The Runner's Kitchen

Realization #1: I ran 64 miles in 7 days – I think this is a record for me!

Realization #2: High mileage = aches and pains. I ran long on Saturday and felt good.  But during Sunday’s easy 6-miler, my legs started to get a little unhappy with me. My calves were super tight from my long run and I think this caused my right shin to start hurting a bit. I’m being very proactive with the RICE method (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) and I think it will be fine in a day or two, but running is always going to involve some injury prevention and management.

Anyway, despite my sore shin, it was a very productive weekend of training. I slept a ton on Friday night and woke up ready to get down to business (i.e. RUN!).

I love you, coffee.

Confession: I also really love Peter Pan’s whipped peanut butter. It tastes like frosting. Sometimes a girl needs some hydrogenated oils in her life. All things in moderation, right? Anyway, I slathered an apple in that creamy pb and followed it up with a clif bar. I had a pretty serious long run planned – had to fuel up well!

I had  intended on doing my long run on the treadmill, but thankfully the park roads were pretty clear and I ran mostly outside. I’m not going to lie – I was a little worried that a tree branch was going to fall on my head, but alas I remained unscathed. I ended up running 15 miles in 2:04:10 (11 miles in the park in 1:33:45 and 4 miles on the treadmill in 30:25)

I broke the run down like this:

Miles 1-3 easy
Miles 4-6 marathon pace (~8:20)
Miles 7-11 easy
Miles 12-15 1/2 marathon pace (started off at 8:00 and finished up the last .5 mile at 6:58 pace!!)

I mostly felt good for this entire run. Trying to run marathon pace for miles 4-6 was harder than I thought it would be, but the last (fast!) miles felt really good. Funny how that is… I really think that fast finish long runs are essential when training for 1/2 and full marathons. I didn’t do any while preparing for NYC or Boston and I wish I had. Practicing running at race pace while you’re fatigued will prepare you for the mental and physical fatigue of race day. Or at least I hope it will!

I immediately bought a gatorade to hydrate and followed that up with some greek yogurt (protein!) and dried cherries (carbohydrates!).

After my shower, I made sure to put on my recovery compression socks. Love.these.so.much.

And then it was time for more foodddddd. Luckily I had some leftover peanutty root vegetable stew to fill my belly.

After watching 2+ hours of TV on the couch doing lots of important things, I was hungry AGAIN. I had 3 bowls of Kashi Go Lean Crunch with milk.  Runners need to eat!

My legs were feelin’ like they could use a good stretch at this point, so I walked the mile or so to Whole Foods. I didn’t really need anything, but I wanted to drop off a big bag of #5 yogurt containers for recycling and so I just had to browse a bit…

I came home with a bag full of fun stuff: Kashi TLC crackers, romaine lettuce, frozen strawberries, pinto beans, coconut butter (!!), navel oranges, hummus, lara/clif bars, dried cherries, and floss.

After my hearty afternoon eats (hello protein + fiber in Kashi Go Lean Crunch!), I wasn’t that hungry, but I knew I probably needed to get in some more calories. So I assessed my options and put together a plate of nutrient dense yummy-ness: ezekiel bread toast topped with coconut butter and jam and a banana with lots of whipped peanut butter. Mmmm. After reading about the benefits of coconut oil/butter on Chelsea’s blog, I knew I had to try it for myself. The combo of coconut butter and jam on toast is scrumptious! I highly recommend.

Plus some thin mints that were hiding out in the freezer.

Yay, my article on the Top 5 Running Mistakes to Avoid was featured on Newser. I like this site a lot – it summarizes the day’s top news stories. Perfect for busy peeps!

Fun NYC event coming up: The Village Voice is sponsoring its 3rd Annual “Choice Eats” event on Monday, March 22. The event will feature tastings from  50+ restaurants, including: Café Glechik, Peppa’s Jerk Chicken, Bunny Chow, Sigmund Pretzel Shop, Xunta Tapas Bar, Salumeria Rosi, Jimmy’s No. 43, Xi’an Famous Foods, Lucy’s Whey, Counter, An Choi, and Café Steinhof. If you’re a New York area foodie, this looks like such a fun event! Bonus: there will also be craft beer and wine pairings available with the food. You can purchase tickets here. Bon appetit!

Question: What NYC restaurant/bakery would you like to visit (assuming locale and $$ weren’t an option)? Someday I will make it to Blue Hill….

There were multiple deaths from falling trees in Central Park yesterday, I think running indoors at my gym was the right decision.

The day started out with slushy rain and progressed to windy snow. Oh winter, you’re not welcome here anymore.

Once I was warm and dry inside the office, I chowed down on breakfast: chobani 2%, dried cranberries, and Kashi Go Lean Crunch.

Followed by a mid-morning cup of green tea (not coffee, I swear!) and Hershey’s kisses.

Lunch was leftover peanutty root veggie stew and an apple with a wedge of laughing cow cheese. Umm, there’s not much you can do to make leftovers in tupperware look pretty, but it all tasted very good!

The highlight of my afternoon was a delicious cinnamon roll from Holey Donuts. I don’t even care if I get diabetes. It was that good.

The cinnamon roll was savored with a hot cappuccino, mmm.

As much as I missed working out with the Central Park Track Club, I knew running outside wasn’t a (safe) option. To pump myself up for a solo workout, I reviewed my tips on surviving the treadmill and headed over the the gym around 6pm.

1 mile warm-up
4 x 1 mile @10K pace with .25 mile recovery jog
1 mile cool-down (7 miles total)

I set the incline at 2% for miles 1 and 3 to simulate the terrain of Central Park. I hope I’m just fatigued from Wednesday’’s 12 miles because I can’t remember the last time I worked so hard on a run. Pace for the mile repeats wasn’t that fast (7:13, 7:08, 7:13, 7:05), but I was struggling to maintain good form. I wanted to decrease the incline SO badly, but I gritted it out. I just kept thinking about the hilly 5K I have planned for next weekend – a 0% incline will NOT be an option on race day. I’m a little nervous (ok VERY nervous) about trying to run 13.1 miles at ~7:25 pace next month. Meh.

After waiting 25 minutes for the subway (WHY do half empty local trains randomly run on the express track??), I finally made it home. Famished. I didn’t have time to run to the grocery store, so din-din was a mish-mosh of whatever I had in the fridge.

First I whisked together an easy vinaigrette – 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp dijon mustard, 1 tsp lingonberry jam, and dash of dalt.

I tossed romaine lettuce, dried cherries, walnuts, and Wildwood baked tofu in with the dressing and topped with shredded cheddar cheese.

I also made myself a plate of tortilla chips + melted cheddar. Andddd then I killed the bag of chips. The reduced guilt yellow corn tortilla chips from Trader Joe’s are SO good (probably the best store bought tortilla chips I’ve ever had). I bought the bag four days ago and they’re already gone. Mmm, salt + carbs = perfect post-workout fuel.

Check out the latest on True/Slant: Are you making these common running mistakes?

Treadmills – love ‘em or hate ‘em? Unless the roads clear up this weekend, I’m facing a long run inside!

Is a blog about healthy eating and running really going to talk about DONUTS today?? Yes, yes I am. But before we start drooling over cream filling, sprinkles, and frosting, let’s chat about running.

Doubles

If you’re a frequent reader of my blog, you may notice that I occasionally do “doubles” a.k.a. I run twice in one day. Now to most people running even once a day might seem crazy, but let me explain. Running doubles certainly isn’t for everyone. If you’re a  newbie runner, prone to injury, or don’t have a lot of extra time, you’re better off being cautious with your mileage. If, however, you’re seriously training for a race and are interested in increasing your VO2 max, decreasing body fat, and building endurance – tacking on a second run might be beneficial to your training.

The most important thing to remember when adding mileage is to start slowly. On days when you run twice, one of the runs should always be super easy. For example, on days when I have a hard workout scheduled for the evening, I will often go for a 20-30 jog in the morning. This “shakeout” run gets my blood flowing and for some reason, it prepares me better mentally for the evening’s hard effort. Additionally, when I run in the morning, my legs are a bit fatigued for the workout. This teaches me to run hard when my legs aren’t feeling 100% fresh and it simulates the latter miles of a race.

If you’re ready to tackle doubles, remember to bump up your water and fuel intake. Immediately after your first run, hydrate and eat a 300-500 calorie meal to speed recovery. And give yourself at least 5-6 hours between workouts – your body needs some time to rest!

If you’re not quite ready to run twice-a-day, you can add on some cross-training instead. Some time on the elliptical or the bike can be a great low-impact way to increase endurance. And even non-impact activities like yoga can be beneficial as “doubles” – I’ve found that a gentle yoga session a few hours after a long run drastically reduces muscle tightness and soreness the next day.

Yesterday I ran 9 easy miles in the morning (felt good except for when the wind and rain whipped off my baseball cap!) and then I added on an up-tempo (i.e. quicker than usual) 3-mile run after work. I ended up totaling 12 miles for the day, but breaking it up into 2 sessions and giving each run a specific purpose made the time fly by.

Donuts

Enough about running, now on to sugar! It’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth. I love cookies, chocolate, & cake and while I try to limit my indulgences, I eat something sweet almost daily. And you know what? That’s ok! I run a lot, eat plenty of fruits, veggies, & whole grains, and I think life is too short not to enjoy delicious things. Most of the time I bypass processed foods and try to make sure my sweets are homemade or at least contain some health benefit (dark chocolate!). It’s been ages since I’ve had a donut, so I wasn’t quite sure what to think when the company Holey Donuts sent me 3 boxes of their goodies to sample. Aren’t donuts packed with trans fats? If not, would they taste good?

Well, I did my research and here’s what I found out about Holey Donuts:

• Trans-fat free (Holey Donuts are not deep fried in oil)
• No artificial sugars
• 3-4 grams of fat per donuts (compared with 20 grams in other brands)
• Lower in calories than most donuts

Note: These donuts are not health food, they’re definitely still a treat/dessert, but since I’m going to eat sweets anyway, I might as well indulge in something a little better for me :-)

Here’s what I was sent to sample:

1/2 dozen Pink-frosted donuts (haven’t tried these yet, but they look pretty!)

1/2 dozen donut sampler (Boston cream, caramel apple, lemon graham cracker, raspberry vanilla truffle, blueberry crumb cake, and vanilla crumb)

I enjoyed the Boston cream donut with a cup of coffee for a mid-afternoon treat the other day. The donuts need to be stored in the freezer (because they lack preservatives), so I put mine in a tupperware and let it defrost for a few hours. You could also microwave the donuts for a few seconds. There was a good amount of cream filling in the middle and the topping was very fudgy. This definitely didn’t taste low-fat. If you like donuts, you’ll love these

And last, but not least I was sent 4 jumbo cinnamon rolls. Mmm, I always drool over the smell of cinnabon at the mall, so knowing that I could have similar treat that didn’t contain a 800+ calories and icky trans fat was great news. Check out the nutritional stats on these cinnamon rolls for yourself.  340 calories, 5 grams of fat, 68 grams of carbs, 8 grams of protein, 2 grams of fiber, and 17% RDA of iron. That’s almost as good as a clif bar! I have big plans to try one of these babies soon!

Full disclosure: Holey Donuts sent me these product samples for free, but I honestly think they taste delicious and are a good option if you’re craving sweets.

Do you have any vices? Clearly, mine is dessert!

The weather was absolutely horrendous in NYC yesterday (heavy rain and blowing wind), so I did the assigned Central Park Track Club fartlek workout on the treadmill. Did you know the running term “fartlek” means ”speed play” in Swedish? It basically means you switch between running fast and easy. If you do a fartlek on the road, your fast segments don’t need to be timed. Instead you can run fast to the next mailbox or lampost and then recover (jog) before doing it all over again. Pretend it’s a game!

• 2 mile warm-up
• 5 x 4 minute pick-ups (roughly 1/2 marathon pace, ~7:10 per mile) with 90 seconds of recovery (~9 minute per mile pace)
• 1.5 mile cool-down
• 7 miles total

This workout was tough, but manageable. I was majorly sweaty (unusual for me), so I was especially thankful for the chilled, eucalyptis-soaked towels that my gym offers. My monthly membership to Equinox is definitely my most pricey expenditure (besides rent), so I try to make it worth it! Bring on the locker room goodies. I finished up with a little stretching, foam rolling, and core work afterward.

Workout complete? Check! Now it’s time for a fun recipe.

The other day I was intrigued by a wonderful creation I saw on the blog Caroline Dines. Peanut and sweet potato stew? Sign me up!  I altered the recipe quite a bit due to my own taste preferences and what I had in the pantry. This comforting winter stew is packed with quality carbs, protein, fiber, and healthy fats (peanut butter!). It would make an excellent post-run recovery meal. And it’s so easy to make! If you can chop veggies and stir, you can make this recipe

Peanutty Root Veggie Stew (Makes 4 servings)

Ingredients:

• 1 very large sweet potato, cubed
• 1 large celeriac (a.k.a. celery root), peeled and cubed
• 2 medium onions, diced
• 1 can of white beans, drained and rinsed
• 8 oz. canned tomato sauce (no salt added variety)
• 2 cups of water
• 1 generous Tbs cinnamon, 1 generous Tbs cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup peanut butter (or more! be generous)
• 1 Tbs sriracha sauce
• sprinkling of peanuts to garnish

Directions:

• Place all ingredients (except for peanut butter, sriracha, and peanuts) in a large pot and cook on medium-high for about 40 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
• I recommend covering the pot for the first 20 minutes of cooking and then allowing the stew to finish up uncovered. This will help it to thicken up.
• Turn off the heat, add the peanut butter and sriracha, stir until combined.
• Garnish with chopped peanuts and devour!

Nutritional information (per serving): 350 calories, 12 grams of fat, 48 grams of carbohydrates, 15 grams of protein, 10 grams of fiber. This recipe also provides a good amount of Vitamin A, C, and iron. Hooray!

If you could only eat 3 foods for the rest of your life, what would they be? I’d pick peanut butter, greek yogurt, and crinkle cut french fries.

Happy Tuesday! Eventhough I didn’t have to leave for work until 9am yesterday, I woke up before 7am. I try to stick to my sleep schedule even on days when I don’t run in the morning – makes things easier! I had quite a few hours to bum around the house, so I decided to have breakfast in two parts:

Brekkie #1: coffee with milk and a scrambled eggs + salsa in a mug. The eggs were so easy to make! I coated the inside of the mug with a spritz of canola oil and then added 1/2 cup egg whites. I cmicrowaved on high for 60 seconds and then stirred with my fork. I popped the mug back in the microwave for another 30-40 seconds, added salsa, and ta-da! Easy breakfast! I wasn’t crazy about the texture of the egg whites, but it tasted good.

Brekkie #2 was eaten at work: orange slices and a whole wheat and nutella sandwich.

Mid-morning I was h-u-n-g-r-y (I’m a bottomless pit the day after long runs!), so I snacked on a Kashi granola bar and a cappuccino.

Lunch was, as usual, a salad from the cafeteria.

• mixed greens, mushrooms, carrots, onions
• pickled beets
• scoop of tuna nicoise salad
• kidney beans
• cottage cheese
• whole wheat croutons
• hot sauce!

And then my sweet tooth called my name throughout the afternoon….

Yogurt covered pretzels (no HFCS or hydrogenated oils, phew!):

And vanilla yogurt with shredded coconut, granola, and oreo crumbles mixed in. Mmm.

After work I headed over to my gym for a short run. I ran 2 miles easy (~8:45 pace), 1 mile at half-marathon pace (7:20), 1 mile easy (8:45 pace) for a total of 4 miles. My legs felt surprisingly good after yesterday’s long run, but I am definitely still fatigued. The 7:20 mile felt harder than I expected!

I stopped at Whole Foods after work and picked up the ingredients for a new recipe, but by the time I got back to my place, I wasn’t in the mood to cook. Instead, I made my go-to easy dinner: salad and healthy nachos. Occasionally people will comment on my dinner salads – are they really enough calories for an active runner? Do they fill me up? As with anything, it all depends on the ingredients. I promise you I’m not just eating iceburg lettuce and fat-free Italian dressing. That wouldn’t be a healthy dinner! I don’t usually count calories, but to illustrate that a salad can be a wholesome and calorically appropriate dinner, I’ve crunched the numbers.

(Plus more chips & cheese that went un-photographed)

• Romaine lettuce and sprouts (25 calories)
• Wildwood baked tofu (150 calories)
• Homemade olive oil based dressing (150 calories)
• Handful each of dried cherries and walnuts (100 calories)
• 2 servings of baked tortilla chips (250 calories)
• 2 servings of part-skim mozzarella cheese (150 calories)
• salsa (25 calories)
• Total: 850 calories

As you can see, that’s certainly enough calories for an active runner such as myself. On the other hand, if you’re trying to lose weight, it might be too much. Every person and every runner is different. The specific meals and training I do work for me, so I post them as examples. However, in the end you have to figure out what is right for your body.

I *might* have ended the night with a little dark chocolate

Do you ever experience criticism for your food choices?

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After taking a day off of running on Saturday and a solid 8 hours of sleep that night, I was ready to knock out a long run bright and early. I fueled up the requisite coffee, banana, whole wheat toast, and nutella (a.k.a. the best thing in the world).

Before my run, I assembled all of the essentials: metrocard, cash, keys, ipod, and luna moons (on the run fuel!).

And then the run began! I ended up running for 2 hours and 15 minutes, approximately 16 miles. Didn’t intend to go this long, but I was feelin’ good, so I went with it. The first 6 miles were with Alma and then the rest were solo. I forgot the charge my battery on my Nike+, so this run could have been anywhere between 15 and 16 miles, but I’m going to call it 16 because I don’t think I was going very slow. Midway through the run I timed the uphill mile in Central Park (W. 72nd – W. 88th) and it was 8:00, seems hard to believe I was running that fast of a pace, but maybe? At the 2 hour mark I ran what felt like “half-marathon” pace for about a mile. I have no idea what kind of pace it actually was (7:30 pace….maybe), but it felt HARD. I stashed some water in the park and had a few swigs of that around mile 11. I also ate some luna moons throughout the latter half of the run. The sugar really helped my energy levels. My right hip and IT band are a little tight now, but no problems during the run. Also, it was a beautiful sunny day. Huzzah for good long runs!

As soon as I walked in the door I started making a pot of oatmeal. I multi-tasked by stretching my IT band while I waited for the oats to cook

I made oats in a jar - rolled oats, 1% milk, chopped apple, chocolate chips, and brown sugar were cooked on the stove and then transferred to an almost empty jar of Crazy Richard’s peanut butter. Perfecto!

Awhile later I was in need of a snack. I was feelin’ a little lazy, so I grabbed a box of Kashi Go Lean Crunch and went to town. I probably had about 2 servings (that’s a lot of fiber, yo!) while I read a book in bed. Since I’ve increased my mileage and workout intensity, I’ve noticed a few changes in how I’m feeling. For example, I am definitely requiring more sleep than usual. Yesterday I took a 2 hour nap and today I snoozed between 2-3pm. Naps are one of my favorite ways to recover from a long run!

After I roused myself from my nap, I was a busy bee cleaning the kitchen floor, finishing up a writing assignment, and foam rolling my tight IT band. Before I knew it, it was time to meet Agnes for a 5pm yoga class. After all that pre-nap Kashi I wasn’t feeling too hungry, so I didn’t pack a snack. BIG MISTAKE. I often experience bouts of hypoglycemia and running high mileage seems to exacerbate it a bit. By the time I exited the subway and was en route to the yoga studio, my blood sugar was starting to drop. Luckily, I was able to buy a Snickers almond bar and I inhaled it in about 60 sec0nds. I started feeling better almost immediately (sugar!!). As much fun as it is to gobble down candy, the shaky, lightheaded feeling I get from low blood sugar is NOT fun. The weirdest thing is that the drop in blood sugar comes on very suddenly – in fact I never even feel hungry. I just go from being fine to “get out of my way and give me some food right.this.minute!” Bah, this is something I’m still trying to figure out – it makes marathon training tough!

After the Snickers bar I was feeling much, much better and went on to have a great yoga practice. My stiff hip flexors really appreciated all of the stretching that we did. Along with higher mileage comes more tightness! The 5pm class at Yoga to the People is such a great way to end the weekend. Love it.

After a little Trader Joe’s pit stop, I came home to make a mexican-themed salad. My fruit & veggie intake was a little sparse today, so I loaded up a bowl with romaine lettuce, alfafa sprouts, salsa, cottage cheese, and organic corn tortilla chips. And then more tortilla chips straight outta the bag because they were so good!

Check out the latest article on Running Shorts – why you should keep a running log.

If you had to gobble down a candy bar what kind would it be?? (Sometimes I think candy bars aren’t much different from fancy energy bars and they’re usually cheaper!)

 Holy comments! You guys must really like popchips

And the winner is:

Comment #39:  Erin says: February 17, 2010 at 1:04 pm  I love that speed workout – I need to try it sometime. My favorite chip flavor is definitely sour cream and onion. Yum!

Erin – email me your shipping info and I’ll have popchips send the goods

So last night, I attended my 4th consecutive CPTC Thursday road workout. After what seemed like an entire year of frustration and injury, I’m finally starting to feel in “racing shape” again. I’m still a little nervous about doing twice weekly workouts and a long run, but so far so good. I haven’t been so vigilent about my PT exercises, but I’m trying to give myself some extra TLC in other ways (sleep, lots of fruits & veggies, stretching). And the foam roller and I have been seeing a lot of each other lately! Last night was a pretty brutal workout, but I felt GOOD. As I was grinding out the last tough mile, I thought to myself: “This is FUN! I love running hard and pushing myself to the limit”.

CPTC Thursday Night Road Workout

• About 1.5 miles to warm-up
• 8.1 mile tempo run in 59:28 (average pace = 7:20)
• Ran the first 4.05 mile loop at roughly marathon pace – 31:00 minutes total, averaged about 7:39 per mile
• Ran the second 4.05 loop at half-marathon pace – 28:28 total, averaged about 7:02 pace
• About 2 miles to cool-down

11.5 miles total – yikes, that’s a lot of miles for a mid-week run!
Wore the lunaracers – no blister problems. I think they’re a go for the NYC 1/2 marathon next month. I love these lightweight racing shoes – they make me feels so fast!

By the time I returned home, it was almost 9pm and I was ready for food in a major way. I wasn’t up for cooking anything elaborate, so I just threw a bunch of leftovers into a bowl and called it a junk salad. It was actually pretty yummy!

In the bowl:

• romaine lettuce and homegrown sprouts
• dried tart cherries and walnuts
• triscuits topped with melted cheddar cheese
• homemade dressing made with 1 Tbs olive oil, 1 Tbs balsamic vinegar, spoonful of dijon mustard, and a spoonful of lingonberry jam whisked together until combined

I gobbled that down and they had a bunch of yummy (vegan!) cookies. They just might be the *best* vegan cookies ever. Are you ready for the recipe?? A few weeks ago I mentioned how enamored I’d become with Momofuku’s compost cookie. I made it my mission to create an animal product-free version for a vegan friend and while the results are not exactly the same, these cookies are pretty dayum good

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup packed earth balance (not the same as smart balance, FYI)
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 tsp instant coffee powder
• 1 Tbs ground flax
• 3 Tbs water
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup oats
• 1 cup flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 BIG handful of chips, roughly crushed
• 2 oz. pretzels, roughly crushed
• 1/2 cup hazelnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350 F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat
• With a mixer, cream together the earthbalance, sugar, and instant coffee powder
• In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and the water until smooth, add the vanilla extract
• Fold the flax mixture into the earth balance & sugar 
• In a large bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients (oats through chocolate chips)
• Slowly add the wet mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until incorporated
• If the batter isn’t holding together well, try chilling the batter for about 20 minutes
• Scoop rounded Tablespoons of batter on to the cookie sheet and bake for about 10-13 minutes or until golden brown
• Cool on the baking sheet for a minute or so and then transfer to a wire cooling rack

Nutritional stats (per cookie – approximate): 95 calories, 4g fat, 13g carbs, 1.5g protein, .5g fiber.

More of your “Ask Me Anything” question answered:

In your opinion, what bakery serves the best cupcakes in NYC? I’m a sucker for frosting, so I’d have to say Magnolia Bakery. Although the Reese’s PB Cup cupcake from Crumbs is also really delicious….

How many calories do you eat a day when you’re running vs. a rest day and what is the break down of foods throughout the day? I don’t usually count calories, but I’d have to estimate that on a rest day I consume about 2,000 calories and on a hard workout or long run day it’s closer to 3,000. On my FAQ page I discuss what I usually eat in a typical day.

What events did you run as a member of your college track team? Which college PR are you most proud of? During my first few years of college I mainly focused on the 1500m  for indoor and outdoor track, but by senior year I made the switch over to the 5K. The college PR I am most proud of is my outdoor track 5K (18:52.73) It’s the closest thing I’ve ever experienced to a runner’s high. It was one of the best days of my life

As an experienced runner, what do you think about barefoot running? After reading Born to Run, I’m much more skeptical of all the fancy cushioning and stability features that modern running shoes offer. The human foot is a pretty amazing thing,  so it seems like we might actually be designed for barefoot running. HOWEVER, few of us have been running barefoot since childhood (like our ancestors did), so I think it’s important to ease into barefoot running very slowly. I’ve started wearing lightweight training shoes (Nike lunaracers) for workouts and some easy runs and I plan on incorporating some barefoot strides in the grass come springtime.

How do you get motivated or stay motivated to run in such cold weather? Good question! I am not a big fan of winter, so cold weather running is tough for me too. I’ve found that good gear helps (tights, running jacket, hat, mittens, etc.) and having a  buddy to run with in the morning motivates me on days when I’d rather by hibernating It’s already mid-February, let the countdown to spring begin!

Last, but not least:

Want to experience less pain during and after running? Tart cherries might be the answer!

Live in NYC? Check out this awesome runner’s map.

Happy Weekend! Anything fun planned??

Lots of exciting things going on today! I’m a guest columnist over at Skinny in the City -  have a look at my article on what to eat after the gym. Who are the gals behind Skinny in the City? Check out this NY Post article for more info. Love them!

Yesterday was another busy day. It started off with the usual coffee and a 3-mile shake-out run with Alma. Sometimes on the mornings of speed workouts, I’ll do a short “shake-out” run to get the blood movin’ in my legs.

Breakfast was a nearly an entire container of strawberries….

And pb&j toast with scrambled egg whites with sriracha sauce. Mmm, spicy protein.

In an attempt to save $$ and use up fridge ingredients, I packed my lunch yesterday. I topped a bed of romaine lettuce with homegrown sprouts, Wildwood baked tofu, dried cherries, and salsa.

Followed up by some salt & pepper popchips andddd an afternoon of near-constant snacking.

Fruit, nut, & dark chocolate trail mix x 3 handfuls. Mmm.

Yogurt covered pretzels. I don’t usually buy 100-calorie packs, but I liked that these didn’t have hydrogenated oils OR high fructose corn syrup. Plus Venus and Serena Williams endorse them and I’m a sucker for advertising.

And a cappuccino because around 4pm I seriously contemplated a nap under my desk.

I had big plans to peace out of the office right on time and head on over to the gym for a speedy treadmill workout, however that didn’t pan out…. I ended up working on a project until nearly 7pm and started to get really hungry. Unfortunately, the only snacks I had at my desk were peanuts or prunes. Hmm. About an hour before I arrived at the gym I ate about 8 dried prunes. A bold move, I know. Thankfully I was able to finish my workout without much tummy trouble, but I need to stock some more running-friendly emergency snacks ASAP!

Central Park Track Club Tuesday Speed Workout (except I ran on the treadmill because I don’t have a $300 season pass to the Armory indoor track…)

• 1 mile warm-up
• 5 x 800m @ 5K pace (200m jog recovery)
  Reps were done at the following treadmill levels – 8.6 (~6:58 pace), 8.6, 8.7 (~6:53 pace), 8.8 (~6:48 pace), and 9.0 (~6:39 pace)
• 3 x 300m @ 3K pace (100m jog recovery)
  Reps were done at the following treadmill levels – 9.5 (~6:20 pace), 10 (~6:00 pace), and 10.5 (~5:42 pace)
• 2 mile cool-down

Felt good, wore the lunaracers. It’s tough going all out on a treadmill, but this workout was a decent effort nonetheless. Stretching and foam rolling afterward.

Afterwards my stomach felt a little less than awesome (oh prunes…), but a gal still has to EAT. I love Kale, so I baked up some crispy kale chips with lots of ketchup and to round out the meal I had a some of Alma’s famous peanut butter pasta.

And a clif bar before bed because I needed more calories. Hooray for a successful day! I’m so so thankful to be back in running shape and able to do workouts and long runs.

Exciting Announcement! Pop chips (love, love, love) has offered to give away a case of 24-single serve bags to a Runner’s Kitchen reader. To enter, leave a comment telling me your favorite flava of chips. I’ll randomly pick a winner Friday morning (Feb 19th). Good luck!

I started off Monday morning in Pennsylvania witha very sunny 4-mile run. Thankfully it felt a lot better than the 3-mile run I did on Sunday evening. FYI – splitting a large popcorn with mom at the movies and then leaving for an icy, dark run an hour later does not make for a good time. Learn from my mistakes. Once I got back from my morning jaunt, I breakfasted on coffee (in my U.S. House of Representatives mug!), OJ, and whole wheat toast with banana and nutella. I forgot how much I love nutella. Luckily, there was a brand new jar in my mom’s kitchen just waiting to be eaten.

And then it was time to head back to the big apple. Highlights from the car ride:

Grandma: “You know, I think that guy Reggie Bush is really attractive.”

Megan: “Who’s that?”

Grandma: “Kim Kardashian’s boyfriend!”

Yikes, G-ma is more on top of her pop culture than I am. Must buy newest issue of US Weekly ASAP.

And the mediterranean salmon salad I had from Panera Bread was pretty good too! Mixed greens were topped with red onion, olives, slivered almonds, feta cheese, salmon, and a mandarin orange dressing. Bravo Panera Bread!

The rest of the afternoon included  my fav juice from Peacefood cafe – the hangover cure. Made with a lovely mix of apple, orange, celery, carrot, and ginger. Andddd lots of unpacking from the weekend.

I was feelin’ a little lazy and instead of making kale chips like I’d planned, I just plated some carrots and peanut butter and tortilla chips, melted cheese, and salsa. I had seconds of both!

I finished off the night with  some girl scout cookies while watching netflix in bed. Delicious. Lazy. Perfect.

Your questions answered! Or at least some of them….

What’s your favorite way to cross train? When I had to take a break from running last summer, I really learned to love spinning and yoga. They both offer different benefits – spinning helped me maintain my cardio endurance and I truly believe that yoga was beneficial in the rehab of my hamstring injury. Even now that I’m running 6 days a week, I’m still trying to keep these activities as part of my routine.

What do you do for a living? I work as the Operations Department Coordinator for a Manhattan law firm. My company has a great cafeteria – it’s where all of my salads come from

What do you reccomend as the best way to prevent running injuries? As soon as something starts to bother you (shins, knees, whatever!), take a day or two off. Admittedly, I don’t always follow my own advice (which is why it took me so long to get over my hamstring injury!!), but it’s much better to nip something in the bud rather than having to take many months off from running.

What is your height and weight? I don’t normally discuss this on the blog, but since I received a lot of requests: I’m 5 feet, 6.5 inches and weigh between 118-120 lbs.

How many miles a week do you run? What would be your number ONE tip for a first-time marathoner? Right now I’m running between 35-45 miles per week. My number one tip for a first-time marathoner would be: don’t start out too fast on race day! The adrenaline and excitement of the first few miles might tempt you to speed up, but don’t do it. You’ll pay for it in the second half of the race.

Where did you learn to cook? Is your family into cooking as well or did you just pick it up as you went? I talk a little bit about it on my About Me page, but I actually didn’t know how to cook at all until sophomore year of college. Over the past 5 years I’ve slowly taught myself how to cook and bake. My mom always made dinner while I was growing up, but it was pretty basic American fare – meatloaf, porkchops, spaghetti, etc. My love of vegetarian and ethnic food is definitely something I’m trying to share with my family, but it’s taking time

Do you have a “special person” in your life? Why, yes. I do! He’s not much of a talker and he’s kind of hairy, but he loves cuddling and even helps out with the laundry on occasion.

Hehe, love you Kiwi!

More questions to be answered tomorrow….

Question: What’s your favorite lazy-day dinner?

I was up and at ‘em early on Saturday – I had plans to do a long run before heading to Pennsylvania to visit my fam. I started off with my go-to breakfast: coffee, a banana with peanut butter, and a peppermint stick luna bar.

Eventhough I’ve done probably hundreds of long runs, I still get so nervous before heading out to run big mileage. To chill out, I just tell myself that I have to run 9 or 10 miles and anything more than that is gravy. For some reason that number is very manageable and I usually end up running longer! The temperature yesterday was a chilly 27 degrees, but I layered well and was comfortable throughout. Plus I had a great running buddy to keep me company – thanks Jacqui! I ended up running for 2 hours and  8 minutes – I’m estimating it to be about 15 miles. I’m not exactly sure what kind of pace I was running, but it felt a tad quicker than usual. The best part of the whole run? NO back pain! Yahoo.

Once I finished my run, I refueled with some Fage yogurt, peanut butter, and a sliced banana.

After a shower, I pulled on my recovery socks and finished packing for the weekend.

The other day, the folks at Wildwood tofu sent me some samples. I love the texture of baked tofu!

I made a sandwich using Ezekiel bread, dijon mustard, sprouts, and aloha baked tofu. The tofu was really yummy – it was perfectly chewy and had a slightly sweet taste.

Best part of the sandwich? The sprouts that I grew myself! Check out NoMeatAthlete’s blog for more info on home-sprouting.

In the car, I snacked on an apple.

And half of a brownie from a Wawa in New Jerz. Don’t judge. This brownie was probably one of the best 7 I’ve ever had. And it was from a convenience store. So moist and full of big chocolate chunks!

My valentine, Kiwi the cat, greeted me as soon as I walked in the door.

While doing some grocery shopping with Mama Runnerskitchen and little sis, I picked up a salad.

And some pizza! There was definitely a third slice involved. And maybe a hazlenut truffle from my G-ma’s Valentine’s Day box of chocolates.

Happy Valentine’s Day! In the spirit of the holiday, what’s your favorite type of candy?

Andddd, I’m jumping on the “Ask Me Anything” bandwagon. Wondering about my favorite food? How many miles a week I run? What my dream race is? If you click on the link below, you can ask me questions (anonymously if you wish) and I’ll post the answers on the blog!

Ask me anything!