This Week's Workouts So Far

I'm usually pretty good about having a general plan for my weekly workouts, but I also adjust as needed based on my schedule and how I'm feeling.  Here's how this week looks so far...

Monday:  Turbokickboxing (TKB)
I usually take this class at one gym, but they changed the schedule to a class I didn't like (Body Attack?  Pffft...).  TKB is pretty similar from one gym to another, so I enjoyed myself.  Training for the Half Moon Bay Half Marathon starts next week, so I'm not sure when I'll make it back to this class.  Gah.

Tuesday:  Run + Yoga
I'm preparing for training to start, so I programmed a speed workout into my Garmin to test it.  I've never actually done formal speedwork (other than the occasional set of Fartleks or Tempo runs) and it went better than expected.

I'm going to follow a 3-day/week plan from Runner's World and calculated the splits I would have to hit for 400s, 800s, and 1600s.  I'm a little skeptical because I'm aiming for something much more conservative than my half marathon PR and still didn't hit the splits.  I don't think my legs are even capable of running as fast as they're indicating.  Anyway, I did my best and have a base for comparison as I move forward.

I did 4 x 400s with 2 minutes recovery jog between intervals (plus 20 minutes of easy running as a warm-up and a little over 10 minutes jogging as a cooldown).  Total mileage was 4.19.  Here are the splits:  9:57, 9:40, 9:37, 9:38.

I also did 30 minutes of yoga from my iPhone app.

Wednesday:  Rest
I was exhausted this morning and slept in until 6:30.  I'm at work all day and then have to go home to get my car to drive to Berkeley for a class from 7-9, so today's going to be rest.

Thursday:  Strength Training/Run
I know it's not Thursday yet, but I'm planning to go to Strength Training class at the gym after work.  However, I might go to Gentle Yoga class.  I'll see how I feel. I also want to try to fit in a Tempo run.  Maybe before work?  I'm always afraid I'll trip in the dark though...

Friday:  TBD
I have plans on Friday after work, so any workout would need to be done before work.  I don't want to run since I have a long run on Saturday morning.  I might get up and do Zumba for the Wii.  (Don't laugh...it's intense!)

Saturday:  Long Run (8 miles?)
I'm kind of winging it on the long runs.  Next week is definitely 6 miles based on my schedule.

Sunday:  Recovery Run/Yoga
I'm going up to Sonoma for wine tasting on Sunday, so I might just do an early recovery run and a little yoga.

I guess that's it for now.  I've been listening to the new Pet Shop Boys album (are they still called albums?) on Spotify since it came out yesterday, so it'll accompany me on all my runs!

XO
FogChick

Late Weekend Wrap Up

I had a great weekend that was full of fun and workouts! 

Friday I went with friends to Bloodhound for Happy Hour and then Raven next door for some more drinks!  It's so convenient having two great bars with creative cocktails right next to each other.

Saturday I managed to get in a 7 mile run to the Golden Gate Bridge and back.  I've loved the warm weather the last few weeks, but I have to say that I missed the fog and cool air for running. 

Later that night I went with a friend to Sofa for drinks and dinner.  It's an underground bar (literally...it's underneath Bossa Nova restaurant on 8th & Howard) that is super dark and has a Gothic/vampire vibe.  We went on the early side and were the only ones in there, which was nice.  They have a creative cocktail menu and delicious small dishes.  I recommend the pork belly (we had two orders...oink), sashimi tuna, and the beet salad.

After that we went dancing at the Cat Club for Club Gossip.  It was a theme night...Thompson Twins vs. Echo & the Bunnymen.  Those are two of my favorite bands of the 80's, so I was loving it!

I was pretty wiped out on Sunday, but I managed a 4 mile recovery run before taking a nap.  Then I met friends at Cafe des Amis for a Bastille Day celebration.  I love that restaurant and was stoked that they had such great deals all day.  The last thing I needed was another drink, but I had two Bellinis and a Paloma.  Don't worry...we also ate!  The oysters were phenomenal...best I've had in a LONG time.  They were on special for $1 each, too!  We got there at 4 and I stayed until 7:30 when I felt like I was going to drop.  A nice bath and bed by 8:30 and I was fresh as a daisy for Monday.

Now it's Wednesday, so I think I'll do a separate post for my week (and workouts) so far.  Meanwhile, here's my favorite Echo & the Bunnymen song (if you're not familiar with them)...

XOXO
FogChick

So Glad It's Almost TGIF

Yay, it's Thursday! 

Wednesday was kind of busy since I had to work all day and then meet a group of women from class at Jamber Wine Pub on Folsom near 5th St.  All the wine is on tap (!) and they have quite a few affordable comfort food appetizers and entrees, so I want to go back.  I told a friend who loves pork belly (as I do) that they have a sandwich with pork belly on the menu.  He was excited until I told him it was made with peanut butter and cranberry jam.  I think that sounds delicious!  Alas, I shared poutine with a few girls.

After that I met my friend at another bar nearby (Raven at Folsom & 7th) and we had a cocktail and split a couple of dishes from Triptych.  The bar was pretty empty, so it was nice to just relax and talk, but wine + cocktails = bad sleep. 

Last night my friend came over with Pisco and we had cocktails in the shaker made with mango puree.  They were just as good as anything I get at a bar...and cheaper.  We'd been going out a lot lately and his back was hurting, so we just ordered in Chinese and watched "Check, Please" videos on my laptop.

Tonight I'm looking forward to going home and hanging out alone after my strength training class at the gym.  I might try to dye my hair if I have the energy since I'm getting it cut tomorrow!  One of the benefits of a 7AM conference call/webinar is that I can work from home and then get a haircut in the middle of the day. 

I was going to let my hair grow to shoulder length, but it's on my neck now and totally annoying me.  I'm not getting it hacked to a pixie cut again (yet), but I am going to get a much shorter bob and have my bangs cut so they're shorter and sweep to the side.  I loved the heavy straight bang look, but now I'm over it.  Too much upkeep! 

In the "self love" challenge from my class, I had a gel manicure and ran yesterday and I'll be going to strength training today.  I wonder if I should even keep holding myself accountable because I really don't have a problem in the "taking care of myself" category.

Here's a song of the day.  It was on a Spotify playlist and was almost embarrassed that I liked it so much!  I'm even more embarrassed now that I'm posting it since it's from 4 years ago.  Whatevs.

xoxo

A test...

Having dinner at Delarosa & decided to try this mobile app again.  

Yum...burrata & honey bruschetta FTW!

I'm Baaack...

Hola!

I wanted to start tracking some things that I'm doing and luckily I didn't delete this blog!  I deleted my Twitter and Formspring accounts, so those have been removed from the sidebar.  I'll probably make some additional changes, but I don't want this to be too stressful.

Anyway, one thing I'm tracking is an assignment I was given for a dating/relationship class.  It's a self-love challenge and we're supposed to do at least one thing per day that gives us joy.  We all wrote lists of joyful things that take 5 minutes, 15 minutes, or 30 minutes or more.  I don't have any problem with loving myself since I probably do several things on the list each day, but here's today's joyful item:  working out.

I'm going to take a turbokickboxing (TKB) class after work.  Working out, running, and yoga are three things that give me joy and I do one of those almost every day!

I also like listening to music and do it almost every day.  This is an oldie that has been on heavy rotation on one of my Spotify playlists.  I can't wait to see them in September!

XO
FogChick

Book Review

Le Freak: An Upside Down Story of Family, Disco, and Destiny by Nile Rodgers
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

It was a quick read and cool to see that he succeeded against all odds considering how rough his childhood was. I was a little disappointed that half of the book was about his childhood because I would have liked to have read more about the musicians he produced and more details about that. Granted, he was addicted to cocaine and alcohol during that period, but he did remember a lot of details about working with David Bowie & Madonna, so I would have liked to have heard more about the other artists.

I would love to know why he had a falling out with Oprah Winfrey. He indicated that they were really close friends at one point, but later had a falling out after she recommended a therapist for him during the height of his addiction. That was never explained.

The end of the book was a little unsatisfying because it left me hanging (I won't say why because it's a spoiler).

Overall, I'm glad I read it.

View all my reviews

Christmas Eve Eve

I haven't posted here in a while. I was sick for a couple of weeks, so just getting to feel well enough to get in my marathon training runs and get all my Christmas shopping done were major tasks. I'm happy to say that all my shopping was done on Sunday and Tuesday, nicely wrapped (for once) and no runs were missed. (Yes, there was a day where I had to do two runs in one day to make up for my sick days, but at least I did them all!)

I've missed strength training class for a couple of weeks because of not feeling that great.  I feel flabby and have gained a few pounds even though I'm eating the same. I tend to gain a few pounds during half marathon training and I've heard this is normal for marathon training as well, but I don't like it one bit. Oh well. I figure I've been exercising more than most people do (and way more than sick ones do), so next week I'll just add back some variety (strength training, yoga, and maybe try spinning) and see if that helps.

Today is a rest day for my 13 mile "long run" tomorrow morning, so I think I'll just have a little sushi for dinner and maybe do some laundry, continue to read my book, and make some candy.  (These bars are DELICIOUS!!) Oh, and I want to buy the Wild Flag album from Amazon (it's only $5!) and the most recent PJ Harvey one.  I also like the most recent Lykke Li album, so I may need to binge on the music purchasing tonight!

It doesn't really feel like Christmas, does it? Maybe it's just me. I deactivated my Facebook account a couple of weeks ago (on Monday it will be three weeks), so maybe that's why. I'm not seeing all those annoying holiday posts.

Speaking of deactivating Facebook, it's the best thing I could have done! I've tried it a couple of times in the past and only lasted a couple of days, but this time I don't even miss it. People keep asking me why I deactivated it. I guess it is odd for someone like me to abruptly deactivate Facebook.  I regularly posted status updates and photos, so it's not like I was a "lurker" on there. There are several reasons why I deactivated my account, but I don't really feel like I need (or want) to explain them to anyone. A lot of the reasons are personal and I don't feel like sharing other than saying that a daily irritant has now been erased from my life and it feels great.

Merry Christmas and enjoy the long weekend if you get one!

Kim

What do you do to relax?

Listen to music, read, watch Netflix, or get a massage.

Ask me anything on Formspring!

Do you prefer candy or popcorn at the movies?

If I get anything, it's popcorn, but I usually don't get anything unless I haven't eaten and I'm starving.

Ask me anything on Formspring!

An "Occupy" Right Up My Alley

The "occupy" this "occupy" that jokes are played out, but this made me chuckle. Maybe because it made no sense? The lights are pretty and I love Prosecco though!




Now I'm having a little sushi & sake. I've been sick all week and haven't been out with the exception of a low key event at TCHO Chocolate, so I need some sushi to celebrate the end of the week.

I should be carbo loading for my 12 mile run tomorrow, but I'm having mostly sashimi. Running fail.

Happy Friday!
Kim

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Do you like playing in the snow?

I've never played in the snow since I haven't been around it much, but I'd have to say that I wouldn't like it. I don't like being cold and wet.

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Christmas Wish List

Mizuno Running - Mizuno Women's Wave Precision 12 Running Shoes

I bought Women's Running magazine this weekend and this shoe was listed as "Most Comfortable" in the Winter Running shoes section. I like Mizunos because they're so light and not clunky on my feet and will need a new pair soon. I currently wear the Wave Riders, but this pair got rave reviews...and check out the cherry blossoms near the heel! I'm afraid to just buy them online without trying them on first, so I'm going to see if my local Fleet Feet has them in stock. WANT!

Marathon training is rolling along and today is the start of Week 7. I was a little derailed last week because of a major sore throat and lethargy which eventually turned into a full blown cold. I missed a 5 miler and a 3 miler, so I crazily made up both of those runs yesterday instead of doing cross training (5 miles in the morning and another 3 miles in the afternoon). 18 miles for Week 6....DONE!

This week the mileage starts increasing and I'm not going to have any single digit recovery runs on Saturdays, which is a little scary. This week I have two 3 milers, 6 miles, and then 12 miles on Saturday. I'm hoping to work in yoga on Friday and maybe a strength training session on Thursday. I have plans on Wednesday night (a free seminar at a chocolate factory where they teach you how to mix cocktails that pair with chocolate), so I hope my body cooperates and gets well!

Have a good week!

XOXO
Miss Kim

How much TV do you watch?

30 minutes a day or less. I don't have cable anymore & don't miss it!

Ask me anything on Formspring!

Turkey Trot!

Tomorrow is my first Turkey Trot ever!  I did an easy 4 mile run this morning before work to shake my legs out after a hard Boot Camp class last night.  Boot Camp didn't ever appeal to me (I don't respond to being yelled at when I'm exercising), but was open to trying it since my friend was teaching it.  I was afraid it would be too much cardio and not enough weights, but that wasn't the case at all.  The short cardio bursts between the weight routines made me feel like I was working harder than usual. 

Today I'm at work (blah), but I'm going to sneak out a little early.  I need to drive to my parents' house tonight (we're supposedly having crab for dinner...yum) so I'll be close to the start of the 10K Turkey Trot tomorrow.  The race doesn't start until 9AM, but I want to get there by 8:15AM to get my bib and warm up.  Let's hope I can get a PR!

What are you doing for Turkey Day? 

XOXO
Kim

Mystery Solved!

OK, this photo was taken at Noe Valley Tavern!  (See this post...)
You'll notice that right behind me (under the picture) is a toilet.  Unbelievably, the area where the men pee is right behind where everybody washes their hands.  Eww.

I'm so glad there wasn't a guy peeing in there when I came out of the restroom, but then again, it couldn't have made the evening much worse. Some guy who messaged me on Twitter about going out agreed to a date, rescheduled the date, and then didn't follow through. He showed up at this bar the day before we were scheduled to go out (but I already wrote it off as not happening because I hadn't heard from him) and had a drink with my friend and me. (We have a friend in common who was throwing a benefit for fire victims, so that's why we were all there.)  He then looked at his watch after about 10 minutes and said his girlfriend was meeting him.  Then the four of us had to sit through drinks until they left.

Girlfriend. Did you catch that? He had a girlfriend all along. At least I'm moving up. The last guy cancelled our date two hours before we were supposed to meet and I realized the next day that he was married.  (Thanks, pipl.com.)

Anyway, this was supposed to be a funny post about the bathroom!  :)

XOXO
Kim