I Ran for Chocolate and Champagne!

On Saturday, I ran in the See Jane Run "I Run for Chocolate and Champagne Half-marathon and 5K." What an awesome event! Definitely worth getting up at 5:15 a.m. and driving for an hour to get there.

The Details
With a name like "I Run for Chocolate and Champagne," there was no WAY I could pass up the opportunity to run this race: I wanted that t-shirt! So I signed up many months ago.

Most of my training during the past couple of months has shifted from primarily running to preparing for a sprint triathlon in September. So I've done less running, but I've added strength (BodyPump class) and an intense spin class each week. I feel like these have really helped push me to develop more strength and endurance than I would have on my own. So I wasn't nervous about the run itself. I was nervous, however, about driving to a part of the Bay Area with which I'm totally unfamiliar and getting there in time for the race! Mr. Handsome-and-Handy gave me a tremendously nice gift: he looked up the course and showed me how to get there on Google Maps. (Highlighting key points with street views...I'd printed a map, and had a GPS to navigate with, but this prep-time ended up helping quite a lot.)

Being a Friday night at Casa de la Pubsgal, though, no one got to bed early. I laid awake for a long time...woke up several times during the night...and ended up with only 5 hours of sleep. Stress + lack of sleep raised my fasting blood glucose to nearly 20 points higher than normal! Oh great, something else to stress about! But not for long; it was time to go!

My stomach was in knots on the whole way to the event, but I found my way to there, eventually found a place to park (fortunately, lots of free residential parking), and made it to the starting area. Whew! I picked up my bib and chip, navigated the humongous line through the porta-potties, checked in my bag, and cheered the start of the half-marathon. Lots of runners going the big distance! (Nearly twice as many as were running the 5K, I later found out.) I wandered around and had a snack, got my temporary tattoo, and then participated in the energetic warmup. All while trying to find fellow type 2 diabetes & wellness blog buddy, Foodie McBody, via Twitter! (Read her excellent race report here.)

Time to line up! The grey morning fog was not going anywhere, but it was still scenic, with a line of palm trees down the road to the trail that ran along the bay. Race organizers had marked the palm trees with one's "per mile" time as a guide to where to line up; I positioned myself around the 10-minute mile, near the middle of the pack. The horn blasted, and we cheered and were off! I underestimated how long it would take for the crowd to shuffle-bounce through the starting gate and onto the course. I found myself passing people; a curious sensation! I wondered a little if I was pushing myself too hard. But then I decided to just go for it, because in previous races, I think I didn't push myself hard enough.

I loved everything that I loved about my first race. Even though I wasn't running with anyone, I felt that feeling of community with the other athletes. I loved seeing the line of people winding through the course. I loved that there were so many people of various ages, shapes, and sizes; so many people out there, giving it their best! And I love the cheering for/being cheered by all of these stranger-friends during the race; I made an extra effort this time to do so, since I still feel kind of shy. (One woman had on a tank top with the following words printed along the bottom edge: "Does this shirt make my butt look fast?" No shyness about cheering that sentiment!)

The first mile felt really fast. Just past the 1 mile mark, I started seeing runners heading back from the turnaround. Wow! I reached the turnaround point and felt heartened, got back to the water stop and thought, "Yes! I'm almost there!" But just past there, the course diverged, and I think I misjudged how far it was. I saw the finish, and it looked straight ahead, but as I got closer, I noticed that the course made a fairly large loop up into the park. The race started to feel really long at that point. I tried for a final kick once I got closer; my body was still okay with running, but it refused to sprint. OH well. I whooped a hearty "woo hoo!" as I went through the finish, delighted at knowing I did WAY better than my race in February and even the race back in October.

At the finish line, we got our chips clipped off and the wonderful medals! (My kids especially love these!)

The race after-party was nice! I caught up with Foodie McBody and got to meet her family, too. We wandered around and collected post-race swag: t-shirt, champagne flute with 3 chocolates in it (yeay, a little 70% dark chocolate wedge!), snackies, water, and the like. I hung out a little while longer after Foodie & family left, soaking up the atmosphere, doing a little shopping, and checking out the official results. (I should have done a little more *stretching*, I'm still sore today!) I felt a little twinge as they announced the half-marathon runners' names as they crossed the finish line. I didn't think I wanted to do longer running races, but that twinge made me think again: "Hmmm....maybe someday."

Race results:
New PR of 31:36! (7:53 better than my PR for 5K set in October; 14:13 better than my 3.4 mile race in February. Goal for next time? 5K in under 30 minutes!)
21/100 in my age & gender group, females 40-44
223/747 overall

Pictures!
Here are some scenes from the race...

Pre-race 80's music warm-up!

At the starting line. There were 747 people running and walking in the 5K event.

Sweet victory! We all got great race-day swag, including medals, a glass champagne flute, and an awesome t-shirt, as well as lots of free snackies.
Oh, and the cool temporary tattoos!
The cool tattoo, close-up

Best of all, I got to meet fellow blogger, Twitter-buddy, and Team MizFit member: the wonderful Foodie McBody!

Welcome, Mills-Peninsula's Healthpoint Magazine Readers!

If you cracked open the Mills-Peninsula Healthpoint magazine's summer 2009 issue, and didn't get too distracted by all those yummy recipes, you may have stumbled across an interview on page 10. Yep, that's me, and if you were curious enough about my blog to check it out, welcome!

There's an interesting story behind the article. On February 11, 2009, I sent a letter to Jenny Ruhl, thanking her for her Blood Sugar 101 book and accompanying web site (and for her role in likely having saved my eyesight or a limb or two). She responded:
"Do pass on what you've learned to other people it might help. Word of mouth is the only way this news will ever reach so many of the people who need it."

Later that same day came what I call a "woooo-woooooo" moment: I received a call from my CNE at Mills-Peninsula, asking if I would mind sharing my story for their Healthpoint Magazine! Would I?!?! Even if I hadn't received the message from Jenny, it's what I aspire to do: show others the possibility of thriving in the face of type 2 diabetes, just as it was shown to me. Many thanks and kudos to Angela Anderson for her wonderful writing and to Paul Kitagaki, Jr. for the great photo. (And to both for making the process lots of fun!)

I hope you enjoy my blog, and please consider checking out some of the folks on my blog roll. There are lots of inspiring people out there writing some fantastic blogs.

Weekly update, 5/26/09

On a side note, Pubsgal arrives late to the party...

When writing today's update, I noticed something really weird. My subconsious aparently staged a rebellion, because my log is blank from Wednesday evening through Monday. I knew I didn't track over the weekend, but I forgot that I had kept leaving my log at home during the week and didn't track then, either. I'd have been much more more okay with this if it were a planned vacation from tracking, but it wasn't. Now, I wasn't going to beat myself up about this, but I was going to issue a stern warning. Then I started writing about something curious that happened to me on the way home yesterday.

Last spring, I bought the May 2008 issue of Oprah magazine, the spirituality issue. I had ripped out all the articles I wanted to read and recycled the rest, then the articles ended up at the bottom of my travel bag for the past year. Finally, on this trip, I dug them out and started to read. I especially liked the "Blinded by the Light" article, but some of the other articles made me feel--um, how to put this nicely? Less than spiritually uplifted. (Reading the interview with Eckhard Tolle, for example, gave me a headache. I find that Pema Chodron works better for me; she's funny, describes concepts concretely, and while she is serious about her material, she has this not-taking-myself-too-seriously vibe that I like.)

Then I ran into the summarizing letter, ostensibly written by Oprah herself, in which she states:

"Spirituality isn't something I believe in. It is what and who I am: a spiritual being having a human experience, as the French philosopher and priest Pierre Teilhard de Chardin profoundly said.

"Knowing this has made all the difference. It allows me to live fearlessly. And to make manifest the purpose of my creation. And I will be bold enough to say I know for sure it's the greatest discovery of life: to recognize that you're more than your body and your mind."

Reading this--which was written before the hullaballoo about Oprah's berating herself about her weight, but read by me well after it all--made me feel sad for her. It seems to me that if a person truly believes, deep down in one's soul, that one is more than one's body and one's mind, wouldn't one be more at peace with both? I tried discussing with Mr. Handsome-and-Handy, but he didn't really quite grok why this was bothering me.

Him: *man sigh* "She doesn't write that stuff, she has a whole group of people who do!"
Me: "Even the letter, written in the 'I' voice?"
Him: "Yes!"
Me: "Well, she really ought to read stuff attributed to herself, then."

I didn't quite grok it either. It felt frustrating...because while I respect that she has done good things in the world and has the position and power to continue doing much good, I don't quite grok the whole Oprah fanaticism thing. And yet, here I was, getting worked up over the ironic contrast of Oprah's spiritual life and physical existance. It seemed to me, to paraphrase the last sentence of her letter, that she must have stopped making the daily choice "to be in the world, not of it."

Now, I don't think that being spiritual means totally neglecting the body; on the contrary, feeling like Oprah described has come to mean the following things for me (everyone else's mileage may vary):

• Taking care of the body with proper food and activity.

• Being free from caring overmuch about society's standards for what's physically attractive, where "overmuch" means to the point of disorder or avoiding doing the things one likes to do because one doesn't "look good" doing it. (Swimming and swim suits come to mind here. Probably because I read Cranky Fitness: "How to Survive Swimsuit Season" today. ;-)

• Gently noticing my past mistakes and quietly deciding that I can do better, starting right now (vs. intense self-flaggelation).

Am I there yet? No, but I guess that's why it's called a "spiritual journey," rather than a "spiritual destination." Aparently, Ms. Winfrey isn't basking there yet, either, but I hope she will get there, too.

Back to the van: Thing 2 picked up on my mood and (thankfully) interrupted my frustrated attempts to explain how I was feeling. "Mommy! I have a song for you!" I stopped, a little reluctantly. And then she sang me the "Skinnamarinkadinkydink" song, complete with hand motions. That girl has the best timing.

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 96 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 97 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: +0.8 lb (did not meet goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal)

Food goals:
Of what I did track...
- Consumed at least 4 meatless, low-fat meals and 1 fish meals. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal by one meal)
- Fiber? I know I ate with an eye toward it, but I'm only sure about getting at least 30 grams last Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Did not meet my coffee goal.

Exercise goals:
Met my Women's Challenge goals (thanks to the difference between my personal tracking running Tues.-Mon. and WC running Sunday-Saturday and my having gotten in a 30-Day Shred workout the prior Monday). However, I didn't quite meet the personal goal of 30 minutes x 5 days/week. I missed my swim and spin. Did one walk, Body Pump class, and one terrific run. During our trip, though, I played with the kids a lot (including doing some rail push ups and attempts at crossing the monkey bars) and we had a great afternoon recreational swim at the pool.

Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all nights.

Monthly Measure

Bust, -.5; hips, +.5; everything else unchanged. Weird. I also measured both thighs this time, and--maybe it's just a measuring anomaly, but there seems to be a 1" difference between the two.

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.

This Time Last Year

On Thursday, I woke up before the alarm clock, about an hour before usual. I wanted to run! This time last year, that never would have happened. So I got up, made myself a PB&J, put on the workout clothes, and went for a trail run. It was one of those rare runs, where I felt great the whole time, and if it hadn't been a week day, I probably would have just kept on running.

Sure, it was foggy, but not misty. I passed the group camp site with a humongous tee pee set up. Saw lots of little rabbits scurrying here & there. Added an extra small loop through a neighborhood with swoon-worthy houses. Sure, some parts felt a little creaky, but I felt so strong. It was an amazing feeling! "This," I thought to myself, "is why you go to the gym. This is why you do strength training and spinning and stuff like Jillian Michaels-inspired self-torture." I finished my run in 45 minutes, delighted that the last time I had done the same run but without the extra loop, it took me the same amount of time. Improvement is a good feeling, especially when it feels so gradual in the usual day-to-day workouts.

Today, before lunch, I sat by the sparkling waterway that runs down the street from my work building, watching droplets leap back up the waterfall, like migrating salmon. I reflected on yesterday's run. "Wow. This time last year I had *no* idea that being fit would feel this good and strong. If this keeps up, well, look out, world!"

Hey! What do I mean, "if?" ;-)

"They run for fun..."

...but not on the hot, hot sun. Except maybe once in awhile. It's mostly foggy, or cool and breezy, at my son's elementary school. Thing 1 has PE class once a week. Starting in first grade, their PE teacher uses foot print charts to log their running. Each time they complete 5 miles, they get a tiny, plastic foot.

At open house last night, his PE teacher came up and asked him if he'd received his silver foot. It turns out that a silver foot means a child has run 50 miles, and his was waiting on his desk in their classroom. (Plus they get a special prize when they achieve 50 miles, other than amazing their parents.) Wow! My people aren't built for fast running--and this discourages Thing 1 a bit--but we are a persistent bunch.

If your kid likes running, or might like to try it, the Kids Running web site has charts similar to the ones they use at my son's school.

Our school district also has a great program for learning about healthy eating, agriculture, and the environment. I'm not sure exactly how much Thing 1 absorbs in HEAL class--he's not terribly communicative in general about his school days--but he always brings home a good joke from class and he tells us about the new foods they try. Last Friday: "I tried a *whole grain* today. It was good." Not like this is completely new--we get bread with whole grains--but I guess it's something completely different when you try just the grain itself. ;-)

It's very comforting to know that kids are being exposed to good stuff like this at school. Sometimes hearing the same stuff from someone other than your parents makes it just that much more credible....

Weekly Update, 5/19/09

It's going to be a hectic time over the next month: major work deadlines, end of the school year, and the Things' big dance recital! Aaaiiieee! I probably won't be posting on my own blog more than once per week, but I'll probably still be reading and commenting on other blogs, for sanity's sake. :-) And of COURSE I'll be posting about my May 30 race, when "I run for chocolate and champagne!"

The discussion over on MizFit about kids and body image (and what we can do to help) definitely has me thinking a lot about how Things 1 & 2 perceive food and exercise. On the one hand, I wonder how much they notice my exercise, since I tend to work out before they wake up or at lunch. I'm also interested in their inevitable post-race question: "Did you win?" They seem disappointed when I tell them "No, but I had lots of fun." Definitely need to get them to an event to show them how much fun it can be just *being* a part of it. (Most events are really early on a weekend morning, and the last one was very rainy. I'm hoping we can all make it to the race at the end of the month.)

Food-wise, I know they get some mixed messages from Mr. Handsome-and-Handy and me. We both struggle with balancing love of tasty food and desire for healthy bodies. Quality-wise, we do okay (mostly!); quantity is the challenge. They see me eating mostly after work; I tend to be rather food-obsessed when I walk through the door, and I think I need to be more mindful of what message that gives them. Perhaps I ought to plan on spending a half hour or so on "re-entry" before I tackle my plate. Maybe a snack when I leave work would help? (Said plate is loaded with healthy stuff; good. The after-dinner-cupboard-rummage that sometimes happens? Not so good.)

Thing 2 wanted me to go outside with her and play. I was balking; I'd just gotten home from work and felt a little tired. "C'mon!" she urged. "It'll give you muuuuuuuscles!" That not only cracked me up, it also got me into my "play clothes" and out the door rather quickly. Thing 1 has been kind of reluctant to get outside as much, since the herd of boys next door moved away last summer. I think I need to do a little more noodging to get him outside with us. He's fast and agile on bike and scooter, and he's developing great thowing and catching skills at flag football class. Sadly, it sometimes takes him a loooong time to do his homework. When I'm on homework duty, I sometimes have him break it up a bit and do some quick exercises as he gets set parts of it done. We jump around and run laps around the living room.

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 99 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 101 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: 0 lb (met goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal)

Food goals:
- Consumed 4 meatless, low-fat meals and 1 fish meals. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal)
- Met goal of 30 grams of fiber or greater 3/7 days last week. (didn't do quite so well as last week's 4/7...it's challenging to get that much fiber into a day!)
- Met coffee goal 5/5 week days.

Exercise goals:
Met my Women's Challenge goals, but didn't quite meet the personal goal of 30 minutes x 5 days/week, and I missed my swim. (Unless sitting in the wading pool with Things 1 & 2 and having them pour water over my head counts. No? Drat, didn't think so.) Did 1 spin class, one run, two "30 Day Shred" sessions, and one walk. Since I missed BodyPump class due to work schedule, I did my strength training at home that day.

Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all nights.

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.

Weekly update, 5/12/09

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 99 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 97 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: -1 lb (met goal of either maintain or make progress toward goal)

Food goals:
- Consumed 5 meatless, low-fat meals and 0 fish meals. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal)
- Met goal of 30 grams of fiber or greater 4/7 days last week.
- Met coffee goal 3/5 week days.

Exercise goals:
Met ALL goals! Woo hoo!!! Workouts: at least 30 minutes/day for 5 out of 5 days, plus one 20-minute workout on the weekend. Did 1 spin class + half run, 1 full run, one swim, one walk; did two strength workouts: BodyPump class and one at-home workout.

Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all nights. I didn't always brush and floss right after dinner, but will leave that on the goal list.

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- On work days, switch to tea and plain water after that first cup of coffee.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workouts to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.
- Brush and floss teeth right after dinner!

P.S. - LOVED the new Star Trek movie! What a blast!!!

TGIF

It's Fri-DAY! Friday Friday Friday Friday Frrriiii-DAY! I'm in a silly mood, could ya tell? Must have been the last item on the "miscellaneous good things this week" list:

• I am one strength exercising away from meeting my Women's Challenge goal for the week. (LOVE being on Team MizFit!!!)
• The Detroit Red Wings won Game 4. Decisively. :-D
• The SFGate.com parenting blog, "The Poop," had an article this week that is now one of my all-time favorites: "Benefits of Parenting: kids are optimistic". Things 1 and 2 are not all sunshine and rainbows all the time, but I love how often times it's the littlest things that make them giddy. (For example, thanks to Mr. Handsome-and-Handy-and-Innovative, the card game "Go Fish" has a new rule: if you get a pair of Jacks, you get to tickle the other players!)
  
• We're going to see the new Star Trek movie on opening weekend! We hardly ever go to movies together anymore, with babysitting being so expensive, but we always make an exception for Star Trek. (And you know something is funny when you get it sent to you from two people who usually do not bother forwarding humor stuff. From The Onion: "Trekkies Bash New Star Trek Film As 'Fun, Watchable'.")
  
• Oh, and for MizFit: On track with fiber goals (thanks, in part, to ch-ch-chia!), mostly on track with the coffee. Got an extra one after the dentist yesterday; it was just a cleaning, but boy, going there really stresses me out. Today, I just wanted a Friday treat, and it was the totally worth it, totally delightful cappuccino this morning (thank you, Three Bees barista!):
  

Hope everyone has a terrific Friday and weekend! Early "Happy Mother's Day" to all the gals out there, moms (of kids human or otherwise)/daughters/aunties/nieces/grandmas!

Weekly update, 5/5/09

Feliz Cinco de Mayo! It's been rainy in my corner of the world, which is a bit unusual for May. Luckily it stayed dry enough to run yesterday morning...after days of gray, I sure didn't feel like going, but I went. We had a good friend come over for dinner on Saturday, and Sunday was the marathon Red Wings vs. Ducks hockey game. Sadly for us, the Wings lost at the start of the 3rd overtime.

Thing 2 and I enjoyed a "puddle walk" on Sunday afternoon, much needed after being cooped up in the house. How did she get so much splash out of such small puddles? She also collected snails and handed them to me. I think I had about 20 twining over my hands and making their way up my jacket. We piled them on the grass next to an old rose tree between our yard and the neighbor's, where they untangled themselves and started oozing for cover. I feel kind of torn about snails: they're cute (albeit slimy), but they can wreck havoc on a garden. Most of our plants are snail resistant, but they keep chomping down my broccoli sprouts and eating the strawberries. The things we do to make kids happy....

Last Friday, I exercised my "social muscle" (vs. my "resistance muscle" or my *cough* "spinning muscles" like I'd planned) and went to lunch with co-workers. I have no regrets (except, maybe, picking up an order for Mr. Handsome-and-Handy to enjoy for dinner). (Which is why I started doing more workouts at lunchtime.) We went to the fabulous "Piccadilly Catering" and were served the best fried chicken I have ever eaten, lovingly prepared by Pam the Funktress (who's also a local DJ). It was better than bacon...AND chocolate. I was also delighted by the fresh green salad: mixed greens, cucumber, and tomato, with the dressing served on the side (without one having to ask for it that way). Hmmm...is ordering fried chicken with a side of salad sort of like having a diet coke with a cheeseburger and fries? ;-)

Speaking of less-than-optimally-healthy food, want a visual on how much sugar is in a pint of Ben & Jerry's (and other foods)? Check out "Sugar Stacks". (Ice cream is under the Dessert link).

Progress last week

7-day blood glucose average: 97 (met goal of less than 120)
7-day fasting average: 94 (met goal of less than 120, 100% of days)
Weight goal: +.8 lb (did not meet goal of maintain or lose)

Food goals:
- Consumed 8 meatless, low-fat meals and 0 fish meals. (met meatless meal goal; missed fish meal goal)
- Met goal of 30 grams of fiber or greater 4/7 days last week.
- Met coffee goal 3/5 week days. (not so good)

Exercise goals:
Met goal of 30 minutes/day for 4 out of 5 days. Did 1 run and 1 half-runs, one swimming workout, and one walk. Missed spin class and strength by 1 workout (made my BodyPump class, missed my home workout).

Misc. goals: Got adequate sleep all but one night. I didn't always brush and floss right after dinner, but will leave that on the goal list.

Goals for this week

7-day blood glucose average goal and fasting numbers: below 120.
Weight goal: Maintain or make progress toward goal.

Food goals:
- 4 or more meatless, low-fat meals and 2 or more fish meals.
- Keep the good coffee habit going on week days: 1 coffee/day, with 2T fat-free half-and-half and 1/4-1/2 cup almond milk. Switch to tea and plain water after that first cup.
- Track fiber. Minimum 30 grams fiber/day and work up to consuming 50 grams fiber/day. (Include both insoluble and soluble sources.)

Exercise goals:
Minimum of 30 minutes of workout 5 days/week. Workout to include at least 1 bike, 1 run, and 1 swim per week, plus 2 strength training per week.

Misc. goals:
- 7 or more hours sleep/night.
- Brush and floss teeth right after dinner!