It has been going through the blogosphere that Burger King’s French fries are now gluten-free. I thought they had always been gluten-free as far as ingredients go, but they were contaminated due to being fried with the chicken. 

(source: BK Facebook page)

Turns out they have just recently changed their recipe as of December 5, 2011.  The new recipe is gluten-free, as was the old version, as long as they are fried in a dedicated fryer.  A list of foods that don’t contain gluten at Burger King can be found here.  This list was last updated in March 2011, so please exercise caution if you choose to eat at BK. 

While I do love a good French fry, I can’t see myself going out to get these.  I do eat fries on occasion from restaurants, but I usually stick with Red Robin, Chick-fil-a or Five Guys.  I actually prefer to make my own fries at home.  I love a thick, potatoey (is that a word?) steak fry!  Sometimes I go with the sweet potato version, other times I spice up the traditional version. 

Have you had the “new” fries from Burger King?  Do you eat anything else gluten-free at Burger King?

Kim

Since it is a new year, it is time to address goals.  I mentioned the other day that I had a goal to run 5 half marathons this year and several shorter races.  In order to make sure that I am training as safely as I can, I began training last February by heart rate.  At first I was discouraged with HR training because it seemed like I was running a lot slower than I was used to running, which as it turns out, was too hard (fast).  By always running fast, I was causing a lot of unnecessary wear & tear on my body that did result in some annoying injuries.  I stuck with the HR training, though, and I slowly began to see a change.  By running slower, following a schedule and adding in some speed training in moderation, I was able to get faster and finally PR the half marathon I had been trying to PR! 

Today it was time for a follow up to my initial VO2 Max test that I had in February 2011.  The initial VO2 Max test that I had last February defined what zones I should be training in.  Additionally, the doctor laid out a specific plan for me to follow for training and racing. 

The results from February 2011:

• VO2 Max: 46.8
• Max HR: 171
• Weight: 126

Zone 1 – Active Recovery – 106 -133
Zone 2 – LSD (long slow distance/Saturday runs) – 133 – 145
Zone 3 – Tempo – 145 – 153
Zone 4 – Interval #1 – 153 – 163
Zone 5 – Interval #2 – 163 – 171

The results from January 2012:

• VO2 Max : 42.3
• Max HR: 174
• Weight: 130

Zone 1 – Active Recovery – 120-131
Zone 2 – LSD (long slow distance/Saturday runs) – 132 – 146
Zone 3 – Tempo – 147 – 157
Zone 4 – Interval #1 – 158 – 166
Zone 5 – Interval #2 – 166 – 174

What does this all mean?  Well, first, the VO2 Max doesn’t usually go down like that according to Dr. D, but he noted a few factors that may have influenced that number.  First, I am 4 pounds heavier.  This is not a bad thing, but can be enough to influence the end result.  Second, I have been sick recently, so my body may not be functioning at 100%.  Thirdly, my MHR (max heart rate) is different – higher.  That number is not supposed to change.  Dr. D said that it may have been a case of my not pushing myself hard enough last year during the test and today I may have pushed harder.  Additionally, he believes that I could have still pushed harder today during the test, especially after I had told him that my MHR had been in the low 180’s on Sunday during my 5K.  The tests do have a learning curve, but provide data from which to base individual training off of. 

What do I do with this information now that I have it?  Well, if I wanted to raise my VO2 Max, I have to make a fitter version of myself.  Since I am not interested in losing weight (can’t go down that path), that may be tough.  What I can do is continue to strength/resistance train and do yoga on days that I don’t run.  As far as running goes, here is my current plan:

Run 5 days/week

Recovery run – Easy 3-5 miles in Zone 1

Tempo run – Zone 3; alternate time per week.  Start at 25 –30 min one week, then 35-40 min the next week.  Do shorter tempo runs the weeks that I do Zone 5 intervals.

Interval run – Zone 4 one week, Zone 5 the next week and so on

Zone 2 runs – 2 per week.  1 being the long Saturday run. 

Strength/Resistance Training

New Rules of Lifting for Women – complete the program. I am on Stage 5 right now.  There are 7 stages total.

Yoga

Continue yoga at least once a week if not more often.  Dr. D recommended doing yoga the day after intervals. 

Lastly we talked about running form.  Dr. D said my form was great to begin with.  I started out running on the treadmill at a slow speed and he gradually increased it until I was running at an 8:15 pace.  Great form.  Then he started to increase the incline.  First 2%, then 4%.  That is where my form took a hit.  Then he increased it to 6% and I cried “UNCLE!”.   LOL!  Apparently runners typically begin to lose their form gradually as they get tired.  Not me.  Nope.  The change in my form was great one second, horrible the next!  HA!  My arms went from swinging front to back to swinging across the front of my body, almost side to side.  Dr. D said that this was not only using way more energy than I needed to, but doing this repeatedly would cause my hips to twist, too, which can lead to IT band issues (yeah…BTDT).   I really need to focus on my arms when I am running intervals, as this is when I apparently tend to do the funky swing. 

So, there you have it.  I am excited to work on my training plan for the next few months & work towards my goals!  The ultimate goal this year will be to PR the Columbus Half Marathon again.  Last year I ran a 1:57:31 and this year I hope to get under 1:55.  According to Dr. D, I can do it! 

PS – Gluten-free blogging to return tomorrow.  I can’t wait to talk about some of the new stuff we have tried!   

Kim

January 1, 2012 marked my first race of the new year.  Nothing like getting started right off the bat, right?

The race didn’t start until 11 AM, which is perfect for the day after New Year’s Eve.  I made sure to hit the hay early, but did partake in my share of wine before I did so. I arrived at the race about an hour early so that I could get a parking spot.  Walking to get to the starting line isn’t bad but walking back to your car all sweaty & cold is not fun.  This race had the luxury of a warm building to hang out in before & after the race = BONUS, in my opinion.  Not only that, but a huge New Year’s Day feast was served – black eyed peas, pork and all of the fixings!  There was also a large variety of fresh fruit from Green Bean Delivery so there were gluten-free options available.

Since I arrived early, I was able to meet up with some friends from Run DMC – a group of runners that I met on Daily Mile that all live in the Columbus area.  Here are some of us before the race (from L to R: Jessica, Allen, Deb, Me, Brandie, Don & Greg):

(picture courtesy of M3SSports)

Brandie (a fellow MIT 10:30 pace group runner) and me before we realized we were overdressed:

Hadn’t planned on running this for a PR (personal record), but it felt right, so I went with it. I set out to run at a 9 minute pace, but found myself comfortably settling into an 8:30 pace. After my second mile at 8:30, I did some quick calculations and discovered that I could PR this race if I kept this up and picked it up a little.  The sun was just starting to come out in the pictures below.  Definitely could have used my sunglasses at this point.

(photos courtesy of Don Miller)

Little did I know what was coming! Things got tough up a hill towards the end, but I hung in there and PR’d by 7 seconds: 25.33. I’ll take that! Apparently 3 glasses of wine the night before and no speed training is the way to a new PR. Came in 7th in my age group (35-39) and 120th out of 755 total runners.

Splits
1 – 8:30
2 – 8:30
3 -8:11

This race was extremely hard to dress for.  Temps were in the mid-40s, but the wind was strong & gusty.  While I wanted to wear shorts, the wind was making it pretty chilly out.  It was cloudy at the start of the race and the sun came out after the 2nd mile, which made the 3rd mile much harder.  I was definitely overdressed, as I felt like I wanted to take off all of my clothes while running, which we all know would not be good.  Rain would have been glorious at this point!  Turns out it did rain a short time after I finished and went inside.

I will definitely be running this race again in the future!  It was wonderfully organized & operated, especially for the number of people running.

Kim

It was bound to happen, right?  Can’t live in Ohio and go without snow all winter can we?  The thought is sure nice.  However, I can deal with the dustings like this.  I really dislike ice and large amounts of snow that I have to shovel.  I can take a couple of days like this since the temps seem to be headed back up towards the middle to the end of the week. 

I believe that everyone is back to normal (crossing fingers) here, so we should be able to get back to our meal plan.  I really feel like I have been just piecing meals together over the past month and it is getting old.

Sunday – Chipotle made at home – flank steak, chipotle rice and corn in a bowl.

Monday – Spaghetti and marinutta sauce or meatballs, broccoli & salad

Tuesday – Tacos, black beans, corn & salad

Wednesday – Burgers on Udi’s gluten-free buns, parmesan steak fries and salad

Thursday – BBQ pulled pork sammies, coconut baked rice, mixed veggies and salad

Friday – MYOP with Udi’s gluten-free crusts and salad

Saturday – Dinner out with Mom & family

Kim