Just because you wear a suit, it doesn't mean you are smart

I passed my first of two exams, unfortunately the harder one is still yet to come and I wouldn't be surprised if I failed it once before eventually passing it.  Someone at work came up to me and said: between you and me I failed the hard one twice before I passed it.  I consider him to be a pretty smart guy but also the stupid 23 year old kid fresh out of idiot school passed it so that is pretty motivating.  I can't let that kid who doesn't know how to cut and paste beat me because also, I just really don't like him and his full-of-himself-ugly-faced-tight-pants-wearing attitude.  I am a jerk, but when people ask me stupid questions I die a little inside:

Idiot: "uh, do you know how I would go about inserting our logo into these mailing labels with a mail merge?" - said extra slow as if I might not understand the words coming out of his Fug face.
Me: "Well, I'm not doing it for you [hard stare] but all you do is import the logo into the word document and copy and paste it onto each label."
Idiot: struggling for many minutes...
Me: "Ok, fine, you sort of have it, but you need do this too....[and show him]"
Idiot: "You just saved me an hour!!"
Me: WHY ARE YOU SO RETARDED!!

And that is probably a good example of what gets people in trouble for blogging about stuff that happens during your 9-5 but whatever sometimes you have to let it all out so you can justify the idiotness with other people working in cube farms.  I'm also pretty sure this is why they invented instant messenger - work edition.  It's great messaging the person sitting in the cube right next door griping about the person right next door to him... I love my new neighbor, he keeps it Real.

These walls are actually a lot higher than the ones we have...
So the next time someone asks you a Really stupid question, make sure you add in the hard stare so they know they're asking something ridiculous in hopes that they may never ask you again (it actually hasn't prevented any stupid questions on this side yet).

16 hours of test prep in a test center later...

WTF.

They somehow crammed a week of knowledge into my brain in 2 days and I'm not sure if it's going to stick.  I just took a practice test and got more wrong than right, but the instructor warned that would happen.  Give it a couple days he said, and things will then sink in...sure sure, whatever, it will have to sink in by Friday.

Today a new lady joined the class who happened to be the most obnoxious human on the planet: hair flipping, crunchy food eating, jegging wearing, disgusting soda habit (4 in 1 day!!), asking too many questions, having a word to say about everything, checking her phone nonstop, having side conversations with someone she came with, never being able to find the right page, and even asking for advice for her own financial situation...hello, where do you think you are lady?  It bothered me even more that she was so over the hill, a 50yr old woman should be a little more down to earth, settled, and classy, she was not any of those things.  She made my day miserable.

Pet peeve time.  After eating 3 packs of crunchy peanuts, she stuck her false nailed fingers into her mouth and dug chunks of peanuts out and ate it... over and over and over... and of course I didn't WANT to watch this happen but she was sitting diagonally in front of me so I literally couldn't get her out of my view.  I see people do this all the time, I see good friends do this all the time, however I still find it to be one of the most disgusting things ever.  It cemented her into being a major day ruiner.

I'm having a lot of anxiety over these exams.  The instructor today said that his pass rate for people in his classes has been 95% so far.  I am pretty sure he just made that up to try and boost morale.  I don't need my morale boosted, I need a test that's passable and a brain that works faster than a hamster running in a wheel.

Back to studying...

Asian "Cure That Hangover" Soup

Ingredients:
32 ounce box of organic beef broth
1 cup of water
4 bunches of scallions (slice whites course and green part fine, keep separate)
1/2 a box of whole white mushrooms sliced with stems removed
Sriracha sauce
2 eggs
Pepper
Thai Kitchen garlic and vegetable instant noodle soup packet

Bring broth and water to a boil, throw in the white parts of the scallions (set aside the green part) and the mushrooms.  Add 1 small squirt of sriracha and some pepper, let simmer for 10 minutes.  Tear open the noodle packet (any old fast cooking noodles would work) and throw the noodles in.  I also used 1/2 of the spice packet in there but I find the whole spice packet to be too much.  Stir, Simmer for 5 minutes.  Make sure the soup is back to a boil, crack and egg into the soup and stir all around so the egg can break up and cook in pieces.  If 1 egg isn't enough (I didn't think so), do the same thing for 1 more.  Don't be afraid, it sounds weird, it is weird but it's no big deal.  Stir and let simmer for 5 more minutes, and then ladle into bowls, throwing in the green parts of the scallions before serving.

Serves 2
Time: 25 minutes start to finish

This soup has it all: vegetable, protein, noodle, and a little spice with very little effort.  It will warm you up, keep you full, and replenish the body - if you happen to need that, or if you happen to have a significant other on the couch who had crazy adventures the night before and who might need that.

So Easily Distracted

It's been pretty silent around these parts lately for a few reasons: 1. I have not been running or working out in any way, 2. I've been studying a great deal for a couple exams, and 3. Life is just really annoying right now.

Running
Since last week I've been having some knee pain that's been really out of the ordinary... I got on the treadmill ran a little bit and it just didn't feel good so I stopped.  After that I noticed that my knees have been hurting in a way that I can't really explain, and every day I'm like: I should just go do some yoga or something and then I just don't do it because...

Studying
I've been studying for my exams.  They aren't for school, they are for work, which means that if I fail there will be an entire office of laughing people so I need to pass because I like to blend in.  I've been out of school for a long time and my brain is not liking the whole "sit down and read this stupid dry-material-filled-book and learn it" method.  I really do prefer the "guess C every time" method of standardized test taking but I have a feeling that could get me into some trouble.
[Yes, that is an iBook from like 2004 that lives on my Ikea desk.  I use it strictly for Google Reader and iTunes because it can't handle much else, yet it keeps chugging along] 

Daydreaming
Which also leads me to daydreaming.  I can get through a half a chapter before something in my brain rears up and says, "you know what would be great for Christmas? Pink CEP compression socks... must go find them online because what if pink isn't the right color for you?" And then yes, I add something to my ongoing Christmas list that started on October 1st.  It takes me a really long time to refine it so I truly know what I want and need under the tree.  Then it's all like, "a vacation sounds nice right about now, where could we cruise to at the end of December?... is it more expensive to vacation during the holidays?  I always thought the Home Alone family was genius for going on vacation for Christmas..." It rages on.

I'd rather be snorkeling in an ocean full of sharks right now... Ok maybe not sharks, but big fish.

Potato and Leek Chowder with Pancetta

This recipe came from Runner's Kitchen and was altered to be a little bit less vegetarian and a little bit less lactosey.  I'm so glad that people post successful recipes so I don't need to use my brain as much after a long day, I appreciate it!

Warning: This chowder is simply amazing and you will want to eat it everyday.
Runner's Kitchen version was 3 servings, but my version is easily 5 or 6 because we love leftovers around here.

Ingredients:
2-3 tablespoons of olive oil
1 bunch of leeks, cleaned and chopped
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of flour
4 cups of fat free Lactaid milk + 1 cup of chicken broth
5 large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped
2 cups of corn kernels (defrosted if frozen, I used sweet yellow frozen corn)
2 handfuls of shredded cheddar cheese - I used reduced fat
1/4 pound of pancetta from the deli chopped into tiny pieces
Lots of pepper
Sea salt to taste

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a dutch oven and saute leeks and garlic until softened, about 4 minutes
Add flour, milk and water to pot, add potatoes and bring to a simmer
Simmer potatoes for about 10 minutes or until they are fork tender.  While the potatoes are simmering, chop up the pancetta into small pieces and saute in a non-stick pan for about 5-6 minutes on medium high.  When the pancetta is done, pour everything (including some of the oil) into the dutch oven.
Add kale, corn, and cheese to the dutch oven and cook for another 2-4 minutes while stirring.
Add much pepper and some sea salt to taste.

Sure it might not look like much in this photo...but just you wait...

Friday Night...

That is all.

Confession: I am a big eater...

You would think that coming off running a marathon that I'd have this really great disciplined eating routine.  I've always eaten pretty healthy: limiting red meat, eating loads of veggies, my biggest downfall is quantity... I'm always eating too much and too many carbs.  That's something that I struggled with during marathon training, how do I know when I've eaten enough because honest to God I don't really know when I'm full... I just keep eating until I'm stuffed, generally eating like 2 servings of whatever is there.  Not a huge deal, my weight at the beginning of marathon training was basically the same at the end of marathon training.  You think you'll lose a lot of weight while running a ton?  You probably will if you have a good understanding of the whole: calories in vs. calories out concept that seems simple but is in fact difficult.  I need to take control of the food situation around here or someone is about to balloon to 400 pounds, so time to stop shoving candy corn in my face followed by tortilla chips and brownies and get back to the fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

[This is an Italian beef sandwich from Portillos... it was so greasy that the paper it came in changed from white to clear and I loved every single artery clogging bite.]

Tomorrow is going to be my first workout post-marathon, I'm going to hit the treadmill since bad weather is expected and do a light 4-5 miles with core and weights.  I just barely squeaked by the whole marathon thing, so I really need to work on my strength and flexibility so next race I'll be able to run faster than a shuffle at the end (yes, I plan on many more races, go running!).  Friday nights at the gym are awesome, I realize what that sounds like... and I really am that exciting.  It's like: I get the choice of Any Treadmill in this whole place??  Amazing.  I don't have to fight for mirror space by the weights.  Love.  I can sit in the steam room without naked strangers?  Fantastic.

Now that I have time to cook real foods with real nutritional value, I'll be using the Front Burner's take on spaghetti squash with some sauteed onions, zucchini, and tomatoes... no dessert tonight, I think there is enough sugar swirling in my tummy from all the candy corn eaten earlier today.  Time to get back on the wagon... or at least attempt to.

Chicago: The Funny, The Fun, and The Ugly

After digesting the marathon a few days later... I'm trying to remember the really fun parts about the marathon.  First of all it was a Sunday, so Everyone and their mother living in Chicago was there and they were actually cheering for people for Hours... Hours!  I mean when I watch the Boston marathon, I'm a little ashamed to say I basically stay through the elites because I never know anyone in it, and then I head home... I am the worst spectator ever.  Luckily, people in Chicago are way better than I am.

My favorite signs on the Chicago Marathon course - 

• At mile 7... "You're Almost Done!" later, the same sign appeared at 16...
• "Only Psychos Can Finish Marathons"
• "Hey Stranger, I'm Really Proud of You"
• "Are Your Nipples Bleeding Yet?"
• "Run You Bitches"
• "Run For the Cheese"

My favorite moments -

• Getting sprayed down with a fire hose, literally a fire hose by a fully uniformed fire fighter, and getting so soaking wet that my ear buds stopped working for a mile. 
• Using a sponge full of water, only later to hear that in fact those sponges were being picked up off the ground and reloaded with water from a kiddie pool for more runners... second hand sponges... gross.
• Slipping on a banana peel and comically almost falling right on my ass.  Why bananas? 
• The group of all male cheerleaders, you were Really perky!
• Running by a ton of orange peels only to realize they had in fact been eaten by all the fast people and there were none left for the little guys, ah well, you snooze you lose.
• Watching people chat on their phones while running and taking photos of themselves... yes for real.

The reason that we'll never stay at the W on Lakeshore Ave. again...

The bathroom has an effing window to the bedroom... why the F would a bathroom need that kind of window sure they shut but not Really, not to mention that the door didn't actually close.  Even for a married couple this was a bit too intimate. [Husband is tactfully posing, not actually using the toilet, that would be vulgar.]
Also, see the shower, it has half of a door.  I can't even tell you how much we paid to stay in a hotel like this... I mean this was just a stupid concept that nobody thinks is cool.  I never thought that I'd have to ask a hotel if their bathrooms had working doors or a window to the bedroom, but I have learned from this experience. 

Chicago Marathon Recap

Chicago is Amazing, I loved the city and miss it already.  We did a lot of tourist stuff but decided I had way too many photos to post, so in a nutshell we: went to the top of the Willis Tower, got Italian beef sandwiches at Portillos, ate dinner at Big Bowl, saw The Bean, went on an architectural boat tour, had lunch at Gage, and then finally a celebratory steak dinner at Benny's Chop House.  My only and deepest regret is that we never found time to get deep dish pizza, but we will be going back to see the museums at some point too because it was just love at first sight with the city.

We met up with my friend on Saturday and took a school bus to the expo for our packet pickup.  My friend Megan and I were both running the marathon, although starting in different corrals (she had a seeded half marathon time this year - which is definitely the way to go, the open corral is for boners and me).

Expos are great, there are a million vendors and a million people but if you want you can just get your stuff and get the Eff out of there via school bus... so we did just that and went back to Niketown.

On the posters this year, they listed everyone's name and we were actually able to find mine.  Niketown was probably the busiest place in the whole city this weekend, although the marathon in general seems to be really good for the city from restaurants to cabs to hotels, etc. bringing in mass amounts of revenue (we helped their little economy a great deal).

Where's Waldo?  Clue: crazy ponytail.

Things learned from this marathon experience...


Most anyone can Run a marathon, not many people can run a marathon well

I had a goal time in mind, and I was off by about 40 minutes... however there are obvious reasons for that.  1. I didn't train hard enough.  In order to run a marathon well you need to train hard with high mileage and speed work or just decently high mileage.  My injury took 2 weeks of training away from me, and beyond that it lowered my mileage for the next 1.5 months as to not risk a flare up which seriously impacted my end result.  I get mad just thinking about that unfortunate event.  2.  Seriously, just about anyone can finish a marathon: just getting from point A to point B isn't that hard, it's how fast you want to do it that makes it really difficult.


If you choose a marathon, make sure you choose a big one

What made this marathon the best one to run (I do think it is the best one) is that there is so much runner support: water stops at just about every mile, bathroom stops every 2-3 miles, and a million spectators lining the very flat route for the entire race.  There was only 1 very memorable mile where there were no spectators... and it was a running graveyard.  Instantly the people who were hurting needed to walk, to stretch, to sit down, or to completely fall apart.  We could see that the spectators were about a half mile away, so people decided to take a breather, and let me tell you that once you stop or slow down like that getting back up to speed is beyond challenging.  One small problem with Chicago is the bathroom situation at the starting line... I had to wait 20 minutes for a bathroom, and when I got out I literally had to run into my corral that was already moving...there were Not enough bathrooms at the start and I drank too much coffee.


Have a water stop strategy

Luckily this race provided ample water and Gatorade for runners, I couldn't believe the amount of volunteers that they had.  My strategy at first was: run, grab 1 Gatorade, and then run while drinking at every single stop since it was higher temperatures... that's a stupid idea.  Later, although I did still hit every stop I slowed almost to a walk as I guzzled it down and then ran out of the stop to make sure I actually got enough in without spilling it all over myself.  I really think I need to work on this aspect of a race, and starting at mile 17 I walked through every water stop both out of pain and out of need for more water, it was a hot one out there.

Walking is not the answer

I was warned that miles 1-20 are one race and miles 20-26 are another race.  I don't think that is true at all, I never really hit what I felt was a wall... because I was hurting at mile 12!  I powered through the first half, mainly to get through some of the crowding (hello open corral) and although I didn't take it out too fast, I was just Tired.  From miles 15-26.2 were kind of a disaster for me, and the urge to walk was there, my legs just weren't up for it... should I walk or should I tough it out?  I stopped to stretch out and then kept on running.  I didn't fly to Chicago using all our frequent flyer miles so that I could walk the course.  I walked through water stops, but then immediately started running again, even if it was much slower than I even imagined possible!  Like I was actually running, because walking hurt even more than running for some reason, but I didn't know that I could Run a 14 minute mile - that's barely faster than walking.  Right about mile 23 I just wanted it to be over and the only way to make that happen was to keep on moving.

Splits:

Mile 1:   8:39
Mile 2:   9:00
Mile 3:   9:43
Mile 4:   8:55
Mile 5:   9:22
Mile 6:   9:32
Mile 7:   9:19
Mile 8:   9:10
Mile 9:   9:27
Mile 10:  9:31
Mile 11:  9:18
Mile 12:  9:47
Mile 13:  9:30
Mile 14:  9:35
Mile 15:  12:04  bathroom break
Mile 16:  10:42
Mile 17:  10:53
Mile 18:  10:48
Mile 19:  11: 29
Mile 20:  12:05
Mile 21:  12:51
Mile 22:  12:20
Mile 23:  14:46  stretching
Mile 24:  12:19
Mile 25:  14:06
Mile 26:  13:38
2:06 at the half, mostly on pace.
Finish: 4:48  Mehh.

I'm glad I did it, I'm glad I finished, but I do wish that I had finished a little stronger than Weak.  The second half is such a disappointment to me.

It's going to hurt, just accept it

As with my long runs, the pain was almost entirely in the bottoms of my feet and my groin area.  I guess this is kind of strange, but I use SuperFeet insoles, and am not sure what else can be done about that.  You go into this expecting that it's going to hurt a lot, and with that expectation I was pretty much Ok with it... I mean people were dropping like flies left and right due mostly to the 85 degree weather I'm sure, but I was able to keep moving and that's all I was concentrating on.  We had to walk a mile from the finish line back to the hotel and I made it about half way and the hopped into a cab.  I think my husband was expecting me to be completely unable to walk, but the reality is that yes it all hurt a ton but when it's over it's over and recovery comes next.  The afternoon after the race, everything below the waist hurt a lot.  I could still walk around and do things, but just at a much slowed down pace.  The day after the race... I'm walking really oddly.  All of my muscles are so stiff: my legs, lower back and shoulders, and the thought of someone massaging my legs sounds like torture so I'm just going to try and stretch out on my own.

I would do it all again

It was worth the 4 months of training, the loss of social life, the waking up early on Saturdays, the ice baths, the doctor visits and physical therapy, the bad long runs, the good long runs, and everything in between.  I would do it all over again, not tomorrow, but I would consider doing another one again for sure - I have my heart set on NYC but it could take a couple years to get through the lottery system which is fine with me and by that time maybe I'll have become a more developed runner.  Until then I plan to concentrate on 5Ks, 10Ks, and half marathons.  I guess it was pretty unrealistic to go from being a novice to pulling a marathon out of my ass, next time will be better although just as painful I'm sure!

Bye Boston, Hello Chicago

See you on the other side...

A day without running

After work, I was on a mission.  All I wanted to do was go to Bouchee for dinner for their French onion soup and then head to Miniluxe for a manicure since it's a running off night, and you know what?  Neither of those things happened.  I walked up to Bouchee only to find it's now a freaking Papa Razzi, what the F?  Why the Eff would I want to go to a freaking Papa Razzi?  What happened to my favorite little French Bistro?  Apparently it closed to make room for a Papa Razzi.  What did happen was a half dozen phone calls to restaurants in the Back Bay inquiring if they served French onion soup...I know that is insane and I don't even care that I did it.
[In case you were wondering, those who do not: Stephanie's, Cafeteria, Towne, Joe's.  Those who do: Abe & Louie's, Capital Grille, Brasserie Jo]
So we went to Abe & Louie's and got the stupid soup.  It's kind of not the same when you were planning on consuming an 8 out of 10 rated soup and you find yourself sitting there eating a 5 out of 10 soup, there was nothing wrong with it, but it wasn't anything special.  Soup is one of those things that wraps around me and makes me feel awesome, this soup didn't make it that far, it was more like a pat on the back.

As for the manicure, we were rudely turned away at Miniluxe so went to one of those Asian mani/pedi places (Town Nails on Newbury) and got really great manicures for half the price of Miniluxe and were better served.  I think my friend and I were equally satisfied with the manis, they're like extra special treats with really super new colors and all that.  They even put on the tv for us to watch the gossip roundup... Miniluxe was Not doing that.

When I got home...something awesome was waiting for me: an ultra thoughtful card and a gift from my friend to wish me good luck in Chicago. 

How completely Nice is this?  She's just that kind of person, she goes out of her way to make everyone feel loved.  I'm really overwhelmed, it's just such a touching gesture.  Thank you, it's so much appreciated!

One more day of work and then we're off...

A boring running update

Monday night I ran to my group run 1.4 miles down the street, with the group for a 3.1 mile run, and then 1.4 miles back home...close to 6 miles on a Monday night, which is double what I usually do for a recovery run and you know it worked out well.  My legs felt fresh, the rain and cold didn't bother me too much, and I was almost able to keep up with my usual pace group - almost.  I wasn't feeling speedy, but I was feeling light and energized.  When I walked in the door wearing my white running rain jacket and my reflector vest, my husband said I looked like an astronaut... it's like: shit, I've been running around in public for the past hour and Now it turns out that I look like an astronaut... great!  I'll remember that outfit, but pretty much all my running gear looks a little off, I always mix and match the worst possible combinations.

Tuesday, I made a major mistake.  I thought it was going to be bad weather so I went to the gym to and hit the treadmill while forgetting my headphones and iPod at home.  Right now, running on the treadmill is a little piece of hell, I do not suggest it especially without any distractions like bad tv.  I lasted about 20 minutes and then did some stretching, PT exercises, and practically exploded right out of there.  My tolerance for annoying things is super low right now... when I got home a button fell off my cropped trenchcoat: icing on the cake.  It was a really nice button...

Luckily, today is a an off day and I'm trying to remember how to get out there and be social on weekdays.  It's horrible weather in Boston today but that's not going to stop me from having French onion soup and getting a manicure, both of which are guilty little pleasures.  I hope everyone in the northeast finds a fun way to stay out of the rain... only a couple more days till Chicago, where I hear it will not be raining over the weekend:  www.noaa.gov

My last long run

This morning I had 8 miles on my schedule but felt that wasn't enough so I changed it to a 10 mile run at marathon pace to get a feel for how I'm looking with a 1 mile cool down at the end...because I was farther from home than I planned and not because I enjoy cooling down.  I know I should have been trying to hit marathon pace the entire summer but I had so many bad long runs since my injury and today I actually felt good.  Let me break it down because this is all confusing to someone who doesn't do math in her head...

I run a 2 hour half marathon, well last year I did.  According to this little calculator based on that race my estimated marathon training pace should be 9:19 miles and my tempo runs should be 8:50... that seems off.

Lets do it again using my usual Monday night 5k fun run...based on a 25 minute 5k my estimated marathon training pace should be 8:58 and tempo at 8:30.  Ok, that's a very small difference but it is much closer to how I feel goal-wise or like what I know I could do if I had hit all my mileage this summer (which I didn't...fail) and I'm sure that I shouldn't tempo anything slower than that.

Today, I was basically in between those two estimations which is great.  Each of my 10 miles hit between 8:50 and and 9:10 and for the first time in a long time I didn't bonk or want to die once the entire time.  I felt comfortably uncomfortable, and although I wasn't running as fast as I would have liked it was fast enough to feel happy with the results.  The only downside to the entire run was the amount of chaffing I had under my left arm, I must pump it harder or like cross it over my body a bit more and with today's poor choice of a cotton t-shirt I was left with such bad chaffing that it was actually bleeding by the time I got home.  There's now a Hello Kitty bandaid there so nothing else can touch it till it heals, omg, that was so annoying and stupid painful.  I put body glide at my sports bra but not on my arms for some reason, idiot decision!  Put it everywhere people.

Only one week till Chicago.  I'm nervous, but I can't wait to hit the expo!!  This is quite literally the biggest goal I've given myself in many years.