Marathon Training!

Today is Day 1 of Marathon training and if all goes well I should be doing my first 26.2 mile-run on Feb 19th!  After going back and forth between two different training programs, I actually ended up settling on a third (one of Jeff Galloway's plans).  I'll be doing shorter runs on Wednesdays and Fridays, and my long runs on Sundays.  I did very little "tweaking" of the program; I only added an extra week at the beginning so that my Farm Sanctuary run (on World Run Day 11/6/11) falls on an 11-mile long run day.  So I guess I'll be doing 11 miles instead of 10 :)

Here's what the Sundays look like:

Week 1:  6 miles
Week 2:  7.5 miles
Week 3:  9 miles
Week 4:  5 miles
Week 5:  11 miles (Run for Farm Sanctuary / World Run Day)
Week 6:  5 miles
Week 7:  13 miles
Week 8:  5 miles
Week 9:  15 miles
Week 10:  4 x 1
Week 11:  17 miles
Week 12:  6 x 1
Week 13:  6 miles
Week 14: 20 miles
Week 15: 8 x 1
Week 16: 7 miles
Week 17: 23 miles
Week 18: 10 x 1
Week 19: 6 miles
Week 20:  26 miles (Eek!)
Week 21:  6 miles
Week 22:  12 x 1
Week 23:  6 miles
Week 24:  29 miles (Really?!)
Week 25:  6 miles
Week 26:  14 x 1
Week 27:  7 miles
Week 28:  Marathon!

If I follow the plan exactly, Marathon Day will be April 15, 2012. That may be cutting it kinda close to my next half-marathon which is April 29th, so there will probably be some changes.  Especially since I won't be running an actual marathon until September.  Do I really need a 29-mile training run?!  What I'll most likely do is either 1) Get rid of Weeks 24 and 25, in which case I would have a full month before the half, or 2) Stop at  Week 20, which will be 26 miles. And at this point, all I really want to know is that I CAN do it!

Any opinions?

Vegan -vs- Insects, and Marathon Training

Happy Monday. I'm in between my 2 Weight Watcher meetings and while I'm waiting for my coffee to finish brewing, I wanted to share something that's on my mind.

Before I get started, I'd like to give a shout-out to This Vegan Life.  I've been non-stop reading her posts for the past couple days now, and they are really well-written and thought-provoking!  She addresses what most people question when it comes to being Vegan.

This brings me to my own beliefs.  After partaking in a survey over at CarpeVegan (another blog I love to read), I'm led to believe that I'm not the only one who may think like this...  I'm referring to insects/bees.  While I get that the bee is "exploited" for it's honey (which I don't even eat; I'm just using this as a point), how many of us really care about exploiting bees (or bugs, or other creepy crawly insects). Who really wouldn't kill a bee if it was about to sting them?  Or swat a mosquito?  Ok yes, bugs and bees are living, breathing creatures, but I don't put them in the same category as dogs or cats, or cows, pigs, chickens, etc...  Do you see where I'm going with this?

I have a really difficult time putting my thoughts into words, which is probably why this blog sucks ;)  but I'm really in a dilemma over this.  My reasons for going vegan are because of animals. Because of ethics. It wasn't about the environment and I was already healthy. My complete change of diet and lifestyle was ONLY because of the animals.  The farm animals.  Not bugs, bees, insects. Farm animals. Animals that are inhumanely treated to become "food." That is all.  So does this make me not vegan? Veganish? Extreme vegetarian? I know people hate the word veganish, but really- I don't eat any type of meat, dairy, or eggs. I'm an advocate for farm animals. I "preach" about the atrocities of factory farming and inhumane treatment of farm animals.  I do what I can to live cruelty-free.

But I will not even hesitate to smash the crap out of a mosquito if it lands on me.

So what does that make me?  How ethical can I be if I don't think of bugs the same way as I do "real" animals.  That's honestly the comparison I make. Insects are insects, not animals.  Sigh.  I should stop before I give myself a headache.

I wish more than 3 people read my blog ;) because I'd love some opinions on this, whether I get flamed or not.  So if any of you 3 want to share this among your readers...

And on a lighter note, I've got my marathon training plan all set up.  I have it tweaked to include the 10-mile run on 11/6/11 and should have me able to run 26.2 miles on or about January 29th! That also lets me be able to take a week's rest and then go right back to HM training for the St. Luke's Half Marathon in April. I'll post a pic of the training log as soon as I get all the dates put on it. Right now they are just hand-written in.

Alrighty then, the coffee must be ready by now...

And on a lighter note, World Run Day is November 6th :)

My "Walk (Run) for Farm Animals" support page is doing better than I thought (thank you!!!), and with the big day (11/6/11, which also happens to be World Run Day) being just about a month away, I figured I'd go and "officially" register.

Of course, you don't have to register to run on World Run Day, but I want the bib and t-shirt! 

While I was there registering, I again checked for upcoming marathons.  I had it narrowed down between the Flying Pig in Ohio, or the NJ Marathon in Long Branch, NJ.  Instead, I registered for the St. Luke's Half Marathon in April 2012, and have decided on the Lehigh Valley VIA for my first full marathon. The official date for 2012 hasn't been announced yet, but it should be right around 9/11/12.  I figured I'll be stressed out enough without having to deal with traveling and all the added expenses.  The VIA is about 5 miles from my house!

After checking out several training plans, I think I'm going to use Hal Higdon's Novice 2 plan.  I was leaning towards Jeff Galloway's program, but I need to run more than just two 30-minute runs during the week (besides the long weekend run of course).  Then again, I have plenty of time to find/tweak training programs since it's like a year away! Lol!

Oh, and it looks like my sore throat is winning out over running this weekend, but with everyone sick at work, I don't want to take any chances and make it any worse than it already is!  One more day of rest should do the trick :)

World Farm Animals Day

I just discovered that today is World Farm Animals Day.  Finding out about the horrendous treatment of farm animals is what caused me to make the sudden switch to a vegan diet/lifestyle just this past May.  I'm thinking that maybe if more people become aware of how that "food" ends up on your plate, it will stop being looked at as "food" and be seen as what they really are- living, breathing creatures who no more deserve to suffer than you or I.  

This video is short but is EXTREMELY disturbing! However, I will not apologize for sharing it here. I can understand if you don't want to watch it, but sometimes you have to see it to believe it.

If you'd like to help, or learn more, please visit Mercy for Animals. Thank you.

September Wrap-Up and a Yummy (no-bake) Vegan Cookie Recipe!

First off, I'm not sure about the new blog design and will probably change it again soon. Like today. What sucks is that I used to (like 15 years ago) do web design and coding, and I could throw together a pretty cool site in no time flat. Not anymore. Now I can't even edit the code without all kinds of screw ups :(


So for September, I ran 74 miles which, while not anywhere near the 101 miles I ran in August, included TWO 13.1 mile runs! Once in a training run and then again at the Philadelphia Rock-n-Roll Half-Marathon! While I'm not ecstatic about my finish time, I am super excited to be a half-marathoner! And I can't wait to start training for a full 26.2 miles!  Since I'm not as focused on time as endurance, I'm leaning towards using a Galloway training program which is comprised of run/walk intervals. I'm hoping to get that all sorted out today too.


As for my weight, it fluctuated between 114 - 110 for the month of September. I consider that a huge win since I was really bad about tracking for most of the month. I also ate way too many cookies. Both of the cookie recipes I've been making are ridiculously simple and no-bake! One I followed exactly from the Forks over Knives book, and the other I don't remember where the original recipe came from but I changed it so much that it really became my own ;)

Nutty no-bake Cookies (my recipe):

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup Emerald Cocoa Roast Almonds, ground
• 1/4 cup shelled Pistachios, ground
• 1/3 cup Oatmeal Flour (or just grind up 1/3 cup old-fashioned oats)
• Pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp Agave Nectar
• 2 Tbsp Coconut Oil
• 1-2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract          

Directions:

1. Combine almonds, pistachios, oatmeal (and salt if using) in a medium mixing bowl. Note: You can either measure/grind the nuts/oats separately, or measure/dump all of it together into grinder.
2. In a smaller bowl, combine agave, coconut oil, and vanilla.
3. Add wet to dry. Mix until dough forms. You might want to use your hands :) *My dough was pretty dry so I added the 2nd tsp of vanilla extract here* Tip: Make a circle with your thumb and forefinger. This is about the size you want to make your cookie balls. Unless you have really big hands or long fingers. Then make them a little smaller ;) My dough made 8 cookies. 
4. Roll into balls then shape balls into cookies (or just leave them as balls ;)) 
5.  Put the cookies on parchment paper and put in a gallon-sized freezer bag. 
6. Put in freezer until firm (about an hour).
7. Try not to eat them all in one sitting ;)

Nutrition info: 

(Per cookie based on 8 cookies total)

• Fat 8.6
• Carbs 7.3
• Calories 110.2
• Protein 2.7

WW PointsPlus: 3

Under Construction

I'm about to start redecorating so if you see anything weird here just ignore it.  I will post something once I'm done, hopefully within the hour.  Unless of course, something goes terribly wrong, which is altogether possible.   If that ends up being the case, I'll be back with a link to somewhere else ;)

When Pigs Fly?

As I sit here with one lost toenail, another one black and about to go, a pulled hamstring, sore knee and aching feet, I’ve decided to run a marathon!  I’m leaning towards the Flying Pig marathon on May 6, 2012 in Cincinnati, Ohio, but I haven’t completely decided yet.

It’s been one week and two days since I ran the Philadelphia Rock-n-Roll Half Marathon. Up until the gun went off I couldn’t figure out what the hell I thought I was doing lined up with all those people, crammed into corrals like cans of sardines. For the 48 hours leading up to the race I was a complete wreck. Nerves like jelly, stomach all tied up in knots. Couldn’t sleep.  You see, I’m a total introvert.  Even after losing all the weight (and keeping it off for more than 2 years now) I still have self-esteem issues.  I’m terrified of being around people, especially runners.  I don’t know why, but I feel like a fraud.  Other than when the gun goes off and I can just run, when will I ever feel like I fit in?! 

But that’s just it!  Once the gun goes off I no longer care about anything else.  I am in my zone, doing what I love to do. I will admit that I still prefer to run by myself (and not have to “deal” with other people) but as long as I’m running, I’m happy :)  And now that I’ve conquered the half-marathon, it’s time for a new goal! Mission:Marathon!  Which leads me to the next thing… this blog.

So here’s what I really want to do with this blog:

1. A training log (food/fitness) as I embark on the journey to become a marathoner.
2. A journal to sort out my feelings and work on my insecurities.
3. A connection to those of you who are either going through the same things I am, or that I/you have already gone through (i.e., WW, weight-loss, adapting a plant-based/Vegan diet/lifestyle, etc…).  

I actually began writing a new blog over at Wordpress, but decided that I am just going to stay here instead.  I like that Blogger is connected to Google and I can keep everything somewhat together. 

Over the next few days, I’ll be doing some redecorating and most likely changing the name of my blog (and maybe even buying a new domain) so stay tuned…

Oh, and my new Ghosts came today so I’ll leave you with this:

3, 2, 1... Half Marathon!

So yesterday was a huge milestone for me. It was 3 years ago yesterday that I joined Weight Watchers because my weight was creeping back towards the 200-pound mark (I had previously gotten all the way up to 240 and then lost 100 pounds on my own). Shortly after joining WW, I found and joined SparkPeople, though I didn't really take advantage of all the wonderful tools there until much later.

2 years ago I reached my goal weight of 114 pounds :)

1 year ago I completed the Couch to 5k (C25k) program and never looked back! Since then I've ran 5k, 10k, and 10-mile races. I ♥ Running!

6 months ago I registered for a half marathon. During (what was supposed to be) a 10-mile long run, I kept going and actually ran 13.1 miles on my treadmill. I think I just wanted to be sure I could do it.

4 months ago I eliminated all meat, dairy and eggs from my diet and switched to a completely Vegan lifestyle. I had already achieved a healthy lifestyle prior, so my reasons for doing this were/are completely based on the horrendous treatment to farm animals. I'm now an advocate/activist for Farm Sanctuary, and even adopted a duck named Preston :)

P.S. Without even trying, I've lost another 4 pounds since going Vegan. I have more energy than ever, and have never felt better!

So this brings me to yesterday.  I (along with 24000 others!) ran the Philadelphia Rock n Roll Half Marathon! I think there was only about a 10-minute period where I wasn't grinning ear to ear.

*Note for anyone currently training for a race: As Coach Nancy has mentioned several times- do NOT alter your diet around race day, even in the slightest amount. After grabbing and downing what I thought was a cup of water around mile 6, I was stricken with indescribable stomach pains and had to stop 3 times over the next couple miles at the port-o-pots! Turned out it was something called Cytomax (I think is similar to Gatorade?)- Ugh! I could have had (if not super close to) a sub-2 hour time if not for that! :(

But anyways, I finished strong! And because of all the people and having to weave in and out, my Garmin showed that I actually ran 13.64 miles, and I did it in 2 hours, 16 minutes, 34 seconds! Woohoo! And I got my first medal :) 

FMM and Week in Review

See that?! I ran a HALF MARATHON last Sunday! Woohoo! It was a good week!   I also saw the lowest number EVER on the scale – 111! I have to really watch it now though. I cannot go below 109 or I’ll be out of the “healthy” range. I only wish someone would explain that to my flabby belly- boo!

---

FMM:  Favorite Things

If you’ve taken part in FMM then you know the rules. If you’re new, please take a moment to answer this week’s question on your own blog then add your link in the comments section at: www.alltheweigh.com so we can all see your FMM questions and answers.

1) What is your favorite food?  Peanut butter cookies!

2) What is your favorite childhood memory? This one is tough! I’m gonna go with something kinda silly since it sticks out in my memory: Winning the “Great Pumpkin” in 3rd or 4th grade. My favorite math teacher, Mr. Misterly, had to drive me home because it was too big to carry

3) What is your favorite way to burn calories?  Running. Duh!

4) What is your favorite mode of technological communication? Facebook I guess? Texting, email… I wish I was better at Twittering ;)

5) Who is your favorite actor/actress? Ewan McGregor/Emily Deschanel

6) What is your favorite lip color? Something light pinkish-orangey reddish

7) Who is your favorite historical figure? Gandhi

8) Who is your favorite athlete? Todd Zeile <3

9) What is your favorite TV network? I don’t really watch TV other than Dexter, Bones, and The Biggest Loser (which are on 3 different networks!) so I’m gonna have to go with Netflix on this one, Lol!

10) What is your favorite site on the web? Wow, so many to choose from. If I could only pick one, I would have to go with SparkPeople.com.

Ok, you’re turn! Happy Labor Day and have a great week!