Dallas Marathon Training: Week 2 Complete!

Last week's workouts:
Sun 7/21: Hot yoga (60 min)
Mon 7/22: Base/easy 30 min run 2.96 mi, 30:50; hot yoga (60 min)
Tues 7/23: Base/easy 50 min run (with my training group) 4.6 mi, 50:24
Wed 7/24: Recovery 45 min run 3.8 mi, 43:32
Thurs 7/25: Base/easy 50 min; lower body strength training, 20 min stationary bike warmup
Fri 7/26: Rest 3.82 mi, 43:45
Sat 7/27: Long run, 8 miles 8.48 mi, 1:33:17

This past week went well, I was able to do all my planned workouts. Wednesday night, Brandon and I did our recovery run together at the Run On social run, some other friends were there as well. It's always a great motivation when I know there will be cold beer and good friends there!

Our Saturday long run was great! Some rain moved through the night before and the temperatures dropped overnight. We had cloud cover and a good breeze, we hardly noticed the humidity!

I have some social plans this week, so it will be a little harder to keep up with all my planned workouts. I predict several early morning runs this week!

Sun 7/27: Upper body strength training
Mon 7/28: Base/easy 30 min run; hot yoga (60 min
Tues 7/29: Base/easy 50 min run
Wed 7/30: Recovery 45 min run
Thurs 7/31: Base/easy 50 min run; lower body strength training
Fri 8/1: Rest
Sat 8/2: DRC Cross Country Relay race + extra miles for a total of 8

Saturday's race should be fun! Michael, Brandon and I will be a 3-person team and even have matching outfits planned!

Dallas Marathon Training: Week 1 complete!

Last week's workouts:
Sun 7/14: Too Hot to Handle 15K (race goal: don't die) 9.3 miles, 1:39:19
Mon 7/15: Hot yoga (60 min)
Tues 7/16: easy 3-4 miles (our training orientation is that night, not sure if I'll fit in my run that morning or while I'm down at the lake for orientation) Run was rained out, so this turned into a rest day
Wed 7/17: Hot yoga (60 min) OR easy 3 miles in the a.m. (32:40) and ran/walked at the Run On social run in the evening (2.85 miles, 39:00)
Thurs: 7/18: Rest Upper body strength training
Fri: Easy 3-4 miles 3.34mi, 37:37
Sat: DRC Kickoff Run, I think we'll be doing 6-7 miles 7.13 mi, 1:17:55

I was so worried about the Too Hot to Handle 15k, July in Dallas is usually crazy hot this time of year. I planned from the beginning to just take the race easy and not "race," just run it. Brandon ended up having the same goal, so we decided to start together. The race started at 7:30 at Norbuck Park, which is on the North side of White Rock Lake. I got there about 7:00 to park, but the race was much bigger than I expected! I ended up parking much further away than I'd planned, so Brandon and I didn't find each other until the 15k was just starting. (The 5k started after the 15k, which was a good way to avoid congestion at the beginning.)

We really lucked out on the weather, a storm system moved in early in the morning. The temperature dropped (75 degrees and 65% humidity) and a drizzle started as I was parking. Luckily, I keep a baseball cap in my car just in case, so I grabbed that to keep rain out of my eyes. I'm glad I did, as the drizzle continued throughout the race and ended up picking up afterwards. The cap is cotton, a tech one would have been even better. In fact, we got caps as part of our race packet and I wished I had that one! Turned out it wouldn't have helped, when I tried it on later, it was way too big for my head so I gave it to a friend.

Brandon and I ended up running the entire race together, keeping an easy, conversational pace and chatting the whole time.

The race was great, plenty of aid stations (I think 10 in total) with plenty of water and Gatorade, some stations had Cytomax. A lot of the aid stations also had misters, which would have been great if the weather had been as hot as usual. We saw several friends along the course as well.

Afterwards, there was great food and lots of people! I found Kim, Alyson and Jessica and we hung out with them while we checked out the afterparty. We had a delicious breakfast scramble from My Fit Foods (turkey, egg whites, rice and spicy pico de gallo...must recreate!) and some samples from Clif. Unfortunately, they were out of women's xsmall and small finisher shirts, so they took my bib number and told me they would let me know when more were available. (This same thing happened with the Too Cold to Hold race; it only took a couple of weeks for them to come in.)

With our medals. (Thanks for the picture, Kim!)

After a great race, I was super excited to start marathon training! Our first group run on Saturday was great, a hot and humid but fun run. Brandon and I are in the same group (4:10), as well as my buddies Jessica, Jeanette and Jackie. Brandon and Jackie couldn't make the first run, but I had a great time running with Jessica and Jeanette as well as getting to know some new faces. Our pace leaders are Clay and Kristin, I have seen them around at DRC events and I look forward to getting to know them. We also have coaches that will rotate through the groups, so we will have lots of support as we train.

I got our training plan this week. In addition to our Saturday morning long runs, we will run with our group on Tuesday nights. The first few weeks will be base-building, mostly easy runs to build endurance. After a few weeks, we'll do more speed work, tempo runs and track workouts. We are scheduled for a total of 5 running workouts a week, so three of these will be on our own.

This week's plans:
Sun 7/21: Hot yoga (60 min)
Mon 7/22: Base/easy 30 min run; hot yoga (60 min)
Tues 7/23: Base/easy 50 min run (with my training group)
Wed 7/24: Recovery 45 min run
Thurs 7/25: Base/easy 50 min; lower body strength training
Fri 7/26: Rest
Sat 7/27: Long run, 8 miles

Dallas Marathon Training: Week 0 Complete

Well, I am officially signed up for fall marathon training with the Dallas Running Club! Watch out, Dallas Marathon, I'm coming for you again.

I'm hoping to have a stronger season this year. I have been running with DRC's Summer Bridge program and kept pretty good mileage through the summer. I have also been doing more runs in the evenings, when it's still hot, which improves endurance. I have also added some lower-body strength training, which I think will benefit my running.

With that being said, the DRC Independence Day 10K (our time trial to determine pace groups) did not go as planned. My friend Brandon and I started together. The start was very crowded, I didn't want to waste too much energy bobbing and weaving but eventually we made it through the throngs of runners. We passed my friends Kim and Michael from last year's training group. After we passed them, we tried to pick up the pace.

After just a few minutes (we must have been around 1.5 miles in), I realized that my heart rate was getting really high. I tried to keep up, but finally told Brandon I wasn't feeling well and to go on without me. My heart was pounding and my ears felt like they were full of cotton. I migrated to the right (with the slower movers) and tried to just slow down to get it back down, but I finally stopped to walk with my hands above my head for a few minutes. I've had this happen before when running (especially in the heat), but never during a race so it was a little scary for a bit. Luckily, I felt better soon and started (slowly) running again. By the two mile mark, I was feeling much better. I grabbed some water at the aid station and powered on.

Just before the turnaround point, I saw Kim and Michael again (they surely had passed me while I was slowing down) but they were walking and Michael was limping. He had pulled something in his calf and Kim caught up to me at the turnaround. We ran together for a mile or so, she had run the night before and was taking it easy. I got some water and Gatorade at the next aid station and not long after, pulled ahead of Kim. The rest of the race was tough (lots of full sun) and I was really ready to be done! I crossed the finish line in 1:02:36, a new PR for my worst 10K time! Haha, oh well. At least I managed to average less than a 10:00 min/mile pace.

I'm interested to see what pace group the DRC puts me in. Based on my experience last year, I know it's easy to change pace groups so I'm not too worried.

This week's plans:
Sun 7/14: Too Hot to Handle 15K (race goal: don't die)
Mon 7/15: Hot yoga (60 min)
Tues 7/16: easy 3-4 miles (our training orientation is that night, not sure if I'll fit in my run that morning or while I'm down at the lake for orientation)
Wed 7/17: Hot yoga (60 min) OR easy 3 miles
Thurs: 7/18: Rest
Fri: Easy 3-4 miles
Sat: DRC Kickoff Run, I think we'll be doing 6-7 miles

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Last weekend, a running buddy of mine put together a group trail run. We ran at Cedar Ridge Preserve, south of Dallas in Duncanville.

What a beautiful run! I had never done a "real" trail run before, but Jacki and Nicki were excellent guides.

Above, a group shot before the run. Below, a pic I snapped of the gorgeous scenery on the trail.

After our run, we had a potluck breakfast. I used this as an opportunity to try out a new recipe, using my favorite summer vegetable.

This bread was delicious and so moist! I can't wait to make it again.

Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread

Ingredients

3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa
1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups finely shredded zucchini (about 1 medium)
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Place first 3 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at low speed until well blended. Stir in applesauce.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and the next 4 ingredients (through salt), stirring well with a whisk. Add flour mixture to sugar mixture, beating just until moist. Stir in the zucchini and chocolate chips. Spoon batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 1 hour or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out almost clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack, and remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.

Zucchini and Black Bean Tacos

As soon as I saw this recipe on PreventionRD.com, I knew I had to make it! Sure enough, it turned out quite tasty and made great leftovers. I have a feeling I'll be making this a lot in the coming summer months! I served it with lime-cilantro rice.

Zucchini and Black Bean Tacos

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 small zucchini, diced
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp chili powder
10 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Add the onion and saute 3-4 minutes or until softened and translucent. Stir in the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the zucchini, beans, corn, and spices. Cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes or until softened and hot. Serve the zucchini and bean mixture hot in tortillas.
Yield: 5 servings (2 tacos each)
Nutrition Information (per serving): 273 calories; 3.2 g. fat; o mg. cholesterol; 317 mg. sodium; 51.4 g. carbohydrate; 8.4 g. fiber; 10.0 g. protein; 3.6 g. sugar

Beachbody

I was contacted by Beachbody to give my opinion on some of their new fitness programs. I have heard of Beachbody before, they are the makers of P90X, Insanity, Turbofire and lots of other in-home workout programs. They also have a nutrition line that includes supplements and meal replacements. Michael and I have been wanting to try P90X, so I had fun getting to look at some of their other programs and getting to know some more about the company.

Here are the programs they asked me to look at and give my opinion on.

Beachbody Challenge: This seems pretty straight-forward. You sign up for the Challenge and use their fitness and nutrition plans to help meet your weight loss goals. They also offer support through online forums as well as one-on-one guidance. (It's unclear who is providing the guidance. Nutritionists? Personal trainers? Beachbody consultants?) You can choose one of Beachbody's 19 fitness programs (such as Brazil Butt Lift or P90x) to complete and once you submit your results you get a free* t-shirt and a chance to win cash and prizes! Pretty cool, I know money is a big motivator for a lot of people. You also will receive Shakeology nutrition shakes to drink during the challenge.

*I kind of think it's funny when companies say they are giving you something for free when you just gave them a nice chunk of change. I mean, you paid for that t-shirt, really. :)

P90X Certified Trainer: This program sounds pretty interesting. You can earn P90X certification to add to your personal training credentials. P90X is a well-recognized fitness program and if you already have personal training clients (or work for a gym), you could put together a P90X training group. You can also join their Pro Team to get marketing materials to grow your business with a focus on the P90X program.

Les Mills Pump Cross Training Deluxe: This fitness program combines cardio and strength training. There are three cardio workouts: a high intensity interval training workout, a sports training workout and a combat-style workout. There is also equipment included for both the cardio and weight training workouts. It sounds like a good program, the cardio workouts are 30-45 minutes each. I didn't find any info on how often you are supposed to do the workouts and if the weight training portion has a DVD or any instruction with it. It might be an add-on to their original Les Mills Pump.

Focus T25 Workout: I have heard of the Insanity workouts before and, as the name implies, it is an intense program. The T25 workout basically condenses the high-intensity cardio workout into 25 minutes. Seems like a pretty good idea, since one of the top excuses for not exercising is, "I don't have time." I think most people who want to get in shape can find 25 minutes in their day and if the intensity is high, you can definitely get results in 125 minutes a week. This product is not available yet, so there wasn't a whole lot of info available.

Colorful Vegetable Lasagna

I was craving a good vegetable lasagna last week. I really wanted my favorite butternut squash lasagna but since butternut squash is pretty much out of season by now, I knew I needed to find another recipe. I perused some Cooking Light recipes and found this recipe, which used more spring vegetables.

It turned out so delicious! I ended up making smoky marinara to use, which is my favorite marinara recipe to use with lasagna. Yum! The only other change I made was to leave out the mushrooms (not a fan of mushrooms). I thought it turned out great!

Colorful Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients
Cooking spray (as usual, I just used a little olive oil instead)
1 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped yellow bell pepper (about 1 medium)
1 cup chopped onion
4 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced (about 5 cups)
2 (8-ounce) packages presliced cremini mushrooms
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
1 1/2 cups fat-free ricotta cheese (I used part-skim)
1/2 cup (2 ounces) grated fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1 large egg
5 cups Basic Smoky Marinara, divided
12 precooked lasagna noodles (about 8 ounces) (I used the no-boil kind)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add bell peppers, onion, zucchini, and mushrooms; sauté 10 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender and mushroom liquid evaporates. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds.
Combine 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and egg, stirring well.
Spread 1 cup Basic Marinara over bottom of a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray; top with 3 noodles. Spoon 1 cup Basic Marinara evenly over noodles. Top evenly with one-third of ricotta mixture and one-third of vegetable mixture. Repeat layers twice, ending with noodles. Top with remaining 1 cup Basic Marinara. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese melts. Let stand 10 minutes.
Bruce Weinstein, Cooking Light
OCTOBER 2007