weekend excitement.

so remember that time i forgot i had a 15k to run?

the reason i've been telling people i forgot:

what is probably the real reason i forgot:

who has time to click an arrow when you're too busy being excited about newsies?

what are the odds that i lock eyes with jeremy jordan during the show and he wants to become my husband?

maple dijon chicken, herb roasted potatoes, and broccoli rabe.

dinner last night was so unbelievably amazing and so wonderfully easy to cook that i just have to share it.  if you love food but you're a lazy cooker, this meal is for you.

looks awesome, yes?  well it was.  and it was deliciously healthy as well.  score.

as most of you know, when i see something that looks appetizing, i immediately look at the ingredient list.  too many items?  not happening.  it's one of the reasons i only bake out of a box.  i'm lazy.  i want good meals made easy.  last nights dinner fit the bill perfectly.

Total Cooking Time: 40 minutes (with little to no prep time before hand)

Maple Dijon Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vinegar (i used a wine vinegar)
• Salt and pepper
• chicken thighs (i used 4)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Mix the dijon mustard, maple syrup, and vinegar
3. Coat the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish with the mixture
4. Place chicken thighs in pan and coat with mixture (i left some on the side so i could completely cover the chicken thighs as well as re-coat halfway through cooking)
5. Sprinkle some salt and pepper to taste on top of chicken.
6. Cook for 20 minutes, re-coat chicken thighs with mixture, cook for another 20 minutes.

Herb Roasted Potatoes

(Prep during the first 20 minutes that the chicken is cooking)

Ingredients:

• 1 red potato
• olive oil
• herbs or italian seasoning (i used italian seasoning)

Steps:

1. Cut potato into cubes and place in a bowl
2. Coat with olive oil (just enough to cover the potato)
3. Sprinkle with seasoning and toss in bowl 
4. Place on tinfoil on a baking tray
5. Cook for 20 minutes at 450 degrees (be sure to toss potatoes about 10 minutes through so that they don't stick to the foil) *NOTE: Just put the potatoes in for the final 20 minutes of the chicken cooking so that they can cook simultaneously!

Broccoli Rabe

(Prep and cook during the 20 minutes the chicken and potatoes are cooking)

Ingredients

• Broccoli Rabe (i dont know what it's called- a head of broccoli rabe?  One bunch of broccoli rabe?)
• Garlic cloves
• Olive Oil
• Salt
• Water

Steps:

1. Pour enough olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of a shallow pot
2. Put a few garlic cloves into the olive oil 
3. Cut off the bottom ends of the broccoli rabe (they're too hard to chew!)
4. Put the heat on medium and place broccoli rabe in pot (it'll seem like a lot but it'll soak down, i promise!)
5. Take some water in a cup and pour into the pot to help steam 
6. Place a cover over the pot
7. When broccoli rabe has gone down, sprinkle with salt to taste
8. Cover the broccoli rabe again.  Cook broccoli rabe for a total of 10-15 minutes, depending on how big the broccoli rabe is.  Last night, mine was ready in about 10 minutes.

My entire meal consisted of 2 out of the 4 chicken thighs cooked, one red roasted potato, and half of the broccoli rabe i made.

Great tasting, healthy meal WITH leftovers!

do you have great tasting recipes that are also really easy to make?  any elaborate bakers want me to taste-test their creations?

woops! i forgot i have a 15k next weekend..

that's right.  i forgot.  i FORGOT that next sunday, i need to run 9.3 miles.  i mean, it all works out because after last weekends NYC half marathon, 9.3 miles is definitely doable. i just think it's kinda funny that i forgot about a 9.3 mile race.

some races completely consume your life. whether its your first 5k, your first half, your first marathon, or your 37th marathon, these races become a part of you for however long you train.  for me, training for the nyc marathon has essentially been my life every june-november for the past 3 years.  it becomes this huge part of who i am during those months.  "hey, how are you?" "tired, sore.  i'm training for a marathon." "ang, how was your weekend? "good, i had to run 16 miles." and so on...

the nyc half-marathon last weekend was like this for me as well.  i wanted to PR.  i wanted to feel good.  i wanted to run well for my parents and he-who-must-not-be-named.  i wanted to rock NYC just like my first nyc half.  so i trained.  i trained hard.  and the date march 18th was etched on my brain.  i was NOT forgetting this date.

but april 1st?  two days ago if you were to ask me what i'd be doing on april 1st, i'd probably ask you what day of the week it was.  or if you were planning on april foolsing me.  turns out, on april 1st i will be running 9.3 miles.  go figure.

last week i had no desire to run (thanks, nyc half) so when i got home early on thursday afternoon and it was a gorgeous 70+ degrees outside, i took to central park for a walk.  it was lovely.  i never really enjoy central park the way it should be enjoyed. i definitely don't soak in all the awesomeness when i'm running through it.  i ended up completing about 7 miles, averaging about an 18:30 pace.  super fast, i know.  i might take up speed walking next. professionally, of course.

taken at engineer's gate on 5th avenue.

ya know what happened when i woke up the morning after my walk? I WAS SORE.

what?!? yes, i was sore.  from walking.  sore after a PR 13.1 mile run? NOPE. sore after a 7 mile walk? YEP.

unbelievable.

this past saturday, i took advantage of the beautiful early spring nyc is having and went for a slow and easy run in central park.  i kept my pace extremely comfortable and relaxed (10:25) for 6.5 beautiful central park miles.

also, i was still sore saturday morning (yes, from my WALK on thursday afternoon) so i figured running would be a little more challenging than usual.  turns out, once i stopped walking and started running, i wasn't sore anymore.  i figured hey this is awesome, i'm loosening up and working out my soreness!

HA! the second i stopped running and started walking, the soreness returned.

moral of the story? run, don't walk.  walking is dangerous.

has anyone else ever forgotten about a race? anyone training for a spring race and so excited (or nervous) that there's no way you'll forget?  

i finally got picked for something!

it was probably about 2 weeks ago when i was home visiting my parents that i brought up the fact that i NEVER WIN ANYTHING.  ever.

seriously, i put myself into every contest i can find.  i enter any contest or giveaway posted on facebook or twitter or someones blog.  why? because why the hell not? i figure eventually i'll win and get myself a free box of luna bars or something along those lines.

anywho, i was complaining that i NEVER win anything to my parents.  a few minutes later, a sweepstakes in which you can win a free colonoscopy (are you really winning here?) came on the television.  what does my pops say? "why don't you enter that contest, ang? i bet you'll win that one." 

well, i didn't enter the free colonoscopy sweepstakes, but i did enter to win a scholarship to the Health and Fitness Bloggers Conference and guess what? I GOT IT!

when i saw the e-mail earlier today, i jumped up, danced a little, and then called my mom, my dad, and he-who-must-not-be-named. why is it that when you neeeed to talk to someone, absolutely no one answers?

i finally got in touch with my brother because i just haaad to tell someone.  seriously, i almost told a stranger because i was so excited.  hugging and talking to strangers is completely acceptable in ny, yes?

i CANNOT wait to meet the other fitfluential members who also won the scholarship.

speaking of other fitfluential members, do you wanna be my conference roomie? i'm lots of fun and not creepy at all, i promise.

thanks refuel with chocolate milk and fitfluential for this opportunity!

NYC HALF in pictures.

5K- 30:30 (9:49 pace) - RIGHT ON TARGET! i wanted to keep these miles at about a 9:50. cat hill and harlem hill? i own you.

10K- 1:00:30 (9:44 overall, 9:39 for 5K) - speeding up! still right on track!

15K- 1:29:34 (9:37 overall, 9:21 for 5K) - still speeding up! this makes sense especially since these miles were through times square.  and running through times square is awesome.  

20K- 1:58:56 (9:34 overall, 9:27 for 5K)- 20K mark was in battery tunnel and there was no air. hellooooo side cramp, lovely to see you, i haven't missed you in the slightest.

FINISH- 2:05:09 (9:34 overall) - a 2 minute and 16 second PR!

race week, nyc half, and other bloggers!

so yesterday was the NYC half marathon and in the past 3 years that i've been running, it is EASILY my favorite race.  the course, the crowd, the distance.

it also doesn't hurt that the two times i've run this race, i've PRed.  yesterday, i killed it with a 2:05:09 (9:34 pace)!  thanks coach vinny and lululemon run club coaches for helping to push me and make me realize that i'm faster than i think i am!  with some work, i see a sub-2 coming my way!

as with most races, i was freaking out the entire week before. there's so many things to think about during race week:

what do i eat the days before the race? the day before? the morning of?

• i pretty much always eat the same thing the night before and the morning of... but for some odd reason, i still freak out over this.  i freak out over timing.  did i eat early enough to digest before the race starts?  did i eat close enough to race time that i won't get hungry?  did i eat too close and i'll feel heavy? again, these are things i KEEP THE SAME before every long distance run and yet i still freak out over it - perhaps i need to be on some sort of medication? xanax, anyone?
• this is what i do and what has worked for me:
• chicken parm and pasta 12-14 hours before race time.  (my stomach can handle the dairy- not all can)
• toast and butter or just plain toast about an hour before race time.  sometimes i'll have a banana.  some people also like to put peanut butter on their bread.  for some reason, the thought of peanut butter in the morning grosses me out.  yesterday morning i had the italian bread that came with my chicken parm and pasta saturday night.  so delicious.
• in regards to the days leading up to a race, i try and stick to things that my body is used to ingesting: breads, veggies, fruits.  i definitely try and stay away from things that make my body feel yucky like sugary sweets. i like to feel fresh and light on race day!

resting/sleeping

• the week of a race, i definitely take it easy and let myself relax.  if you can think of a better excuse than "i have to run an absurd number of miles before the sun rises this weekend" to go to bed early, sleep in a little, or maybe take a post-work nap then send it over my way so that i can very nicely explain to you that you are wrong.  

• friday night, he-who-must-not-be-named and i went to theparknyc to celebrate lisa's birthday.  we had a fantastic time sipping on $3 seltzers and sodas.  hello, nyc.  

lights at thepark. i obviously stopped to take a picture.

• saturday was st patrick's day but did i celebrate? nope.  i picked up my race stuff with meghan, walked around in the beautiful 70 degree weather and got myself into bed early.  that's right, i went all grandma on saturday night and it felt glorious.  i don't regret it one bit. i might have gone out and had a great race... but what if i had gone out and had an awful race?  i would have regretted that.  it's not worth it.  you wanna feel your best? rest. it's as simple as that. 

tapering/stretching/foam rolling

• i know tapering is good for you.  i realize that the week before a race you should cut back your mileage and keep your runs nice and easy- and i do this, 100% of the time... but i always feel crappy about it.  i guess this is the curse of the taper.  
• ugh stretching, i loathe you.  i tried to stretch more this week just to keep my body as loose as possible for sunday but i definitely didn't do that great a job at it.  my hips were tight all race yesterday, especially in the first few miles.  i legit need a personal trainer to just meet me at the end of runs and help me stretch.  that is all.  
• foam rolling-  this did not happen.  not once. bad angie. 

what to wear/what to pack/what to carry

• i always think of a couple of outfits that i can wear on race day and make sure that these items are clean the week before the race.  if you know me at all, you know that i go back and forth a bagillion times before deciding whether to wear capris or shorts.  my new rule: 50 out, legs out.  it hasn't failed me yet.  yesterday i went with shorts, a long sleeve, and my tfk singlet.  i was freezing in the corrals but nice and toasty on my run (i even rolled up my sleeves a bit).  my rule rocks.  
• packing the checked bag always gives me a mini panic attack.  what if i forget something?  what if i leave something i want to carry with me on my run in the checked bag? what if what if what if?!? anywho, in my checked bag yesterday i packed:
• sweatpants for post race (saved my life yesterday - i was SO COLD after i finished)
• flip-flops if i wanted to put these on after i finished (MUST HAVE for summer races)
• dry socks
• a change of shirt (can't do without this one - the shirt you wear during the race will be wet, even if you don't think you sweat, so pack a clean, dry one and thank me later)
• keys, phone, credit card, $20
• SOMETHING I FORGOT: change of sports bra.  see reason behind having a change of shirt.  NEC-ESS-ARY.  
• what i carried with me on my run:
• chapstick (took a free stick from the nyrr info booth at the expo - it is fantastic)
• gu chomps (only took 1 at mile 7.5)
• ipod shuffle (i updated my playlist for this race - it always helps to have fresh music for a run.  also, i shut my music off whenever i passed a dj or a band because it's such an energy boost to hear the music! and on another side note, i only run with one earbud in because i like to be able to hear the crowd- i don't want to miss anyone screaming my name!)
• garmin (all charged up the night before! this was my life savior during the race because it really helped me to stick to my race plan)

setting a race goal

• i always set 3 (4, depending on how you look at it) goals.  for yesterdays nyc half, i set 3 goals, all of which should have resulted in a PR.  these were my goals:
• Best Case Scenario
• miles 1-5: 9:45 pace
• miles 5-10: 9:30 pace
• miles 10-13: 9:15 pace
• Great Scenario
• miles 1-5: 9:50 pace
• miles 5-10: 9:40 pace
• miles 10-13: 9:30 pace
• Really Good Scenario
• just beat my PR (2:07:50) which was an avg pace of 9:45
• Worst Case Scenario
• don't PR and just finish 
• i finished with an overall 9:34 pace.  i'm extremely proud of my splits as i continued to get faster throughout the race.  every 5k, i ran faster than my previous 5k.  thank you, nyrr, for posting these so soon after the race! 

kind of hard not to pick up your pace running through this!

photo source

other random things i worry about

• is a PR worth peeing in my shorts? think back to nyc marathon 2011 when i walked out of the corral port-a-potty and announced that i was "fully prepared to piss myself" during the marathon.  too much information?
• when to wake up?  will i have enough time to get ready and out the door?  i always set my alarm for at least two-snoozes earlier than i really need to be up, knowing that i will snooze.  i always snooze.  i also set everything out the night before so i don't have to do much thinking in the morning.  
• will i get a cab?  what time do i literally need to be standing on the street?  how long might it take me?  what's my back-up plan if i can't get one? (my back-up plan yesterday was to cry.  luckily i found a cab)

post race refueling

• once i got out of the maze that was the finisher's tunnel, i found he-who-must-not-be-named with my parents and we walked over to plein sud for brunch with meghan and lisa and her family.  i had pancakes with bananas and nutella.  i figure nutella and bananas has the same nutritional benefit as my typical recovery shake (banana and chocolate milk smoothie). right?  did you know that chocolate milk is one of the best recovery drinks for your body? check out the refuel with chocolate milk site for why! think perfect mix of carbs and protein!

on a side note:

my obsession (i mean uhh- okay, obsession) with other nyc bloggers has led me to join fitfluential.  it's essentially a network of other fitness and health enthusiasts.  how have i just discovered this group?  i'm learning so much by reading other members blogs and just going through posts.  i am in love!

speaking of fitfluential, they have partnered with the fitness and health bloggers conference that is taking place in Denver in June. obviously, i want to go.  and obviously, it'd be nicer to my bank account if i received a scholarship to do so.  actually, this post acts as my entry to win a scholarship to the conference!  

fitness bloggers from all around the country?! sign me up!

what do you do to prepare for a race? what do you think- is a PR worth peeing in your shorts? anyone else wanna go to the conference in june? wanna be my travel buddy?

made my running skirt debut yesterday.

with temps in the 70s, i had no excuse. i had to run.  sticking with my "50 out, legs out" rule, i busted out my new running skirt.

i apologize for my pasty white legs.

so how did i like it? i just don't quite know yet.

these are my thoughts on the running skirt:

• i feel a little weird doing an athletic activity in a skirt.  i feel like i should have heels on, not sneakers.
• while it did feel weird running in a skirt, it might also have something to do with having my legs out in winter.  i feel like you shouldn't see legs in the winter.  and when i ran by people, i felt more like they were thinking "ooo weird, legs" rather than "ooo weird, a skirt."
• the wind was pretty crazy yesterday so i kept having mini panic attacks that my skirt was blowing up (even though there are little shorts underneath).  i couldn't help it.  for 25 years i have been programmed to hold down my skirt when its windy - the movement was completely involuntary.  

conclusion:

i think it's just going to take some time to get used to running in the skirt.  until last year, i had never run in shorts.  besides my own little qualms and insecurities, the skirt was comfortable to run in and let's face it, i looked kinda cute.  

12 miles tomorrow.  who else is running NYC half next weekend? anyone running in a skirt?

who's running the NYC half?

anyone wanna run 12 miles on saturday? or even part of 12 miles?

i am embarrassed by the things i'd do for a handful of jelly beans.

lent, you are kicking my butt this year.

friday night long runs.

so this past weekend, it just didn't look like i'd be getting in my intended 10 mile run saturday morning or sunday morning without causing some major stress (not enough time, too cold, too rainy, too windy, blah blah blah).

sooooo like a really good running gal, instead of just nixing my long run for the week, i decided to run 10 miles after work on friday.  this past summer, i had to do a few long runs on a friday night due to busy weekend schedules so i knew it was doable for me.

over the summer, i remember having mixed feelings about friday night long runs- but a few weeks ago when he-who-must-not-be-named and i were walking around downtown, i got nostalgic for those summer friday night runs along the river.

so, a few pros and cons of the friday night long run:


pros:

• i don't go out on friday nights anyway in order to be relaxed and ready to run long saturday morning.  a friday night long run doesn't eliminate a night out but it does eliminate an early alarm saturday morning.  
• no "friday night nerves."  it doesn't matter how many long runs i complete, i always always always get nervous the night before a long run.  
• i sleep unbelievably well.  this really isn't the case for me when i run long on a weekend morning.  why? i don't know.  i typically take a short nap after a long morning run and then am out and about the rest of the day/night.  i guess this wakes me up?  who knows.  all i know is that sleeping after a friday night long run is amazeballs.
• the post-run shower is INCREDIBLE.  i mean, yea, showers after all long runs are really really good- but there's something about showering and knowing that there is nothing left for you to do that day besides eat, lay on the couch, and go to bed that makes it extra amazing.  
• for all those health conscious people out there, a long friday night run really only calls for one "i'm going to run or i ran a lot of miles" meal.  think about it: when you run long on saturday morning, what do you do?  eat a hearty meal friday night.  and thennn you eat a hearty meal saturday post-run because you're damn hungry and need the recovery carbs and proteins.  long run on a friday night? just the hearty meal post-run (please make it a point to fuel (and hydrate!) during the day and eat your typical morning pre-run breakfast before heading out or you'll be hungry and underfueled.  bad bad bad. (note: i did not do this friday night and i got hungry. lesson learned)

cons:

• i really worry about time on friday night runs.  i calculate how long it should take me to run the number of miles i need to and i worry.  will it be too dark when i finish?  will i get too hungry?  have i drank enough all day?  did i eat enough?  will i be nauseous when i get home?  will i be eating dinner at some ridiculous hour?  WORRY WORRY WORRY.
• i'm still figuring out the fueling for friday night long runs.  this past friday, i got super hungry by mile 6 and just wanted to go home.  not good.  i'm thinking that in addition to a healthy and filling lunch, i need to "snack" by eating my regular pre-long run breakfast 30-60 minutes before leaving to run.  i'm going to try this next time and i'll let you know how it works for me. 

while i don't see myself becoming a regular friday night runner, it does work for those weekends in which i just can't see how i'll be able to fit the miles in otherwise.  it's nice to know the option is there.

anyone out there run long on friday nights?  or weeknights for that matter?  how do you fuel? any pointers or tips for me?  i'm obviously doing this by trial and error.  

"my dogs are barking" - WTF?!

just had a phone conversation with he-who-must-not-be-named:

a: i need to sit down, my dogs are barking.
me: how did you get dogs? 


APPARENTLY, "my dogs are barking" means that your feet are tired.  and APPARENTLY i should know this because i run marathons and wouldn't it make sense that sometime along all those hundreds of miles spent training that SOMEONE would tell me their dogs were barking? well, boyfriend, that has not happened.  if it had, i probably would have told them tips to get their dogs to shut up.

have you heard this expression?
i'm slightly wondering if he told me this so that i use it and look like an idiot..

a little "recovery" gym time.

so after tuesday nights extreeemely intense run, i decided to take yesterday off from running and hit the gym instead.  it worked out perfectly as lululemon run club was cancelled due to the gross and rainy weather.

as many of us who train for long distance races do, i struggle with cross-training and getting in other workouts besides running.  i do my best to do spin or some other sort of cross-training each week but let's be honest here, when i'm pressed for time, cross-training is the workout that gets kicked to the curb.

and i strength train even less than i cross train.  which, if you knew me in college, is hard to believe.  i rocked the first floor of the plex (for non-BCers, the first floor was all weights and 99.9% male).

just to prove my point, this is an actual conversation i had with someone when we met for the very first time:

me: nice to meet you.
dude: yea, you too.  you look really familiar.  have we met before? did i have a class with you or something?
me: hmm no i dont think so
dude: ohhhh i know! you're the only girl who works out on the first floor of the plex.

yup, that was me. bench pressing with the best of 'em.

but that was then.  that was before my life was consumed by weekly mileage increases and speedwork and long runs blah blah blah blah blah.  i need more strength training in my routine, there's no denying that.  i need to PLAN cross-training and strength training into my schedule and make it a point to do it.  yes, there are going to be some weeks that it's difficult.  and yes, those weeks i'm going to choose running over cross-training or lifting.  why?  because if you want to get better at running, there is no secret - you need to run more.

so last night when i ventured to the gym, i did a little of both cross-training and strength training.  i started with strength because, contrary to popular belief, your cardio should follow your strength routine if you elect to do both on the same day.  why?  cardio will make you tired.  you won't be able to lift as much weight, perform as many reps, and your form may be effected by muscle fatigue from the cardio.

anywho, i did 3 sets of 10 reps of the following 5 exercises:

1. T-pushup
2. One legged back row (i do a more advanced version, standing up and balancing on one foot, 15 pound weight)
3. Oblique twist (i used a 12 pound weight)
4. Squat (12 pound weight in each hand)
5. Stationary Lunges (12 pound weight in each hand)

due to muscle fatigue, i alternated with the following pattern:

1, 2, 3 

1, 2, 3

4, 5

1, 2, 3

4, 5
4, 5

this was a great workout.  what makes it even better? it's something i can do at home if need be.  i'd be without weights above 5 lbs but i could make it work by maybe adding more sets or advancing the exercise.  every exercise can be modified or advanced.  which is why strength training really is for everyone.  

after finishing my strength training, i went upstairs to get some cross-training in on a spin bike and i spun my little heart out for a good 30 minutes.  switching up the routine? check. full body workout? you know it.

i'm taking today to rest.  why? because i'm gonna run 10 miles tomorrow after work.  that's right, all the cool kids are doing it.  

what's the most number of miles you ever do after work?

what's your favorite type of cross-training?