Go Shorty

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Friday was a very special day… to me, my family, my boyfriend, and probably like 10 of you out there.

MY BIRTHDAY!

(For those of you that sent puppies I haven’t received any yet, so I’m extending my birthday through Thanksgiving to account for extra shipping time.)

In honor of this momentous day in my life, I have bit of fun news to share….

Running on Hungry will here on out be known as Vine to Wind.

(So if you’ll please do me a solid and update your Google Reader/bookmarks/etc, I’d greatly appreciate it.)

Why the change?

When I started Running on Hungry about a year and a half ago, it was all running and a little healthy living- I felt like if I went outside of the constraints I had set for myself, and wrote about anything else happening in my life (San Francisco life, wine, travel, other workouts, daily life, humor) I was losing direction of my blog.

The Bay Area is such an incredible place, that I wanted a blog title/direction that would accurately portray all aspects of my life – not just the running part.

So Why Vine to Wind?

Contrary to popular belief, the “Wind” isn’t referring to air blowing in a rapid direction. It refers to the windiest street in the world, Lombard, in San Francisco. And that vine? The vineyards of Wine County about an hour north. (So quite literally encompassing life in the Bay Area – I’m so clever it hurts sometimes.)

With this title, and new direction I hope to share more – still plenty of running, healthy recipes (coughmealideascough), travel, SF life, restaurants, pilates, spinning, and so much more. Nothing will change on the blog aside from the title, URL and the look of it (goodbye free WordPress generic theme that I loathed from Day 1), it just makes me feel like I have more of a creative license to talk about things aside from running.

And it looks so much prettier too.

Also a HUGE THANK YOU to Jenny from PeanutButterJenny Designs for creating the best blog design I could have ever asked for. She literally read my mind. Highly, highly, highly recommend her if you are looking for an amazing web designer.

Hope you continue to follow along… but if not… well there’s really nothing I can do about it. But I’d love it if you did.

Hope you had a wonderful weekend.

Cheers!

8 Minutes

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That is precisely how long I ran for yesterday.

It was an incredibly triumphant and proud moment mixed with a post-run feeling of extreme frustration.

The good:

  • 8 minutes, .6 miles NO PAIN
  • Upped the speed from 4.8 to 5.0 (watch your back Kara Goucher, there’s a new speed demon in town)
  • FELT SO FREAKING GOOD
The bad:
  • 8 minutes of running, bringing my monthly total to 12 minutes of running
  • My body wanted to RUN, fast… but my mind took over this matter
I’m not trying to sound ungrateful, really I’m not. Just allow me one paragraph of pity-partying.
But when something you love to do (run) gets taken away from you, and then finally, after a month of willing it to happen, you get to do that thing (run sweet run) again, only to have to cut it short at a fraction of the time (1/8th)  you normally would do said activity… well it sucks.
And I’m done.
I’m beyond thrilled to be able to run again. I long for the day that I can set out on an 8, 9, 10 mile run and just cruise with the wind at my back (or in SF, blowing directly into my face as I trudge up hills), but lets go for a positive mental image here.
I’m planning to stick to an every-other-day “running” (the quotes will stay until I get to a pace that most people are not able to walk comfortably at), increasing by a few minutes each time – assuming there is zero discomfort in my foot. I’ll get my speed back in time, for now I’d like to just work on building back up – first time goals, then distance goals.
Then once I’m fully healed… the quest for the 1:45 half-marathon begins. I set my current PR (1:50:03, although my Garmin would say it was 1:49:59 – but really who’s getting technical? Not me this girl) at the Kaiser Half on SuperBowl Sunday and I naturally already registered for it again.
I’ve seen what life is like in a boot and I have no intention of ever going back.
If you are able to run (healthy and pain-free), take a minute to appreciate that first, second, third, sixth, tenth mile on your next run. I was definitely guilty of taking my miles, my speed, my races for granted. Until I couldn’t do that anymore. And then I realized just how big a part running plays a part in my daily life. (And also wallet but that’s another story – goodbye Healdsburg Half, Us Half, CIM bibs – we would have been great friends.)
For runners, running is a way of life. A social outlet. A constant goal to work towards and improve. Therapy. Fun. Something that we do day in and day out.
No matter how far your next run – 4 minutes or 40 miles… do me a favor and take it all in. The miles, the scenery, your pace. All of it.
And kick the ish out of your next race.

Wandering Eye

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Don’t call me unfaithful to running but there may be something new that’s caught my eye.

It’s just that it’s shiny, it’s new, it’s exciting, and it makes me feel amazing.

 

Guilty.

Since “the day which will never be spoken about, ever” occurred I’ve had to get a bit… creative with my workouts.

Week 1 was a lot of sulking, pity partying, crutching, and a little half-assed stationary biking.

Week 2 brought more stationary biking, a few swims, and some abs. (Okay, one session of abs. For 5 minutes.)

Then Week 3 happened. Week 3 meant the end of the boot. And the intro to “The Week of Running Shoes”. I added Pilates back into my life, some extremely unsatisfying Arc Trainer-ing, more upright biking… and a walk at an intense incline for a mile. The last day of Week 3 brought the introduction of my new workout fling.

I joined a spinning studio and proceeded to get my butt whipped. I haven’t worked that hard for 40 minutes… ever. Not an exaggeration, not being dramatic. I’ve literally never exerted so much effort without stopping. This is basically my life during spin class.

Minutes 0-38 went like this:

I internally cursed the instructor (about 11 times). I hated her music. I hated her face. I hated her stupid microphone. I hated everything about her. I hated spin. It wasn’t fun. It was never going to end. I couldn’t breathe. It was too sweaty. Why didn’t I bring WATER?

Minutes 39-41 were more like this:

I. LOVE. YOU. You are perfect. Your music is just right. That microphone is genius – we can all hear you so much better. Spin is glorious. It’s the best thing I’ve ever done. I feel alive. I feel strong. I’m STARVING. What should I eat? Endorphins I’ve missed you so.

This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

A relationship I continued leading into Week 4. This is what I’m working with thus far:

Sunday - Spin

Monday - 30 minutes cardio (4 minutes running, 26 minutes ArcTrainer-ing), Pilates

Tuesday - Spin

To add to my spin loving week, this was just announced:

 

SF is finally getting a SoulCycle! I can’t tell you how long I’ve been reading about this workout, hearing about it from my NYC and LA based friends, and getting more and more jealous of their love affair with this sweaty, ridiculously hard indoor cycling workout.

I want in.

I also want to spin next to the numerous celebrities my friend sees at her NYC studio every single day, but baby steps. Just give me the class.

Does spinning replace running for me? Not a chance. I’ve never wanted to just bundle up, throw on my favorite running tights and zip-up, hit play on my Shuffle, get outside and move more that I do lately. But that will come. In time.

For now I’ll just have to hop on the bike, crank up the resistance, curse out some innocent instructor for 38 minutes, then profess my undying love for their profession 2 minutes later.

Endorphins are endorphins, and as far as I’m concerned… this is the closest I’m getting to a full on runner’s high. And endless running hunger. (Do yourself a favor and make this - I did a gluten-free version last night and wanted to hug every bite.)

Besides, Lululemon just came out with a Spin line. Frankly, it seems like fate.

 

The 4 Minute Run

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Oh weird, running news? Remind me what that is like again?

It’s officially been 28 days of ZERO RUNNING. Minus the “practice stride” I took in the garage on Saturday to find out if I still remembered how to run. (Good news – initial reports say yes.)

Today I marched over to the gym at work (in normal shoes – thank the heavens above) determined to show Stella a thing or two about getting your groove back. (See what I did there with the movie title pun?)

The Pure Flows were laced tight (the right one was actually too tight and I lost circulation in my baby toe shortly thereafter but that is neither here nor there), the latest issue of Runner’s World was propped up, I set the speed to 4.8 (yes, really), and I “ran”.

FOR 4 MINUTES.

Let’s ignore the fact that some people can walk at a 4.8 pace. I WAS RUNNING (okay, jogging) for 0.25 miles.

Is it possible to get runner’s high after less than 4 minutes of actually running? I SAY YES.

And then I panicked, walked at an incline to round out a mile and moved on to my new frenemy the Arc Trainer for another 25 minutes. Let’s talk about the most unsatisfying workout in the entire world – Arc Trainer. I would rather have been at Mile 24 in a Marathon and forced to consume steamed broccoli mixed with Gu (BARF) while running than spend another minute on the Arc Trainer. (I’m honestly not exaggerating in the slightest either.)

In an ironic twist of fate, the zip-up I got after the NWM Half Marathon (also known as “the day that will not be spoken about ever again”) was the zip-up I had in my bag. So I flipped off fate and destiny, and pulled it on, feeling all the more triumphant for doing so.

(Let’s insert a refreshing dose of honesty here: Am I scared I’ll never get back to my comfortable 8:30/pace? Sure am. Will I put in the work to get there?  Sure will.)

But let’s ignore all that and focus on the important stuff.

Run. 4 Minutes. NO PAIN.

I think I’ll get all crazy tomorrow and go for 6.

What’s up now stress fracture?

Stress Fracture – The Update

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I’m pretty sure last week ranked right up there with “most exhausting week of my life”.

I work approximately one hour (sometimes +) from where I live, so grabbing the early shuttle is necessary 4 out of 5 days a week. This means waking up at 5:15am to attempt to put some semblance of effort into my appearance – run a flat iron through my hair (the keratin treatment I got a couple of weeks ago has literally changed my life and I will never go without them again), throw some tinted moisturizer, eyeliner, and mascara on, get dressed in a pre-selected outfit from the night before (I have a slight “shopping addiction” – some may call it “shopaholism” and I do not take getting dressed lightly) and run out the door to catch the 6:20am bus.

Yes I just made up “shopaholism” but in my opinion, it works.

Only lately it’s been all of the above… minus the “run” out the door. The word “run” has been entirely abI don’t want to constantly be thinking about it. Some people may also call this “DENIAL” but I am not one of those people.

Week before last, I was able to function at work without crutches. By the end of the week I was booting around like I owned the place. I had a follow-up with the Foot Doctor (I believe we call them Podiatrists) that Friday afternoon and I went in with very little expectations.

He squeezed the living hell out of my heel, and, much to my surprise, I had no pain…. not even the slightest hint of discomfort.

He explained that with stress fractures it’s not so much the actual bone breaking, but the fibers that make up the bone breaking down. The recommended treatment is to rest, stay off of it, and cross train to allow the fibers that build the bone back up to replenish and take over the fibers that break the bone down. Basically there has been World War 3 happening in my heel the past 3 weeks.

My stress fracture was a repetitive overuse injury. The constant motion of running (lately in less than how do you say “supportive shoes”) lead the fibers that break down the bone to overtake the fibers that build it back up… and here we are.

Needless to say my Brooks Pure Flows are now a permanent part of my wardrobe and will be the only shoes I run in (whenever that happens again – really any day now foot, I’m waiting on you) . Sorry Vivo Barefoots, but we can still walk together. Preferably with a dog.

At the end of the appointment the doc said those magical words: “I WANT YOU OUT OF THE BOOT.”

Say whaaaaat?

Evidently if you wear a boot for too long you start overcompensating on your right side (I already was because I have little to no coordination in life in general) and run the risk of injuring your other foot. He didn’t want that. I certainly agreed.

So last Saturday morning, for the first time in 3 weeks… I walked normally.

I  put on my running shoes, and made a slow, but pain-free walk up a few blocks to meet my mom for brunch. As the weekend went on I walked more and more (still slowly) without pain. Brooks Pure Flows I’ve never loved you so much.

Oh look another completely unrelated picture of a dog that isn’t mine on this blog. I don’t even care, she’s so darn cute and will soon be at my desk on a daily basis.

The caveat was – I had to wear running shoes last week. My beautiful shoe collection has never felt so neglected.

I took “wear running shoes this week” to also mean “wear Lululemon with your running shoes this week”. And so that is exactly what I did.

My office is pretty casual so I wasn’t crazy out of place in my active-wear best, and I won’t lie, it’s been pretty cozy and lovely and all… but I wanted out of workout clothes/shoes and into my clothes.

I was in a state of denial last Monday (weird I know) and wore a low wedge to offset the pressure to the heel. Then I just accepted it and went with the running shoes the rest of the week. I’m happy to report that in my running shoes I can walk at a bit faster of a speed (like 3.1 miles an hour instead of 1) without any pain. Today I’m finally, finally wearing normal boots. Not the kind you pump up with air that weighs 10 pounds. That makes me happy.

Something else that makes me happy? A totally original photo of the RED CUPS Starbucks has finally started handing out. (In my opinion this should be every season.) I also realize I’m the first person to post a photograph on a social networking site of said red cup. I march to the beat of my own drum.

Dr. Foot Man also told me I could try jogging for 10 minutes on the treadmill on Wednesday. That would be ~5 days ago. My foot was a little sore so I’ve been opting for Pilates, Barre, Arc Trainer-ing (I refuse to Elliptical), and upright Stationary Biking.

I walked for a mile on Friday on the treadmill (while watching our new obsession Breaking Bad on the iPad), and then completed a circuit of Arc Trainer-ing and biking. Saturday was Pilates and Sunday was a spin class. I’m thinking today may be the first attempt at a 10-minute jog… depending entirely on my foot. I want to heal fully and completely before I remotely introduce running back in.

Especially because I may or may not have 4+ half-marathons that I’m already registered for in 2013. But that’s for tomorrow’s post.

Heel it’s time to heal. Go Time. Let’s do this.

I will leave you with the single greatest iPhone application I’ve found to date – WEATHER PUPPY.

You can thank me later. In the form of puppies.

Happy Monday :)

Cleanse Fail.

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So about that juice cleanse…

I lasted approximately 6 hours.

And 3 Green Juices.

Then I broke. And had a latte and a Lara Bar.

NOT STRONG ENOUGH.

I was dying without caffeine/solid food!

For some reason my will-power just wasn’t there. Not for any reason, I just simply wasn’t feeling it. So I just decided to “modify” the cleanse a bit… and drink 2 Green Juices a day, and replace 1 meal with the Cashew Milk drink.

Then since I figured I was on the straight and narrow, this happened.

 

No your eyes aren’t deceiving you – that is PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE, CHOCOLATE CREME BRULEE and TIRAMISU. Also known as heaven.

Sorry I’m not sorry.

A GIANT Sweep + Thrive – Day 1

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Oh hi, happy Monday! I was just putting my broom away.

Why?

Oh just because the GIANTS SWEPT THE TIGERS TO WIN THE WORLD SERIES IN 4 GAMES.

Posey running to the pitcher’s mound after the final out is my all-time favorite moment of the World Series win in 2010 and 2012. It just doesn’t get any better than that.

Boyfriend and I watched the game at Nick’s Crispy Tacos in Russian Hill with some friends, and a few hundred other Giants fans. Once the final strike was called… well Polk Street pretty much exploded in celebration.

Also the Giants have been undefeated since the boot came on to my stress fractured heel. Coincidence? I don’t think so. You’re welcome world.

After being right in the thick of the revelry in 2010, the boot and I opted to drive home and listen to the madness from the safe distance of the apartment. We had a pretty good view of it all from where the car was parked off of Polk Street (thank you handicap parking placard). Boyfriend stayed out a bit longer to celebrate with the guys and take it all in, but needless to say I was more than happy to not come home covered in beer and champagne. If I have to wear this boot a few more weeks I’d rather it didn’t smell like stale alcohol.

The World Series win couldn’t have come at a better time, since today Jaime and I started a 2-Day Thrive Juice Cleanse!

Jaime discovered Thrive, which operates out of Nectar Wine Bar in the Marina during the day and I’ve been in no less than 10 times to pick up green juices. She did their cleanse, raved about it, and I immediately wanted in.

I picked up my juices yesterday (Megan and Stephanie, the owners are SO NICE), and couldn’t wait to get started. I bought a couple extra Green Dreams and Tropical Greens so that I could get my system used to the juices yesterday, but officially started today.

Last week was full of eating out, lots of wine and margaritas, sweet potato fries, and over indulging for the World Series. Add to it less than usual exercise (stuck on crutches will do that to a person), sitting on the couch for 10+ hours a day, and I was feeling a bit…. blah.

Cleansing seemed like the perfect solution. Detox, flush out toxins, and get back on track.

And really, how could overloading my body with Vegetable Juice for 48 hours not help my foot heal? It’s practically science.

I’m doing the Deep Dive Cleanse for 2 (and possibly 3) days. It includes:

  • 4 Green Dreams
  • 1 Lively Lemonade (my favorite!)
  • 1 Cozy Cashew Milk (which I plan to dump in a blender with a few ice cubes and some nut meg and make into a milkshake tonight)
  • 1 Aloe Vera Capsule (benefits of Aloe Vera capsules can be found here)

 

I also subbed out one of my Green Dreams for a Tropical Green (in which they swap the apple for pineapple for a little change of pace.) Really getting wild over here, I know.

This is my second time cleansing so I know what to expect (being cold, feeling weak, etc), and what not to do this time around (attempt to run or do pilates which I actually can’t do with a stress fractured heel… so that’s a win for the broken foot) so I feel more prepared for what’s to come over the next 2 days.

Workout wise, I plan to rest today (worked out Friday/Saturday/Sunday this past weekend) and then swim on Tuesday and bike on Wednesday. Nothing crazy strenuous, but enough to get some type of sweating into my day. (Stress fracture exercise update to come this week.)

With that, it’s time for Green Dream #3. Woo hoo lunchtime!