Gobble Gobble

So, hubby and I kicked off our Thanksgiving by running in the Gobbler's Run 5K at 8 am yesterday - with about 2000 other runners, walkers and pets. It was our first 'Turkey Trot' and we did very well indeed, shaving another minute off his PR. It might have to become a tradition since it also shaves a good 300+ calories off the gluttony of later in the day (more on the calorie counting later), but throughout the race I was haunted by a similar Turkey Trot that occurred about 12 years prior - the one my sister-in-law ran in when we visited her in LA for Thanksgiving that year.

At that time (let's just say I was barely of legal drinking age) I was definitely not a runner and the thought of even watching other people run at 8 in the morning made my stomach turn. So, while my then boyfriend (now husband) rose early and went to the race with my future sis-in-law and her then boyfriend (now ex-husband), I think I remember rolling over and pulling the covers up further around my grumpy and likely hungover face. And, I believe I was still planted firmly on the futon when they returned. I also clearly remember feeling smuggly well-rested the rest of the day, as everyone else in the apartment yawned and smiled sleepily over the turkey and fixins. What a selfish little bitch.

Today (and yesterday in particular) I feel pangs of guilt at my self-absorbed indifference 12 years ago. My sister-in-law is no longer a runner - never going beyond the 5K for whatever reasons life threw at her - but when I posted a blurb about the Gobbler's Run yesterday on Facebook, she was the first to "Like". Cue even stronger pangs of guilt.

She's still in LA and we haven't had the chance to talk in a while, but when I see her next month it will behoove me to express my shame and thank her for planting the seed back then (however subliminally) that may just have precipitated my successful Gobbler's Run this year.

Now on to the other 'Gobble Gobble' context - that having to do with calorie counting and the like. As I have expressed in previous posts, running for me has not so far resulted in a trimming of the waistline. At first, the goal was just to push myself to that marathon distance. I paid little attention to how many calories I was actually taking in - especially as those 2+ hour runs made me more and more ravenous. What's a little carb loading amongst friends?? I needed those extra calories, dammit!

Well, a year on and a few pounds heavier, I know better and about 6 weeks ago went back to an online calorie counter to keep my running/eating habits in check. 6 weeks and 6 lbs ago, haha! Today, there are numbers on the scale that I haven't seen in a good long while and it feels really good. It also helped that my brilliant husband fixed the treadmill (and saved us about $1K with a simple tightening of bolts), but the calorie counter from www.everydayhealth.com caters just enough to my Type A tendencies to bring it all together.

So, this Thanksgiving, I was very aware of how many glasses of wine and half slices of pie went in, as well as how many calories I burned in the 5K. I ended the day only slightly over my lose-a-pound-a-week calorie budget, which I view as a resounding success. Now, if I can just keep it up through the holiday season, and as I ramp up my running distances toward that half-marathon in Feb.

Fingers crossed.

Tis the season to be a good consumer

In addition to the annual holiday gift business, I am currently finding myself weighing options and considering two big running-related purchases: a new treadmill and a gps watch. Both are expensive and relatively unnecessary in the food/water/shelter sense of things. But, there are seemingly good reasons to consider both. As to the treadmill, the one we purchased new for $500 (which was and still is super cheap and at the very lowest end of the market) 7 years ago is showing its age. Like a crotchety old woman, it has developed some not-so-cute quirks.

While spontaneous rapid acceleration might be good for getting the heart going, it is not a desirable feature for anyone already trying to test their limits at a 12 min mile pace. I only wish that the display accurately showed how fast I end up going at these moments, as I frantically press buttons and try not to fall on my face. And having to turn the whole damn thing completely off, resetting the timer and odometer, is a real motivation-suck. Recently, the belt has also started slipping, which adds to the excitement. In my usual fashion, I researched this problem online to see if it is fixable - which it is. However, the variety and complexity of suggestions I found gave me such a headache, that I just became convinced that I should just trash the entire thing and start fresh.

So, long story short, I am seriously thinking about hitting up the nearest Play It Again Sports to see if I can get a good used model for a decent price. We'll see.

The gps watch is a bit more frivolous, but I sooooo want one. A few weeks ago, I set out to buy a good sports watch, mainly just for an easy-to-read stop watch function. But, as I am known to do, I did a little research beforehand. Of course, the more I read, the more features I discovered I needed. As a stop-gap measure, I picked up a $10 pink plastic basic sports watch at Target. When the stop watch function of said watch stopped working after only one run, I took it as a sign that I deserve better.

Enter the Garmin Forerunner 110 (drool) which would allow me to accurately measure my outdoor runs and upload my results to an online tracking system. And, it comes in a super cute gray and pink model (sigh). The $250 price tag is the only minor catch.

So, maybe the treadmill comes first and the watch becomes a reward I can work toward over the next few months. Maybe if I set a new PR at the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon in February, that $250 won't seem quite so excessive.