Half Marathon & Vest Party

The North Face Endurance Challenge half marathon race report:

The night before the race I met up with Christy, Liz, and Hagan for a pasta dinner at Picasso's. The weather was absolute crap- it had rained all week long and we were worried about the state of the race course. The NFEC website promised that the run would take place rain or shine.

I woke up early Saturday morning, had some coffee and a blueberry muffin from the co-op. I dressed in layers- it was an overcast day and pretty cold out, about 38 degrees. I wore my new Pearl Izumi fleece-lined running tights, a long sleeve base layer T with a short sleeve T layered over it, plus my windbreaker jacket and fleece gloves. I decided to carry my water bottle with my water/heed mixure for the entire race. I like hydrating constantly. My distance wasn't set to start until 10:00 AM, but the drive is about an hour so I left the house at 8:15 AM. I got there in plenty of time, picked up my packet, put on my timing chip, ate a Gu pack, and waited about 20 more minutes for the race to begin.

They didn't stage us so we just lined up and started when the gun went off. It took about 7/10 of a mile to get to the actual off-road section. Once we hit the trailhead, we hit the first big climb, a huge hill that went on and on. This weeded out the strong runners right away. The pack immediatly started to get strung out. My game plan from the get-go was just "finish," so this is all I intended to do. No pressure, just do my best, run as much as I can but save my energy and walk up the big hills. So I did.

After the big climb there were several rolling hill sections, but at mile 4 we came upon a relativly flat section that lasted for about 2 miles. A small group of 4 of us were running together for this entire section. I was wearing my Garmin, so I knew what kind of pace I was keeping. We did 10:30 miles for miles 4-6, then hit another hilly section in which I lost the other 3 people.

The first aid station was at mile 6.5. Thankfully Plymale was there to take my gloves and jacket which had become a burden. After ditching my stuff, I grabbed a water and a Gu and went on my merry way. I was pretty much by myself for the rest of the race. I ran whenever I could, but walked up the big hills. I just chugged along, and totally took in the gorgeous woods and fresh fall scenery. The trails had a few muddy sections and the fallen leaves played optical tricks on your eyes, but the trails really weren't that bad. The sun came out at noon, and it was even prettier out. The shade from the trees kept it from getting too warm. Checking my pace, I was making decent time so I set a goal to finish in under 3 hours.

I didn't pass by the aid station again until 1.7 miles from the finish. I was glad I had packed my Heed- they should have had another aid station at like mile 9.5 but they just had the one. I was started to really hurt at this point, my knees were fine but my calves felt like they were going to knot up, and my hips and shins hurt. I was walking quite a bit at this point, but then some of the folks who had been out running the 30 mile loop passed me, so that inspired me to get the lead out again. The last part of the race was running down the huge hill we ran up in the beginning. I was pretty happy about this and felt like it was pulling me forward. It was funny to see all the layers of clothing discarding along the side of the trail- hats, gloves and jackets.

Once I got to the bottom of the hill I had about .7 miles to go on the pavement. I wanted to walk but I just couldn't because there were cars everywhere- people who had done the 10K or the fast 13.1 finishers were exiting the park as I was running in. Once I came around the bend and could see the inflated red arch I had one thing in mind. Keep running towards the red arch. When I hit the grassy straightaway, I picked up the pace and "sprinted" through the finish. Hooray!

The NFEC crew before the race- Hagan, me, Christy, Liz

Mile 6.5- feeling suprisingly good (obviously)

Finish!

***

Saturday night, the same day as the race, was also the date I had agreed to host a party at my crib. Tawnya and Matt have been collecting cases of beer through thier Miller connection, and needed a place to host a party for our group. As one who loves gatherings, I volunteered. I do wish there were more hours in the day though, because I did not have a chance to nap after my race and thus was pretty sore and exausted by the time the party started. I slammed an energy drink, and the adrenaline kept me going. I had spent the 4 hours leading up to the party cleaning the house and making butternut squash soup and sausage balls. Thankfully my darling AJ was there as my right-hand man to assist with the preparations. The place looked pretty nice, I must say, and the party was a blast. At one time we had 27 people there, all mingling and wearing wacky vests. I took a few blurry iphone pics, but they aren't fit to be seen. The party disbanded around midnight at which time most of us ended up at the Crystal.

An epic finish to a great day. Good times!

Chicago in the Fall

The Chicago mini-vacay this weekend was absolutely wonderful. What isn't fantastic about two days off from work, 500 threadcount sheets, sleeping til 10, HDTV, a 16th floor city view, room service, and all the shopping you can handle? I can't think of a thing except returning to reality.

We got in at about 7:30 PM Sunday night and spent the first hour settling in, checking out the details of the room room and laughing over the contents of the minibar- including a bottle of Patron. I immediately cracked open an ice-cold Goose Island 312, poured it into a cocktail glass and gazed out the window to the promising city lights below.

The room was small, but nice, with all the features you would expect from the kind of hotel it was. Nicely decorated, well-designed, and the bed was really comfortable with no weird odors. There were white terrycloth bathrobes that I had to slip into just because I could.

My favorite feature was the red heating light in the ceiling of the bathroom, designed to make the bathroom nice and toasty while you bathe. If you turned off the regular light and just kept the heat lamp on, it cast a red glow throughout the entire bathroom. Being the sophomore I am, I kept turning on the red light, dancing around in the mirror singing, "sex party woot woot, sex party woot woot!" Seriously, it was total red-light district sex party lighting.

Since we had spent Sunday morning at the Cam Rock cx races and were in a hurry all day to get to Chicago, neither one of us really eaten much and were simply famished! It was getting a little late- after 9 at this point, but we set out to explore the surrounding dining establishments. We ended up wandering into Bin 36, a restaurant next door to Hotel Sax that features wine and cheese flights. I ordered the Sexy Reds wine flight- a collection of 4 spicy rich red wines, and Michael ordered the Shiraz flight. We got the waiter's recommendation on a cheese flight that would pair well with both of our selections. He recommended the house cheese flight but suggested we add a piece on, a semi soft cheddar, coated with ground coffee and lavender - from Beehive Cheese Co. in Utah. Wow! Lavender and crushed coffee beans, who would think? But awesome.

After sleeping in Monday, we hit the town to check things out. We walked and toured and shopped. They've really done a nice job with the Millenium Park area. There are interesting art structures, nice gardens, and lawns that really enhance the downtown area. Lunch was great- Chicago style pizza from Gino's East- and we had to walk a mile out of the way to get to it!

We got back to the hotel around 3:30 at which point I needed a NAP! I slept for a while, and watched some TV.

At 6:30 we walked 4 blocks to Starbucks to get latte's to keep us revved up for the concert. (Note: having an iphone with Google maps is a HUGE help in the city! We used it constantly!)





We then caught a cab to the UIC pavillon. I'm not a huge Wilco fan but they did thier best and the show was pretty good. We got back to the hotel around 11:30, and were simply starving as we had not eaten since lunch. The hotel package had provided us with a $50 gift certificate to any restaurant nearby that we still hadn't used. Most places were closed by then, but lucky for us, Smith & Wollensky's, a fancy schmancy steakhouse chain, was still open. We enjoyed $20 burgers and a piece of coconut cream cake. Maybe we were just starving, but it was delish! The view was gorgeous too- right on the river:

All in all, a fun fun trip. I didn't utilize the workout room, or eat clean, but isn't that what vacation is for? It's all about balance and enjoying yourself.

Nuts and Berries

Today is day 15 of The Project. I need to make a logo.

I have been going strong except for for a little blip Sunday evening. Plymale and I decided to hang out and have dinner together, and as my best friend, he is able to easily twist my arm into going out for a cocktail. I don't think he had to twist it at all actually....but anyways, we ended up going to the Tornado Room and to Gennas. I think cheating with cocktails, especially dessert martini-style cocktails, is absolutley decadent because you get the delisciousness of dessert, plus the kick or booze, baby!

They had my most favorite dessert martini of all time on their specialty menu- the Nuts and Berries Martini. The first and only other time I had tasted one of these was at the Blue River Bistro in Breckenridge this summer (those were a steal at 2 for 1 ...two $9 martini's for the price of one? Why, yes, I'd love another, thank you!)

The Nuts and Berries Martini contains Chambord, Frangelico, and Baileys. Totally sinful. Was it worth 2 days of puffiness and no progress? Perhaps. The mind needs it sometimes. Maybe not though- I sabotaged my Monday because of it.

****

So I tried on the jeans in my closet that I had been afraid to try on all summer-including the scariest of all...my skinnys! (I do laugh that they are a size 14 but still called "skinny" but what we are referring to is the cut and fit, not the way I look in them. We can call them tight and tapered...) I would not have been able to put them on three weeks ago. Well, I probably could have but it would have looked obscene. Imagine my delight as I ease them on, up, and zipped with ease! A small victory. I am not down a size yet but we will see what happens.

ZOMG

Being able to wear my skinny jeans comfortably is just enough results and motavation for me to keep on keeping on. My head is held up a little higher and I'm that much more confident. This week was off to a bit of a rough start- my late night cocktailing on Sunday cut into my grocery shopping time, so I want sent off to work on Monday without any meals. I had my oatmeal/protein breakfast, but I had to do a Gino's run for lunch. I had to skip my workout too due to a busy work schedule, and afterwork was laundry and groceries and cooking. See?Just like THAT it can all go to hell. Preparation is everything. 5-6 meals a day, clean workout clothes, and rest, rest, rest. Not to mention the workouts themselves and all that water. As much as I can drink.

It is starting to get dark by 5:30ish, and it is pretty dark when I get up in the morning. I'm finding it tough to get out of bed- the hibernating grizzly bear side of me just wants to stay in my den til I'm ready to leave it!

I have some fun stuff coming up. I get to go to Chicago this Sunday for a mini getaway to see Wilco. Michael got tickets and invited me along. Why not? Wilco is so-so, but Chicago est bueno. We are staying at Hotel Sax on the river downtown, and the place looks nice. I am trying to decide whether I want to go to the Field Mueseum or the Industry mueseum or the art mueseum, or just play try-not-to-catch-cooties-or-get-in-the-middle-of-a-bum-fight. Either way, I have Monday and Tuesday off from work. Oh and the hotel has a nice fitness center too!

Hotel Sax

***


The North Face Endurace Challenge is October 24th. I decided I am going to run it, even though I quit training for it 3 weeks ago because of Dr.'s orders. The race is 13.1 miles and I have 4 hours to do it. That's 3.3 miles an hour. I think I can do it. Plus I really want to go! I want my North Face tech shirt and socks!

NFEC Slogan

Oh, I will, thankyouverymuch. And I'll do it in approximately 3 hours and forty five minutes' time!

That same evening after the race, (and after a long nap...) we are hosting a Wall of Beer party at the crib. It's a vest party. Vests mando. MANDO!

Ocho

Day Eight since I've gotten back into things.

Today I stepped on the scale at the Y, the scale I am using as my base scale, and I am down six pounds! Not bad for one week. I probably couldn't lose that again, and nor should I, it's too much for one week, but the first week back always goes like that, you lose "water weight." I like losing water weight. A lot.

Today I went to the gym over the lunch hour to do back and biceps. I didn't have too much time so I could only sneak in 20 minutes of cardio, which was fine because my roommate and I had made plans to go to the Eastside Y after work. This time I did 50 minutes of cardio- 25 treadmill, 15 elip, and 10 more treadmill. I think I am going to sleep like a baby tonight. I'm amazed at how much more centered I feel when I workout on a regular basis. All these endorphins rushing around...I'm laughing and singling and and mentally calm and centered. So great. Stress levels are way down at the office too.

I think I've got my nutrition plan figured out. Here is what I've been eating every day for the last week:

• 7:30 AM 1/3 cup (when dry) oatmeal w/2 Tbs ground flax, handful of blueberries, cinnamon & 1 scoop berry protien powder, coffee with splenda and a splash of cream (I know I need to omit the cream..)


• 10:30 AM 1 container fat-free 0% greek yougurt, 12 raw almonds, 4-5 celery sticks, small spoonful peanut butter

WORKOUT HERE

• 1:30 PM 10 oz soup made with: pureed squash, chicken broth, chicken breast, kale, spinach, blackbeans, sage, onions, garlic, and salt & pepper.


• 4:15 PM bok choy chicken salad, or 4 oz chicken breast w/veggies
  

OR WORKOUT HERE

• 7:00 PM Fish/chicken /scrambled egg whites with veggies. Maybe have a kombucha or some sweet potatos if I worked out in the evening and feel my carbs stores are really low.


• 9:00 PM If hungry- 1 scoop protein mixed with water and/or 1Tbs all-natural peanut butter.
  
• Plenty of water all day long, fish oils and glucosamine too.

This menu seems to be working for me, and I am enjoying it. Eating clean does not have to be bland. I cook my chicken breast with tons of different spices, and I add vinegars, lemon juice and spices and garlic or whatever to the sauted veggies. I haven't had to splurge on sugar-free popsicles or sugar-free pudding yet, and the longer I can hold out the better. That stuff just sparks cravings. Gateway drugs!

On a scale of 1-10 I would give my motivation level an 8.5 right now. Feeling good doing good.

Dirty Boys Disbanded

After a long work week, there is nothing better than Friday night unwinding. It's mandatory! By 5:00 PM Friday my mind ceases to process rational thoughts. Four times out of five, Friday eve meant starting out at Madison's Happy Hour at 6:00 PM enjoying $2 microbrews, then moving on somewhere to dinner, and possibly out after that to see music somewhere or catch up with my neightbors at the Crystal. That has all changed with the new sans-alcohol policy I've implemented this week. Tonight is my first Friday night at home in quite some time. It's actually been a pleasant evening. The internet, Kombucha tea, and good music...I feel really relaxed, and I'm not sure how to say this but, well, I feel "well." I ended up being at the office until after 7:00 PM tonight and decided to take today as my rest day. I was going to do heavy leg day, but my mind would not have been in to it and I needed to take a rest day anyway. I was having some spasms in my right calf muscle last night on the treadmill, so a rest is probably good. I think I have some knots that need to be worked out.

***

Today was the last day of work for 10 folks leaving due to company restructuring. Today was just plain sad. I was honored to go have lunch with the Dirty Boys one last time. "Dirty Boys," was the nickname given to the 8 guys who worked professionally as the Inside Sales and Service department. Corporate is relocating thier positions to PA, and so the era comes to an end. What the Dirty Boys had can never be replicated. What a great team. When I started at the Company I worked in the lobby, directly downstairs from these follows. They sat in a loft-like area above, with a winding staircase between us. I could hear most of thier louder conversations, laughter, locker room talk, and thier music which was either really good, or really really bad. We became great friends, I had so much fun then. The dirty boys were my heros. These were your dirt bag MTB riders, year-round commuters, cyclocross and crit racers, complete bike geeks, the absolute heart of cycling love. True passion. They were all over educated and smart as hell too. Each unique in their own way, it was thier differences that made thier synergy the best. I'm going to really miss those guys. I think the whole industry will.


***

Tomorrow will be my heavy leg day, and I'll do total upper body on Sunday. Despite the doctor's orders I've been doing some treadmill running. Intervals. I just love the workout if gives me. None of the cardio machines get my heart rate up so quickly. I am being very careful and I haven'd had any knee pain so far, just some weird calf spasms. I think I just need to work a few knots out and do some stretching.

Half Birthday

As I stated in a previous post- I'm signed up to run the North Face Endurance Challenge in late October. Training has not been going very well due to some severe knee pain. Not able to stand it any more, I went to the doctor last Thursday to get checked out. He said I have what is commonly referred to as Runner's Knee. I would get into the details of it, but that was last week and I'm over it. Long story short, I'm not doing the race. He said I need to focus on strengthening my quads and glutes, and stretching my hamstrings and calves more. the knees need rest. So, no race for moi. OK, whatever you say doc. The bummer thing is losing $75 registration fee. :(

Soooooo I took the news in stride (not literally- ha!) and have shifted my focus back to original plan of this Autonomy Project, which basically training to get FIT. No more crazy boyfriends and getting dumped followed by 3 weeks of lazy junk food wallowing for me. Yeah, it happened, I expierience the WRONG way to deal with a break up, and I learned from it. Back on track- eye on the prize.

My half birthday was Monday, September 28th and that day also marked my first day back on track. I am now at the end of day four and things are going well; I'm eating clean and doing my workouts. I just need to keep my will power and motivation going strong.

Besides fluctuating motivation, the most difficult part for me is the social aspect of choosing a strict fitness lifestyle. I am one who loves the social scene, loves the night life. I enjoy going out for dinner and drinks. I'm going to have to change what I do when I unwind. The gym helps- in fact it is the biggest stress buster ever. But out with friends drinking- oh drinking. Alcohol is just another form of sugar and completely unnacceptable. Needless to say I am going to be staying in more than going out. With that in mind I signed up for cable TV this week, and am trying to round up a television to like, um, watch it on.

I am proud of my will power so far. Last night was a friend's Birthday celebration. We went out to dinner and I did great- ordered the roasted veggie salad with a tuna steak. Drank water. When the waitress brought my friend a slice of chocolate cake with forks, I just popped a piece of gum. I wasn't tempted at all. A small victory.

After dinner my friend wanted to go to the bars and I didn't feel like going far so I took him to my local watering hole, my Cheers- The Crystal Corner. We got there just after 9 and I was getting kinda sleepy, so to get back in the game I drank a sugar free Red Bull. After that I just had club sodas with a twist of lime. We were out til 1:45 AM- and I had fun the whole time. Of course I knew half the people there and that makes it more enjoyable.

That's all for now.

Go me, go!

Mojo = Lost

I have not blogged in FOREVER! I have been having some adventures, some heartaches, some twists and turns. I am 25.5 years old in a week, and I am well. Severe knee pain has impacted my NFEC training, but I have an appointment Thursday to get checked out. I hope I hear good things.

I realized I haven't written anything since basically before I started seeing Paul- who am I now now longer seeing. He was a cool guy but things didn't work out. He "wasn't over his ex" and blah blah blah. Paul has oats to sow. It was a fun three weeks or so while it lasted. Good times were had. He was pretty social, I had a pretty big crush on him. He was an artist, a special needs teacher in the elementary school system, rides bikes everywhere and has a cute little Corgi puppy named Spy. He even started a feeding the homeless project in 2005 that still goes on every Sunday at James Madison Park. An Aries like me, Paul could not be held down. Just like I'm kind of a wishy-washy free spirit, so is he. It is no wonder he broke up with me- commitment is scarey. He's a damn fool though. :)

It has been strange- this was my first time getting dumped. But being on the dumpee end of things is an interesting change. There is a lot less guilt, which is nice. Paul was puzzling though, because he was the one who "rushed" things with us; the one who set the fast pace. Typical Aires- sizzle to fizzle. All of his friends were these incredibly genuine, cool people who seemed pleased to meet me. They acted like whoever Paul's girlfriend was must be cool. I even ran into a friend of his today at the Willy St. Fair who was puzzled by the breakup. "I thought you were good for him, good together," he commented. Oh well! Three and a half weeks is nothing really, so I'm not upset. I do think getting "dumped" does weird things to your self esteem though...for the next week after I stopped doing my hair and make up; slept in every day, and have been eating crap food. Alas, it is good to experience this side of things....its all a part of this life adventure. The last thing I am going to say about that whole thing is that the one thing that sucks is that I don't often meet guys like him that I am intrigued by and attracted to. There was a lot lacking...we never had real conversations and he was a bit of a hippie, but likes is likes.

Living on Jenny street continues to be a blast, I can't imagine living anywhere else. I of course love having my broseph AJ as a roommate, and our new roommate, Amy, is the coolest person ever. I am really enjoying getting to know her. It has been a fun east-side Madison summer.

Work is keeping me busy. I was struggling to learn my new role, but now my boss and I have become a team and we are really working together quite well. I'm still working about 50 hours a week, but I really thrive in the busy work environment. There are some tough times ahead at work, we're losing some good talent and absolutely incredible people in the coming weeks due to a re-organization. Being in HR, I am very close to the carnage. All in a days work I spose.

More soon

T

Tweet With Me

I think need to join Social Media Addicts Anonymous ... I don't even own a television but I feel lost with out my iPhone- for the twitt & fb apps of course. These days, you just can't trust a person who doesn't have a facebook profile. Can't trust em. I think it has to do with my love of sociology, and it caters to my ADD ways.

Anyways, add me bitches!

@Tiffasaurus (Miss Blanchet if you're nasty.)

Klarbrunn is For Lovers

Black Cherry Klarbrunn is the new nectar of the Gods in my world.

If you disagree, try not eating any sugar for two weeks, and then taste one on a hot summer day. Mmm mmm good.

I can't remember the last time I felt this good! I feel stoked about stuff and full of life. I'm already down a solid 8 lbs too, and I feel so energized and motivated. I'm definitely putting all of my spare time into the planning and preparation of this lifestyle. When I get home from work, I am washing tupperware, or cooking/packing meals, or doing laundry (gym clothes!), or packing my panniers for riding my bike to work. I really don't have time for a whole lot of anything else. I am not whining! In fact, there is nothing else I would rather be doing with my time. I have never been so selfish in my life. No boyfriend to check-in with or dote on, no other focus except doing my workouts and eating clean. My mood is so lifted that I find my work life improving greatly.

Here's my score from the Farmer's Market on Saturday:

I still have a few squash left to use. After the Farmer's Market adventure I manged to spend the rest of my day doing glamorous thing like washing produce, laundering clothes and picking up supplements. I did a little shopping too, spent too much money at Victoria's Secret and geeked out over some things at Barnes and Nobel. I ended up picking up Tosca Reno's book The Eat Clean Diet. I've already read the whole thing and I recommend this book! It is totally in line with all of the fat burning principles I have researched.

When I first started out I learned a good deal of the fat burning principles in the Body-for-Life book, and while that is good for beginners, I needed something a bit more in depth. Then in 2007 my friend sent me an eBook by bodybuilder and fitness expert Tom Venuto entitled "Burn Fat, Feed Muscle," and that book became the foundation of my fitness philosphy. Yes, I have the knowledge and have had it for sometime. Too bad its ALL in the execution of it. Hence, the Autonomy Project! :) I can't wait until I've practiced what I've preached, and bore the fruits of my labor so others will listen to my counsel. I would really enjoy being a fat loss coach or something along those lines.

My current supplement arsenal.

I only take supplements that I really really believe in. I don't want to take anything unless I need it. For now, that means:

Echinacea- to keep colds away

Green Tea- A fat burner with no calories

Glucosamine- for my creaky knee joints

Omega 3 Fish Oils- For joints and all that other stuff Fish Oils do (Google it- they're amazing!)

Protein Powder- Three different types: standard whey(for post workout), slow release (for evenings- meal 6), and a Probolic that lasts 12 hours (for strawberry flavr). The "probolic" might be a scam, I just got it this weekend and haven't reasearched it yet. I do like the texture of the powder. It shakes evenly with no clumps.

That's about it for now. I should probably take a multi, but first of all, I eat a LOT off veggies, and second, I hate how they taste. I read a little trick that says to take your supp's at night so your body breaks them down and sends them where they need to go while you sleep, and so you don't pee them out with your morning coffee. So I've been doing that.

Mojo = Found.

Mama's got her groove back! That's right. I'm not sure what happened, or how it happened, but I finally got my mind right this past weekend. It is a good thing too because even though the desire was there, the motivation for action was not. The stressful work stuff did play a HUGE role in completely psyching me out, as did the "I just ran a race! I need time off!" mentality. I didn't want to waste any more time. I realized that my personal fitness goals are the most important thing to me and one of the places where I derive the most joy and satisfaction, so by NOT doing them, I was adding more stress to my life. Needless to say The Autonomy Project is now completely underway. In fact, I feel so back into it that it feels like I never skipped a beat or took two months off at all! (um, except for the fact that I now run slow as shit...)

So here is my schedule, in all its glory, hanging on the bulletin board in my office. The best satisfaction comes from highlighting each day upon completion of the day's workout.

After the inaugural Trail Run Club run Sunday I sat down and mapped out my daily workouts from now 'til the end of the year. The focus for the next 3 months will be the NFEC 13.1 trail run, with a double minor in cycling and weight training. The cycling is training for the Kickapoo Dam Challenge October 3rd which is like a sprint tri, but with canoing rather than swimming. (The bike portion is like, 15 miles of hills, which brings back painful memories of Devil's Lake.)

The weight training is because it's my most favorite and brings the best results, plus I want to get in the habit of it for my Nov/Dec focus which is all heavy weights fat-blasting cardio, with no focus on endurance sports. I will do some run intervals for cardio, and I want to keep up with running so I can jump into February outside runs and gear up for the local fun runs like Shamrock Shuffle and Crazylegs with ease.

Hah! Check out my blurry (thanks iPhone) zoom-in on race day-- and the day after reward...Spa day! :) ------------->


In other exciting news, I've signed up as a volunteer for Ironman WI this year. I chose what I wanted to help out with based on the location and time of the options available. I ended up picking to be on the run course at the corner of State and the Overture Center, because I can ride my bike there, plus the time is ideal- 12:30-4:00 PM, so I can get my long run in in the morning before spending the rest of the day being awed and inspired by amazing people.

So this evening has been spent making up another batch of delicious bok choy chicken salad, a recipe I copied from the Willy Street Co-op deli. I just read the ingredient label, and recreated it myself. It will be perfect for lunches the rest of the week. My dinner tonight is salmon, sweet potato fries, and asparagus:biggity bam!

Clean eating is fantastic, it just takes time to prepare. Besides always pairing a good carb with a protein, another key is to eat small meals several times a day (about every 2.5 hours) to keep your body's metabolism burning. This works so much better than just 3 meals or less, it makes your body a fat burning furnace. Plus it stabilizes your insulin levels throughout the day so you don't get that late afternoon dip. I really love the energy it gives me- not like the life-draining refined foods.

Here's my basic menu this week:

8:00 AM Breakfast: 1/4 cup oatmeal, 4 egg whites, 1 yolk

10:45 AM Pre Workout Meal: 1 peach, 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese mixed with a scoop of protein powder and flax seed meal.

1:15 PM Post Workout Meal : salmon, yams, veggies (sauted zucchini, eggplant, and spinach)

3:45 PM Late Lunch: Bok Choy Chicken Salad, or celery with PB

7:00 PM: Chicken or Fish, and veggies.

9:15 PM Protein shake, maybe sugar-free jello.

There's lots of flex room and constant fine tuning and experimenting. I taper my carbohydrates, meaning I eat the bulk of them early in the day for energy and to help boost my workouts, and immediately following my workout for restoring my glycogen stores. Some people can get away with more carbs than I can, but my body hates them.

Please enjoy one of my favorite songs to workout to, not to mention hilarious video, here.

Madison Trail Running Club

I signed up to participate in The North Face Endurance Challenge today. 13.1 miles in the Kettle Morraine State Forest. Should be fun, and tough as hell. I can't wait. The race is October 24th, which means a solid 12 week training program would start July 27th. I created a facebook group called Madison Trail Running Club and I'm going to be putting together organized training runs. I trained for Shamrock Shuffle, Crazy Legs, and the Madison (half) Marathon all solo. I want to see what it is like to group run a bit.

Moving Along

When M asked me to go to Breckenridge, Colorado over the 4th of July weekend with him, I jumped at the chance. I spent a big chunk of my childhood out west, I love the mountains! Since he was going for work, all it would cost me was my plane ticket, and incidentals. Car rental and hotel were on the house.

I should have known it was a bad idea. Four days in a row with an ex-boyfriend who is still kinda your best friend because gosh, you're not seeing anyone, and well, neither is he... but you've broken up like 4 times already because you're a fucking train wreck together.....................OY!

I don't regret going, so I don't want to make it sound like that. It was beautiful and I love any adventure so it was fun in that sense. It was bad because I was being selfish by going. I know better. M and I have spent some good times together over the past 2+ years, but our tumultuous off-again-on-again, I-hate-you-but-you're-like-family-to-me, I'm-bored-wanna-go-to-dinner, relationship needs to get the final stake it its neck and be buried for good.

It should mean something that we always get along best when we're drinking together. Sad, but true. Sober, we argue like old nags. He's calculated and methodical, slow, and careful. He thinks things through. My mind races a million words a minute, I'm spontaneous, loud (at times), lively, and quick. Bull in a china shop. or....unicorn in a wildflower field. I like to be challenged, surrounded with quick wit and hearty laughter sprinkled with spicy spontaneity. Though differences in a significant other are good if they are complimentary, we just didn't mesh well.


Moment after moment during the trip I found myself frustrated with M, judging him, annoyed by his actions and choices, just being reassured as to why I don't ever want to be his girlfriend. I seriously wondered how he had made it this far in life so far. Ok, in his defense he is a kind-hearted person who deserves someone who can appreciate his style and nuances, not be annoyed by them. I don't have the answers why we can't just get along, but I could write a 300 page book analyzing it.


It's almost humorous how since we work together and live only 2 blocks away from ea other, we've managed to keep slipping back into some form of togetherness. There's that comfortability factor with he and I that is hard to replace (though I'm never really myself around him, there is a familiarity; a comfort level thats just so empty and easy). We've gone weeks, and months without talking, I've even had full-blown other relationships during our break-ups, and then *BAM* its 90 degrees out and my apartment has no A/C, but his does so its "hey, mind if I come over" then its "wanna go to Breckenridge with me" then its "OMG, we're arguing about stupid shit again!" ugh. So unhealthy.

I did a lot of soul searching staring at those mountains. When he dropped me off at my house yesterday we gave each other a long hug. A thank-you, for being my family for these past few years....a good luck in whats to come....and an understanding that neither one of us is ever going to get anywhere wasting time being unhappy together. We're moving on.

Vacation, Excuses

I'm currently sitting at the Dane county airport waiting to board my flight to Denver. I'm spending the weekend in Breckenridge, Colorado, which I've never been to but heard great things about. It should be a nice extended weekend.

Work is continually stressing me out, though I'm trying to maintain a positive outlook and continue to do a good job. There's just a lot going on. The world of HR is heavy on policy and paperwork. Boring! Besides that all of my friends who are leaving the company due to the reorginization are going to be missed. Makes me do some soul searching too. Have I been in this one-horse town too long? Wouldn't it be great to move to another country for 2 or 3 years, and work and live and learn; totally immerse yourself in another culture and expand your mind? I'm toting with lots of ideas right now. I think it is important that I never become stagnant. I need to remain ambitious and moving towards the stars.

So I haven't started my official cutting diet and fitness routine yet. I really don't have and valid excuses except for work stress making me too mentally drained to expend the energy, and I like drinking beer in the summer. Plus it would have been silly to start before vacation, only to abandon it for 4 days. So I'm dubbing 7-7-09 as the official start date. I just need to get my mind right, so that's what I've been doing. Once I get started, it going to be an obsession so my social activities will change too. "Who wants an ice water!" I've also been fighting some typical (for me) down-in-the-dumps feelings for the past 8 weeks or so, and anyone who can relate can probably relate to how that affects things.

One day at a time. But not so chalant that life passes you by. As unromantic as it sounds,I think some kind of goals and plans are necessary, otherwise you'll wake up one day and be old with regrets. Maybe, maybe not.

Fairy Dog Mother

My housemate and brother AJ and I have both wanted to get a dog for a while now, so the time is right once the 3rd roommate moves out. We've decided on a corgi as the breed, but haven't looked into anything further yet. I'm excited, I think I'll really enjoy taking care of a pet. We'll see.

Went to the gym after work today and did upper body weights. I think I'm going to be sore tomorrow, which is good. I didn't get any cardio in today though. That will be unacceptable soon. I haven't fully turned it on yet as far as the official cutting routine; I'm just warmng up right now. Once I officially begin, I will be doing 8 cardio sessions a week... Yup, twice a day some days! Oy!

I STILL haven't made it to the grocery store this week! Had a good healthy dinner at K's house tonight- turkey burgers (no bun) and veggies. I did not weigh or measure the food though, since A. I didn't bring a food scale, and B. Haven't officially started yet. I'll do my official start date as June 21, which is this Sunday.

In a bit of exciting summer news, I'm going out to Breckenrige, CO for an extended 4th of July weekend with MP. He's going out to the Firecracker 50 MTB race to support the GT Bicycles Golden Race series, and asked me to join him. Hells yes! I'm doing a 10k trail run while I'm out there, along with shopping and spa time. I love the west, and miss the granduer of mountainscape. I can't wait to see the Rockies! Warms my icy heart.

Beautiful and Dirty Rich.

 
<----- So here is my current status picture! The Sepia color effect shows a little more definition than regular since my skin is so light. I should have taken before pics first thing in the morning, since I am still totally puffy today after my weekend of binge drinking at Waterfront Fest and the Crystal, but today was my opportunity since AJ was home and could take them for me. Looking at this picture is both motivating and uplifting. It's cool to see how far I've come, but its also motivation to push me towards my goals. I was just working on my BodySpace profile on bodybuilding.com. BodySpace is where you basically create a profile and upload pics to track progress. I'm not posting any pics of my ass yet! I have taken them, but they are for my eyes only at this point.

Still haven't made it to the grocery store to get stocked up on food. Made salmon and asparagus for dinner last night and had that for lunch today, but I haven't packed my 10:45 AM and 3:30 PM meals because I don't really have anything in the house for those except protein bars, which are an OK substitute but only in cases where whole foods are not available. Better to eat one of those than skip a meal.

I was at the office until 6:30 today. I have to say, though I am pretty good at it, Human Resources is probably not my passion. The paper trails are too long, and the processes to strict. Maybe HR management.... I don't know. I want to be the boss. I want to use my mind, problem solve and critically think. Busy work is for the birds. Spreadsheets are doable but make my eyes bleed. I think I am going to start taking classes in the fall. I need to get that degree under my belt. I need to get that little piece of paper in my hands that proves "I JUMPT THRU HOOPS!" I might start out at Upper Iowa University, across the way from work. They've got a good selection of classes with online and after work options. I've got an impressive work resume built up so far and I keep advancing but eventually I will get to a point where not having a degree will hold me back.

I would rather have a sponsor, so I could go to school for literature and art and just get totally absorbed into it. The plan is to marry dirty rich, my full time job being working out, spa treatments, shopping, and critiquing pop culture. *Or* reach fame and fortune and have servants...but just in case that does not happen, a girl's gotta have a back up plan.

Gnat City

Just back from a lakeside run this eve. I did my favorite quick loop- run down Jenny, cut over to Yaharah park, then along the Lake until you cut left through Olbrich and meet back up with the bike path and head back up the Marquette hood. Its about 4 miles, and I can extended it if I want. I just did the 4 miles tonight, as I feel extrememly out of shape today. Did I not run 13.1 miles in one swoop just 3 weeks ago? Why do I feel so slow? I bet the two weeks off complete with plenty o' beer has a little something to do with it.

I am sitting here covered in sweat trying to cool off-- there's no AC in my crib! The landlord said I could get a window unit for my bedroom but I've been too lazy and cheap to pick one up yet. i don't take the heat too well. Its 79 degrees, humid, and on the run the gnats were in clouds so thick they couldn't be avoided. I ate at least three, and just found one in the corner of my eye. mmm delicious gnatty bits!

Still haven't offically started my hardcore 40/40/20 eating plan yet- I need to make it to the grocery store first. I did eat fairly healthy today though, Oatmeal breakfast, stirfry for lunch, protein bar snack. Trying to figure out some dinner...probably scrambled eggs. When I begin the cutting diet I will need to make sure I am eating 5 times a day, all clean foods, and that takes prior planning and preparation. My new role in Human Resources has me a bit frazzled and I've been finding it hard to muster up the mental capacity to do much of anything in the evenings after work. The run tonight was fantastic- I think tomorrow I might ride to the YMCA after work for some lifting and cardio.

Up To Speed

I basically started this blog to be a creative outlet and a way to document my journey. I could obsess over what I'm going to post...the format, etc. but I am hoping to save those obsessions to my macro nutrient counting and things like that. This will be a more written-stream-of consciousness type of thing. At least until I get more of a feel for what style of entries I like the best. And because this is my blog, I will comment as needed on my personal life, pop culture, and your mom as much as I want to. This is just a glimpse into the inner workings of Madame T. (buckle up)

I should probably post a little background info, and explain what the Autonomy Project is.

I prefer the more contextual definitions of autonomy rather than literal. To me it is independence in actions and choices. Freedom of Movement, discipline in how you choose to move....and what you do. The idea that this life is what you make it because of the choices you make-and the autonomy involved in making them.

The Autonomy project is meant to evoke thoughts of grandeur, that's just my my way, but specifically, The Autonomy Project is an experiment to see what kind of physical shape I can get into based on my actions and movements when my focus goes towards a certain goal, whatever that may be, though my immediate goal is physique related.

How I Got To This Point:

(ABRIDGED VERSION): In 2004, I was 20 years old and weighed a hefty 260 lbs (thanks to reefer, Cheeto's, and pure unadulterated laziness. I blame Hendrix and Bob Marley too.). With the help of a co-worker who was a body builder and "practicing" to be a personal trainer, I lost 80 lbs and got down to about 180 pounds by June of 2005. I am 5'9".

I spent the next few years working out off and on, going through phases of being hardcore- lifting, cardio, and eating clean, then I'd get to a point where enough was enough and I was ready to party or I was dating a new guy so I'd slack off...and the cycle would repeat.

So fast forward a few years. In all I've gained about 15 pounds since the big loss. Last summer I started doing triathlons and various fun runs, with my most recent accomplishment being a half-marathon in May 2009. Training for and completing these events were amazing, and I pushed myself in lots of ways, but I never quite got out of it what I wanted to get out of it in the end. You know what I wanted? To be FIT. Yes, I can run 13.1 miles, yet I'm ashamed to be in a swimsuit in public. That's messed up! Endurance sports are cool, and still something I want to excel at, but I want to get into my dream body first. I have worked my ASS off, I really have, but I want to focus on specific physique-forming workouts. Burn fat feed muscle. Endurance sports do not necessarily mean fat burning, in fact, you are training your body to hold on to fat for fuel!

Jan 1, 2009- I weigh in at 194 pounds. Yuck! I went back on a 40/40/20 clean eating plan while training for the half, and I lost about 19 pounds, to bring me to my current weight of 175.

I have read thousands of hours worth of literature and articles on fitness, nutrition, fat loss and body building, and I have put that knowledge to the test at times and it has worked.

I know what I need to eat (and not eat) and I know what I need to do in order get into amazing shape and cut the fat, now it is time to do that.

This blog is my journey. It will document the fitness stuff, and everything in between.

Entry One

au·ton·o·my

aw-ton-uh-mee

–noun, plural -mies.
1. independence or freedom, as of the will or one's actions: the autonomy of the individual.
2. the condition of being autonomous; self-government, or the right of self-government; independence: The rebels demanded autonomy from Spain.
3. a self-governing community.

So basically.....I'll do what I will. :)