My Midwest Adventures

Posted on November 4, 2011 by Coco

This week brought a three-city tour of the midwest for four different business meetings in three days:

Monday: D.C. to Madison
I had an 8:30 pm flight to Madison. After a 30 minute flight delay and a “discussion” with the rental car GPS, it was after 10:00 pm when I checked into my hotel. Still, I didn’t mind setting my alarm for o’dark-thirty so I could meet Steena (@ahappypace) for coffee!

Tuesday: Madison to Chicago
We opened up the Starbucks at 5:00 am, and I enjoyed Thanksgiving Blend, pumpkin bread, and conversation that went well beyond 140 characters! It was a nice way to kick off November, and easily was the highlight of my week.

My meeting didn’t start until 9:00 am, so I still had plenty of time for the hotel gym. It was small and crowded, but there was an open treadmill. I decided to do an incline workout:

0-5 min: walking warm-up @ 3.7 mph
5-10 min: running warm-up @ 5.7 mph
10-40 min: 5 min incline cycles of 0.5/1.5/2.0/2.5/3.0 (1 min each) @ 6.0 mph
40-45 min: 6.3 mph (0.5 incline)
45-50 min: walking cool-down @ 3.7 mph

This was tough and left me dripping with sweat. I skimped on stretching because there just wasn’t any room!

After my meeting in Madison, I drove 2+ hours towards Chicago for another meeting, and then drove another 1/2 hour hour-and-a-half to my hotel. Between rush hour and construction, it took much longer than it should have–the last mile literally took one hour. Luckily there was a nice restaurant that I could walk to that had a nice red zinfandel on their wine-by-the-glass list.

Wednesday: Chicago to Cincinnati
After a good night’s sleep,  I was ready to hit the gym @ 5:00.

I started on the elliptical and it nearly killed me–it seemed to gather momentum with every stride and get faster and faster. Even when I increased the resistance, I had a hard time keeping up with myself! Needless to say, I was out of breath after my 20 minute “warm up.”

After wiping down the elliptical, I moved on to the free weights. I was glad to see 10 lb, 15 lb and 20 lb weights, so I could do a full routine:

dead lifts, military presses, push-ups, plie squats, tricep dips, lunges, bicep curls, squats, lateral raises, crunches, skull crushers

I was meeting some colleagues at Starbucks, but needed coffee right away. I fixed myself some Via and enjoyed that while I got ready to pack up and hit the road again.

(I guess I can’t blame Siri for getting the weather forecast wrong–it was a gorgeous day!)

My morning meeting went well, and I had plenty of time to get to the airport–and get some Starbucks to make it through the rest of my day. My flight to Cincinnati was smooth–and an hour shorter than I expected.  I didn’t realize that I was crossing back into the eastern time zone!

Thursday: Cincinnati to D.C.
I woke up at 5:00 and got up before I remembered that I had decided that I could sleep until 6:00. D’oh! Once I’m up, I’m up, so I got dressed and headed for the hotel gym. I generally only do one “hard” treadmill workout a week, so my plan was to do a moderate, steady-state program.

0-5 min: walking warm-up @ 3.7 mph
5-10 min: running warm-up @ 5.7 mph
10-15 min: running warm-up @ 6.0 mph
15-25 min: running @ 6.3 mph (incline=1.0)
25-43 min: running @ 6.5 mph (incline=1.0)
43-45 min: running @ 6.7 mph (incline=1.0)
45-50 min: walking cool-down @ 3.7 mph

Unless I’m doing a hill/incline program, I usually keep the treadmill at 0.5 incline, but when I started running at 6.3 mph it felt easy, so I upped the incline to 1.0.  Since the Hot Chocolate 15K course will be hilly, I probably should keep this as my base incline (after my warm-up).

After 10 minutes at 6.3 mph, I upped the incline to 6.5 to combat treadmill boredom. I planned to hold that for 10 minutes , but felt fine after that, so I kept going. I did the last 2 minutes at 6.7 mph just for fun.

I took a cup of hot water from the lobby coffee station to start my day with Via again–I’m just so much happier when I start my day with strong, flavorful coffee. 🙂 

(Yes, it did rain in Cincinnati on Thursday)

My meeting in Cincinnati went well, and it was finally time to head home. Unfortunately, my meeting schedule and the flight schedules didn’t quite line up, so I had four five hours to kill at the airport. (Of course my late flight was delayed again.) My first stop after getting through security was the big Starbucks I’d seen when I landed. They had lots of tables but only two electrical outlets. Since those were occupied, I headed to my gate–I love that they have electrical outlets by the chairs in the gate areas now. I shelled out $7.00 for a T-Mobile hotspot, and was able to finish a big project before it was (finally) time to board.

What’s the longest time you’ve had to spend at an airport?

Posted in Fitness | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Is That Your Snack??

Posted on November 3, 2011 by Coco

Last week I took my son to a mid-day doctor’s appointment. Actually, it was a late morning appointment, but we sat in the waiting room for an hour and it was actually early afternoon by the time we were done. We stopped to get some lunch before heading back to school (him) and home (me), but I decided that I wanted to wait and eat at home, where some yummy (and healthy!) leftovers waited in the fridge. Still, I was hungry and it was going to be another hour before I could eat, so I scanned the menu for tide-me-over snack options. 

I decided to get some low-fat chocolate milk, knowing that it was a relatively good option.  My son made his usual Chipotle double order (burrito bowl with extra sour cream and a cheese quesidilla) and then said with teenage disdain, “Is that your snack, Mom?”

It was actually a few months ago when I realized what a good snack low-fat chocolate milk can be. I had heard about the studies showing that low-fat chocolate milk was a “perfect” post-workout snack, but since I exercise in the morning, I usually just refuel with breakfast.

The studies must have been in the back of my mind, because when I was making a mid-morning Starbucks run and realized that I was *starving* I checked out the nutrition information on the low-fat chocolate milk boxes. With 150 calories and 8 g protein, I decided it was a better option at that time than the Kind bars (190 calories, 3 g protein) and the dry roasted almonds (160 calories, 5 g protein). Since then, I have added low-fat chocolate milk to my list of healthier airport snack options–I always crave more chocolate when I am traveling! While I generally don’t like to drink my calories, there is something about chocolate milk that is satisfying and filling.

After coming to this realization myself, I now question the trend among some public schools to ban chocolate milk from school lunch programs. While I first thought it was a good idea, I did hear interviews with nutritionists who felt that the health benefits of chocolate milk–the calcium, the protein, the vitamin D and other vitamins–outweigh the drawbacks of the added sugar. They said that, on balance, most children are better off drinking low-fat chocolate milk than not, especially since many children simply will not drink plain milk at school. (I have my own miserable memories of lukewarm milk from the school lunch line!)

Do you drink chocolate milk?

Has your school system banned chocolate milk from the lunch line?

If so, does it still offer juice, soda or cookies?

Posted in Food | Tagged , | 9 Comments

Are You Sirious?

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Coco

Yes, I have a new iPhone 4S. I’ve been a loyal AT&T customer since they were Cingular and cell phones were the size of a brick. I’ve had an iPhone since my daughter got the first one for her birthday and I struggled to keep up with her texting. (We had adopted a code of “1” for “yes” and “2” for “no” because I was so clumsy at texting on a number pad phone!) I upgraded from an iPhone 3, so the 4S has lots of new features that I haven’t figured out yet, but I have had fun playing with Siri.

First, Siri helped me pack for a three city business trip.
I asked, “What’s the weather [day] in [city]?”

Not the best forecast, but at least I know what to pack for.

Could Siri help calculate a tip?
I asked, “Calculate 15% of 55.”

I think my math major daughter would like these answers!

To make sure she could help in a real emergency, I asked,
“Where’s the nearest Starbucks?”

And for my husband, who has yet to jump on the iPhone bandwagon but doesn’t mind humoring the rest of us:

If you have the new iPhone, what have you asked Siri?

Posted in Life | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

Getting Ready For The Hot Chocolate 15K

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Coco

Now that it’s November, I can no longer ignore the next race on my calendar:
the Hot Chocolate 15K on December 3.

I actually signed up this summer, when Lisa (@workoutmommy) posted a link on Facebook. The timing seemed right–long enough after the Army Ten Miler–the location is convenient–only a few miles from my house–and yes, I will run for chocolate!

 

I know I am in shape for a 15K (~10 mile) race, and I have been feeling pretty good since the Army Ten Miler (knock-on-wood), so I am not too concerned with following a strict training program. On the other hand, I checked out the course map, and it looks like the route is going to be hilly. I don’t usually drive on these roads, but I’m pretty sure those first two miles are a steady climb, so I have decided to focus my training on getting ready for those hills.

I can’t do all hills all the time, but every week I will do one hilly outdoor run and some kind of hill workout on the treadmill (intervals or steady incline).  I’m also adding back the lower body strength training that I cut back on before the Army Ten Miler, at least for a few weeks.

My main goal for this race is to eat as much chocolate as I can at the post race party. This means finishing early enough before the supplies are depleted (hopefully they won’t let the 5K finishers drain the chocolate fountains!) but also not running so hard that my stomach is complaining.

As you can tell, this race is being promoted as a fun race, and I am toying with the idea of setting “have fun” as my race goal.  (While I managed to cross the finish line smiling at the Army Ten Miler, I was not having fun for the last 2-3 miles.) This type of goal is not as easy as at sounds–at least not for me. It means not pushing my pace, and I’m not sure that I can let go of that race mentality once I’ve got my race bib pinned on!

Have you ever really run a race just for fun?

Have you ever set a goal to run at a slower pace?

Posted in Fitness, Training Log | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Trick or Treat?

Posted on October 31, 2011 by Coco

This is not a post about the temptations of Halloween candy, or how I’ve overcome my Reese’s addiction.

Now that I’m hooked on high-quality dark chocolate, this is just not that appealing.

Instead, I thought I’d share my thoughts about common diet tips, and whether after 10+ years of maintaining a 40+ pound weight loss, I think that they are “tricks” or “treats.”

Order salad dressings and sauces on the side.
This habit has become engrained, and I don’t even think twice before customizing my restaurant orders. I don’t enjoy salads that are drowned in dressing and a little sauce can go a long way. I have become a pro at dipping my fork into the sauce to get just the right amount of flavor on my food.

When you eat out, take 1/2 of your meal home in a doggie bag.
I used to follow this advice, and it makes sense to some extent. Restaurant portions are huge, and most restaurant meals have 2-5 times the calories I usually budget for a meal. But lately I’ve realized that bringing a portion home to enjoy another day turns one indulgent meal into two or three.  Those leftovers are still going to have more calories, fat, and sodium than I usually would have in a home-cooked meal.  Better to leave the leftovers behind.

Don’t drink your calories.
I used to be a Coke addict, and had a six-pack-a-day habit in college. Even after I switched to Diet Coke, I still drank a lot of calories without thinking about them, mostly bottled juices or flavored “teas.” Since I learned that our bodies don’t “register” liquid calories very well (the calories we drink don’t stave off hunger as well as calories in solid food), I think twice before drinking anything but water.

Eliminate carbs from your diet.
I started my weight loss journey on The Atkins Diet. The quick results were enticing–cutting out carbs meant that I was no longer snacking on cereal, chips or cookies, so I did lose weight–but the deprivation was not sustainable. I had no energy, often felt light-headed, and lost muscle tone.  Since then, I’ve learned that being choosy about my carbs (focusing on whole grains, cutting back on processed snacks) is a healthier and more nutritious approach.

Try new healthy foods.
So many diet books emphasize what you “can’t” eat while following their meal plans. When I starting focusing on what I could eat, and tried new foods, it became a much more enjoyable process. I now enjoy vegetables like jimica, brussels sprouts, and beets, have made greek yogurt a staple food in my diet, and could never go back to mushy white bread since I’ve gotten used to the texture and flavor of whole grain breads.

What diet tips have worked for you?

What proved to be bad tricks?

Posted in Food | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments