Monthly Archives: June 2011
Confessions of a {Vegetarian} Long Distance Runner–Part 2
| June 29, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under LifeontheRun |
When it comes to recycling, I’m a little obsessive-compulsive. No, I’m not going to come to your house and pick your recyclables out of the trash, but I do find that I am physically incapable of throwing my own plastic bottles away.
No, not my bags – that picture was lost when my computer got crushed. But you get the idea.
(Source)
This proved to be a bit of a problem when I found out that my new apartment doesn’t have recycling pick up (the horror!). Fortunately, I quickly learned that you can bring your recycling to Whole Foods and recycle it there. So every week, I schlep my bags of recyclables over to the grocery store. Perfectly normal, I assure you.
Yet I can never actually remember to bring my reusable shopping bags with me when I go grocery shopping. It’s okay to keep taking new bags as long as I recycle them, right?? Don’t answer that.
On a run, if I look at my watch near the end of a mile to see that my split is averaging out to just over the 8:00/mile mark, I speed up for the last bit until my average pace drops below 8:00. Because obviously there’s a huge difference between a 7:59 and an 8:01 mile.
No matter how fast I’m actually going, running in the rain makes me feel like I’m flying. On rainy days I leave my watch at home so as to not ruin the illusion.
I have the same lunch every.single.day. No really. Okay, so sometimes the type of bread changes, but nothing can compete with my beloved tempeh, avocado, spinach, tomato and cheese sandwich. Nothing.
Okay, so my sandwich doesn’t look quite this fancy…but almost
(Source)
Speaking of bread – my sister got me a bread machine for my birthday. It is both my most treasured appliance and the bane of my existence. I’ve been averaging a new loaf of bread a week…of which, EC is lucky if he gets one slice.
If anyone has any awesome bread machine recipes, please send them my way!
I am running the Marine Corps Marathon this fall simply because it’s on my list of “must run” marathons. But I have no idea how it got there, since the only real exposure I’ve had to it is the one miserable year my parents ran in the late 90’s. Not only was it pouring rain and cold, but within the first few miles, my mom was knocked over by an overly ambitious marine, twisted her ankle on a curb, and spent a good deal of time in the medical tent. While she ultimately finished the race (my mom is pretty bada** if you didn’t know), I didn’t exactly leave the race marveling over how fun and exciting it was.
I’m spending the week in San Diego for a conference and the thing I’ve been most excited about (hand’s down!) is running around the city. There’s no better way to explore.
And, trust me…if you got to wake up in the morning to this view, you’d be excited about running too.
(Source)
But unlike so many other running bloggers I follow, I hate running in the morning. Hate it. I would rather deal with the heat of the afternoon than slog through the early morning humidity (though I am working to change this, for the sake of my own physical health).
Except when I’m traveling. For some reason, when I’m in a new place, I look forward to getting up early and starting the day off with a run. I stopped trying to understand this a long time ago.
Whenever I’m traveling somewhere, or at some kind of conference with lots of people, I scope out everyone around me. If I see someone wearing a running watch, dri-fit shirt, or carrying around a backpack with running shoes tied on, I instantly like them. And if you’re wearing a Boston jacket or a Garmin, watch out – I’m probably going to want to be best friends.
I still have my March marathon training plan tacked up next to my desk. I haven’t looked at the thing in 3 months, but I won’t be taking it down until I can replace it with a new one next week.
I love free samples. Of anything. So much so that my habit of seeking out “free things” was a running joke with my college friends. If we’re at Whole Foods together on a weekend, you better believe I’ll weave around the store trying everything before I do any shopping. And please don’t tell me how many germs are hiding in those sample bowls. I don’t want to hear it.
(Source)
While food quality is important, EC and I rate restaurants based on how nice their restrooms are. We have a very complex scoring algorithm for rating each new place that we try. All our favorite places have fancy (clean) bathrooms.
Ever since EC told me I could start borrowing his fancy camera a few months ago, he has created a monster. I’m now convinced that I’m pretty much a professional photographer, and have more photos of random things than I’ll ever use.
I am unbelievably, embarrassingly clumsy. I don’t mean to be, but if I’m not falling and hurting myself, I’m accidentally knocking into other people’s stuff.
For the record, I do not know this family.
But to the Rodriguez’s – I’m so sorry for the less than straight rows I’m sure you found your picture frames in the next morning. I hope you had a wonderful wedding all the same.
Even though I miss my Mac, I have to admit that using a PC since my computer’s unfortunate accident has put me in blogging heaven. I hate to admit it, but nothing compares to Windows Live Writer (dear Apple – why can’t you get on the ball with that??).
I fessed up, now it’s your turn. What confessions do you need to get off your chest this week?
Meggie’s Ode to Running
| June 27, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Guest Posts, Running |
Hello from the West Coast!!
This week I’m swapping coasts to attend a conference for work, and I have to tell you all – after only a couple of hours here, I’m ready to relocate. Sorry New England – but I don’t miss your humid summer weather one bit.
Anyway, while I’m off exploring my temporary home, I have a special guest post for you. I’m really excited to be able to share another Ode to Running with you. Meggie, from The Thinks I Can Think is here to share her Ode. I love her story, and I hope you do too!
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Meggie’s Ode to Running
True story: I wrote my medical school admissions essay on how I wasn’t a runner and all of my friends were.
Ok, somewhat of an exaggeration, but my personal statement’s opening story was that of my friend trying to convince me in the 6th grade to run cross country rather than try out for cheerleading as “6th graders never make the squad.” In all fairness, she had no idea I was a gymnast and throwing standing back tucks was my forte.
Sweet warm-ups circa 1997
Don’t worry, we became best friends and I’m now her bridesmaid (and I thank her for causing a story that made for a good enough essay to get me into medical school!)
Cheerleader with her two running friends
In light of my essay, I consider it somewhat ironic that medical school is when I fell in love with running.
Although I played tennis all throughout high school and college (go NYU!), I always dreaded running. Even the few warm up laps before practice were painful.
This is so boring!
How do people find this fun?
Why would anyone every want to do this as a sport?!?
That pretty much sums up my thoughts towards running for the first 22 years of my life. I didn’t understand how I could play 3 hours of tennis easily, but running for 30 straight minutes was like torture.
I look like Maria Sharapova, right?
Stalking one of my favorite players, Robby Ginepri
When I started medical school in NYC, tennis wasn’t really an option anymore. Court times are expensive and tennis is a sport that requires a lot of, well, coordination. You have to reserve a court time, find someone who can hit at that same time, bring balls, get your racquets restrung, etc. I was a little lost without a competitive outlet, but I figured I’d need to get used to it as I thought my competitive days were over.
I’d see other students leaving from the medical school dorm in the morning for their morning run. To be honest, it made me kind of mad. Why couldn’t I like running? Why wasn’t running so easy and enjoyable for me like it was for these people? What secret did they know that I hadn’t been let in on?
I tried running a few times on my own. It. Was. Terrible. I chalked it up to the fact that I just wasn’t “made” for running.
Around January of my first year of medical school, my former teammate, Erika, mentioned she was training for a marathon. I was, first and foremost, jealous of how much she probably got to eat and, second, perplexed by how she could find running for that long “fun.”
Being a former tennis player like me, I asked Erika how on earth she could enjoy running after hanging up her rackets. She told me she made it social and suggested I come run with her on Friday after work. I agreed, figuring it would be something manageable for me, such as 2 miles, since she told me she “couldn’t run too far because she had her long run the next day.” She then suggested we do this “little loop that I usually do, it’s about 5 miles.” I told her she was insane and there was no way I could run 5 miles without needing an ambulance.
Somehow she got me to go run with her…and I made it! I ran 5 miles without stopping. We ran super slow, but the sense of accomplishment I felt after that little 5 mile run gave me a glimpse at that “secret” of enjoying running that I hadn’t been privy to for so many years.
After I a few more Friday 5 mile runs, Erika suggested I sign up for a 10K race with her running club. I was pretty reticent because a running club sounded like it was for “runners,” and I definitely didn’t put myself in that category. Plus, I didn’t want to have everyone wait on me to finish, as I would surely be the slowest.
Somehow I was still persuaded to not only sign up for that 10K, but to go to Erika’s running club. And, to my surprise, 2 of those “running clubbers” offered to run that entire 10K with me, making sure I “made it” and had a good time. Guess what…I did! After I finished that race, I was pretty hooked.
Not my first 10K, but one of the first races I ran, that Erika ran with me. Apparently, this was a stimulating conversation we were having. At that point, I was just trying to finish, no time goals or anything.
That was 2009. Since then I’ve completed numerous races, including 2 marathons, run all over NYC, and rekindled my competitive fire that I thought would need to quelled for the rest of my life.
A lot of people question how I fit in running with medical school. Most think running would add stress to my already stressful life. And, yes, sometimes fitting in time to run can be, well, stressful. However, on the whole, running itself has, I believe, made me a better medical student.
Giving myself an outlet to challenge myself in has buffered the challenges of medical school. Pushing myself in a workout makes reading for a few hours on the intricacies of gallbladder disease seem not so bad. I’ve found that the more I push myself in one arena, the harder I start to work in the other. And, maybe this is just coincidental, but on days that I run I find myself a lot calmer at the hospital than on days I don’t.
Besides the mental health benefits, the reasons I kept running are almost too numerous to list. I love a good “conversational” run with friends. I love the feeling of setting a new PR or running a time you never thought you’d be able to. I love competing in races, even if it is only versus my “former self.” I love being outside. I love finding that extra gear at the end a race I never knew I had. I love trying a new workout. I love buying more tempo shorts that I don’t need. I love proving other people wrong. I love being able to fit into my skinny jeans. I love setting goals.
Proud products of NYU Athletics Golden Era
Happy and hungry with a new marathon PR! 3:48:03
I know my life as a resident and doctor will surely be busy. Nevertheless, I think something will still keep me lacing up my shoes every day.
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Thanks so much for sharing Meggie! If you want to read more from Meggie, check out her blog! And you all know how much I love sharing other runner’s stories, so if you’d like to be featured on HOTR, just send me an email!
The {ontherun} Guide to At-Home Workouts
| June 24, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Fitness |
For the past several weeks, I have been without a gym membership. At first, I thought this was going to be really tough. I’ve been trying to get back into lifting, and we’ve had some hot and some rainy days where having a treadmill would be really nice. I wasn’t sure how I’d be able to get in all my workouts without access to the 17,000 different machines my fancy gym had.
But it didn’t take long for me to realize that being without a gym is easier than I expected. Why? Well because of my beautiful {ontherun} home gym, of course. Designed by me, with only the best athletes in mind.
Have you been trying to break away from the gym too? Don’t fear, today I am prepared to give you an exclusive, behind-the-scenes peak at the amazingness that is my home gym set up. One look at it, and you’ll be kissing that expensive gym membership goodbye*.
The {ontherun} Home Gym
The Set-up
1.) Make sure you have enough space.
I know not everyone is fortunate enough to have a full 2 feet of space between their coffee table and TV, but you know – you’ve got to do what you can with what you were given. Just make sure there’s nothing super hard or sharp to hit as you flail about do your exercises.
2.) Use a comfortable mat to decrease impact on your joints.
I know this looks like an ordinary beach towel, but I assure you it is not. It’s extra wide, and extra plush. Pretty exclusive towel right here. The little pieces of dog toy left on it are an added bonus.
3.) Position yourself in front of large windows.
Just so you get the illusion that you’re in the gym. Added bonus: the neighbors will be thankful for the extra entertainment you provide.
The Equipment
4.) To increase the difficulty of your workout, use weights.
Okay, so hand weights are expensive. And since I seem to be using every spare dollar these days for race registrations, right now it’s an expense I can’t afford. But no worries, this is where my awesome improv skills come in.
No I’m not doing laundry, that’s my weight. To increase difficulty, wrap a 4 lb ankle weight that you got years ago at physical therapy around the handle. This works so well that I swear you won’t even miss the selection of hand weights at the gym.
Seriously. Have you ever tried shadow-boxing with a container of laundry detergent?? No? Well, you are missing out, my friend. So maybe my form isn’t perfect, but I can assure my my biceps and shoulders are screaming. This is the real deal, folks.
4.) Find extra obstacles and resistance to make your workout even more challenging.
Since dogs seem to take a person lying on the floor as the universal signal to chew their toys right on top of you, use that extra resistance to make your workout tougher. (Just please don’t kick your dog!) This is Rocky-style right here. Guaranteed results.
Bonus points if you can actually get your pup to workout with you.
Downward Dog
The Workout
I’m no personal trainer. So I can’t really tell you what moves you should do if you want to get buff at home. But I’ve already confessed my love for Jillian Michaels and Just Dance II. Cardio and strength at their finest.
*This post is partially written in jest (at myself) and I’m not actually recommending trying all these workouts (though it is possible to get in a good workout at home if you get a little creative). Please don’t start lifting with a container of detergent and get injured, okay?? I also don’t really think everyone needs to give up their gym membership. If you don’t have one, good for you. But I actually really like the gym.
If you must know, while I did quit the gym, it was only because my old one was too far away from my new place, and I’ve just been too lazy to go sign up for another one. And that’s the truth.
An Exciting Opport(nuun)ity
| June 23, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under Motivation, Running |
We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging for a brief announcement:
I’m In!
No, I’m not suddenly running the NYC Marathon (just wait till 2012), but I like to think that I have the opportunity to do something even more exciting -
I’m running Hood to Coast this summer with Nuun and one two teams of fabulous female bloggers!!
When I started scheming up ways to get on a team with Becky and EC after watching the Hood to Coast movie, I never in one million years thought I’d actually get the chance to run the relay a short few months later. To say this is a dream come true is an understatement.
I am still jumping up and down and giddy every time I talk about it.This is without a doubt the coolest opportunity that has come from my blog since I started it last year. And I know I couldn’t have gotten it without your help.
So thank you (so very much) for your outpouring of support, both for this contest and always. The community of bloggers is one of those great, unexpected perks of blogging – I never realized such an awesome community even existed before I started my own blog. And now it’s one of the best things about it.
I absolutely cannot wait to visit Oregon for the first time with Nuun in August. I can’t think of a better way to see this scenic state than by foot (and while crammed into a smelly van)! And I’m so excited to be running this truly epic relay with some bloggers I’ve already met (like Emily and Susan) and a group of bloggers I can’t wait to get to know.
Of course I’ll be updating you throughout this experience (both on the blog and via Twitter), but for now, if you want to read a little bit more about what the weekend will entail, you can find it on Nuun’s blog here.
I hope you all are ready – the relay excitement is growing stronger than ever!
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In other news, I was able to borrow a computer, so hopefully I’ll be back to regular blogging tomorrow.
An {ontherun} Wedding
| June 21, 2011 | Posted by Lauren under LifeontheRun |
Thank you all so very much for your encouraging comments, tweets, emails, etc about my application to run Hood to Coast with Nuun this summer! Obviously I would be over the moon excited if I got selected for the team, and it means so much to have all of you behind me. Decisions are announced tomorrow, so I’ll keep you updated!
It may seem weird that I announced my application to run HTC and then completely disappeared from the blog-world for an entire week. But I assure you I had a good reason. Last Wednesday, I traveled out to a farm in the beautiful New York countryside to help turn this:
Into this:
And this lovely HOTR-sister:
Into the most beautiful bride I’ve ever seen.
Since you come here to read my ramblings about running, not weddings, I will spare you the 350 pictures I have from the weekend. But I will just say this – Christina is the first of the {ontherun} girls to get married. And there is nothing, absolutely nothing quite like the first time you watch one of your little sisters walk down the aisle to marry the man she loves.
The weekend was whirlwind in every way possible. And my unexpected lack of internet access was a blessing in disguise. Lack of contact with the outside world helped me to completely unplug and soak it all in. As you might imagine, I had an amazing time and loved every minute.
Well…until this happened:
That, my friends, is a smashed computer. I don’t want to go into detail about how it happened, but I will say that it got run over (long story), and it was completely not my fault. And yes, that is my less than one year old Macbook.
Since Apple doesn’t seem to cover “being run over by a car” in their Apple Care terms of service, I’m not quite sure yet how long I’ll be out of commission. So I just wanted to let you all know that Health on the Run may be quiet for a little while. I’ll pop in and out when I can, and my fingers are crossed that I’ll be back soon with yet another shiny new Mac. …which will be kept far away from cars from now until the end of time.
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