.1 Marathon race registration giveaway) is hosting a race in Queens this Saturday morning!  I really wanted to run it so I could experience a New York race.  But, I grudgingly admit that schedules are too hectic this weekend.  Also, from a training perspective it might be too much for me given the half marathon I ran last weekend. 

Thou shalt not overtrain or overrace.

(Even when traveling to New York.)

(Sigh.)

I am still excited about getting in a training run sometime over the weekend, though!  The wedding takes place in lower Manhattan and I've already researched places to run nearby.  Suggestions include the Brooklyn Bridge/Manhattan Bridge and Battery Park.  I am particularly pumped about the bridges!  Running the New York bridges is something I've always wanted to do as a runner (I just added it to my runner's bucket list today).

On a different note.  When I'm not watching hockey games played by my beloved Blackhawks or Penguins, I am watching the Food Network.  The second thing I think of when going to NYC is the opportunity to check out some of the restaurants by the local Food Network chefs.  Adam and I went to Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's restaurant) with Dan a few years ago, which was fun.  Other places I'd particularly love to check out are:

• Babbo or Lupa (Mario Batali's restaurants)
• Scarpetta (Scott Conant)
• Morimoto (Masuhara Morimoto)
• Les Halles (Anthony Bourdain)
• Centric (Aaron Sanchez)

Although, a good neighborhood Jewish deli will certainly fit the bill, too.

New York-style carbo-loading at its finest.

I might purposely bring an extra bag just so I can smuggle mass quantities of bagels back home with me.  If anyone questions me, I'll just do my best imitation of this:

The Wall Street Bull.  There was a reason I was a Finance major in college.

Gives a whole new meaning to "running with the bulls," eh?

Giveaway: Chicago 13.1 Marathon Registration

Now that I've had a couple of days to recover from this past weekend's steambath half marathon, I am excited to put my running shoes back on!  (We only remember the good things, right?)

In normal years, the temperatures in Chicago are absolutely glorious in May, June, and September.  These months are among the best times to come visit Chicago and to see all of the vibrant diversity that the city has to offer.  (Did I mention the great deep dish pizza?) 

And... what better way to experience Chicago than to run 13.1 miles in June along its gorgeous lakefront and through some of its most historical neighborhoods?!?

Allstate Life Insurance Chicago 13.1 Marathon is giving away a FREE half marathon registration to one lucky reader!

RACE DETAILS
Date: Saturday, June 9, 2012
Time: 7:13 AM CST
Start and Finish Location: Chicago South Shore Cultural Center (7059 S. Shore Drive)
Course: Download a map here

By the way - the South Shore Cultural Center is where Barack Obama and Michelle Obama held their wedding reception in 1992!  It's also listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as a Chicago Landmark.

Other course highlights, besides of course the stunning lakefront and skyline views, is that it runs through Jackson Park, home of the 1893 World Columbian Exposition, and passes the Museum of Science & Industry, the only original building remaining from the 1893 Columbian Exposition.  The course is walker-friendly, too, so you don't even have to be a hard-core runner to participate.  The only thing missing is deep dish pizza.

Oh, but wait!  In previous years they even served Lou Malnati's deep dish pizza at the post-race party!  How's that for a great Chicago experience?  Here's hoping (and praying!) that they have pizza again this year!!!

Come see this view of my hometown in person!

If you are interested in winning this awesome opportunity, please leave a comment and tell me either 1) something you've always wanted to see or do in Chicago, and/or 2) something fun you have planned for this summer!

The giveaway is open through Friday, March 23 and all readers are welcome to enter.  I will use random.org to select the winner and I will announce the winner over the weekend!

Chicago Get Lucky Half Marathon Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the inaugural Chicago Get Lucky Half Marathon.  Due to the early onslaught of summertime temperatures in Chicago, it turned out to be much more challenging than expected.

It's been in the 80s here for the last five days in a row, also setting temperature records for five straight days.  Add to this that we've literally skipped spring and went straight from winter to summer.  Ten days ago I think the temps were in the 30s.  It's been like going from the freezer to the oven.

I woke up in the morning around 7:30 AM, ate my usual breakfast of cereal and a banana, and drank a few big glasses of water as early as I could.

Adam very kindly drove me to the starting area, which turned out to be hugely the right move.  I had originally planned to take the CTA green line to the Roosevelt stop, which I thought was just a couple blocks away from the starting line.  The actual starting line was much farther from the train stop than anticipated.  Had I taken the train I would not have allowed myself the time to walk the extra distance, and might have been late to the start.

The race was both a 7K race as well as a half marathon, and the half marathon race population turned out to be very small.  I later found out there were only 360 half marathon finishers (I don't know how many DNFs there were).  I made a quick portapotty stop, then listened to a recorded rendition of the national anthem while waiting for my Garmin to load up.  An air horn sounded and off we went.

There were no timing splits at any of the mile markers, which I've never experienced in a race before.  However, I had read race reviews on this organizer and knew this was a possibility, so I was prepared to hit the "Lap" button on my Garmin at each mile marker.  There was no mile marker at Mile 2, so I thought they were only marking every other mile - but Mile 2 ended up being the only one missing.

I was definitely feeling the temperatures, but a slight breeze off the lake helped a little.  The race's website said that there would be aid stations every 2 to 2.5 miles.  At 1.5 miles I was already starting to feel thirsty, so I was looking forward to the first aid station.  However, the first aid station didn't come up until about 3.2 miles in.

This is what it felt like for a little while.

I had brought three GUs with me and had been planning on taking one about every 3.5 to 4 miles starting around mile 4.  Given how far along the first aid station was, I went ahead and took my first GU there.  I grabbed two cups of water from a volunteer but both were only about a third full.  It wasn't enough water for me with the GU, but the aid station consisted of only about two tables and I didn't feel like backtracking.  I decided to keep going, and was finally able to get enough water at the next aid station a few miles later.  I was careful throughout the rest of the aid stations to get cups that were at least three-quarters full.

Going into the race, I had been worried about my knee issues or hip issues acting up.  I felt intermittant left hip and knee pain here and there, but thankfully nothing that caused real issue.  However, I did get some unexpected skin chafing from my shorts and sports bra.  It was painful and I was regretting not using any Bodyglide.

I had my music on the whole race, but I didn't pay a lot of attention to it.  I was more focused on trying to hug the curves of the path and making any passes on the inside curve.  The course took place almost entirely on the lakefront path, which was still open to the public.  Therefore, I also had to be careful to avoid colliding with any bicyclists, inline skaters, or people with their strollers and dogs, all of which came from both directions.  A few fellow racers had some close calls and got into some angry shouting matches.

Racers versus aerodynamic baby strollers.

My longest training run prior to the race was 11 miles, which I had done two weeks ago with relative ease.  Therefore, I had felt pretty confident going into the race and I was maintaining a comfortable pace amidst the heat.  But then, around mile 9, fatigue starting setting in very quickly.  Mentally, this put quite a damper on since I had really not anticipated being so tired that early.  Those last four miles were tough.  The sun and heat felt relentless.  I was trying to avoid taking any walk breaks for fear that I wouldn't be able to resume running, but my legs felt like they were being weighed down by lead. 

Around mile 12 my sweat started feeling cold, which made me nervous.  I wondered if it was a prelude to throwing up and tried not to think about it.  I cranked up the most energizing music I could find on my MP3 player.  Unfortunately I was so tired that the music didn't really help. 

Around 12.5, I started seeing cheering race marshalls who all yelled, "You're so close!  Keep going!  You're almost there!"  (I didn't really believe them, though, because I think everyone always tells you you're so close even if you're not.)

I saw Adam around mile 13, smiling and waving his Terrible Towel (this was a preset arrangement to help me find him in the crowd).  It was such a welcome sight! 

Adam jumped in and ran with me to the finish line, stepping off to the side at the very end.  It helped to momentarily take my mind off of my overwhelming fatigue.  My official finishing time was 2:34:10.  It was a lot slower than I was targeting, but the heat had a much larger impact than I was expecting.  At that point I was just happy to have finished.

My legs were aching and it hurt to stand without moving, so we kept walking around.  Thankfully I never felt like I was ever truly in danger of throwing up!  After a few minutes with some food and beverage I started to feel human again.

After getting home I took my first-ever ice bath, which I had always been terrified of doing but it felt terrific.  I then showered, foam rolled, stretched, and put on my compression sleeves.  Some quality time with the couch combined with some Bacino's Chicago-style deep dish spinach and mushroom pizza for dinner, and I was almost as good as new.

Takeaways and Lessons Learned:

• BodyGlide, BodyGlide, BodyGlide (or some other preventitive measure against skin chafes - yikes!)  Use it even if you don't think you need it.
• I never thought I would curse the day when the temperatures were in the low 80s and sunny in Chicago.  But, I guess everything has its time and place.  I knew that the temps would negatively impact me, but I really had no idea the magnitude that it could have over an extended distance.  Wow.
• The challenges of this race brought me back down to earth on wanting to run as many races as I can.  Now I am glad that I didn't sign up for more races than I have (a 10-miler next month, another half marathon in July, then the full marathon in October).
• I have a LOT of training to do over the next several months to prepare for the full marathon.  A LOT.
• Ice baths are a really, really good thing for post-run muscle recovery.  Now I understand why people go through them.  They are going to become a common ritual for me now.

Ahhhh...