Running and Weight Chart for January

I intend to write soon, more about my train trip, and what I've been reading lately...

But here is an update on my Running and Weight chart, at the end of January. I have a training schedule written out for the coming months leading up to the next marathon. Hope for good weather, so I will be more likely to follow it!

Not shown on the chart: I've been doing strength training at least twice a week, and I did a 34-flight stair-climbing event ("Vertical Dash for Diabetes") ~ both new accomplishments for me!

Vonnegut

This morning it was wickedly cold, and instead of driving to Topeka and running a half marathon in zero degrees, I decided to indulge in a morning of reading. I think I made a good choice.

I read this Vonnegut book, which I picked up at a used bookstore in Flagstaff.

If Vonnegut had a blog (which he wouldn't have), it would be something like this, but not as good.

I read it in one sitting, which wasn't necessarily the best way to read it, so I will have to read it in other ways later on.

This made me laugh out loud:

I am going to sue the Brown & Williamson Tobacco Company, manufacturers of Pall Mall cigarettes, for a billion bucks! Starting when I was only twelve years old, I have never chain-smoked anything but unfiltered Pall Malls. And for many years now, right on the package, Brown and Williamson have promised to kill me.

But I am now eighty-two. Thanks a lot, you dirty rats. The last thing I ever wanted was to be alive when the three most powerful people on the whole planet would be named Bush, Dick and Colon.

The book is sometimes funny, and sometimes hopelessly depressing. I agree with Vonnegut about most things, so I will probably become hopeless at some point, as he did. Right now, I still think there is hope that the human race will start caring, and turn things around, but that is probably because I am naive and in denial.

Humor is a way of holding off how awful life can be, to protect yourself. Finally you just get too tired, and the news is too awful, and humor doesn't work anymore.

I hope I die before I get too tired.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Soup

(Thanks to my friend in Clarinda, for this recipe!)

I had never cooked a butternut squash before, so I was a little scared to try this recipe. There are many things that will scare me away from cooking. One is an ingredients list with things I have never heard of. Some ingredients can only be purchased on Mars, I think ~ I've never seen them in a Kansas City grocery store. But I thought I could handle Butternut Squash. I've cooked with butter, and I'm a little nuts, and I enjoy squashing things.

Another thing that causes me to give up before I've started is when it tells you to do extra things that you don't really need to do. This recipe said to peel and de-seed the butternut squash. Well, for one thing, I keep reading that peels and seeds are actually very healthy for you. And when I looked on the internet for "how to peel a butternut squash," I got a lot of web pages telling me it is tricky! Even trickier, because I don't have a vegetable peeler, or even a very sharp knife. So I decided to cook this recipe, peels and seeds and all. It turned out great! So don't make it harder than it is ~ defy authority ~ eat the peels.

[LATER EDITED TO ADD ~ Ok, the first time I made this soup, I didn't bother to remove the squash seeds, and they turned out to be tender- no problem. But the second time I made the soup, the seeds did not soften up, and I had to remove them from my mouth as I was eating the soup. Very annoying. So I recommend scooping out the seeds, but cooking the peels. You still get the yummy pumpkin seed goodness, so you won't miss anything!]

1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled & chopped. (I used about 5 garlic cloves. I like garlic.)

Saute the leeks and garlic in the oil for a few minutes, in the soup pot. Then add 6 cups of water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, be chopping the following goodies: (If you are like me, and don't have sharp knives, put the potato & squash in the microwave to soften them up a little, to make them easier to chop.)

1 sweet potato
1 butternut squash
2 carrots (or a bunch of baby carrots)

Put the chopped goodies into the boiling pot, along with

3 vegetable or chicken stock (bouillon) cubes

Bring it back to a boil, lower the heat, cover, and simmer 30-45 minutes or until the veggies are tender.

Add

1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 large fresh sage leaves, finely minced

Cook another 5 minutes, uncovered. Use a potato masher to mash it up while you are cooking it.

Garnish with pumpkin seeds. Yum!

Reading

While I was on the train, I read The Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton.

I don't read as often as I'd like. It takes effort to read, especially the classics. But whenever I make the effort, I'm glad, because I am exposed to Great Thoughts beyond my little world. (It's kind of like exercising. I never want to do it, but often I enjoy it, and I'm always glad I did it.)

I have collected some lists of the "100 greatest books," and am planning to read as many of these as I can before I die. I figure I have about 60 years, more or less.

A couple of weeks ago, I took all my spare change to CoinStar, and cashed it all in for a gift certificate from Amazon.com. I had $57 in pennies, nickels, dimes, and one quarter (I save my quarters for laundry, but one got away). I'm going to spend this on books (mostly used, probably, to make it go farther).

I also have a collection of pictures of women reading. Most of these come from The Reading Woman calendar. Every time I finish a book, I'm going to take one of these pictures and frame it, so that I have visual images that remind me that reading is something I value.

I easily sink into mere absorption of what other minds have done, and I should like a whole life for that alone.
~ George Eliot, in J.W. Cross, ed., George Eliot's Life as Related in Her Letters and Journals (1884)

My Dad's Tree

After the marathon and a shower, I drove over to Glendale Community College to see my dad's tree.

On August 28, 2002, the first anniversary of my dad's death, the Arizona Green party planted a tree in his memory.

He was their candidate for U.S. Senate in 2000. He taught English at Glendale Community College for many years, before his retirement.

At first, I couldn't find the tree. There was a lot of construction, and I was confused about where it was. I was afraid that, with the construction, they decided to remove the tree. (I would've been upset!)

But eventually, I found it. There was fencing around it, but I found a way in, and brushed some of the mud and debris from around the plaque, took some pictures, and collected a few leaves to put between the pages of a book.

Arizona Rock'n'Roll Marathon

I completed my 19th marathon in my 19th state! The P.F. Chang's Rock'n'Roll Arizona Marathon took place January 13, 2008, in Phoenix, Scottsdale (where I grew up) and Tempe. I have done all 19 marathons within the last 26 months!

The weather was beautiful, of course, and I had good company -- I met a fellow nicknamed "MacGyver," who was running for about a 5 1/2 hour finish, which is my usual time -- so we ran together. MacGyver is a member of Marathon Maniacs, and is acquainted with Industrial Bellybutton. I promised that after this marathon, I would join the Maniacs.

A little after the halfway point, we met another new friend, Kara from Michigan.



Unfortunately, Kara, who was a first-time marathoner, was having IT-band trouble. I don't know much about this injury, but MacGyver had had this trouble before, and knew what to do. MacGyver and I stayed with her, to help her get through the marathon. It did add to our time, but who cares about that? It was so much fun to experience a "first marathon" again (vicariously), and being in the company of these folks made the marathon a memorable and positive experience!




He showed her a few stretches, and we stopped several times to do them. We even caught the attention of another runner who was having IT-band trouble, and MacGyver had both of them doing stretches!

A Visit to My Old Neighborhood

After the pizza gathering, I visited the neighborhood where I grew up. Here is my elementary school, where I enjoyed 3 happy years ... out of the 9 years I attended school there.



I went to see the house where I grew up. It looked like someone was living there, so I didn't go inside. :-)

The neighbors had a sign in front of their house...




The church courtyard looks nice, and there is a new playground with an awning over it.






I lived in Scottsdale from age three to age fourteen ~ that seemed like a huge chunk of my life at the time, but now it's been 32 years since I moved! Am I really that old??!

Where's George Pizza Gathering in Arizona

Immediately after the meeting with my running & weight loss buddies, I went to a pizza gathering of people from Where's George ~ I had never met these particular Georgers (other than online.)

I have always wanted to meet Industrial Bellybutton, because he is a marathoner. In fact, after the pizza gathering, he went to dinner with the Marathon Maniacs, a group I have been thinking about joining. More about that later ~ I'm glad I had put off joining Marathon Maniacs, because three restaurant meals in 5 hours would've been too much for me!

The Queen and her Court ~ Clockwise from left: Quarterman, Samurai918, Industrial Bellybutton, Queen Sarah, AZgeek, Ryzilla, Dave in Tucson.

PeerTrainer Gathering in Arizona

Today I arrived in Phoenix for the marathon. After picking up my packet, I met two of my PeerTrainer buddies for lunch. Molly and Kendall (and Kendall's sister Michelle) and I met at 101 Bistro in downtown Phoenix.

(That's Kendall on the left, me in the middle, and Molly on the right. Michelle is in the stripes.)

It was great meeting these ladies in person, who are a support and inspiration online!

Ironically, I did not eat healthy food, even though this group is all about healthy eating! I saw the nachos with the guacamole and sour cream and melted cheese, and that is what I wanted to eat! I think there was a bean or two in there somewhere amongst the greasy chips. Beans are a SuperFood! :-) Fortunately, I have an opportunity to run it off tomorrow. It's not what you do once in awhile that will make a difference -- it's what you do consistently! So the nachos were a rare treat that I thoroughly enjoyed!

Running and Weight Loss Chart

I like to keep track of my progress by making it visual, and one of my favorite ways to do that is to create a colorful chart of my running and weight loss. It is the beginning of a new year, so the chart isn't very colorful yet, but I will keep updating it as I go along.

Each week of the year is another column on the chart.

When I run, I color in a square for every mile. My goal is always to run 20 miles in a week, in at least 3 separate runs (exception: if there is a marathon, that would usually be the only run that week, and I would run about 9 miles total the following week.)

This helps me see my total mileage, and how many times I got out there to run!

At the same time, I want to see if all that running is having any effect on my weight.

When I track my weight, I know it goes up and down as much as 5 lbs in a single day, and there are normal monthly fluctuations as well. For that reason, I weigh myself whenever I feel like it (more than once a day) and write down ALL the weights. That way, I don't freak out if it is up a few pounds, but if it bounces too high, I will notice! I did this last year, and watched the entire range go gradually downward over time.

There is a horizontal line on the chart which indicates 20 miles for the running -- my goal is to get up to or over that line every week. Except post-marathon weeks. The same horizontal line indicates the upper range of what I want my weight to be. So I want to get the running OVER the line, and the weight UNDER the line. I think that will happen in a month or two!

The yellow highlighted area at the far left is my ideal weight range, for my height (5'7", medium frame).

I don't feel like working out.

When I really think about it, I never feel like working out. Or running. There are a lot of other things I'd rather do.

Today, I felt like I was coming down with a cold, and I didn't really have the time, and the weather is yucky, so maybe I'd put it off til tomorrow.

When I feel like this, I put my running clothes on.

99% of the time, this works, and I get my workout in. It's my best trick.

And I no longer feel like I'm coming down with a cold, and I'm glad I worked out.

Political Agreement Quiz

I've been keeping an eye on the political news, and have had trouble figuring out which candidate I agree with most. It is hard to sort out, because I believe it is time to have a woman president, and I also believe it is time to have a black president. Both are overdue. But what if the white guy is the one most in sync with my political beliefs? I don't want to form my opinions based on gender or skin color, or personality. It's just hard not to be influenced.

So I took an online quiz, to get an objective view. I was a little surprised at the results.

The candidate I agree with the most? Hillary Clinton. (75% agreement)

Dennis Kucinich, not surprisingly, came in second with 73% agreement. But he does not have a chance, so let's move on.

Moving on down past the list of candidates who don't stand a chance, I found John Edwards and Barack Obama tied at a measly 60%.

Now I feel I can take a closer look at their positions. This quiz is not very accurate, because it does not take into account how important each issue is deemed to be.

But so far, the verdict is this: Hillary Clinton comes the closest to having the correct positions. (I can say it that way, because this is my blog. Of course, I would be the best president, but I'm too busy being Queen.)

(All the Republicans were heaped at the bottom, with some guy named Duncan Hunter at 0%)

Playing with Scraps

I keep a pile of fabric scraps by the TV, and sew them together sometimes when I watch movies. I just like to keep my hands busy.

It's a good thing to take with me on trips, or whenever I think I might have time.

Productive fidgeting.

I figure if I keep doing this, I might end up with a quilt someday.

I'm not an active quilter right now, but I probably will be eventually, so I'm practicing.

I have had this pile of scraps for about 3 years now, and I have enough for a quilt, if the quilt is only about 3 square feet!

Here is what it looks like when you put them together.

Accomplishments in 2007

Sometimes it seems like I'm not making any progress. I think it's a good idea to write down one's accomplishments of the previous year, sometime around New Years. It helps to make it visible.

So here are my accomplishments for 2007.

I completed 9 marathons, and several half marathons and shorter races.

I delivered a scholarly paper at a music theory conference.

I was awarded the "CAGO" (Colleague) certificate from the American Guild of Organists. (This is a professional certification program, and this level is said to be equivalent to the abilities of someone with a bachelor's degree in organ performance).

I established healthier eating habits, including 10 fruits & vegetables, whole grains, lean protein, etc., and have maintained these habits for 3 months. I lost approximately 15 lbs in 2007, and am almost to my goal weight range.

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I'm thinking about starting an online blog

I'm writing this as a sample, to see how it looks, and how it works. I don't know if it can be edited, or if posts can be deleted, or if other people can access it (if anyone would ever want to!)

It looks like I can put words in bold, and use different fonts and sizes.

Look, I added a picture.

I got a digital camera for Christmas, but I am still learning how to use it. Once I get that figured out, I could post pictures of my cats and friends and other beautiful things.