Runs from October 23-October 29, 2011, 23.23 Miles

October 24, 2011

5.3 Miles
54:41 Time
10:18 Pace

I had a nightmare about the Queensboro bridge last night.  It basically went up high into the sky.  I think I need to stop reading the Marathon section of the Runner's World forums, the posts are scaring me about the course.

October 25, 2011

5.09 Miles
50:58 Time
10:01 Pace

Feeling good.

October 27, 2011

5.09 Miles
51:10 Time
10:03 Pace

Nice rainy day run.

October 28, 2011

5.09 Miles
47:02 Time
9:14 Pace

Some kids (like 5-8) saw me and asked if they could run with me...they beat me to the end of the street.

October 29, 2011

2.66 Miles
26:32 Time
9:59 Pace

Hopefully the weather is ok for the Halloween race at Van Cortlandt on the Sunday, but if not, it looks like it will be the first time since the Valentines race that I wore Yaktrax.

Spicy Quinoa, Indian Style

This is semi good.  I didn't think it was super spicy, but I liked the "salad" taste to it.  The onions, tomatoes and cilantro weren't cooked.  Would probably be a decent side but not amazing as a meal.

http://www.indianfoodrocks.com/2005/11/new-frontiers-and-spicy-quinoa.html

Pan Fried Tofu, Kale, and Stir-Fried Noodles

 A good combination of ingredients.  I love my tofu and I love my kale.  I do like rice noodles, they are nice and soft.  I also used sriracha sauce for the first time.  I think I may have used it at a restaurant once though, I can't remember.  I thought overall this was decent, but a little bland.  Not bad, just it didn't leave a memorable taste with me.

http://veganyumyum.com/2007/12/pan-fried-tofu-kale-and-stir-fried-noodles/

Spicy Tofu Rice Pilaf

Very good, lots of spices and flavor.  I even used curry rice pilaf, which was great.

http://www.savvyvegetarian.com/vegetarian-recipes/spicy-tofu-rice-pilaf.php

Runs from October 16-October 22, 2011, 36.16 Miles

October 17, 2011

4.9 Miles
50:37 Time
10:20 Pace

Ah much better, and I smoked Greenwich Ave too.  I guess I am tapering now, though I might do a semi long run this Saturday.  Maybe I am semi tapering.  Here is my base mileage compared to my base when I started tapering for the Ocean Drive    Marathon, my first marathon.  They are actually somewhat similar.  Last 10 Weeks 38.78 OD vs 37.49 NYC, Last 20 Weeks 37.28 OD vs 37.78 NYC, Last 30 Weeks 33.47 OD vs 33.34 NYC, Last 40 weeks 29.55 OD vs 34.51 NYC.

October 18, 2011

8.2 Miles
1:34:08 Time
11:29 Pace

Feeling good.  I have done yoga each day for the last 3 days at 3 different places, LA Fitness, Lululemon and and a local studio.

October 19, 2011

2.66 Miles
26:09 Time
9:50 Pace

Normally this distance is my speed route, but it was a little too wet and I was feeling too sluggish to try to gun it.                       

October 21, 2011

5.09 Miles
51:16 Time
10:04 Pace

New shoes part 2...I started wearing my new shoes which I put away after wearing them as I didn't want them to get too much wear before the race.  They should have 90 miles or so when I get to the start which is basically what I did for my first marathon.

October 22, 2011

15.31 Miles
02:41:46 Time
10:34 Pace

Things just worked for me today.  Prior to today, my best time for this route was 2:50:49 or 11:09 pace and this was my fastest pace for runs 9 or more miles.  Not much fuel, two gels and 25 oz Gaterade.  Some cereal for breakfast.

Iraqi-Inspired Seitan and Eggplant Stew

I found this recipe browsing FatFreeVegan.com, which is a site that had a recipe my friend Randi sent me awhile back. I couldn't find the pomegranate molasses so I used the standard kind and for the split peas I used moong dal. I thought this was so so, nothing amazing . I think it could have used more intense spices for flavor.

http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/2009/08/iraqi-inspired-seitan-and-eggplant-stew.html

Cheese Base

I was surprised to find such a basic recipe to make cheese. I had never heard of acidophilus before, which made the recipe more interesting.  I still don't even know what acidophilus is. I tried and it was actually amazing. It tasted like gourmet cheese. I could only find the capsules for acidophilus so it was semi time consuming, but it probably took less than 30 minutes as there weren't many ingredients. I even used some cajun/spicy cashews for extra flavor. Really good stuff. I will make some for the next dinner party I go to.

http://g0lubka.blogspot.com/2011/09/soft-cheese-plate.html

 

Runs from October 9-October 15, 2011, 19.49 Miles

October 10, 2011

5.3 Miles
54:33 Time
10:18 Pace

New shoes, though my third pair of the NB 1080s.  My other pair is fine, but with 455 miles I figure its time to have a new pair in place for NYC, as I don't want to run a marathon with shoes that have close to 600 miles on them.

October 11, 2011

8.2 Miles
1:27:34 Time
10:41 Pace

My favorite semi hilly route, it went nice and easy as usual.

October 12, 2011

3.33 Miles
35:40 Time
10:43 Pace

I cut my 7 mile run short, my leg was bothering me. I'll try to do some yoga and take a nice walk. Nothing too painful but I prefer running with no issues.

October 14, 2011

2.66 Miles
30:46 Time
11:34 Pace

Felt better than yesterday, but still felt a little funny at the start.  I was thinking of doing another 20 Saturday, but it might be smarter to take the day off and taper early.  I will also try some epsom salt, as suggested by friends on Facebook.

Tofu Shiitake Spicy Stir-Fry

Yum yum yum.  Lots of flavor.  Not sure how you "julienne" carrots but the chopper I used seemed to work fine.  I also used S&B Golden Curry Sauce Mix, which I picked up at the Japanese market.  I really liked it.  It's like a thick Hershey bar, you break off a piece of it and melt in the frying pan.  Apparently it has 5 stars on Amazon after 5 reviews, so it looks like others agree.

http://www.food.com/recipe/tofu-shiitake-spicy-stir-fry-204827#ixzz1ZospTSKK

Runs from October 2-October 8, 2011, 46.08 Miles

October 3, 2011

5.3 Miles
54:06 Time
10:12 Pace

501 days ago I ran my first 5K, 33:39/10:50 pace.  With the rain, this was the wettest run of all time, good thing I brought a dry shirt with me for after.  I kept it slow, splits were 10:42, 10:46, 10:34, 10:38 and 9:23, because I *have* to run up Greenwich Ave.

October 4, 2011

8.2 Miles
1:33:14 Time
11:22 Pace

I need a new phone.  My Droid system was recently updated but I think there was issue with the update, as my phone resets at random times.  I had no issues yesterday during my run, though today it reset and I lost my splits and other info.  I have a timer for a backup and use MapQuest for the distance, though I pretty much run the same few routes over and over. Verizon did say I could get a replacement, as they couldn't fix it when I brought it in yesterday morning.

October 5, 2011

7.38 Miles
1:20:51 Time
11:01 Pace

Nice and cool, low 50s I think.  I felt pretty good running as well.

 

October 7, 2011

5.09 Miles
56:04 Time
10:40 Pace

Nice and easy, felt like I could do this all day.  I did hit a traffic light, so I had to wait for what felt like 30 seconds but other than that it went smooth.

October 8, 2011

20.11 Miles
3:55:16 Time
11:42 Pace

Not an impressive pace, though as always, I did my hilly route and then added some extra miles to it.  I also stopped twice for Gatorade.  I felt pretty strong, and believe it or not, with my Lululemon shorts I experienced NO chafing!  I still feel pretty good, not too sore at all.  Breakfast-Cereal and some carrot juice (I got a juicer!!)  Fuel-4 Clif Shots, 50 oz Gatorade.  Temperature at start 45 and at finish 63.

Spicy Coconut Pasta

This was kind of bland, though I wussed out about using the habaneros.  I did like the portion, as I ate a ton for leftovers.  I must have been in a rush when I decided to go with this recipe, not too creative.

http://ddskitchen.wordpress.com/2011/07/29/spicy-coconut-pasta/

Raw Spicy Coconut Avocado Soup in Bell Pepper Bowls

My second attempt at a raw food recipe.  I thought I'd raise the stakes and be a little more creative, and try a recipe that uses bell peppers as soup bowls.  So easy to do, just put the ingredients in a blender and press a button.  The spice was just right.  The bell pepper bowls are more for display and show, as it was hard to eat out of them, but the soup is quite tasty.

http://spelonca.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/raw-spicy-coconut-avocado-soup-in-bell-pepper-bowls/

Southern-Style Spicy Spaghetti

I figured I would search out some interesting raw food recipes, as my food expert friend Vanessa has been raving about the health effects of raw foods.  I think I searched for "spicy raw food recipes" when I found this and another recipe.  I thought this was decent, not super spicy.  With all the veggies it had that healthy feel to it, you know, a different taste than fried foods cooked with a lot of oils.  I was a good boy, as I did notice some wasabi horseradish at the store, but I was good and avoided it as it wasn't vegan.  This was super easy to make.

http://www.raw-food-health.com/simple-raw-food-recipes.html

Runs from September 25-October 1, 2011, 37.52 Miles

September 26, 2011

5.34 Miles
49:46 Time
9:19 Pace

Another fast run for me, and the best mile was mile 5, 8:59, up Greenwich Ave.  I was wearing my new Lululemon running shorts.  I got a certificate for the store and I hear these shorts won't chafe and they 3 pockets, one with a zipper!                                                                                                                           

September 27, 2011

8.2 Miles
1:34:56 Time
11:35 Pace

My knee was bothering me mile 1.5, and I was thinking of stopping but I stretched and kept going.  My condition improved.  It was a bit muggy and I probably should have taken my water bottle.  Going to take some glucosamine now, an OTC supplement which I hear helps with recovery.

September 28, 2011

7.38 Miles
1:22:16 Time
11:09 Pace

Felt much better than yesterday.  I had a nice breeze and my water bottle with powdered lemon lime Gatorade.  I still can't sense my pace, as I thought I was doing more 10:30ish miles at the end but it was more like 11:30.                                                   

September 29, 2011

5.09 Miles
54:18 Time
10:40 Pace

Assuming I don't run Fri, I finish Sept w/151 miles, which is only the 6th highest in 17th months.  Jul and Aug were 189 and 178, my two highest.  On the brighter side, I ran 3/4 marathon (with some breaks) on a hilly trail and a 2:09:39 half with no taper, originally planned as a long run. Three days after the half I ran 7.38 miles at 10:14 pace, 4 seconds faster than my ideal marathon pace. Not sure if that's good but I thought I would add it.

October 1, 2011

11.51 Miles
2:16:14 Time
11:50 Pace

I was feeling a bit stiff Friday and I was debating running today.  I figured a slow, but semi long run might help loosen me up.  Overall, I felt fine.  Maybe I need to cut down on the speed workouts and stretch more.  Hopefully I can feel good to run a 20 sometime soon and figure out how to have a gel without slowing down too much.