Triple Tangent uh....Saturday....(Bachelorette winner!)

The winner of the bachelorette contest is HauteRunningMama!  Four of you got the top 3 right, but I random number generated for the winner.  So email me, Momma and get yo schwag :).

Now For Triple Tangent Saturday Night!  

1) Guilty Pleasure Movies:   As sucky as it is to be in a long distance relationship, there are a couple of perks.  One is watching girl movies by yourself.  I am spending my Saturday night in watching The Notebook.  For the 500th time.   It's on Oxygen and it's glorious.

If you don't love this scene, I just don't have anything to say to you....

Indeed, it was not over, Noah.  

2) Old Lady Gardens:  I did some other old spinster stuff today, like starting a garden.  Which made me realize one more glorious thing about Southern California:  you can start a freaking garden in August.  Hell, I could probably start one in January if the plants were ok with being a little chilly now and then.

I've always been kind of into plants and here's why:  My family had a garden growing up.  And also, believe it or not, I spent most of my childhood without a TV (I learned the characters on Saved By The Bell as an adult to escape ridicule).  Whenever the Burpees Seed catalog came in the mail, while every other kid was watching Full House, I was memorizing all the hybrid strains of tomatoes and their disease resistances.  Truth is stranger than fiction.

My new plant assortment includes one tomato, one pepper, and oregano.  If only I could grow some mozzarella cheese, I'd be in for a tasty snack.  I've got a daddy plant from a few weeks back that I'm sure will take care of the little ones:  

Daddy Tomato and little plants

3) What the heck is up with this 5k course?  Like a good prepared runner, I took a look at the course of the 5k I'm running tomorrow.  It's on the OC fair grounds, and frankly the course looks a bit like a carnival itself.

Course in red.
A little different from the normal out and back course...eh?

So: 
What's your guilty pleasure movie?
Do you grow stuff?
Will you please think fast thoughts of me tomorrow morning?  I really want to do my best like whoa. 

Mental Vs. Physical Racing. Chocolate Espresso Cookies!

Because you really need a post workout photo of me

Self Talk Before Race: "Margot...give it all you've got. Go out slow, it should feel easy, and gradually push more and more until you kick some boot-ay".

Self Talk Near End of Race: "This sure is painful. Any particular reason you went out ridiculously fast again? Ya know..it's ok that ten people just passed you just let'em go. I know you'll be mad later, but...for now this slowing down sure feels goooddd".

Self Talk After Race: "Goddangit! Why didn't you just push a little harder through that last mile! Don't listen to angry-near-end-of-race self!"

Topic of the day: The mental side of running...in particular the mental aspect of being prepared to race.

There's a Pre quote where he said "I am going to work so that it's a pure guts race. In the end, if it is, I'm the only one that can win it". or even better his quote of "To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift." (Love him! He was a pretty interesting dude!)

These quotes are SO inspiring, both in running and in life, but how do ya get those guts and give it your best?
While I'm no authority (maybe the the opposite of one?), here's what helps me to feel ready:

1) Feeling Fast: Knowing you've done the training. Having done some confidence building kickass workout recently.
2) Feeling Mentally Rested: Whether this means you've gotten plenty of sleep lately, or just haven't done a hard run in a couple days, I think being pumped to race and ready to take it on plays a huge part. At least for me....
3) Having Competition or Inspiration: You pick what works for you. People are different and either being motivated by beating the some random reality TV star in front of you, or knowing your family is there to cheer you on (this helped me SO much in Boston) can help a ton.
I see all the time on blogs "I'm only competitive with myself". Screw that. If being competitive with the dude ahead of you helps you do your best, go for it.

Why write about this topic now?  Well...it's selfishly motivated, of course :).  I've got a 5k this weekend, and I'm feeling physically fast, but mentally so-so! Luckily, I've had a couple quality workouts this week that helped me feel more confident:

1) 5x1000m @ 6:11 Pace at 1.5% incline on the treadmill. 400 m rest (prolly like 3 minutes).
2) 12x200m @ about 41-42 seconds (except when I ran a 39 because there were a bunch of army dudes on the track that I couldn't help but race), 200 meter jog rest. Then I decided to do a mile at 5kish pace (ended up doing it at 6:38) to see if I could do it without straining. I did and the mile felt controlled. Big confidence booster.

What makes you feel mentally ready for a race (or even a workout)?

If all this running talk doesn't do it for you, perhaps a Double Chocolate Espresso Cookies recipe will!

I made these last night to send to my brother for his birthday. Great, except that his birthday was July 28th. Sister of the year award right here!
I got them off this blog, but made a couple changes based on the comments. Here's my version. I think they are pretty tasty, although I'm not 100% blown away. They're a little more "adult" (nothin' XXX rated about them) than the average cookie, and would be awesome with coffee.

2 1/4 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder (I used super ground coffee. If you do this, make sure it's ground fine like instant coffee so it dissolves in the batter)
1 tsp vanilla
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips (I'd cut this in half and add walnuts next time)

Preheat oven to 350
Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Then, add eggs one at time. Add vanilla

In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and espresso powder. Make sure ingredients are well combined.

Slowly add dry ingredients to butter / sugar mixture. Mix everything until the ingredients are fully combined, but do not overbeat. Stir in chocolate chips.

Cook on baking sheet @350F for for 15 minutes (blog says 10-12 but mine needed to cook longer, so this time varies).

Enjoy your super charged snack!

The difference between me and mah blog personality

Besides the fact that I'm a 45 year old dude in real life, there are some big differences between me and my blog.
 I think this is why I love blogging so much:  I can be a version of myself that doesn't smell after track workouts, and doesn't get all flustered if no one laughs at my jokes.

It's pretty sweet!

I've been told by more than one person that I'm a less awkward when I write than I am in person.  Which is uhhh...not flattering!  

This is probably why I'm scared as all get out before meeting any blogger in person.  But what's great is that they are all lovely.  And they are usually a more calmed down version of their blogs as well.  Except Skinny Runner who I think is even more of a hilarious girl in person.

So...here's the guide to where me and the Faster Bunny deviate.

1) I'm scared I'm gonna offend people    
Even though my friend Christina assures me I'm not writing inflammatory stuff, I am honestly really scared when I publish stronger opinions.
Even if I write something benign like "dude I hate Nike shoes they are so lame", I am secretly scared one of my blogging buddies is gonna defriend me for life because they love Nikes.  (But at the same time, no one will read this thing at all if I'm not me).

PS:  Nike...I do not hate your shoes in reality!  Send me some free ones, yo!

2) Emoticons & Slang
If you've ever received an email or even a comment from me, you will notice there are about 100 smiley faces or exclamation points in it.  This is because I want you to know that I like you.  And I want you to like me.  However, I'm pretty sure putting a smiley face after every sentence in this blog it would dilute the (super amazing) content.

3) Nerd-dom
I think stuff like this is funny:

Never watched Star Trek so you don't get it?


....Uhhh yeah...me neither....

4) Neuroticism
I think being a little nuts goes along with being a long distance runner.  But I try to hide it...and not just on the blog..in real life too.  I have gone to crazy lengths in the past to make sure I can workout every day.  I eat frozen mango, ice cream, and coffee yogurt every day unless traveling.  And if you're reading this, I've probably Athlink-ed your race times.   Hope ya don't mind...speedster...

How are you different from your blog personality?  



(On a totally different note, I'll announce the bachelorette giveaway winner soon.)

California Girls, We're Unforgettable

The Bachelorette ended tonight.  It was amazing.  Also, sometimes you just know you have a kickass boyfriend (who hates all reality TV but puts up with me):  

500 boyfriend points to Gryffindor. 

_____________________________________________________________________________
This weekend I went to Sacramento and to the California State Fair.
The Faster Bunny and the Golden Bear send their regards!

It was awesome.  We saw baby and Momma goats:

                    And cows with GIANT udders...holy cow she must be uncomfortable!

And of course I wanted to play with the best animal in the world (the BUNNY of course)...

Even better than the fair, I got to have an awesome phone conversion with the talented Arty Runner Chick (we were gonna meet up, but we both were without wheels at the time!).  

I also got to meet up with a couple college friends, Kyle and Roma.  

Pretty sure Kyle is either a vampire or wearing one of those dog head cones:

...When with college friends....act like you're in college!  

Needless to say, there were no speed workouts done this weekend.  

How was YOUR weekend?  

Why weren't you par-taying with me?  =)

Any thoughts on the bachelorette finale?  (I am seriously in love with Ash and JP...although Ben seemed so sad.  I know part of it has to be staged but IT SEEMS SO REAL!!!)

                           

Diet Coke Video is Up! Weekly Workout Recap

Thought y'all might get a kick out of the video Diet Coke made out of the refrigerator deliveries.  They are doing a twitter contest where you can win one for yourself!  (http://twitter.com/#!/dietcokeus...although honestly I have no idea what Twitter even does )
If you were wondering, yes, I frequently meditate on top of a Refrigerator. 

Happy Friday!  I'm off to Sacramento tonight!  All flights and some play make Margot accumulate mad frequent flier miles.

Gonna rock the California state fair like there's no tomorrow.  Fried peaches, funnel cake, and scary clowns, here I come!

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(Here's the weekly workout recap.  It was a great week, running wise. I felt fast.  And that feels great. )
Saturday:  2x2 mi @ 6:40.  2 Minute Rest.  1% Incline.  1 Mile Warmup, 1 Mile Cool Down
Sunday:  7 miles easy
Monday:  15 Mile Bike Ride (ends with glorious crash)
Tuesday:  4x800 @ 3:09, 4x400 @ 90 second.  2 minutes rest bt intervals.  1.5 miles warmup and cooldown
Wednesday:  4 miles easy
Thursday:  3x1 mile @ 6:25, 1 minute rest, 1% incline.  1 mile warmup, 1 mile cooldown
Friday:  4 miles easy

Running Mileage:  32
Biking Mileage:  15


Soo......What are you doing this weekend???  

Anyone going to fairs like me?  Anyone want to come eat crazy fried stuff in Sac with me and da better half??

I wish there was less focus on weight and more on health

This is an Oscar The Grouch post.  It's been a tiring week of bike crashes, little sleep, and dental fillings so please forgive .  Also, I'm really interested what y'all think about this...so please tell me if you agree or think I'm being a fool :).
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Runners World:  I love what you do.  
Your magazine makes running accessible and interesting to so many people.  I love the pictures of beautiful runs.  But freaking stop telling me I need to drop 10 lbs and get my best body now.

Of the random emails I've received from Runners World in the past few days, here are some of the headlines:
"Yoga Moves that Blast Off Belly Fat"
"Discover the 5 Golden Rules to Weight Loss"
"Run off 10, 20, 30 or More the Healthy Way"

It's not just Runners World trying to get me to drop a few...the OC Half Marathon last spring had a tag that listed calories right next to course elevation (pic below).
" Distance 13.1, Calories: 1304".  
Good lord...seriously?


We are already bombarded by messages about weight loss in every possible channel.  Fitness magazines.  Fashion magazines.  Big headlines saying how Heidi Klum lost a billion lbs in three days after having a baby.  And I work in fashion marketing and live in Southern California, for crying out loud.  It's enough, yo.

I get that a large portion of runners run in at least in part for weight control.   I do too!  It's awesome to be able to burn 100 calories in a few minutes doing something I love.  In a world where women are expected to be thin to be conventionally attractive, I definitely want in.

Does losing weight help performance?  Hard to say.  Elite runners tend to be thin, but I only need to run a race to see the multitudes of shapes and sizes that kick my butt.  I think that for most people, following common sense nutrition and focusing on their workouts will by default, bring weight loss if it's needed for their bodies.

To me this focus on appearance seems to becoming more and more prevalent in running (running apparel fashion exploding as well).   Maybe it's because we can run with our cameras and Brightroom is there to take a picture?  So I gotta PR AND look smokin'?  Aw come on....


I just want us all to be happy with ourselves, work on getting faster / stronger / running in cooler places and leave the "best body now rock hard abs" crap to other people.  Running and body development go hand in hand, sure, but it's gone from a health to an image focus, and for me, that's not a good thing.  

The Surfer Dude's Guide to Training

Remember when this was a running blog?  Well surprise! ...for today it is again.  I wanna talk about training plans and fast shoes.

beautiful beautiful shoe

Today I tried out my new lightweight trainers (the mizuno elixir, aka the smurf shoe) on the track.  Yes, that's right.  I finally bucked up and did a non treadmill workout.  I've been scared to since Boston since I had a few bad workouts right after.  And...it went ok!  4x800 @ 3:09ish and 4x400 at 1:30ish with prolly an average of 2 minutes rest between each.  

These shoes are amazing.  I've always been a huge fan of Mizuno, but I felt like freaking Mercury with wings on my feet in them.  And I look like a Smurf.  Best purchase of the month.   

I was all excited that I can run on real ground and not a machine until I looked up some paces on RLRF for the 5k to see if I was where I wanted to be.  I'm not.  Gotta go faster on the 800s.  Or, God forbid, possibly actually follow a training plan with some consistancy???

(Dum dum dum....ominous music...)

I don't like training plans and I've always considered myself to be a little like the surfer dude of running. 

"You gotta go with what feels right, braaaa."

"Just listen to what your body wants to do, duddeee"

What I mean, is that I've felt like if I do a training plan with a rigid workout schedule, it stops being fun and play, and starts becoming a job.  

But like the surfer dude, we all have to grow up sometime, right?  Well....maybe....

After years of almost daily discussion with my friend Christina about running (and gossiping about runners), 50% of these talks have ended with her trying to lure me into a training plan with wild promises of PRs and age group trophies.  I haven't bought it.  I trained in high school, and I was mediocre-ish.  

AND if I really give it my all, I can't claim post race "hey...I wasn't even training...braaa".  

(I don't mean to say I don't try.  I run the crap outa hard workouts, there's just no rhyme or reason to them.)  

But I'm beginning to think Christina, my pro-training amiga, might be right. Or that at least, I should give one a try.  After watching the steady improvement of so many bloggers after dedicated sweat and tears, I think I want in.  

This fall, I am going to sign up for a Triathlon, and find some plan (possibly Run Less Run Faster) that allows me to train for my half marathon on October 30th while learning to not drown in the pool.  A hybrid plan I think will be a good place for me to start....

Unless I decide to take up surfing instead.  

So....what training plans have you tried?  Tell me about your PRs or awesome improvements!  Inspire me and make me jealous!  

Also...do you guys care what I run on a weekly (or daily) basis?  

I don't usually write it because I assume no one cares, but I can recap if anyone (God forbid) is looking to me for training ideas.  Or just wants to make sure they are running faster / more than me, that's cool too :).