I Have Spun

I finally got my ass to a spin class.

I arrived 10 minutes early to familiarize myself with the room, the bike and to talk with the 'leader' about my novice-ness. I sat on my bike for the next ten minutes, telling everyone around me that I'd never done a spin class before, and watching people adjust their bikes like pros. I fiddled with some knobs and levers and told some more people I was new.

Then suddenly the lights went out. A woman jumped through the door, hopped on the bike at the front of the room and started whooping. Loudly. Then some house music started booming and blue lights turned on around her bike, and we were off (figuratively).

I actually enjoyed it. Somehow I lucked out and my bike was actually quite comfortably adjusted for my size. I worked up quite a sweat and felt an excellent burn in my legs. I didn't get sore the next day from it, which was disappointing.

The hill is a trap! Let's take the dirt road off to the side.

So now I have joined the rest of the whole entire world and have spun. Not quite sure yet what it means for my training - I'm kind of a cheapskate low on extra cash right now so I don't want to pay for a gym membership. Or, I at least want to wait until it's cold, rainy and lame outside so I won't feel like a loser to go sit on a stationary bike in a dark room and sweat with other people while it's gorgeous and wonderful outside and I could be riding my real bike.

Yeah, I'm probably going back.

Weekend Update

Shasta is looking like more and more of a no-go for September. Although the mountain is climbable year round, the conditions are most favorable for novice climbers during May and June. My potential climbing partners seem less-than-enthused to hear the words harness, ice axe, crampon, and summit-before-8AM when we talk over our plan. I'm still waiting their final decision, which will ultimately determine my fate as well - I won't climb it alone (although I considered it, I decided it's a bad idea right now). Consequently, I'm researching less-technical backpacking routes in Northern California: Desolation Wilderness, Trinity Alps, Lost Coast, Kings Canyon, Lassen. My list could be potentially huge, but CA is a big state and driving times will ultimately limit our options.

I'm a little bummed out that Shasta will have to wait until next spring/summer but it is probably a good decision. There will be other mini-exploits and distractions this fall that will help ease my adventurous ache.

Hiking the headlands just south of the Lost Coast

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Anyone familiar with p90x knows that there are three phases of four weeks each. Week four of the first two phases involves a 'slow down' week, incorporating more core workouts, yoga and cardio - no weights. I took my 'slow down' week in stride - it was hard to slow down actually, and hard to give up the weights for a week, but I stuck to my plan. Now, 12 days out from the beginning of that slow down week, I'm still going pretty slow. My motivation is lacking and I can't seem to find the pure desire that drew me to the mat and the weights for most of last month. I definitely saw results from that first phase - I feel stronger than ever, I feel fitter than when I was running exclusively, I don't have any injuries like ITBS or plantar fasciitis, and it inspired me to really clean up my diet.

Healthy living - whether it involves running, p90x, weight lifting, yoga, or clean eating - is definitely a roller coaster for me. I am often flying high, sticking to my plan, motivated by pure desire to live a healthier/more active/more fulfilling life. When that passes I find myself absolutely craving fish and chips with a delicious draft beer, nachos piled high with cheese and guacamole, sleeping in, and making excuses for not working out. My life actually feels different during these lows, like all of a sudden I'm way too busy or way too tired to work out. This is not actually true. My life is the same. I have the same amount of things to do, the same amount of spare time. I have not actually accomplished anything by my stint of 'healthy living' - it's time I stopped thinking of healthy living as an accomplishment and more of a way of life. I think I'm getting closer.

More Tea Party!

Nice ascot, Jim.

Properly tucked pinkie finger.

Perfect Pimms Cup.

Can a dog get a sip?

Drinks

Where's your ascot, E?

Manda attended via skype.

Smoked salmon tea sandwich will be fine, thank you.

Olympic Viewing Party

Last week found me in the kitchen cooking like mad. My leetlest seester and I had planned an Olympic Viewing Tea Party for Tuesday afternoon, so I made a Guinness (Beer) Gingerbread bunt cake, and three loaves of gluten free french bread and cheesy beer sauce for Welsh Rarebit. This was all totally new to me.

Also at the party were currant scones with real English butter and olallieberry Jam, smoked salmon + cream cheese sandwiches and butter + cucumber sandwiches, both on gluten free bread, raspberry shortbread cookies, real Yorkshire tea, and perfect Pimms cups with fresh ginger, cucumbers and lemon. What a day!

Me in my Great-Grandmother's flapper hat, and M in her butterfly fascinator

Books I Want To Read

Last night I spent a good chunk of time reading the entire amazon preview for The New Rules of Lifting for Women: Lift Like a Man, Look Like a Goddess.

From the little I was able to read (actually a surprisingly large amount for a 'preview') I gather that the author believes the best way to lose weight/fat is to build muscle. He's not a big fan of cardio for weightloss's sake. Granted, I didn't read the entire book, so may be missing something. But the jist seems to be:

• People generally spend around an hour - some more, some less - working out. That leaves 23 other hours in a day. When we look at our bodies in this light it seems like the number of calories we burn during the 23 hours is more important than the number we burn in the 1 hour we're working out. This is why it becomes so important to have a high metabolic rate?
• Muscle requires more calories to maintain than fat. The more muscle on a body, the more calories that body requires to maintain itself - also, the more calories that body burns through at rest.
• Cardio is good for your heart. It's good for fat loss when done at a high intensity and is constantly being mixed up. But the body is always looking for the easy way out, and will make accommodations that prevent maximum calories from being used (I talked about this concept in this post). 
• When we talk about health and fitness, we should stop talking about weight loss and start focusing on fat loss.

I'd really love to read this whole book because the physiology of the body has become suddenly fascinating to me.

Dave and his traveling library.

I'm also desperately awaiting the arrival of Eat and Run by Scott Jurek, who spoke at the race expo at the Half Moon Bay Marathon. Unfortunately I'm too cheap to purchase books, so I put them on my library list and wait. I rely solely on bi-weekly visits from the Bookmobile for my reading material.  I am currently #5 for Eat and Run, which means I can realistically expect the book any month now.

Scott is a vegan ultra-marathoner with a slight build and an obviously ginormous calorie requirement. I'm hoping the book touches on how he manages to run the distances he does and stay filled and fueled. I'm mainly interested in this because E is a born-and-raised vegetarian who has blood sugar/fueling/energy problems. We eat a really healthy, well rounded, whole foods plant based diet that also includes cheese, milk, butter and eggs. Without these animal products to 'fill him up', E believes he would  freak out   waste away and die   suffer. I'm hoping Scott Jurek has a magic vegan spell I can perform, or a magic vegan potion I can concoct that will allow us to safely eliminate animal products from our diet entirely. 

Which brings us to the fact that I just finished watching Forks Over Knives, but this post is already too long. Just go watch it yourself. It's on Netflix (I guess it's a book too).

The Avenue of the Giants Half - flying solo

This is my favorite race bling ever.

Back in May, I ran my second Avenue of the Giants Half Marathon. In keeping with the tradition of last year, E & I planned to make the trek up north, camp the night before the race, and then relax at the Benbow Inn the following night, eating our fill of tea and scones on the deck, and gorging ourselves at the delish complimentary breakfast. Then all of a sudden, he had a disc golf tourney to go to with his homies, and I was faced with going to a run, by myself, for the first time ever.

This photo of Benbow Inn terrace is courtesy of TripAdvisor

I know, I'm a big girl now. But let's be clear - I have always experienced a bit of apprehension when I travel alone, whether it's a quick 1.5 hr. drive over the hill for a yoga class, maneuvering the London underground for two weeks on my first real solo trip, or solo hiking the Queen Charlotte Track in New Zealand. My heart beats fast, and I'm hyper-aware of my surroundings. It takes me a while to tune down the static and hear my own voice/heart inside, and then to be comfortable with it.

To be fair, E only ditched me for the first night - the critical pre-race night, mind you - and we planned to meet up at the Benbow after the race. But who would drop me off at the starting line and then go park the car a mile away? Who would catch my patagonia jacket when I shed it in the chutes right before the gun went off? Who would pass me gummy bears and my waterbottle when I passed them at the turnaround? Whose face would I look for when I crossed the finish line, sweaty and tired? Who would go get the car, parked a mile away, after the race was all done?

Basically, I have been a spoiled rotten racer, and this solo adventure afforded me the opportunity to do things a little differently. I found some throw-away clothes for the start (old painting clothes. Not sexy). I left super-early so I'd have plenty of time to park & porta-potty. I struck up conversations with other runners at the finish line and we chatted about our races. And I walked hobbled my ass all the way to the parking lot afterwards.

Redwood Burls along the race course

15 foot diameter Redwood near the race start

This run reminded my why I run: Because I Love It. And it was made even more special and poignant because I did it by myself. I picked this event because it’s on a relatively flat, paved road; it’s in a micro-climate similar to the one in which I live; it’s almost 100% shaded with amazing gigantic old-growth redwood trees; it’s warm, but not too warm. I purposefully attempted to craft my race-day experience to ensure I would have a great time, and that I could control enough variables to feel comfortable. This ended up being even more important once I was going solo. And I did have a great time. My best race yet.

I was constantly looking up while I ran.

How to Fix A MacBook Power Cord

or, Me Videoing Erin Fixing My MacBook Power Cord, and how you can fix yours, too (because it will inevitably break) if you're really smart, own a soldering iron, and don't care about your warranty.

July Recap

I just went through and re-read a lot of this blog. I didn't realize I've been at it for over two years! This is ridiculous, and exciting. I know it's not the end or beginning of the month, but for nostalgia's sake, I'm going to recap my life right now. 

Miles Planned/Ran: Let's say 18. (I'm currently in the middle of week four of my own self-designed fitness plan that includes lots of strength/aerobic training, 1 yoga class per week, 1 run per week, and 1 rest day per week, so the running questions aren't that applicable.)
Rest Days Planned/Taken: 3

Highest Mileage Week: It's not longer about the mileage. It's about sweating every. single. day.
Long Runs Planned/Ran: 3/3

Current Book: Finished Wild, The Rugged Road, & Animal Farm last month, and am now reading The Long Way. 
Current Shame-Inducing Guilty Pleasure: A ridiculously decadent Olympic viewing tea party with non-GF treats, several Pimms cups, and far-out hats.
Current Obsessions: Honestly? Fat Loss. Why? Something to do.
Current Drink: Maté! New found craving for healthy food and feeling good has me alternating my morning cup of coffee with Maté. Nice!
Current Song: Jack Sparrow. The SNL Michael Bolton version. Can you believe it?
Current Wish-List: Well, my brand new sleeping bag just came in the mail so... wish granted!
Current Need: a meaningful way to make progress towards my life goals
Current Triumph: Sticking with my self-designed workout plan for 3+ weeks, trying a spin class yesterday, and successfully maintaining the eBay business. And my abs are getting kindof ripped...
Current Bane of my Existence: Idleness, blonde dog hair on dark hardwood floors, & fruit flies.
Current Goal: Climb Mt. Shasta next month
Current Blessings: The clearheaded and patient wisdom of Erin; and this blog, that helps remind me that the patterns of my life, including my discontent, are features of the fabric of my personal story.
Current Excitement: Dinner!

Wordless Wednesday

San Lorenzo River Trail Run

I have a very ballsy sister.

She was the one who decided this run would be a half marathon, not me. I like to say I didn't pressure her, that I was completely open to the 10k or the Half, and that she was the one who made the ultimate decision. When we were about four or five weeks out from race day, she made the call and we were signed up before the registration discount period ended.

I didn't do much training (at all) for this race - a few hard hikes and mountain bike rides while we were in Jackson, and then three or four runs around 6-10 miles in the 14 days leading up to the race (I think). But I was soothed by the knowledge that it would be her first half, and that there was a lot of uphills we would be walking, and that neither one of us was that well trained.

The start was a cluster-fuck as the huge mass of people standing around in the park had to funnel onto a single track trail. It was a mile or so before the trail opened up enough to allow passing. We climbed through redwood forests and up to some high open headlands. We hit a fire road that was relatively flat before merging back onto single track through redwoods. Up and down, and then down to the river.

Crossing the river was a hoot. We decided at the start that we would stop for both crossings and take off our shoes to prevent blisters. I'm really glad we did. Since we were racing to finish, and not for time, we weren't concerned with the lost minutes from shoe-removal.

Another big up and down, and then a long flat slog along the river to the turnaround. I could tell Manda was getting tired, and the aid station came just in time. I proceeded to stuff my face and the pocket of my handheld with m&m's, gummy bears, oreos, etc., while she just sipped her water. "Free Candy, Manda!" I exclaimed. Being a novice at trail running, and half marathons for that matter, her stomach wasn't so sure that candy and running go hand in hand. I assured her they did, and after about five minutes we started the 6.5-ish miles back to the start.

We crossed the river again, and this time the water felt AMAZING. People were just swimming across the river to cool off. Not a bad idea. I learned here that my favorite go-to brown Athleta shorts are not exactly quickdry material. Oh well - it's not like I'm a triathlete or anything.

The long flat fire road at the top of the second hill proved to be an absolute bi-atch on the way back. We were both feeling it. Normally I'm slogging through races solo, internalizing the pain and discomfort. But not Manda. She openly expressed her pain and discomfort. "F! This hurts so fucking bad! F! Frick! My legs feel like CRAP! Fuck! Where is the downhill!?" I was also in great pain, which prevented me from actually laughing outloud, but internally I was busting a nut. Hilarious.

I'm a pretty laid back runner when it comes to trail races. I easily pass and am passed tons of times during a race. Not Manda. Turns out, she's a beast, and gets quite competitive, especially when there's only a mile left to run. We passed a ton of people at the end, and crossed the finish line in 3:01:04! Holy crap - we're awesome!

We beat my worst-case scenario time by an hour, and were just one minute and four seconds away from beating my best-case scenario time!

Yay! We're done!

Post-run streeeeeeetch

Manda, you must refuel after all that running!

What is wrong with my face?

 Congratulations to Manda for running her first half marathon! 

Future Foray into Spin

I have been intrigued with spinning for years but have never actually been to a class. I have friends that regularly attend, even teach, spin classes and I've had every intention of going...

I have no idea what to expect. Except sweat. I'm actually quite scared of spinning. I'm scared it will be too hard and too loud. I'm scared of being too hot, too sweaty, and too exhausted. Also, I'm not a cyclist. I've been known to break down sobbing on long mountain bike rides with E.

These fears are mostly unfounded when I take into account the new me. The new me is a badass who has run a marathon, done P90X (sort of), works out regularly, sweats profusely in hot yoga...

... maybe my loud, sweaty hot yoga experiences will help prepare me.

A quick google search revealed this very interesting article related to spinning and weight loss. It basically says that "spin classes are among the worst fat loss tools around". How can this be true? Well the author says that with repeated spin classes, because you don't have to support your own weight, as in running, stair-stepping, etc., the body quickly adapts to the easiest way to complete the exercise - which results in your legs storing more fuel and building more muscle mass. I think the idea is correct, and related to why I stopped losing weight/building muscle with my half-assed runs. I do not think the author is correct if spinning is used in combo with other cardio activities (and if you really push yourself on the bike).

I was mostly drawn to spinning for its cardio/weight loss aspect. Further research is needed, but I must say I am very surprised by this initial finding.

Week of Vacations!

This past week I've had the opportunity to indulge in two different mini-vacations, which is why I haven't posted in a while. The first was a two-night camping extravaganza in Boonville for the Boontfling Disc Golf tournament at the Anderson Valley Brewing Company. I wish I had practiced up a bit and entered the women's division - first prize was a growler with FREE REFILLS FOR LIFE. Um, hello. My seester drove up the coast from Santa Cruz and we spent the day looking at farm sites, perusing the farmer's market, checking out the Not-So-Simple-Living fair, hiking in Hendy Woods and enjoying an ESB in the biergaarten. And it was WARM (the weather, not the beer).

Early this week I traveled again - this time down to SF for shopping, eating, enjoying our awesome hotel, and GIANTS. It was a great win for the orange and black, and the only one in a long stretch of losses that hopefully ends today. Hmmm.

And I'm not one for gyms, but every now and then I love a good machine-centered workout. I coerced my youngest sister into spending an hour with me at the hotel gym, where we elliptical-ed, treadmill-ed and stationary bik-ed to our hearts content, all the while watching the Olympics on our own personal TVs. We then lounged by the pool, splashed around and sauna-ed until it was time to check out.

We ate a delicious brunch at The Grove, which I highly recommend. Eggs Florentine with arugula, avocado, and Parmesan hollandaise sauce with hashed potatoes and a huge mug of coffee. Not exactly on the "clean eating plan". Come to think of it, neither were the gluten free crepes I just made myself for breakfast. Maybe I should sign up for the accountability roll call?