Olded.

or “How I turned 30.”

My last run as a 29 year old involved waking up at 4:35am on Monday to run 6 miles with some running group people.

 

When I got home I realized what my note to Dan (written in the dark, on paper that had apparently already been used) looked like.

While my dream birthday would involve running-- and preferably trail running-- my actual birthday, last Tuesday, involved working, and starting early.  I treated myself to a lunch time birthday cupcake.  No coffee buttercream frosting, but this one was some kind of mocha/caramel combo.

I worked some more. I took a break for a 35-minute late afternoon bike ride in the sweltering heat and high winds, showered, then worked for a couple more hours.

This arrived on my doorstep

We ordered Thai take-out and thanks to Dan’s handy-work, the contents of that big box later became this:

Looking forward to riding a bike that weighs less than half my current hybrid bike and will allow me to keep up with Dan on his road bike!

Then I called it a night and set my alarm to meet different running friends to run 5ish miles at 5ish the next morning.

Running and Cupcakes

Monday  was a weird day.  I woke up at 4:30am (except since Daylight Savings had just begun, it was really 3:30am Old Time).  I had agreed to play taxi for my husband and his coworkers at 5am, was presented with a glazed donut with sprinkles that I barely remember eating, I got back home before 6am, and went back to bed for a little “nap.”  I had set up the coffee maker for 6:45, positive I’d be up by then.  And planned to go on a long run shortly after. Except I actually woke up at 8.  At least I awoke to the aroma of hazelnut coffee.

I ran 13 miles because I didn’t do a real long run this past weekend.  I didn’t have a pace in mind, but knew that Run Less Run Faster likes you to do most of your long runs at half marathon pace + :20 which for me is around 10:00-10:05.  I should note that while I love RLRF, I sort of mostly abandoned it since moving last month. 

Back to my run.

The first 12 miles were good, I ran them at an average pace of 9:47. Things got a little hairier for the last mile and change uphill.  I started off trying to run uphill for about .3 miles - even if it meant a really slow pace, but after 12 miles it wasn’t happening. I did some short run/walk intervals up the hill then resorted to walking the second half to my house.

I spent much of Monday evening in my Aspaeris Pivot compression shorts, and I even slept in them, hoping they would magically heal me and give me fresh legs for my planned track workout Tuesday night.

Either my legs are getting stronger from the abuse they are taking from the hills here or the shorts worked, but I felt I had a good first track workout.  I’ve done speed work before, but this was my first time on an actual track. Previously, speed work has consisted of programming my watch to beep at me at predetermined intervals while I run through neighborhoods and parks.

The track workout was:

4x[300m, 100m rest] 1:24, 1:24, 1:23, 1:25
4x[600m, 200 rest] (.37-.38 mi) 2:49, 2:59, 2:39, 2:50
4x[200m, 1min rest] (.12-.13 mi) :48, :45, :47, :45

I’d say it was a success as my beloved RLRF tells me I should run 600s in 3:05.

The 600s weren’t too consistent, but the others were pretty close.  I didn’t stare at my watch like I sometimes do for speed work, I just ran and hit the lap button on my watch as I crossed the line on the track.  While I am definitely in the slower half of the group that came to the track tonight, I didn’t feel badly about – I think seeing so many fast people ahead of me motivated me to run faster.

I was proud of my track success and treated myself to a cupcake. 

Actually, I had pre-planned this cupcake, regardless of how the track went.  I’ve been researching cupcake places in my new area, hoping to find something that could rival my most favorite cupcake place in NJ.  I was disappointed to see a lot of mixed reviews for the 5 or so cupcake bakeries on yelp.  Not confidence-inspiring. Maybe individual cupcake preferences vary widely. 

My favorite from Sugar + Sunshine in NJ was the mocha cupcake which was chocolate cake with a coffee buttercream frosting. I could eat that frosting by the spoonful, but luckily they didn’t sell their frosting.

When I learned one of the places here had a Mocha cupcake—but only on Tuesdays—and that it was right near the track, it was a done deal.

I will readily admit that aesthetically it does not even compare. Even before it got knocked around in the bag a bit.

 

But when I opened the bag at home I could smell delicious coffee.  The frosting to cake ratio was good.  The buttercream frosting had the right amount of coffee flavor and was not too sweet; the cake portion was still moist despite me buying it at 8:30pm.

The CA cupcake cost me $3 while my NJ favorite is $2.50.  The NJ one might be a little bigger, too.  But it seems all cupcakes in this area are priced at $3+.  I’ll blame it on the high taxes in this state.

Cupcakes: Yay or Nay?

What’s your favorite sweet/baked good?

Recovery Week

With 2 half marathons in 8 days I thought I should properly recover this week.

After Sunday's trail half and "cold water bath," I took it easy the rest of Sunday and all of Monday.  My legs felt a little tired on Tuesday but my quads and calves were not sore (hooray!) and I wanted to move my legs around.  A friend talked me into going to spinning with her that night.

So I bit the bullet and renewed my gym membership after a 5 month hiatus.

Thursday work was closed for a Jewish holiday.  I met my husband for Indian buffet lunch then swung by my favorite bakery ever.  (Alyssa and Kari can skip past this part because they have strong willpower and are 2 weeks into their dessert ban leading up to their marathons this month).

 

 For the fellow coffee fan, the coffee buttercream frosting is AMAZING.

Amazing, I tell you!

Their cinnamon buns are pretty special too.

That night, I went to spinning again, followed by a 1/2 hr abs class.

And Friday morning my abs were SORE.  Admittedly, I haven't done much for them since the Fit Abs Challenge that ended in early August.

Saturday I decided it was time to run again.  My goal was to run at a comfortable pace but with still with some effort for a favorite 3 mile loop.  I tried to not look at my watch too much.

I ran 3.18 miles and surprised myself with my splits: 9:50, 9:40, 9:15, followed by a .18 mile jog then walk cool down.  Apparently my spinning classes did not do enough to wear me out and I had lots of energy to get out of my system.  The run didn't feel like I was running that hard, though the cooler weather might be to blame/credit.  I didn't run until noon and it was only 62 out.  It was glorious!

[source]

Back to the gym:

Tuesday I dropped 94 big ones to get myself gym access-- including group classes-- through the end of 2011.  AND a free sample of deodorant.

 If you could smell me, today I smell like a rain kissed water lily.

The low cost, for me, is the main perk of going to a university gym.

Group classes are included which is a huge plus too.

They offer a bunch of classes, but my main interests are boot camp, spinning, and abs.  I don't see myself as a zumba person, the kickboxing paled in comparison to my previous cardio kickboxing classes at a martial arts place, but I hope to try yoga or pilates sometime in the future.


Some of the drawbacks?

• 2nd day at the gym and "looking good for spring break" has already been mentioned
• Realizing current freshmen are 10 years younger than me
• I was the oldest person in Tuesday's spin class (aside from the instructor) 
• one of the girls in the class loudly said the room "smelled like moth balls"
• The room did not smell like moth balls
• But I hope this was a reference to some of the older women leaving the room from yoga, not my friend and me-- soooo old in our mid-late 20s
• At one point during Thursday's ab class, out of 30 people, one student, another "regular" (university staff, not a student) and I were the only ones doing all the ab exercises.  The room was sooo loud because people were talking to eachother and not following along with the instructor. ONE girl was texting!!
• A) So rude to the instructor
• B) If you're taking up a spot in class, you better be working. Why else are you there?

Emily has touched on this recently, and I completely share her opinions.

I'll get over it.  Because it's cheap.  And at these classes - the undergrads will start dropping like flies in a couple weeks anyway :)
So to summarize:
This time around, my recovery included: very cold water bath, spinning, abs, baked goods, and a short run at the end of the week.

I'm ready to get running again!

Questions for you:
Do you belong to a gym?  University or other?
What's your usual post-race recovery routine?

Non-Running Happenings

Aside from all the running I've been doing or not doing, here are some things I've done over the last several weeks:

• I turned twenty eight.

I like getting mail.

 Check out my cool new bar glasses.  This one's filled with Lemoncello* over ice :)

*this page lets you skip over where you have to enter your DOB to prove you're 21. 


I'm also looking forward to using some birthday gift cards including for Lands End Canvas, Macy's (yay, back-to-school shopping!), Running Warehouse (shh, that one's running-related) and Starbucks.

• I met a friend's adorable puppy, Louie.

•  I was horrified to learn that Wegmans changed their frosting recipe.

 Ok, ok, I haven't actually tried the new stuff yet, so I will withhold judgment for now.  
But the old stuff was perfect.  And let's be honest, no one eats butter cream frosting for it's nutrition.

• I have watched my dog sleep in a variety of entertaining positions.

•  I have frequented the Farmer's Market

 Did you even know there was such a thing as a purple bell pepper? I didn't.

yellow peaches

yep, there's even a new local Cheesecake bakery that comes to the market!

• I have counteracted the Fit Blog Fit Abs Challenge with some Starbucks Ice Cream.  Why did they have to send me a birthday coupon?  For TWO pints??

• I have found alternative uses for my headlamp.  

• for example, when the light bulb goes out in the basement, and you don't have a spare, and you have a load of laundry waiting in the washer for you, but it's dark out, so there is no natural light coming through the window and you are afraid that the hobo living in the creepy basement will come after you...you can wear your headlamp.  
• I wouldn't recommend looking too close while you are in the basement, as there are lots of webs and bugs and the bright light only makes them look worse.

Ok, I guess this is a little running related as the headlamp is running gear.  

  

• Eating other baked goods besides the pecan turtle cheesecake slice shown above. 

I have previously professed my love for these cupcakes. L: Caramel R: Mocha.

The mocha butter cream frosting is my FAVORITE.

It even comes in this cute little box when you only buy 2 (I usually buy 4. ha).

• We ditched cable.

Call us cheap.  

Or, in the absence of new TV, we thought we'd catch up on movies and older TV series on Netflix Streaming.

What non-running/cycling/fitness things have you been up to?

Coffee Cubes and some Birthday Treats

Here's my attempt at Coffee Ice Cubes.

They don't photograph well, and they don't look too appetizing in an ice cube tray.

I put 4 or 5 in a glass:

Be careful, they leave coffee on your hands!
(I took a picture of my hand with melted coffee cube all over it,
but didn't think it was worth posting).

And I added some milk.

And I added some previously made, previously chilled coffee.

Looks a lot creamier with my camera's flash than it actually is.

Yesterday was my birthday, so I decided to treat myself to some of the best cupcakes I have ever tasted (hope it didn't ruin my husband's plans for my birthday dessert).

Warning: There is nothing healthy about the pictures to follow!

Sugar + Sunshine bakery makes the best cupcakes I have ever tasted. I haven't tasted a whole lot of cupcakes, but enough to know that I really like these.

Yes. That's two boxes that you see. That's because when I went in to the bakery, I saw some cinnamon rolls left. I have heard fantastic things about the cinnamon rolls, and usually there are none left after mid-morning. And as this bakery is no where near where I work or live anymore (well, it's like 10 miles away, and I am rarely over that way) I am never there in the morning. So I brought home one for me and one for hubby:

And then, what I went to the bakery for in the first place. Mocha cupcakes! Well, clockwise starting at the top we have Mocha, Carrot Cake, Chocolate w/Peanut Butter Frosting, and Mocha again.

Mocha Close Up:

Yum!
These babies are chocolate cake with a coffee butter cream frosting. The fat kid inside me LOVES butter cream frosting. These are fantastic cupcakes for the coffee fanatic.

The carrot cake and peanut butter chocolate ones are for my husband.

Sugar + Sunshine's cake is moist enough, but not too sticky.
A nearby rival cupcake place seems to consistently have dry cake, not just at the end of the day when they've sat out for a while. I already raved about the butter cream frosting.

So that was my birthday treat. I've been sticking to my running training plan, I have been eating healthily and I haven't had dessert like this in a long time. I know my 4 mile run yesterday morning probably didn't make up for the birthday cupcake, but it was worth it anyway. I didn't get around to the cinnamon roll or the second cupcake (one of those is later today and one is for Sunday).

I worked up quite a sweat running errands today at about 6 stores in the 99 degree weather, I've got a 4 mile run on the schedule for tomorrow morning (it's a "recovery week") and Monday night is my hour long spin class. So I'm not going to sweat my sweets this weekend.
I ate well otherwise...

For dinner last night we went to a nearby low-key favorite restaurant. I had a fantastic arugula salad with asparagus, artichokes, cherry tomatoes, toasted sunflower seeds, and a lemon vinaigrette. It came with a little goat cheese and tomato quesadilla wedge which was also delicious. It was so huge I had leftovers for dinner tonight.

So, I am a huge fan of butter cream frosting (one of several "bad" things I like).
What not-good-for you foods do you like to indulge in?