Tuesday, November 11, 2014

What do you think about when you run?


Today, I was reading my friend Marcia's blog post and decided to link up Jill and Jessica  (aka The Fit Dish) for this one...because my runs are always so reflective! People who follow me know that my blog is personal, really, an online diary. And that's because they are a direct reflection of things I think about when I run. Sometimes, I don't think about much. Sometimes, I just run.

Today I ran 6 miles. I wanted to get it in before the cold front blew in, ushering in Polar Vortex v2.0. It was a gloomy morning, and I put on a bright orange shirt. I don't know about you, but dressing in bright colors just makes me feel better. It was 52 degrees and even though the weatherman said the temperature was going to drop, I put on capris, figuring it was probably the last time I'd wear those for a while!

I headed down the frontage road into the gray, gloomy morning. The pavement and sidewalk were still dry, and I felt LUCKY that I dodged the rain.

My first mile felt tough. As I turned down the sidewalk along the busy suburban arterial road, my legs started to loosen up and I began to fly. I felt GRATEFUL for my renewed speed.

I headed back into my neighborhood and ran on the streets. I approached another runner and felt COMPETITIVE as I passed her. I hate that, but I can't help myself. Do other runners do this? I also WONDERED who she was. Don't all runners know each other? Apparently not...


As I headed up a big hill, I felt my glutes kick in and literally push me up the hill without any extra effort. I felt AMAZED at this. I sent a silent thank you to Becky, my trainer, too.

I was now running into the wind. Ooooh...I felt COLD as the wind whipped through me. I'm so not ready for winter! Are we ever?

Moving into mile 3, one of my favorite running songs came on. I started to sing and felt JOYFUL because my laryngitis was gone. Of course I looked around to see if anyone was around who could hear me. Because I don't want to be known as the crazy lady who sings when she runs.



Running along another busy suburban arterial, I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk and felt CLUMSY as I regained my stride and balance. Whew! Didn't fall! RELIEF!

My watch beeped at mile 4 and I saw an 8:17 min/mile pace! Woo hoo! I felt FAST!

Then I ran back into the wind. Ugh. Cold. I hate this. Brrrr. The wind made me push hard. I felt SLOW!

I ran down my friend's street. Passed her house. I've called her multiple times to meet for lunch, and she keeps giving me excuses why she can't get together. Is it me? I felt SAD. I kept moving and ran up the little hill, past the woman who used to watch my boys when they were little. I saw parents dropping off their little ones. I wondered how she's doing. She's a grandma now! I felt NOSTALGIC.

Finally, heading home. I saw the guy who walks his old dog. He was moving oh, so slow. And waved. He's always out there, year round, when I run. I wondered what he thinks when he sees me. We have never talked, but we always wave. That made me feel a little FUNNY.

When I got home, I checked my time. It was a fast run. 6.18 miles, 52:34 mins. I was SHOCKED and PLEASED. I felt ACCOMPLISHED.

And I made my own sunshine. What a great way to start the day!




Sunday, November 9, 2014

Who's old?

Two years ago, I turned 50 years old. It was my most difficult birthday. I had so much trouble getting my head around being 50. When I talked about it with my friends, everyone told me to get over it. "You have no choice," I was told. "Time marches on" and "it's better than the alternative", which of course is true. I also heard this one a lot: "Age is just a number". Sure it is. A big number when you are 50.

When you think of someone who is 50, what image comes to mind? An aging, post-menopausal woman with chin hairs, a hunched posture, about 30 extra pounds, and bifocals? Ok, well I do have the bifocals, sadly...the vision changes make it harder to find the chin hairs too...



While my friends were all having 50th birthday parties, I didn't want to celebrate. I wanted to turn the clock back. So my sister Lisa, who is a year younger than me, and I decided to start our now annual tradition of sister birthday trips. That year, we took our inaugural voyage to Naples Florida. We had an amazing time. No kids, no work, no worries. We ate decadent meals. Spent our days at the pool in the sunshine. Walked on the beach. And I realized that maybe, just maybe getting older could be ok. Since then we've been to Las Vegas and Charleston, South Carolina. Who better to commiserate with than your sister? Except that she tells everyone that I'm older than her...

From our first sister trip to Naples, Florida
Anyways. I still couldn't get used to saying my age out loud. "I'm in my 50s", I kept telling people after I turned 51. But over time, I started noticing some things that put me in a more positive mindset about life in the 50s. Mostly to do with physical fitness and running. First of all, the number of women in my age group, 50-54, has dropped significantly. Of course, this means that some of the women my age who are still racing are blazingly fast. But overall, there are less "older" women running, which gives me a little confidence because I still am running! I continue to run in the top 20% of my age group, which I always have, since my 30s. That hasn't changed. Of course, there was that AG placement in the local 10k this summer! Small race, tho, but still! I'm also running as fast as some of my friends who are in their 30s and 40s.

And then there is that Chicago marathon. I'm still so proud of that race, still basking in my run. With a smart training plan, which involved a lot of cross training, intervals, and low mileage, I was able to run the marathon with fresh legs and gas in the tank for my recovery. One month later, I'd say recovery is over, and I'm still running well. Today I ran an 8 miler at a 8:34min/mile pace. I have never run 8 miles this fast. Ever.

8 miles at the retention pond. Maybe my legs just like to run fast there?

Stunned. And asking myself the question, who's old?

If you are interested in training into old age, read anything by Joel Friel. Friel, a triathlete and former coach, has done a lot of research on the subject, and says that while athletes may experience a decline in performance starting in their 50s, they don't have to. Basically, we have to train smarter, not harder. Mistakes that we made as younger athletes, for example, lack of sleep or a bad diet, are not as easy to adapt to for the older athlete. He recommends a lot of HIIT (high intensity interval training) to help maintain aerobic capacity. Lifting weights is something that the older athlete needs to add in to the routine. Muscle mass is lost at a faster rate than when we were younger. Strength training should also help with bone density, and will protect the joints. Adequate sleep and rest is very important. As is good nutrition. Friel follows a Paleo diet, but he advocates carbs and protein for recovery after an intense workout. He writes a blog, which if you chase the link above, with evidence based advice for endurance athletes of all ages.

http://www.runnersworld.com/general-interest/91-year-old-finishes-san-diego-marathon
She set a world record! Way to go!

As most of you know, this year, I started working with a CrossFit coach. I was experiencing a lot of nagging injuries, many accumulated from 20+ years of running. Coincidently, I was also experiencing some slowing in my running. Heat intolerance, which had always been an issue for me, seemed to be getting worse. I can honestly say since working with Becky, my coach, a lot of these issues have resolved for me. I still have that nagging toe injury, a result of arthritis in the joint. Not much I can do about that. But I've learned to live with it and run with it. For me, the biggest and best thing about my cross-training is that I've gotten my speed back. I am running stronger than I ever have in my life.

And so this morning, on my speedy 8 miler, I had a epiphany. Yep, I'm 52. But you know what? I'm ok with it now. I'm so thrilled with where I'm at, physically. And one huge advantage of being older is that I have all this life experience to draw on. I'm more confident and that comes from all that life experience. But that confidence is solidified by what I can do as an older athlete.

For now, I can agree with that statement that age is just a number. I don't feel old. I feel strong.


That could be the limiting factor!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Cold weather running=beast running


Since I'm home sick today, on the couch, looking outside wishing I could run, I figured why not join in the link up and write about cold weather running. After all, I run outside all year round! I have an ancient treadmill, which I rarely use, unless conditions are so icy that I risk slipping and falling. I actually enjoy running outside in the winter for several reasons. And just to be clear, I don't like winter or cold weather one bit. But getting outside and knocking off the miles in the winter makes me feel more badass than any other time I run. Take that winter! Plus, breathing the fresh air and getting some natural light helps keep SAD (seasonal affective disorder) at bay. When people learn that I run outside in the winter, the number one comment I get is "you're crazy". Well, I'm a runner. That's a given. The other comment is, "I don't know how to dress for the cold". Well, here's your guide. Having run through many winters, including last winter's polar vortex, I consider myself somewhat of an expert on running in the cold.

Snow!

I read once somewhere that you should dress for 10 degrees warmer than it actually is. This is really just a guide, and it is a good place to start. Now, if it's 0F, there isn't much difference dressing for 10F. It's all COLD! But check the weather conditions. If there's wind, there's wind chill, and you have to plan for that. If the sun is out, then you'll be a little warmer than you might if its' cloudy. And it's always better to underdress than to overdress. You will heat up as you start to run. You will sweat.

Hell, yeah, I'm cold! This is the bike path where I trained all summer!

I start with a long bra top and cover that with a wicking shirt. Over that goes another shirt, usually with thumbholes. If it's really cold, I might wear my fleece vest over that. On the bottom, I wear tights. For really cold conditions, I have fleece lined tights. I also have "windproof" tights I ordered from Athleta last year. They don't move as well as my regular tights, but if it is cold enough that I need to wear them, then I'm not moving that well either! On my feet go the smartwool socks, length again depending on the conditions. And then my shoes.

Now if it is snowy or has snowed over night, I usually will wear my shoes with YakTrax. These are coils that you slip over the soles of your shoes to help give traction in the snow. Running with YakTrax do make a difference in the way you strike the ground. Your shoes will feel stiffer, and you most likely will feel it later in your calves. Sometimes, if it's "warmer" and the snow is melting during my run, I take the YakTrax off and just use the velcro to wrap them around my arms.

He could have used Stabilicers!

When it's icy, I have Stabilicers to wear on my shoes. YakTrax do not work very well on ice. Speaking from experience, your shoes become like ice skates. Trust me on this. I've wiped out on hidden ice wearing my YakTrax. The Stabilicers have spikes in them to grip ice that you might encounter. They work great. They don't work as well in snow, which is why I have both. Yes, I'm hard core. But I'm still a little afraid to completely trust my Stabilicers and so I tend to run much slower and more gingerly than I would in clear conditions.

I always wear a hat or a fleece headband, and if it is really cold and windy, I have a neoprene face mask. I think I look pretty badass in it, but my family just laughs at me. Yeah, laugh away...

Cold weather runner. Don't mess.

My gloves have mitten covers on them, which work amazing to keep my fingers warm. I pull my thumbholes over my gloves. If it is really cold, I put hand warmers inside the mittens. If they get too hot, I can just keep them in my pockets.



And away I go. It is a lot of preparation to get outside in the winter, but once you're out there, you won't regret it. There are a couple other things to keep in mind:
-you will most likely have to run in the road, because a lot of people don't clear their sidewalks
-cars cannot stop quickly on snowy or icy roads. You have to stay alert.
-there can be ice hidden under snow so be careful
-you won't be the only runner out there! Remember the runners' code and wave and smile!
-running the morning after a snowstorm is truly an amazing experience. Take in the beauty and enjoy that you are able to do this!

Thanks to Run the Great Wide Somewhere , MCM mama runs, and My No-Guilt Life for hosting the link up. This was right up my alley!!!





Saturday, November 1, 2014

Not my sport!


I'm sure by now most of you have heard about the scandal surrounding Kenyan athlete Rita Jeptoo, the two time Chicago marathon women's winner. Apparently she failed a drug test a few weeks before the marathon this year. Since this is breaking news, there are a lot of unknowns at this point, including what substance was used, and what the Chicago marathon is going to do about her prize. Stay tuned...

Of course, my mind was just swirling with thoughts about this. I couldn't sleep last night--not because of this, but since I was awake, I gave this some thought. Last spring I wrote a blog post on cheaters after 4 people were found to have copied a woman's Boston marathon bib and ran with it, taking medals at the finish line. You can read this here. My key point of that post was that runners are inherently honest. And by saying that, I meant both amateurs and elites. But after doing a little reading this morning, I see that is changing. The stakes are higher, the pressure to win stronger. I don't know about you, but my image of the Kenyans was always of tiny, scrappy runners, who run on grit and train in the mountains; that winning a big race is the key to a better life. Which all makes sense why the temptation to dope would be hard to overcome.

Look at Lance Armstrong....


Where is he now? Besides being a punch line...

So many regular folks, runners like me, are always following the elites and monitoring what they do for nutrition, training...makes me wonder if there are a lot of regular athletes using banned substances. 


I, apparently, have used a banned substance. Actually several. You probably have too. I didn't use them intentionally to boost my performance, but by taking sudafed for a bad cold, I learned how well it made me run. The morning after I took it, I felt like I had a power boost! I ran really fast. Plus I could breathe, which is always a plus. Curious to learn more about this, I consulted the banned substances list. Sudafed? Banned. Cough and cold medicines? Read the labels because they have banned substances in them. Including my beloved Vicks Vapo Inhaler. Who knew? I also learned that caffeine is a banned substance. Banned beyond consumption which leads to 15 mcg/ml in urine-- apparently more than what the normal individual would consume. So whew, I can still drink my one or two cups before my morning run without fear of breaking the rules. Albuterol inhalers for asthma? Performance enhancer. But you can get an exemption if it is medically necessary. Whew.

Of course, no one is testing me. There's no prize money for the middle of the pack. But if all these everyday, normal products are banned, why do elites risk it and take something exotic? Why not just train and run? When does it become so important to win? And even more important, how to do you feel good about winning when you've cheated? My kids tell me that cheating is rampant in school. I raised them to know that cheating is wrong. But if everyone around you is cheating, do you start to feel like it's ok to cheat? Maybe these elites are all doping....

I sure hope not. I look up to Kara Goucher, Shalane Flanagan, Deena Kastor, Lauren Fleishman...I hope they're training clean. 


I guess there will always be cheaters, in sport, in life. I'm just sad that it happened to my sport. Do I add Jeptoo to my Great Liars in Running Hall of Fame? She'd be my first elite to join the club.

There is a bright spot in all of this, for me at least...if they take away Jeptoo's win, instead of coming in 17,521th place at the marathon, I get to move up to 17,520! Woo hoo!

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Recovery--it's more than just rest


I'm really pleased with my marathon recovery. Certainly, I didn't expect to be running as well or as much as I have been able to after the marathon. When I ran my last marathon, I was hurting so badly after that I wasn't able to run for several weeks. That was my expectation after this one--I thought maybe I'd have to take at least a week off. But I was able to run an easy 4 just 2 days later. I read that lack of soreness and an easy recovery is proof of a good training plan. So I've been pretty happy about all that. I'm done racing for the year, and plan to spend the rest of fall and winter rebuilding and letting my legs recover from all the running I did this summer.

But imagine my surprise when I see what some of my friends are doing! One of my fellow facebookers ran a PR at a half marathon just a week after her blazing fast marathon. Three of my local peeps are running a 50k this weekend--just 3 weeks after the marathon. I guess you could look at the marathon as a training run for an ultra. Another facebook friend ran a marathon this past weekend and is planning another just 3 weeks from now.



I understand the motivation to keep moving. After all, training for a marathon gives a runner a high level of fitness which is hard to sacrifice! Especially after running a strong marathon, I certainly don't relish the idea of losing speed and strength. But running experts all agree that it is important to give your body time to adequately recover after running such a grueling distance. Without adequate recovery, you are more prone to injury and illness. Running hard and long causes temporary skeletal muscle damage. Studies of runners post marathon have shown the presence of myoglobin in the bloodstream for several days. Have you heard of rhabdomyolysis? This is the breakdown of muscle products after muscle damage from injury or extreme exercise which can lead to kidney damage and other problems. Crossfitters and other high intensity exercisers can experience this too.

Research studies also show that immune function can be impaired after an endurance event. Knowing this, I postponed my flu vaccine until this week, 2 weeks after the marathon. I wasn't worried about contracting the flu, as we all know that is impossible following a flu shot. I was worried about having a poor response to the shot and being inadequately protected for the upcoming flu season. I have been diligent about getting plenty of rest and washing my hands like I have OCD in order to prevent getting sick.


Most experts recommend doing a "reverse taper", which is somewhat like what I did following Chicago. In other words, look at the miles you did for your taper weeks and rebuild back up. I felt good enough to do some easy running 2 days after the marathon, and that's what I did.  I still feel good but I'm starting to notice a little bit more slowing. That's to be expected but is a little tough on the ego!

*****************************************

Another part of recovery, but no less important, is rearranging priorities. Things that I put on the back burner, so to speak, have been pushed forward again. Work has been putting pressure on me to pick up extra hours at a clinic that is short staffed. I've reluctantly offered some hours on my day off. My husband and I have been planning some home renovations, on which we are moving forward (slowly). I need to complete some continuing education hours--I haven't started that but will over the weekend.


The most important issue concerns my oldest son, whose struggles I have written about before. While I never put aside my concerns, I kept hoping that he would turn things around with a little nudging from us. Actually, more than nudging, we have been pushing him, but he continues to struggle. I had stupidly, naively hoped that by training for another marathon that I was setting an example of going after a big goal, training for it, and reaping the benefits. But he wasn't impressed. Not at all. Now that I no longer have that big race ahead of me, I have come to the realization that we need some professional help with him. Making the decision to get help for him was really painful for me, and will most likely continue to cause grief as we move forward. But I need to work on this as hard as I trained for that marathon.

Recovery has so many facets. Many of which have nothing to do with running. But running will get me through this too.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Fall running


This is the time of year when I most love running! Even though I know what is around the corner for us, I love running in the fall. At least here in the midwest, the weather this time of year is perfect for running. The temperatures average in the 60s and the sun is out most of the time. The foliage becomes more colorful, changing from green to brilliant hues of orange, yellow, and red. The leaves fall onto the roads and the path, and I like to hear that crunching sound under my feet. When it does rain, it's pretty raw and ugly, though and is a taste of what's to come. Just to remind us not to take this beautiful weather for granted.

Today I decided to take a different path than I usually do and I was rewarded by some amazing views. I don't know why I don't go this way more often. Maybe because it is 3 miles from my home and I have to run through an industrial park, past a few car dealerships, and cross several very busy streets to get to where I want to go. Such is life in the suburbs...these beautiful paths are truly a reward and an oasis in a very cluttered, ugly place.


The path I ran on today is a 2 part path through a preserve. The path is about 3 miles total and is limestone. What a treat it was to run on a soft surface! There were a few walkers and runners along the way. But I went early and so I mostly had the path to myself.

On the way back, I ran up a big hill--we don't have a lot of them here--in one of our parks. The hill used to be a landfill but is now a park and a golf course. Repurposing, I guess. Anyways, Walter Payton, the former Chicago Bears running back used to train on this hill, and is now informally known as Payton's Hill. And now I know why I don't run there. That hill is killer! But I know where to go to do hill repeats...


And who is more inspirational than Walter Payton? A good guy on and off the field, his nickname was Sweetness. I can run that! Maybe if I train there, I can fly too!


One of the other reasons I love fall running is because my legs are still strong from my summer training. This time of year, I can usually pull out a few good long, moderately paced runs. The runs feel easy to me, and that is another reward. I started out with a plan to do 6, maybe 8 miles today. But I felt so good, I ended up just shy of 10. I didn't expect this so soon after my marathon. But I'll take it!

Spring might be our reward for suffering through winter, but there is nothing like a long run on a beautiful fall day.

What's your favorite time of year? 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Who do you run for?


When I started sharing the news that I was going to run this year's Chicago Marathon, a lot of people asked me what the race was for. They asked me what charity I was running for. I had to stop and think about this the first few times I was asked it. A lot of small races, especially 5ks, are held to support a particular charity. I'm glad that non-runners recognize the benefit of that. But it felt a little awkward to try to explain my motivation to run the Chicago Marathon. I tried to explain that runners could run for a charity, but that most runners run the marathon for the experience. I got a lot of puzzled looks. Nobody said anything to me, but were they thinking that I was selfish because I was running this race for me? Just because I wanted to run it?

When I ran the Chicago Marathon 3 years ago, I did run as a charity runner. The previous winter, I did some cross training on the bike, in a CompuTrainer class. I rode alongside several Ironman participants. One of them, Sandy, became a good friend. She has a son with Down Syndrome and she convinced me to run the marathon. So I ran as a charity runner for her charity, UPs for Downs. I raised $1000. My thinking was that if I committed to run for a charity, I couldn't back out of running the marathon. The charity, in turn, provided support to the runners. They offered us free training and course support. They also provided entry to the CARA prerace area and gear check. It's not a bad thing being a charity runner. This year, when I ran Chicago, I won a free entry from my employer, a large healthcare provider in the Chicago area. I received the same benefits as the charity runners--a team t-shirt, a pre-race heated tent, gear check, and post race lunch. There's a definite plus to being a charity runner.

But I wasn't a charity runner this time around, and I was ok with that. It just struck me as funny that so many people asked me this question.

I've also noticed more and more runners on Facebook running for a chronically ill child. The most popular organization that connects runners to these kids is called I Run 4.  The website states the purpose better than I can:
The mental and emotional encouragement for both runner and honorary runner is proving to be a whole new level of motivation and awareness.  Runners are able to find a whole new sense of purpose in their running while sharing who they are running for and bringing awareness to diseases and disabilities of all types.
Runners are matched with adults and/or children with disabilities. The site recommends even sending race swag or medals to their child.

I think this is a great idea for runners looking for motivation or a purpose for their running. But is it ok that the rest of us aren't doing this?

I thought about this a lot the past couple of weeks. I shared with some of you that one of my patients is a baby with a several congential heart defect. He has already had one surgery, and will have another one next month. His parents are from Mexico, and they only speak spanish. They are wonderful, caring, kind people who bring food for my medical assistant and me. They planned to come to the marathon, but one of the other kids was sick. I thought about running for him. Most definitely, the chronically ill kids in my clinic inspire me to run. Because I can. But I also run so that I can be a better provider to them.

Last week, I saw a little girl with a distended abdomen. Her mom thought it was constipation, which she has had problems with for a long time. But her belly kept getting bigger, and she ended up on my schedule. I palpated her abdomen and felt a large mass. Not poop. I knew it was bad. I put on my poker face and told the mom I would be sending her to the ER for a CT scan and evaluation, telling mom that it would be the quickest way for me to get the testing done. I haven't been able to stop thinking about her. Yesterday, I got the report that she has a cancerous tumor. Devastating news for her family, I'm sure. And this week, I dedicated my miles to her. Because I can run. Because this made me just so darned sad.



More than anything though, I run for me. Motivation is not an issue for me. I have a job that can be incredibly stressful. As the mom of two teenage boys, I'm not finding a whole lot of joy in parenting these days. Life is hard. And running makes it easier. I run to feel free. I run the day off. I run races for the satisfaction of training and achieving a goal. I run because I love to run.

And I think that's ok.