Book review "Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run"

I'm a reader. Anytime I start doing something new, I search out books on the topic to read.  So I put a bunch of books about running on my wish list and my cousin got me several for Christmas.  The first book about running I read was "Running Like a Girl: Notes on Learning to Run" by Alexandra Heminsley.  I absolutely loved this book!  It was both inspiring and hilarious at the same time.

The book is part memoir, part running guide.  The first half of the book focuses on the author and her journey.  One of my favorite aspects is the author's candid discussion about some of the hardships she faced.  This section is prevented from being overly self-indulgent by the author's ability to bring in stories that put her running journey into a larger context.  She discusses things like the history of women in distance running and the fact that they weren't even allowed to participate as late as the 1970s.  People literally thought distance running could make a woman's uterus fall out!  There is an incredible story about Kathrine Switzer who ran the Boston Marathon in 1967.  She signed up using her initials so it wasn't evident she was a woman.  When one of the race directors saw a woman running the course, he physically jumped on the course to try to stop her.  She managed to finish anyway but her time wasn't recorded.  The second part of the book is more of a practical guide to help the reader on their own journey.  

Each chapter begins with inspirational quotes.  But often the author's own words are just as inspirational as the quotes, such as the following:  "once you have taught yourself that running isn't about breaking boundaries you thought you could never smash, and realized that it is about discovering those boundaries were never there in the first place, you can apply it to anything."  

Here is another gem:  "Running is awful.  It feels unnatural, unnecessary, and painful.  It can hijack you with breathlessness, cripple you with panic, and overwhelm you with self-consciousness....It is also the pleasure of being outside on a sunny day, feeling the prickle of the sun on your skin.  It is the delight of feeling your body temperature rise despite the crisp winter breeze against your face....And, as I have learned, it is an honor, a privilege, and a gift." 

The book does a great job of talking about the emotional and mental sides of running, not just the physical.  I would recommend it for anyone new to running who wants to learn more about it as well as to experienced runners looking for funny stories and renewed inspiration.  It is written exceptionally well.  I looked up the author's background once I finished the book and learned that she was a journalist long before she was a runner, which shows in the quality of writing.  I leave you with a Youtube video of the author that I feel displays her sense of humor and the sensibility of the book.

Are there any running books you would recommend?

Yum...grilled cheese!

Here is my favorite grilled cheese. For now, anyway.  I love grilled cheese sandwiches and am always on the look for new variations :)

Shelby cat clearly thinks that lying on the table might get her some of our food!

I got this idea from a restaurant we went to once.  And it is so easy to replicate at home!  It involves 1 ounce of sharp cheddar per sandwich, spicy brown mustard spread thinly on two pieces of bread, and a thinly sliced apple.  I generally use Fuji apples because it's what we happen to have on hand.  The sandwich is built as follows: bread, mustard, cheese, apple, cheese, mustard, bread.  And then I grill it on a foreman type grill.  The spicy tanginess of the mustard, the sharpness of the cheese, and the sweetness of the apple just blends into deliciousness.

We had it with cumin roasted vegetables, which was an easy side.  I started with a bag of broccoli and cauliflower florets.  I tossed them with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, cumin, smoked paprika, and salt to taste.  I roasted the veggies in a 375 degree oven for 20 minutes.  They were smoky and carmelized and a perfect accompaniment to the sandwich.

 The finished meal!  If you have any favorite ways to make a grilled cheese sandwich, I'd love to hear about it.

Ouch...strength training class

Well, I took the strength training class at my work gym today during lunchtime.  And I didn't love it, which is a shame since it would have been the perfect solution for cross training on Monday and Friday.  I am already sore and I'm worried tomorrow will be a lot worse.  The main thing I hated was that the instructor was very shout-y.  It's just not my style and I don't find that motivating, just intimidating.

I had a date with the foam roller tonight in the hope that it will help reduce soreness tomorrow.

My main concentration this year as far as physical activity is running, especially because this is the first year I'm working on increasing distance beyond 5k.  I'm doing the strength training to supplement and benefit my running.  But it won't be useful if I'm too sore tomorrow for my track run.  So i don't think I'll be taking this class again.  To be honest, if it was just the soreness I would give it a couple more tries to see if I get used to it.  But throw in the shouting and it just isn't for me.  While the beginning running group is going on, I might just be doing videos for the cross training and then go back to the yoga class once the Tuesday group runs are over.

To end the post on a happier note, here's a photo of our cat, Perry.  He's been adorable with his new napping style :)

Week in review

I had an up and down running week.  Tuesday was supposed to be meeting at the track with the running group.  But we got hit with snow and therefore the group meeting was cancelled.  I also worked from home, so no running on the treadmill at work.  Instead, I used the elliptical in our basement for 45 minutes and pushed hard.

Thursday was still cold but I was back in the office so I was able to run on the treadmill after work.  It was not a good run, unfortunately.  I felt like I hardly had any energy and I had to walk during 2 of my run intervals.  I finished the 40 minutes but it wasn't pretty.  The only thing I can think of is that I forgot to eat my afternoon snack due to being busy at work. My breakfast and lunch had been kind of light so maybe I just didn't have enough fuel to run on?

Saturday was the first non-track run I did with the running group.  This was the first time I had run without headphones but that was ok since there were people to talk to.  It was only 25 degrees out when we started but I somehow stumbled on exactly the right amount of layering.  I was cold until we started but felt good while we were running.  We did 4/1 intervals Instead of the 4/2 I had been doing.  I thought I would struggle because of the interval change and because of the colds weather, but this run went great!  No wheezing or coughing, when the coaches called for walking intervals, I felt like I could have kept running, and I was always able to start running again when it was time.  My phone unfortunately died during the run so runkeeper didn't record the work out but it was 2 miles in 30 minutes according to the girl I ran with.  And that included the 5 minute warm up and 5 minute cool down.

View at the start of our run.

I unfortunately didn't get any cross training in last week but I hope to change that this week.  The plan is running on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  Monday and Friday will be strength training.  Sunday is the Penguin Pace 5k which I'm really looking forward to.

I hope your week goes well!

Friday Five

So here are five things I'm excited about on this cold Friday :)

1. It will finally be above freezing again tomorrow! It might not be much above freezing but every little degree counts.

Bundled up to face the cold

2. I'm going to have my first non-track run with the MCRRC beginner running group tomorrow. I'm definitely excited about getting out there with them and see how running with a group goes.

3. Since the group track runs are on Tuesday, I'm going to switch my running days to Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.  That means no more yoga classes at work as they're only on those days. Instead, I'm going to try out the weight classes that are at lunch time on Mondays and Wednesdays. I'll miss yoga but I'm looking forward to trying something new.

4. We've paid off the last of my husband's student loans. We had a decadent dinner and trip to see the Hobbit to celebrate.

5. Lunch plans for tomorrow include making my favorite grilled cheese sandwich. Yum!  I'll be blogging about it soon :)

What are you guys excited about today?

Races planned for 2014

I've been reading a lot of race reviews and trying to plan out my 14 races in 2014.  I figured I better start getting some specifics down since it seems like races can fill up early.  So here is my current list, which is of course subject to change.

MCRRC = Montgomery County Road Runners Club

January 1 MCRRC New Year's Day 5k (review)
February 2 Penguin Pace 5k (review)
March 1 80s Retro Run 5k  (review)
March 8 volunteering at the MCRRC Seneca Creek Trail Marathon (review)
March 30 MCRRC Piece of Cake 5k (review)
April 5 Ben's Run 5k (review)
April 27 volunteering at the Nike Women's Half Marathon (review)
May 3 MCRRC Capital For a Day 5k
May 10 Semper Fi 5k (review)
June 14 Lawyer's Have Heart 10k (this seemed appropriate since I'm a lawyer and have a heart :) It will be my first race with a greater distance than 5k) (review)
July 19 Rockville Twilight 8k (Review)
August 9 Glo Run 5k (Review)
September Dash into the 80s 5k (Review)
October Disney World Tower of Terror 10 miler (Review)
November 14 Richmond Half Marathon (Review)
November MCRRC Run Under the Lights 5k Hurt foot
December MCRRC Jingle Bell Jog Flu
December Pacer's Jingle All the Way 5k (Review)

View from my window yesterday.  Hopefully none of the races will look like this!

So that's 11 races listed plus 2 where I'll be volunteering.  I might have to throw in a couple virtual races in the middle of the year to make it to 14.  (I signed up for the Nerd Herd Running's virtual race series so that's 3 virtual races for the year.) Here's to a great year of running!

Any races you're particularly excited about this year?

Week in review

I had a decent week for running.  Tuesday was the first meeting with the Montgomery County Road Runners' beginning running group.  It started out with a meeting inside a local high school to talk about how the group would work, running in Winter, introductions, etc.  There are more than 75 people in the group so it's a lot of people!  I'll be writing about the group more in a future post once I have a few more runs in with them.  On this first day, we did get out to the track for a short run after the meeting.  I forgot to turn on my runkeeper app so I'm not sure of how far or pace.

I went to Ohio for the long weekend to visit my parents and brother.  It was freezing but thankfully my brother can take guests to his gym.  It was a super swanky gym with a pool, an indoor track, and even a movie theater you can work out in!  

The track running past a bank of windows

The track running past treadmills

Saturday, I ran on the treadmill while listening to podcasts about the recent marathon weekend at Disney World.  Around 2.4 miles in 40 minutes.

We went back to the gym on Sunday and I ran on the indoor track.  It was pretty cool because it ran around the other workout areas and you could see the machines, the pool, and the basketball court at various points.  I turned on runkeeper but it think it was having some GPS issues since I generally run much slower than this.

I also did some weights for my upper body and planks while at the gym on Sunday since I was too busy at work this past week for yoga.  Here's a photo of my brother working on his own weight lifting.

For this week coming up, I'm planning to run with the group on Tuesday and Saturday.  I'm a bit worried about Tuesday since it's supposed to be super cold again.  Thursday will be running on my own on the treadmill at the gym at work.  Wednesday and Sunday will be some sort of you tube or video workout.

I had a great time visiting family but I'm happy to be at home with purring kitties.  I hope everyone had a great weekend!