Is it the Shoes?

I haven't posted much on training since...well, since there has been a severe lack of training from bike accident (i.e. bruised ribs).  The bruised ribs took a bigger toll than I expected. I spent a lot of time at the gym trying to get back into strength/plyo training and slowly getting back into running and biking (okay so the biking has been on the trainer not outside).

I bought new shoes in the hopes that it would stir something up....it did...that day at Haddonfield Running Company, I decided I would....BREAK UP WITH MY ORTHODICS

Yes, I know, it was a hard thing to do, a little said but very liberating.   I have been having a struggle with whether these $500 orthodics really helped me, I mean I did this for years without them and I changed to Newtons and got plantar fascitiis and next thing I knew I was shelling out some cash for some fancy "super feet."  My past injuries spurred some research - I am thinking it is my lack of balance in my hips, my weak ankles, etc that are contributing to the foot issue.

I celebrated by buying 2 shoes (GASP).  I needed one pair for my quest to get my muscle/definition back that I have lost over the past five years in doing triathlons....I wanted a shoe that was flexible but still offers support for my shitty feet.  So I bought the Saucony ProGrid Mirage

These have been great, I went to some boot camp classes and my plyometric workout and they worked nice.  I also walked around Disney with the family - so suffice to say the shoes did their job and did not create many problems.

For running I bought the Brook's PureCadence

I LOVE THESE!  They have a wide toe box, there is a little elastic thing (I am sure there is some fancy word for it) that helps hug your feet so you don't need to overtighten the laces.  Brooks basically got rid of all the extra shit and made a lighter but still cushioned trainer.  This is a stability shoe but they have other models.  Also, by taking away some of the extra stuff in the heel it propels you forward.  I started out with 1 mile, then 2, then 3 for a while (changing into my other shoes) and just recently in the pleasant fall weather I went out to do 4 and ended up with 6miles.

I haven't experienced any plantar pain (knocking on my IKEA desk now) but I have been more religious on icing, rolling etc to take care of my feet :)

As for tri-racing, I haven't put everything together for my 2012 schedule but I am contemplating NOLA 70.3 and Mooseman 70.3.  I am tired of NOT training and want to get back into it ASAP! 

But in the meantime I got a couple runs planned - the Bridge Run (10K over the Ben Franklin) this weekend and I just signed up for another Rock-n-Roll 1/2 marathon in DC on St. Patty's Day!!!

Jeffrey Campbell Lita-Ex

Report Belzer Boot

Oh yeah, and ummmm, since I was on a shoe kick I kind of bought these cute booties and boots at the Nordstroms Semi-Annual Sale.....If this doesn't say FALL!!

Back on Track

I feel like I am FINALLY triathlon training again after the four weeks of no running.  I guess I was technically aqua-bike training....Anyway, I was given the green light to start running last week on Wednesday and was able to get in 3 runs Wed/Fri/Sun with no pain.  On Sunday, I was able to do 5 miles with NO PAIN and could have gone longer but did not want to push it after Saturday's hill fest ride which I will talk about later.  This weekend I will attempt 7-8 miles of running and then do another brick on Monday before I start my pseudo-taper (because I feel like with all this work travel I have kind of already started).

My PT guy, Tim, said he wanted me to do 3 min run 2 min walk on Wed, then on Friday do 5 min run 2 min walk 6 times and finally, on Sunday to try 8 min run and 2 min walk 5 times. What I found interesting was that I was able to hold 9-9:20 min miles with no issue on my feet/legs and was able to hold that pace consistently on Sunday's run.  I can run an 8-8:20 min mile for a 5K but lately with all my issues my 1/2 marathon pace went from a 9:00 min pace to a 10 min pace over the past few years not due to breathing but because of pains. Every time I start progressing back to a 9 min pace - something happens...I would like to re-evaluate my running after this 1/2 ironman.  It has been extremely frustrating, because I know I can get faster.

This weekend I am going to do the 8 min run/2 min walk 8 times which has been equivalent to a little less than 10 min miles which I will be extremely happy if I am able to do for that for Vineman.  On Monday, I am going to do a 40 mile ride and 5 mile run since I haven't been able to get in any longer bricks over the past 4 weeks due to the injury.

This past Saturday, I did a charity ride in Bucks County, PA with my friend Katie.  The 50 mile had about 2600 ft of climbing so I thought that would be a nice training ride for Vineman considering it will only be 1100 ft of climbing there.  What's 1100 feet over 56 miles when I just did the Black Bear race with about 1000 feet for only 25 miles.  I am sure Vineman will be no joke but the more I train hills the better I will be for the race.

We knew this ride was going to be interesting when Katie got a flat at the before we even road.

And that's me doing the robot, because that is just how I warm up

We got to the first rest station at about 20 miles in and Katie asked if the worst of the hills were behind us.  The volunteers said yes...(LIARS)  They said that the rest was "not that bad."  In all honesty, I looked at the elevation on my Garmin data this week and we did about 47% of the climbing at that point; however, what made it worse was having mile 22 and 23 a straight 300 ft climb with no descent.  That was fun (she says sarcastically), and it was right after the rest stop, which I found that if I stop I DO NOT get rejuvenated and instead feel tight so this was not a fun feeling.

Anyway, the ride went through some beautiful areas of Pennsylvania, so enough complaining or whining, because although there was 2600 feet of climbing, there was a shitload of descents which I am slowly developing a strong love for going fast and not breaking unless needing to.  I have also improved my handling skills from these rides.

All in all, it was a great day.  Despite that Mike had to leave for San Diego on Thursday and was not going to be back until Wednesday which was after I would be leaving for Mexico (for work) on Tuesday and not seeing him till Friday :( 

This just meant compression socks and cuddling with the cat and dog.

My legs were toast and I was still able to run injury free on Sunday and did not slow me down for my best friend's birthday.  The girls all got together to drink, eat and watch the Season Premiere of True Blood...

OH and while in Mexico I found that I WON a blog giveaway from Untilyoutri - check out her blog - it's great.  And this is what I won from Allied Medals - check out their site - cool stuff!!  I can hang all my pretty medals in my office now!

Last but not least, I am enjoying the Mexican hospitality - and give a big thumbs up to Mexico City and Merida.  Interesting cities, my work is cut out for me, but I enjoyed learning the differences between another area of the world of the veterinary business.  I had to dig deep to try to remember various phrases and words but it was all worth it....

And not to mention, awesome guacamole!  Muy Bien!

As I now put my feet back up, put on my headphones (for translation not iPod) and listen & take notes to another focus group.

Notice the Pedro Garcia cute shoes...

Hasta Luego!

Will the Real Miss FancyPants Please Stand up?

What happened to Heather, the Miss FancyPants that owns close to XX pairs of Premium Denim (we won't be giving that number -it's pretty much insane) ...the one that opts for the Juicy Couture bag or the Marc Jacobs sexy red shoes (I even did a presentation once on them...), the REAL BECKY of the Shopaholic series .... is she still there??

So, I have been looking for the ultimate motivation, I was tired of running a 10K or a half-marathon and not knowing if I could go faster. I have tried the Polar Heart Rate Monitor and broke on me twice. I wanted the ultimate watch machine, the Christian Louboutin, the Lanvin...the Garmin 310xt. I couldn't believe how much excitement one watch could cause.
Now I have to say, I debated a while because the 305 is now $130 bucks! The 310xt with HR monitor - $400. So I had saved some birthday money and some other savings and I guess technically I could have bought the 305 and still had about $300 (well the math is off but you get the point) to use on the Sam Edelman over the knee boats...

sigh...

but...when it comes to technology, I am a sucker for the best and well it had better satellite reception, longer battery life (although I am not using it to do an Ironman...yet...I never remember to charge things), it was lighter, wireless transmission of data, waterproof...and to top it off I had a 20% coupon to be used at Haddonfield Running Company from the 10K Bridge Run the prior week. I think that race gave me money - $20 for the race and $80 off of this beauty!!

The day I bought it, it was a similar feeling to when I bought my yellow leather Juicy bag, or when I went to Saks and bought my first pair of Marc Jacobs heels, I skipped (no I literally skipped) out of the store with my little bag and went home to check this baby out. I charged it the first day, registered the Garmin. The second day I went for a 4 mile run. OMG - the DATA!!!! I love data, I am in Market Research, right? This is really what I needed for my training. This was like a nerd's dream, there were graphs, numbers, heart rate charts, mile paces....ahhhh....

The old Miss FancyPants that saved $400 could have bought these dreamy looking boots by Elizabeth and James...

or maybe this Rebecca Minkoff bag...


but the NEW Miss FancyPants well she bought the Garmin 310xt...

So I know you are thinking - "what did you do with the $80?" "did you save the rest of the money? Maybe put it back in the bank?" WHAT??? Just so that you know SHE is still in there...because SHE (yes, I am talking in the 3rd person) bought these friekin awesom BCBG shoes...

All right, I didn't actually buy them then, I actually bought them a month ago and just found the reason to rationalize the purchase.

Don't worry, I'm still here - I finished my summer to fall/winter swap, re-did the closets, focused on what to get rid of and what I needed...
Over the past month, I picked up some cute (some more practical then others) things at H&M - I can't wait to wear this with nude dress with black platform booties and black leggings and a big ass belt...

Lululemon (the Anthropolgie of exercise attire) where I got some great winter running pants and a winter running jacket. This of course was practical since I did not own neither and would be useful for my training...

and a cute boutique in Montreal called Espace Pepin where I found a shirt, a dress and to die for CHOCOLATE SOAP....



I skipped again, because, even when you know you should not have bought some things and well, maybe that could have gone toward the tri-bike but you know what? Life is Short and a girl's got to look cute!

For all of you that think I have a problem, don't worry, I am on the saving wagon again...and am thinking of making a MissFancyPants ebay store so I can sell some of my jeans, purses and shoes that I don't use.
Stay tuned to next post - including some fall recipes, new beers and the trials and tribulations of cold weather running...

Crazy Work Week, Training, Heat Wave Race, Borat and Other News

Week 1 (4/26-5/2) of training plan (see last post) last week was all about the word Adapting.

Started off fabulous until Wednesday...not so good, crisis at work happened and had to fly to Atlanta leaving me working from Wednesday directly off of my 4 mile speed work session run to the wee hours of night, waking up at 5am flying to Atlanta, working till 11pm, flying home at the ass crack of dawn, drive back from Newark to say Happy Birthday to my man, shower, check email, and leaving to do focus groups till 9:30 pm, running home feeding dog and off to Mike's Beyond Dishonor show at Club Risque (yes the strip club...)










to see my man in all his glory...

hang out with my friends...













and an excellent rendition of Welcome to the Jungle - metal style.









Followed by getting home when the birds are chirping, sleeping (again, no workout) and running to Philly pick up race packet for Broad Street and dealing with Phillies tailgating (smelling bbq and passing beer pong and wishing I was there instead). Home in time to cook while Mike is getting a Thai Yoga Massage by my BFF - Jojo the ninja (that's what we call her - she teaches Martial Arts and could kick anyone's ass)












so I can make his bday (my pre-race) dinner complete with Red Velvet Cupcakes.

I have to say (patting myself on the back) that I made the most awesome dinner of grilled filet with chianti salt straight from Dario's butcher shop in Tuscany, roasted parmesan potatoes, green beans in orange juice and red velvet cupcakes (I only ate 1/2) and




drinking a glass of our wine we bought in Tuscany from 2007 - a 2004 bottle of Castello d' Albola Le Elleyre (yum).










Bed at 11pm, get up at 4:45am (now I am used it this week) and going back to Philly- yet another 1 hour drive. But what makes it all worthwhile is when one of your friends, our resident bike mechanic, comes to your house with the latest flavors of GU!! My new fave blackberry - yummy....

If anyone has ran the Broad Street run you understand the fiasco and the trial and tribulations of getting to the start line. You park at the stadium, you walk to the subway filled with (did they say 30,000 people) crammed like sardines for 20 minutes (did I mention I am claustrophobic), get to the other side of broad street - wait in line for 30 minutes for a port-a-potty where a fight breaks out (yeah PHILLY) between two women "butting in line" where one screams "I am going to sh%$ my pants."
Lovely! This was in my line...so you do your business and wait with the cow herd for 2 hours (by now pre-race breakfast is gone and you are starving and you don't want to eat any of your 2 gels in the rare case you may lose one), the heat is starting up - by now it's in the 80s & it is humid.
I haven't run in heat since August 2009!!! And then you walk 4 blocks with the cattle herd just to move up to the start line.

The four of us (Christine, Bill, Nicole and I) start off (we lost the other three) in a what I call a "non-moving jog" to trying to dart in and out of people like a game in this claustrophobic mess of a first mile. It wasn't enough to have 20,000 people like last year, we always need to make it BIGGER...by allowing 10,000 MORE people to join in.

Christine and I are going at a good pace when I look at the mile 2 clock - we took 12 minutes for the first mile due to getting around people and then settling into a 9 min/mile pace. Heat is coming on, humidity is up there. You have the Philly fans the whole way, you are slapping hands, listening to bands and at mile 5, you are just not ready for the heat, your legs are slowing, every water-stop takes 40 seconds off your time and where is the GATORADE?????
I start to hear the Mummer's at mile 7 and I think this is when Christine and I get our groove back. We start to run through the fire hydrants, stopping and wasting time at every water stop, people are dropping in the middle of the road? Seriously??? WTF? Then I hear out of a window the "Rocky" song...very encouraging...you are excited about being from the Philadelphia area at this point.
More people are down - they said 30 passed out - then the 1/4 mile shoot - claustrophobia and the weird calf cramp is preventing me from sprinting....
Then we are done!! I was happy until I see my time with 10:15 miles...not necessarily what I was going for but then I heard the Kenyans were 3 min slower than last year and the fast 7min milers were 5 min slower so I guess I don't feel as bad...









We go to Christine's parents' house for breakfast and have a fabulous spread complete with Adobo Chicken, my favorite.

Home and then lay around and not leave the couch...












Oh and did I tell you about the fabulous shoes and my new William Rast jeans, the James Perse skhirt (not a typo - it can be worn as a skirt or a shirt - LIKE MULTIPLES - please tell me someone remembers them!!!!)
????? BTW - those Sam Edelman were out of stock and I got a different pair...












What a weekend!!


On to week 2...

T - 20 Week Countdown to Half-Ironman

20 Weeks to September 12th!!

Last week was a bit of a bust, with missing the Rutger's Unite Half Marathon due to back issues. But it has been getting better and since I was able to run 7.5 miles on Sunday - I think I will be good for Broad Street Run this Sunday!!

So now begins the 20 week plan. I got the plan from the Triathlete Magazine - Essential Week by Week Training Guide - by recommendation from Carol at Triathlon Training Blog (who by the way has a great blog). I am doing the HIM Level 6 plan.

...Here is the week 1 plan...

Monday - Off - yeah!
Tuesday - Swim (1700m - form workout) and Bike Power Intervals 1:10
Wednesday - Yoga (1 hr) and Run - 40 minute with 6x30s at Z5+
Thursday - Brick - 45/15 (Z2) and Strength Training (45 min)
Friday - Swim (2300 meters - Intervals) and Bike 1 hour Z2
Saturday - Bike - 1 hour 45 with a 30 min run both in Z2
Sunday - Broad Street 10 mile Run - (I am going to treat this like a long run - maybe stay within Z3)

So I spoke to my nutritionist and here were the comments for this upcoming week based on my training - I am going to try it and let you know how I do!!

Mon – Low carb, 5 meals, Protein/veggies ( you can include healthy fats )

Tues – I would still go with 3 protein/low glycemic carb meals / no carbs at night b/c you are just doing YOGA in the morning

Wed – Because you are running in the later part of the day.. first 3 meals, carbs / protein/limit fats ... 1 fruit post workout w/ protein but last meal no carbs

Thurs – All meals, protein / carbs / low fats for tomorrow 2 hour workout

Fri –Repeat diet from Thurs .. except at last two meals increase carbs by 15 gm for 10 mile race..

Sat – Repeat diet from Fri .. except at last two meals increase carbs by 15 gm for 10 mile race..

Sun –include electrolyte replacement, pedialyte ( lite ) I don't like the heavy sugar ones

But.. again.. the fuel from the previous days will be enough.. and we can deal w some pre workout low glycemic carbs.

I will keep you posted on any new recipes or tips I have on nutrition for the week!!

But I am too excited, I must share my latest purchase to celebrate the start of the tri season....

Sam Edelman - Kasi

HAHA! You thought I was going to say something to do with Triathlons...but these are just as wonderful....

However, I am keeping the shopping down as I have my eye on the prize - just waiting on some $$ from the IRS!!