Catching up

Oh gifs. How I've missed you.

So, THANK THE LORD JESUS HALLELUJAH PRAISE GOD AMEN, I am DONE recapping the Grand Canyon. I might sprinkle in a post or two about gear, food, etc. But... maybe not. I don't really feel like I did it well enough to be an expert, but maybe I could suggest what SHOULD be taken/used, etc. (15 pounds of Little Debbie Snack Cakes? Probably not necessary).

Anyway... since then... I've been thinking that I'm gearing up to start marathon training again. I set my sights on a race in September and I was pretty gung ho to get started. 

The day before starting up.

After my first run "marathon training."

And I realize, you're probably just as sick of hearing about all this marathon cycling as you are the Grand Canyon. But, when you WANT SOMETHING SO BAD, it's hard to step away from it, ya know? But, I'm officially taking a hiatus from the BQ obsession. I'm trying to get back into loving running and I don't need the pressure of meeting a specific time goal looming over me.

Instead, my strategy is going to be to keep running with my friends and try to get my fitness back a LITTLE. I'm hopefully still going to run that race in September (uhhh... I need some new states this year, for chrissakes!), but I am not going to focus on specific time goals. At some point, when I do start training again, I will instead just focus on improving and PRing and not an exact time. Do I want to improve and get faster? YES. But at the expense of my sanity? NO.

In other news... At my yearly checkup, it was discovered that my Vitamin D Levels are too low. I'm going to start taking a prescription amount of Vitamin D and have it rechecked in 8 weeks. A quick google search on a Vitamin D Deficiency gave me some A-HA moments: 

Head Sweater: Uhhh... Unbeliveably so.

Stomach problems: Well documented here.

Down in the Dumps: Yup.

Fatigue: Oh yeah.

 Killing babies and whatnot.

I'm always so obsessed with my B-12 and Iron levels, that Vitamin D never really occurred to me. Just a reminder to get ALL the things checked out. If you're feeling a little off, or not quite like yourself... there could be an easy fix. I was afraid that I had just turned into a tired, sad, sweaty, poopy person because that's what happens when you turn 34. BUT MAYBE NOT!!!!!

 We'll see what I am in 8 weeks.

Public Service Announcement

A couple of years ago I read this book by Andrew Weil:

Spontaneous Happiness:

A New Path to Emotional Well-Being

It was awesome. And there were two habits that I picked up from it immediately after reading the book:

1. Buying fresh cut flowers every week to have in my home.

2. Taking Holy Basil pills.

The first of those, I have kept up with religiously. It's such a dumbass, simple thing, but I love looking at and seeing fresh flowers in my home everyday.

The second thing, the holy basil, I took religiously for a long time. When I bought it the first time, the woman at the store told me that for her....  it just "took the edge off." At the time, I was kind of stressed out and noticing that I was taking it out in unhealthy ways (yelling at other drivers on the road, etc). And she was right, the Holy Basil did take the edge off. Actually, it more like smoothed the edges. Over time, I switched to taking it at night, because I discovered it would give me awesome dreams and then over the past couple of months, I stopped taking it at all (along with all my other vitamins. I am the laziest, most inconsistent vitamin taker in the world. I HATE having 12 bottles sitting out on my kitchen counter constantly, but as soon as I put them away, I never take any! Ugh). 

Well, over the past month or so, I have also noticed that I have started becoming a RAGING bitch. Particularly at work. EVERYONE/EVERYTHING pissed me off everyday. Clients, Co-workers, Boss.

 

It was getting ridiculous. And more important than just being a terror to be around, I hated feeling like I was constantly on the edge of an emotional breakdown. Being a bitch is one thing. But realizing you're being a bitch and you can't control it... that's a problem.

I printed out little inspirational quotes and hung them in my office. I tried taking deep breaths and meditating during bitchy moments. I tried listening to music to drown out the idiots in my office who were constantly getting me riled up. NOTHING WORKED.

And then... I remembered the holy basil:

You hear that?

In the background?

That's little holy basil angels singing.

And just like that... I became good ole, regular, totally chill Amy again. Seriously. If you are into the herbal supplement thing and you are feeling stressed out and ready to start doing unspeakable things to people with a cup of hot coffee and a stapler (don't ask) then give holy basil a try.

I get mine at Whole Body and it's like less than $15 bucks. Here's an amazon link for the exact brand I take. 

You're welcome.

Gut Update

The Ann Arbor Marathon may have been a shit show endurance-wise. But, in the grand scheme of my running life... it was a total and complete game changer. Discovering that GLUTEN could be what was sabotaging my races/long runs is probably the most important/beneficial thing that I have ever done for my running. Since that race, I've been continuing to experiment with eating gluten free (mostly) the night before long runs and the morning of, and (knock on wood) I've had nothing but success!

And you know what... it's really fucking easy to eat gluten free. For one... lots of delicious vegetarian things are gluten free... Veggies, Rice, Quinoa, Potatoes, FRENCH FRIES, etc. And two... apparently "gluten free" is a pretty big movement right now... so.. like.. everything that is gluten free has a label announcing it.

Friday I realized that I had nothing to eat before my long run the next morning and instead of fighting the traffic/people/general hell that is Whole Foods on a Friday afternoon, I decided to to just pop into my local grocery store to pick up something for breakfast.

I stood in the breakfast aisle and checked out a few gluten free things. And because I'm cheap... I chose the one thing that was on sale:

In case you didn't know nuts and sugar are gluten free, 

there's a handy dandy label there.

I like nuts! I like sugar! Around 200 calories a bar! Sure!

The next morning I opened one up and nearly broke a tooth. When they said "crunch" they meant CRUNCH. I mean, these bars are essentially nuts enrobed in sugar and I actually have to bite into them with my side teeth, because I'm literally afraid it's going to break one of my veneers off. Not good.

I mean, they taste fine and all... but, yeah... I won't be getting these again. However, it did give me an idea of making them myself and not cooking the sugar so much that it turns the nuts into concrete. Maybe throw some peanut butter in there too. I'll let you know if I come up with something good. (Although, honestly... lazy Amy will probably win out and I'll just buy some gluten free pop tarts or whatev).

The love affair with gluten free (before runs/races) continues!

Bullshit, etc...

On the blog:
First off, as much as I HATE filling out the stupid word decoder thingy on other people's blogs when I leave a comment. I'm turning it back on here. I got 63 spam emails yesterday from "anonymous commenters" and 24 already this morning. YOU WILL NOT WIN SPAMBOTS. Sorry, I know it's annoying and probably discourages people from commenting, but I can't handle anymore of those emails.

On the Run Bitches:
Also, just thought I'd share with you the original prototype for the Run Bitches shirts:

Same Front.

But a slightly different wording on the back:

Classy, right?

Probably for the best we went the less offensive route.

On my Health:
I went to the doctor on Monday for my yearly check-up and got lots of red on my results.

No need to panic, I'm only borderline anemic.

Anyway, after self/google diagnosing myself with Pernicious Anemia, turns out my doc isn't worried about my numbers, at all and initially told me my results were fine. (And then I nagged him about WHY IS THERE SO MUCH FUCKING RED ON MY RESULTS and that's when I got the... you're fine, but you're borderline anemic. Take a supplement if you want, you whiny bitch). But hey, my cholesterol went down 28 points from last year whogivesaflyingfuckaboutcholesterolatage32?!

So, I'm going to continue with my B, B-12, and Iron supplements. And possibly experiment a bit more with the amounts and the timing of when I take them.

On Running:
Speaking of that, holy shit balls, y'all. I've started running some after work lately and like whoa... I kinda/sorta like it! Obvs I picked the best possible time for this: when daylight savings ends. But, whatever. Generally, my legs feel really good in the afternoons. I'm not sure if it's because of my lunch, or the supplements I take after lunch, or just because I wasn't sleeping approximately 10 minutes beforehand? I'm not giving up on morning runs entirely, but I'm definitely enjoying mixing it up with an afternoon run occasionally.

On Eating and Running:
I never eat before a run in the morning. Races are slightly different. I'll generally eat half of an energy bar a couple hours before a race of 13 miles or longer. And in a marathon, I'll usually use shotblox a little during the race.

And I'm thinking maybe it's time to experiment a little more. Particularly since I had an amazing run on Sunday after eating an enormous breakfast. Not that I should be eating a pound of homefries before a long run or race, but maybe having a little something on the stomach isn't a bad thing. I'm so nervous about my GI issues flaring up, that I generally think that no food is best. But... maybe some white carbs wouldn't be so bad before a race? I actually just purchased these items to test out tomorrow morning: Kryptonite Peanut Butter Puffins and Lemon Zest Luna Bar:

Breakfast of champions or just the breakfast of my dreams?

Swoon.

Everyone is different. So tell me... what fueling plan works best for you?

On Friends:
Shout out to my BFF, Lauren who is going to kill it at the Richmond Marathon this weekend. School some bitches, girl!

Dig

Some random shit that I'm into these days...

Earnest Bars

The apple ginger flavor is my favorite by far. They taste like an apple oatmeal cookie. DELICIOUS. And healthy-ish.

Swiftwick Socks

I haven't bought new socks in YEARS. It's actually the next thing in my running wardrobe that I'm going to upgrade. But, it's funny, I've had to sacrifice one sock from two different pairs in the past couple of months. And I was sad. Socks make for expensive toilet paper, y'all. BUT, it's like the universe is putting BETTER socks into my life to make up for those sacrificed pairs. I've recently gotten two pairs of Swiftwick socks from races (schooling bitches has it's perks) and I LOVE THEM. I'm going to buy a few more pairs. Plus... bonus...the socks are made here in Middle Tennessee.

B Complex Vitamins

So, the truth is, I'm new to the vitamin/supplement world. I used to be one of those people who thought they were a waste of money that you literally just flushed down the toilet. But, over the past few months, I've started to realize that while my diet is pretty dang healthy, when you eliminate certain food groups in their entirety, you might be missing some things. After talking to the woman at my local health food store, she convinced me that I'm not getting enough B vitamins and probably zero B-12. So, she set me up with a regiment of B Complex pills and B-12.

And something wonderful has happened... I've started taking one B complex pill in the afternoon along with my other usual suspects:

And then at night I take an additional Holy Basil pill before bed and I've started adding a B-complex pill and you know what? It's so much easier for me to get up in the morning. It's like I can't fall back asleep even if I wanted to. BRILLIANT.

I should note here that you should ask your doctor before you start taking random vitamins/supplements/minerals. I have my yearly doctors appointment on Monday, so I'll see officially where all my numbers are at.

Tristan Prettyman

It's your basic "you dumped me, and I hope you regret it some day, but you probably won't, because it's just an urban legend, that people sit around a year later and are like... hmmm.. ya know.. that girlfriend last year... I shouldn't have broken up with her." Anyway... it's good shit. Not like Taylor Swift break-up shit. But good break-up shit.

Speaking of Music...
 

Stubborn Love by the Lumineers

Scroll to :50 in the video to start the song.

I am obsessed with this song. I cannot stop listening to it, singing it, thinking about it. 

You bitches into anything worth sharing lately?

The Long Runs of Summer

So... yeah... dumbass me signed up for a Marathon in early October (oh yes, and there's a 50k the weekend before that I guess bears mentioning as well)... which means.. training in JULY. Booo..

Anyway... last week running buddy Carolyn and I eeked out 10 miles together (and by eeked out, I mean, I asked if we could stop because I was feeling like a total pansy and she said no and I pouted for the next 4 miles) in the heat. The temperature wasn't unbearable... but my head just wasnt in it. I was bored, I didn't want to run 10 miles, I wanted to give up running and become a powerwalker. But, we pushed through.

This past weekend... the schedule called for 12. So, we met again on Saturday to bang it out. And I'm happy to report... this past weekend was like 10x better for me. We kept an easy pace (between 10-10:30 miles) and we stopped just a couple of times for water breaks (less than 2 minute stops) and when we started back up, I actually felt a little refreshed instead of feeling like the walk break beat me into a total sissy (like I feel a lot of the time). As we finished, we actually picked up the pace a little... to sub 10 minute miles... without realizing it! (I was ready to be done, methinks... and thirsty).

But, it felt good. I felt good.

Definitely helps that I'm officially off my blood pressure meds!!!! Wooooo hooooo! Turns out... switching to a non-estrogen birth control made my blood pressure drop and I was still taking the blood pressure meds (as instructed)... and that combo was making my blood pressure super low. No wonder I felt like I was going to die in the Indy Mini Marathon... I ACTUALLY WAS/POSSIBLY/COULD HAVE/POTENTIALLY DIED. So, anyway... now I'm all healthy and normal again! Hooray for non-estrogen birth control!

Although... now I no longer have a legitimate excuse...

Updates...

I realize I'm really bad about posting something awesome that I'm going to do.. and then you never hear about it again.... So, I thought I'd give you an update on my stand-up workstation post.

Ummm... the results have been AMAZING! I really had very little discomfort transitioning over. I sit probably 2-3 times during the day for 5-15 minutes, and sit for lunch, etc.. but other than that, I stand and I absolutely love it.

A few points...

--I always slip my shoes off and stand barefoot (much more comfortable) and then just slide my shoes on when I leave the confines of my carpeted office.
--I find myself standing with my legs in a variation of tree pose, A LOT.

Obviously not an artist rendition of me...

--I find myself more on task throughout the day, much more productive, etc.

--Also, I think I have slightly more energy at the end of the day, instead of coming home and wanting to collapse on the couch with a box of cheez-its, I actually feel like DOING something.. like cleaning or meeting friends.

--For vanity purposes, I am deathly afraid of varicose veins, so I make sure to do Shoulderstand everyday either in yoga class or at home in the evenings.

Now, imagine the stick figure's boobs all up in the stick figure's face..

 and then you'd have me, doing shoulderstand.

--I have much less tension in my neck and shoulders and I feel like my chest is also opening up a bit... This is a HUGE relief. I was on my way to becoming quasimodo...

Amy, SWF, enjoys running, yoga, has a mild obsession with salsa, oh and loves pina coladas!

All in all, it's been amazing! I highly recommend it if your desk and desk chair are killing you... A client walked in yesterday and was like... before you know it, you'll have a treadmill in here, too. Hmmm... not a bad idea, sir!

Mystery Diagnosis...

So, Mystery Diagnosis happens to be one of my FAVORITE television shows. I'm a sucker for anything medical related anyway... but I love the drama of hearing all the people fight for their health when they know something is wrong and don't give up until they find the doctor that can diagnose them properly. Seriously.. it sounds awful, but it's actually AWESOME.

Anyway... this isn't something so big that the producers from Mystery Diagnosis are going to give me a call... but it is something that I had to piece together to figure out...

Here's the deal... my running sucks right now. And it's been long enough... a couple of months now.. that's not normal. Sure, we all go through slumps.. a week or two... hell.. maybe even a few weeks. But two months or more?? That's just not right. I haven't had anything in me after about 6 miles these days. At first, I started blaming my fitness level... but in fact... I feel like I'm in pretty good shape right now. My yoga practice is making me stronger and strengthening leg muscles that should help me feel less fatigued during runs.

But.. I'm just dead on my runs. Sometimes it's my legs... but most of the time it just my whole body. I keep thinking I'm just going to shake it off and get back to normal... but it's not happening. And dude... running when your body feels like shit is NOT FUN. Even 3 mile runs sometimes feel like death marches. It's not good.

Saturday morning, I had another spectacularly shitty run... and as I made my running partner Carolyn walk for a good little stretch because I just didnt have it that day, I started thinking about what was going on with me... and it dawned on me... !!!!!!! I started taking blood pressure medication on March 1st again... after not taking them for awhile (I'm a bad patient, yes). Aha! And then I remembered I've felt this way before...

So, yes... I feel like my meds are jacking up my running. I mentioned this to Carolyn and she did some research for me this weekend and it turns out... I might be suffering from a bit of an electrolyte problem. Which makes sense... my meds are meant to take fluid out of my body... so, in doing so... I could be losing major electrolytes and I never take gatorade (except sips in races) or anything else.

I'm thrilled with this!!!! If it is an electrolyte problem... then that seems like an easy fix! I'll just start pounding the Smartwater.

I really hope this fixes the issue. I miss feeling good (or hell, at this point, I'd take feeling decent!) on runs...

Hopefully this I just solved my own medical mystery... To be continued, I suppose...

Before and After

My chair at work has been killing me. I'll get up after sitting at my desk for an hour and barely be able to stand up straight. I go to yoga class and my teachers tell me... "gee. you hold a lot of tension in your neck and shoulders." and I reply, "yeah, who doesnt?" To which they just kinda look at me with a sympathetic look and say... "maybe you should start getting some regular bodywork done to get rid of these knots." Ugh.

And, for while I was thinking... well.. hell... I have to work... and new fancy chairs are expensive.. I'll just make due.

But, the time has come for a change, my friends...

This was my arch nemesis desk and chair at approximately 11:30 yesterday morning:

And by about noon yesterday, I was working at this station (which you can see in the top left hand corner of the before picture).

The after:

Meet my new stand-up work station!!!

Trust me, after I saw the horror of that cluttered cubby hole in a picture, I spent the next 20 minutes moving that crap to other locations in the office.

I got the idea after talking to a friend about Stand Up desks, and he gave me some good online sources to check out about it and then I realized... duh... I've got this counterspace area that is probably the perfect height for me to give it a test run... so, I vowed that after tax season I would give it a try.

So far, I love it!!! (the light situation isnt great, so I gotta fix that and in the move I jacked up my double screen capability, so I gotta get that working again). But, I am anticipating some growing pains... particularly in my feet for the first week or so, while I get used to it. But, I feel like if I can make it through the first week of sore feet, that I'll end up loving this situation. I do have a stool that I can sit on occasionally for a break, and I've also leaned against the wall some when I need a little break for my feet.

Things I've already noticed in the half day that I've spent at my stand up work station:

--Surprisingly, I have a lot more room on this counter, than I had on my desk.

--And I feel like I'm more productive.

--Also, I find that I dance around a little when a song I like comes on Pandora. And... dude, dancing while doing taxes or cutting payroll checks = FUN!

Now, the main reason I did this was for my body. I hated feeling like an 80 year old woman everytime I got up from my desk... but, doing some research there's a lot of people advocating the stand-up work stations...

From the New York Times:

Indeed, if you consider only healthy people who exercise regularly, those who sit the most during the rest of the day have larger waists* and worse profiles of blood pressure** and blood sugar than those who sit less. Among people who sit in front of the television for more than three hours each day, those who exercise are as fat as those who don’t: sitting a lot appears to offset some of the benefits of jogging a lot.

So, now of course.. I have even more reason to try to stick it out with the stand up work station. This is an experiment... and I could fail miserably. By the end of today my feet could be killing me... but, if not.. I think this could easily change my health and my work! Bonus!


*somebody say something about a larger waist???

Example A.

**worse profiles of  blood pressure, you say?