Hello Everybody! Where We At?

I'm ready to do this thing! I mean, I'm kind of tired and stiff, but no injuries and I'm ready to tackle and conquer this race and enjoy that awesome feeling of accomplishment. And then get cracking on my next physical goal - BFL before we hit the Caymans in mid-January.

I've learned however that I'm more able to do either a focus on endurance running or a focus on weightloss and weight training, but not really both. Too exhausting and too different. Limiting my caloric intake is not always helpful when doing these long runs - my recovery takes way longer.

But I'm ready for Sunday - even if I walk it, I'm still gonna finish it. And I think I won't have to walk it. Or at least not ALL of it... hahaha. seriously though. How is everybody else doing?

Any last minute questions? Words of wisdom? Freakouts?

Can't wait to see you all on Saturday. Love AMY

Sometimes its hard to get up to go to the gym

Which is why there are cats....

Beat your personal best: the right way to make speedy gains

Hi all,

I'm an avid reader of Shape Magazine and I came across an good article (by Sara Bodnar) I wanted to share. I found this especially timely since we just ran a long run yesterday. Here it goes:

While simply finishing a race is an achievement, imagine how great you'd feel if you one-upped your own speed record. Here's how to do it: Two weeks before he big day (that would starting today ya'll), cut back your weekly mileage by 40-60 percent, but cover the distance in the same number of workouts and at your usual pace (i.e., if you usually run 20 miles a week over four days, do 8 to 12 mils over four days). Researchers at the University of Montreal analyzed 27 studies and found that using this tapering strategy - as opposed to running fewer days or at a lower intensity - can improve your time by 2 percent. "It lets you maintain your fitness level yet still gives your body a rest," says study author Laurent Bosquet, Ph.D. Try it and found out what you're really capable of.

So I'm going to try this out since I would like to run the half marathon in 2.5 hours (less than 12 minutes miles). I feel like our run yesterday wasn't a good indicator of my pacing as I was just completely out of my element. I felt like I was all over the place.

Anyway, I'm glad that I was able to get together and finish our long run yesterday. I've been drinking lots of water and my body feels great. My muscles feel like how they would after an intense weight training session, so I think my main deal yesterday was lack of water.

I hope your Sunday is happy, restful and full of recover.

Are you Ready?

this post is about ME (ten miles)...

i tried to think about the planet...
but damn i'm hurting today...!
my left knee doesn't bend, i ache like i'm an old lady and i'm sleeeeepy. i think its the double shot of training hard at the gym on saturday followed by running TEN MILES (woo hoo) on sunday.
My recovery this week was better than last - doing regular shots of GU really helped me not have achy crampy stomach like i did after the 8-mi last week. i felt ok the rest of the day yesterday - i'm just so beat today. and oh yeah - i gave a 1.5 hr lecture to 50 new sales trainees today, which added to my exhaustion.
during my runs i listen to dance music on my iPod - some is really inspirational. the beat really helps me keep going. dance music has been my workout partner for many years. looking forward to going for 12 next week - are we running on sunday? (let me know b/c if its saturday, it will conflict with my personal trainer time).
love yall,
teresa

This Is a Great Point

Fighting Fat and Climate Change

By SETH BORENSTEIN

The Associated Press

November 11, 2007

America's obesity epidemic and global warming might not seem to have much in common. But public health experts suggest people can attack them both by cutting calories and carbon dioxide at the same time.

How? Get out of your car and walk or bike half an hour a day instead of driving. And while you're at it, eat less red meat. That's how Americans can simultaneously save the planet and their health, say doctors and climate scientists.

The payoffs are huge, although unlikely to happen. One numbers-crunching scientist calculates that if all Americans between 10 and 74 walked just half an hour a day instead of driving, they would cut the annual U.S. emissions of carbon dioxide, the chief greenhouse gas, by 64 million tons.

About 6.5 billion gallons of gasoline would be saved. And Americans would also shed more than 3 billion pounds overall, according to these calculations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is considering public promotion of the 'co-benefits' of fighting global warming and obesity-related illnesses through everyday exercise, like walking to school or work, said Dr. Howard Frumkin, director of the CDC's National Center for Environmental Health.

'A simple intervention like walking to school is a climate change intervention, an obesity intervention, a diabetes intervention, a safety intervention,' Frumkin told The Associated Press. 'That's the sweet spot.'

Climate change is a deadly and worsening public health issue, said Frumkin and other experts. The World Health Organization estimated that 160,000 people died in 2000 from malaria, diarrhea, malnutrition and drownings from floods _ problems that public health and climate scientists contend were worsened by global warming. Officials predict that in the future those numbers will be higher.

The American Public Health Association, which will highlight the health problems of global warming in April, is seeking to connect obesity and climate change solutions, said executive director Dr. Georges Benjamin.

'This may present the greatest public health opportunity that we've had in a century,' said University of Wisconsin health sciences professor Dr. Jonathan Patz, president of the International Association for Ecology and Health.

The key is getting people out of the car, Patz and Frumkin told the public health association at its annual convention. Reducing car travel in favor of biking or walking would not only cut obesity and greenhouse gases, they said, it would also mean less smog, fewer deaths from car crashes, less osteoporosis, and even less depression since exercise helps beat the blues.

In a little-noticed scientific paper in 2005, Paul Higgins, a scientist and policy fellow with the American Meteorological Society, calculated specific savings from adopting federal government recommendations for half an hour a day of exercise instead of driving.

The average person walking half an hour a day would lose about 13 pounds a year. And if everyone did that instead of driving the same distance, the nation would burn a total of 10.5 trillion calories, according to the scientist, formerly with the University of California at Berkeley. At the same time, that would cut carbon dioxide emissions by about the same amount New Mexico produces, he said.

'The real bang for the buck in reducing greenhouse gas emissions was from the avoided health expenses of a sedentary lifestyle,' said Higgins.

But it's not just getting out of the car that's needed, said Dr. Robert Lawrence of the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. A diet shift away from heavy meat consumption would also go far, he said, because it takes much more energy and land to produce meat than fruits, vegetables and grains.

Recent studies support that argument. Last year the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that the meat sector of the global economy is responsible for 18 percent of the world's greenhouse gas emissions. Much of that is indirect, including the fertilizer needed to grow massive amounts of feed for livestock, energy use in the whole growing process, methane released from fertilizer and animal manure, and transportation of the cattle and meat products.

Similar calculations were made in a study in September in the medical journal Lancet.

The average American man eats 1.6 times as much meat as the government recommends, Lawrence said. Some studies have shown eating a lot of red meat is linked to a higher risk for colon cancer.

As for fighting obesity and global warming by walking and cycling, don't expect people to do it easily, said Kristie Ebi. She's a Virginia public health consultant and one of the lead authors of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report.

Citing the decades-long effort to curb smoking, she said, 'It turns out changing people's habits is very hard.'

___

On the Net:

American Public Health Association: http://www.apha.org/

National Center for Environmental Health: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/climatechange/

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press.

Gah. I mean Gah! We ran 11 miles!

Tom and I are writing this post together - we are both completely exhausted but very satisfied with our run today. We ended up going about 11 miles of running in around 2 hours. Tom a little faster. Hooray!

So I'm pretty wiped out, but that's after cleaning the house and grocery shopping and cooking all day after the run. But I could definitely feel a difference between this long run and our last one which happened 2 weeks ago. It occurred to me that this would be a good time to bring up recovery strategies as well as find out what everyone is doing for fuel on these long runs. I had a double quarter pounder with cheese and 1/2 a large fries from McDonalds. That sat pretty well for a recovery meal, but I definitely needed more fuel later... During the run, we both ate 2 Gu's and started the run with 1/2 a liter of Cytomax (similar to Gatorade) and drank water on the way.

On the actual run, there will be water stations, but it will be important for us to make sure we get fuel in on the way - and discovering what you feel comfortable eating on a long run shouldn't happen during the actual event. So I'd like to encourage all of us to figure out what we can eat before, during and after our runs so that we don't bonk and can really enjoy our celebration time afterwards. Please post what's been working for you. :-)

Also, what's everybody running to music-wise, I could use some ideas...

3 weeks dears, WooHoo! Love and Light, Amy and Tom

1/4 mile - WHOO HOO!!!

Hello everyone. I'm super excited for you all and very proud!!! I am finally finding my way back to the regular workouts. I've been staying somewhat active, but haven't been doing serious workouts nearly often enough. SO, this week I decided that despite everything that's gone on or is going on, I want to emerge from the holiday season healthier than when I started. So I've been in the gym EVERY day this week, and will again this afternoon. I feel great physically and I FINALLY ran yesterday on the treadmill. No pain. It was only a 1/4 mile. But until this week I couldn't run more than several paces without feeling the discomfort. I'm going to take it really slow and work in short treadmill runs with my workouts. BUT, I feel good and I really was beginning to feel like I'd never get back there. It's less intimidating now though. I know I can run faster and farther, even though it will take some time to get back there. Being able to workout around my injury has helped a great deal too. So I haven't lost all my progress. Anyway, I was feeling good physically for the first time in a while and wanted to share. I'm super stoked for all of you and if there is any way I can be there to cheer you guys across the finish line, I will. If not, know that I'll be cheering you on from wherever I am.

Love to you all!

~Michelle~

Quote of the Day

Well, they're really lyrics, but Dolly Parton is such a wise woman I had to share. She's another inspiration of mine.

DOLLY PARTON - Better Get To Livin'

People always comin' up to me and askin' "Dolly, what's your secret? With all you do, your attitude Just seems to be so good How do you keep it?" Well, I'm not the Dalai Lama, but I'll try To offer up a few words of advice. Chorus: You better get to livin', givin' Don't forget to throw in a little forgivin' And lovin' on the way You better get to knowin', showin' A little bit more concerned about where you're goin' Just a word unto the wise You better get to livin'. A girlfriend came to my house Started cryin' on my shoulder Sunday evening She was spinnin' such a sad tale I could not believe the yarn that she was weavin' So negative the words she had to say I said if I had a violin I'd play. I said you'd better get to livin', givin' Be willing and forgivin' Cause all healing has to start with you You better stop whining, pining Get your dreams in line And then just shine, design, refine Until they come true And you better get to livin'. Your life's a wreck, your house is mess And your wardrobe way outdated All your plans just keep on falling through Overweight and under paid, under appreciated I'm no guru, but I'll tell you This I know is true. You better get to livin', givin' A little more thought about bein' A little more willin' to make a better way Don't sweat the small stuff Keep your chin up Just hang tough And if it gets too rough Fall on your knees and pray And do that everyday Then you'll get to livin'. The day we're born we start to die Don't waste one minute of this life Get to livin' Share your dreams and share your laughter Make some points for the great hereafter. Better start carin' Better start sharin' Better start tryin' Better start smiling And you better get to livin'...

My current personal fitness hero

Aside from all of you, cause I'm so inspired by you guy and gals too... but outside of our blogspot, my personal fitness hero is Kae Whang on The Biggest Loser. She inspires me because of her consistent focus and determination and her personal integrity. She just keeps chugging along (she's lost 28% of her bodyweight in 9 weeks) and works hard and never whines and doesn't act like an idiot because she's on national tv and she just has so much integrity. I heart her and I think she is a wonderful role model. Oh yeah, and she's Korean American! Holla...

Costumes and Training

As promised, I have some Halloween pictures to show. They aren't as raunchy and fun as the one's Amy posted, but what can you do? San Diego just doesn't party as hard as you guys do!

I present Keg and non-alcohol St. Pauli Girl:


The hostess, Mrs. Claus served jell-0 and test tube shots in addition to the 4 kegs (5 including Kevin). And yes, that's a French maid with saw through her middle!


And lastly, non-alcoholic St. Pauli Girl touching the San Onofre Powerplant:


To go along with Teresa's post, we had an amazing 8 mile run (9 miles if you include our warm up and cool down). We both kept the spirits up and felt really good afterwards. I am totally psyched up for Vegas now. I know that 8 miles isn't 13, but I feel so much stronger and confident that I'll finish after doing the 8.

Eating is going well. I've been having a salad everyday. It's really adding the fiber that I needed in my diet. I haven't started the Weight Watcher's thing yet. I'm procrastinating and I know it.

This is my last week at work. I start my new Scotts Valley job on Monday. I am super nervous and excited. Tom & Amy, I am counting on a 12 miler the weekend before Thanksgiving!

I am totally hooked on....

Bikini Destinations. I'm not kidding - its like taking a cotton candy covered valium AND its motivating seeing all these beautiful women in bikinis all over the world. That might sound weird - but I totally find it inspiring not intimidating. Every time I watch it I end up doing walking and crunches and calisthenics. I highly recommend. Plus its really soothing - beaches and waves and fun adventure sports and bikinis. Here's the Vegas edition in honor of our trip in a month. :-)

8 miles

no it's not an eminem reference - its how FAR Lisa and i ran on Sunday!!!
i feel like i hit a personal milestone - i saw myself finishing in Vegas!!
i felt strong in my running and Lisa took me to an awesome bayside park trail with lots of water fountains along the way - sweet.
WE ROCK!!

Lisa - i'm coming to san diego

i'll be one of over 25,000 nerdy brain scientists invading san diego for the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting. i'll arrive friday afternoon and leave wed AM.
i've got an all-day meeting on saturday, but i'm fairly flexible after that - i still need to do the schedule, but i know i need to spend time on my computer working and can't do the meeting hardcore this year. so--- any chance you'd be up for a run on sunday morning??