getting to the finish line one inch at a time.

Hang on a second... How did that happen?

Not surprisingly, I’m fairly active (no pun intended) in the health and fitness space online. Last time I counted I was subscribed to over seventy different blog feeds. I’m also active on a couple of message boards as well. While I gave up the TV for the moment, I certainly haven’t given up my internet addiction. Hmm, now I think about it, maybe I should curtail that too.

I was on one of my favorite boards the other night. It’s full of people who’ve lost a significant amount of weight and have made exercise a significant portion of their life. These are people I can seriously relate to. The majority of the people on the board are signing up for their first 5K and asking about training programs and the like. In case you’re interested, the #1 program recommended? Couch to 5K www.c25k.com It’s the same program I followed (I just didn’t know it at the time) when I started running. Also known as, run a little bit – then walk a little bit – then run a little bit – then walk a little bit. Repeat. Next day, run a little bit further – walk a little less – run a little bit further. Repeat.  There’s also a smaller group of regular submitters who hard core. Now when I say “hard core” I don’t mean some mamby pamby ½ Marathon a month type of hard core, I’m talking about folks who’ve completed Iron Man Triathlons or Ultra Marathons.

Side bar: One of the most frequent questions I get about my running is: “How far is a ½ Marathon?” It’s funny, when I tell people it’s 13.1 miles their eyes get wide and inevitably the follow up question is: “Are they all 13.1 miles?” Just in case you were wondering, yes. A ½ marathon is always 13.1 miles.

Side Side Bar: Funnily enough, a full marathon is 26.2 miles. Not, may I add, the distance that Pheidippides ran from Athens to Sparta, but a distance established in 1924 by the Olympic Comittee because the British kept fiddling with the distance to the finish line so that the Royal Family would have a good view of the finish.

Back to my original Side bar: Now I’m just teeming with statistics I’ll finish off what I’m sure you were originally wondering. An Iron Man Triathlon consists of a 2.5mile swim, a 114mile bike ride and a 26.2 mile run. Yowza! An Ultra Marathon is any run 50+ miles or longer. Many are known to go for 100 miles. And no, you don’t get to stop for naps or spread the race over a couple of days. Both these events are an “all in one go” type of thing. Bottom line, the people on the board are NOT messing around.

Anyhoo, I was perusing the board when I saw a post from one of the hard core peeps titled:

Runner Needed

I was intrigued, I wondered if I would qualify as a runner. I clicked on the link to read the post.

Here’s what it said.

Am thinking of putting together a team for the Vineman 140.6 relay http://www.vineman.com/relayevents.htm

We have a swimmer interested
I'd like to do the bike
So we need someone for the run

The Vineman is an Iron Man Triathlon, and if you'll remember the "run" portion is 26.2 miles. And yes, you guessed it….I threw my hat in the ring. You know what’s worse? They picked my hat!

Now I’m signed up to run the last leg, a marathon, of the Vineman Ironman 2011.

I hadn’t planned on running a marathon again. I was doing the ½ Marathon thing really well. And if you remember, I like ½ Marathon’s better because “I’m lazy like that.”

But you know what I realized when the whole thing was done? The race is in July 2011. You know when I started the ½ Marathon a Month project? July 2010

Seems right to end the year of running with a bang no?

Funny how things work out like that.

Well I’m off; I’ve got to go train.

Doing the Dipsea, I'm just impressed by those who finish...

Did you know I don’t run all the races in my neighborhood? Last weekend was the Dipsea Race. Its run just north of San Francisco on a trial that winds from a start just over the Golden Gate Bridge to a place called Stinson Beach. Randall and I pass the course start on a regular basis as it’s close to where we keep the boat. Funnily enough he mentioned the race to me the other day, asked if I was going to enter.

I snorted.

I laughed.

I said no.

I’ve WALKED the Dipsea Trail and that was enough of an ass kicking for me.

Take a look at this elevation map. And to top it all off, the entire thing is run on dirt trails. It may only be 7.5 miles but it’s not for the faint of heart.

But we’re made of sterner stuff here in the Bay area. This race has been run since 1905; it’s actually the oldest trail race in America.

So why am I going on about this race? A race I didn’t even run?

Well the winner this year was a young lady called Reilly Johnson. No big deal right, we girls can run fast right? Well Reilly is 8. Yes, 8 years old.

How cute is she with her trophy and her finisher's shirt?

Now let me clarify. The race organizers have this whole handicap program that gives runners a head start based on age factors so little Reilly did get a 25 min head start. But still, she beat out 1399 other runners….I’m impressed either way.

As you all know, I’m working on becoming a faster runner. Reilly inspired me today to try and work harder. This isn’t the first time (or the last I’m guessing) she’s run this course. She was six the first time.

Wow.

Go Reilly.

Now I gotta go run…

 

*thanks to the Dipsea folks for all the lovely pics.

The foot / brain connection...

Why do I think that? Well look at my blog. You can see when I’m running and when I’m not. When I’m out pounding the pavement the creative juices flow and stories and information just pour out of me. So much so that at times I’ve kept a note pad near the door to jot down list of the topics I want to talk about.

My pad has been blank of late.

My brain and my feet are connected through running.

I haven’t been running, therefore you’ve had no updates on my running adventures and musings.

I’m sure you folks think I’m crazy but Neuroscientists at Cambridge University have proven that running can actually grown new brain cells. That’s a pretty fancy schmancy school; something tells me they’re not wrong. The way I see it, as I haven’t been running, I haven’t been writing. My brain cells were all used up with other nonsense like breathing.

So why haven’t I been running?

You all should know about the great calf incident, which benched me for a month. Then I had some other medical nonsense which required me to be off my feet for another couple of weeks. Quite tiresome I must say. All that time added up together brings us up to now.

Finally, I went out for my first run in weeks last Thursday. I was in New York for work and it was a glorious spring day. My hotel was near Central Park so I laced up my shoes and went out for a jog. It had been so long and my body is still healing so I was a little scared and tentative.

I should have known better, and I should have remembered.

People who run in Central Park are hard core and fast. Being a beginner (or recuperating in my case) runner in Central Park after work is a little like going to Muscle Beach in Venice CA and asking for some 5lbs hand weights. I felt quite pathetic.

That being said, I was thrilled to be back on my feet and felt pretty good. I didn’t get very far by my standards, but it was a start. I keep telling myself that every day.

I haven’t run since then as the effort kicked my ass. But as you can see, the little trot opened up a couple of brain cells to write this post. That whole breathing is sorted out too.

I tried biking today; I wonder if it has the same effect?

You’ll just have to wait and see if there’s another post, won’t you?

I’ll do one better and try to go out for a run again.

Fireworks, fantasy and flatness…

Believe it or not, I’m prepping for another race this weekend. Is this becoming a habit?

Where am I going this time? I’m off to the sinful city of Las Vegas to run the Rock N’Roll Las Vegas ½ Marathon. This will be my second time running this race. For the life of me, I can’t remember why I ran the race back in 2007, I just remember it was a fun race.

Why is it fun?

· It’s a FLAT FLAT FLAT course. I’ve already discussed at length my personal hatred of hills. I think I’ve whined about it on almost every course. I’ll have to come up with something else to whine about. You also get to run down the Vegas strip which is just cool

· Fireworks!  I’m a sucker for the sparkly stuff. The race starts at the unhealthy hour of 6.15am (no that wasn’t a type-o) so the race organizers start it off right with a firework display. It’s awesome for the folks in the back (me), not so entertaining for the elite runners. Something tells me that the elite runners aren’t blogging about fireworks so I’m not sure that’s a problem.

· Course entertainment. Not only do they have all the folks from the Vegas shows out on the course to entertain you while you run, but they also have a run through wedding chapel (yes, I did try to convince Randall to do it with me back in 2007).  

· Vegas Baby! Fabulous dining, Cirque du Soleil and Spa activities. There’s also a ton more fun stuff that goes on in Vegas but I can’t tell you about it ….well you know…what stays in Vegas etc.

· Two words – Running Elvi (according to the event coordinators site – the plural of Elvis) You just have to laugh at that.

 

Why is this year going to be even funner? (yes, I know this isn’t a word but it works for me)

· Protégé’s.  I’m SO excited about this part of the race. I have convinced/beaten down/harassed my friend Tom to enter his first race ever! I’ve been prodding him lightly over the last couple of weeks to get him ready for the race. I’m like a proud Mama. I think I’m going to have to convince him to write a race report.

· Fab friends. Yes, the LaFontaine crew from France and the Fro Fro will be joining me again this year to run and play. We’re going to have to come up with a team name. Any ideas?

Do I feel ready? Yes and No. Running the 13.1 miles isn’t going to be a problem.  I ran my own personal 12 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving Day. The distance I was fine with, the speed not so much. I can’t say that I’m rolling on confidence in hitting the 2 hour 20min goal I set for the race. I also ran the 12 miler with my 12 year old nephew Gus, he’s kicked his Auntie’s tuckus. Am I making a habit of freaking myself out before races as well?

Stay tuned for my Vegas Race Repot, and hopefully one from Tom too.

I used to love fall daylight savings because I got to sleep in an extra hour...

Now, I love it because it's light out when I run in the morning. I'm getting to re-live sunrise over the hill as I head back home.

The photo doesn't give the sun credit. It's was glorious - glorious enough for me stop running to take a picture. And this was taken with my crap camera on my cell phone.

I know you might not think this is a big deal, but I'm OBSESSED about my splits (how fast I'm running per mile) and stopping throws them off.

Yes, I've officially gone nuts. But watch out, I'm about to write a post about how I'm not as completely psycho as some......it's true!

If the shoe fits...you might not want to wear it.

If you’re thinking of taking up running, heck if you’re thinking of taking up walking, you should pay attention to this week’s blog. What I’m about to tell you is VERY important. I’m about to discuss probably the most important piece of equipment you’ll have in your fitness cache.

Your running shoes.

Let me tell you a quick story. Back in 2003, I managed to change my diet and lost a good amount of weight. I knew that I needed to start exercising to complete the picture. I started out slowly (we talked about it before, remember?) and eventually was running a couple of times a week. I thought I was all sorted out. Then out on a hike one day with R, I stepped over a ditch. Nothing out of the ordinary when all of a sudden something in my right leg went POP!  The pain was almost indescribable. It was searing, gasp-inducing, crippling pain. I hobbled back to the boat whimpering with each step. Now, being a foolish girl, I didn’t head to the doctor to have my leg checked out. I thought that with a little rest I’d be fine. After a couple of weeks, I was. My leg was still tender, but I thought I needed to start running again. Self-healed, I laced up my shoes and off I went. Less than 10 minutes into the run the “pop” came back. I was back to square one. Sadly I continued this cycle for a while before I finally realized my resting plan wasn’t working. I headed to the doctor to check me out. I had injured the connection between my Achilles tendon and the calf muscle. Physical therapy was prescribed and the real, doctor-approved healing finally began.

As part of the physical therapy, my therapist asked to see my running shoes. What I learned that day would change my shoe purchasing forever. I was wearing EXACTLY the worst type of shoe for my foot type. My increased walking and running had slowly damaged the connection in my leg until it finally snapped like a rubber band.

What did I learn? I learned about “pronation” and “shoe stability.” You see, I have very flat feet. With my dreadful lack of arches my feet “over-pronate” or roll inwards when I walk. To counterbalance my rolling foot,  I wear stability shoes. (Sound very sexy, don’t they!) By stopping my foot from rolling inwards, my shoe also aligns my leg and hips above them. Magic!

You can get an idea of if you’re an under-pronator (high arches), neutral, or over-pronator in a simple test. Just get a newspaper and a pan of water. Dip the sole of your foot in the water and step firmly on the newspaper. Your foot should leave an image similar to one of the three below.

 

        No Arch                    High Arch                Normal

With this information you can use a number of the online tools to help choose the right shoes for you. I also HIGHLY recommend going to a local running store and get a proper fitting from a trained professional. She can watch you walk and evaluate your foot movement. She should also give you guidance on fit both in the toe box and length. It’s a process I went through after my injury. Ever since then I have been buying the same Asics shoes. I replace them fairly regularly (every 300-400 miles) to avoid overuse injuries. So far – touch wood – my legs have stayed strong.

One last thing to note: Every so often I wonder if I should try a different brand or style of stability shoes. I pull one of the other brands or styles off the shelf just to try them on. I always find myself back in the same shoes, every time. My point? The right shoes for you will fit; you’ll feel it as you walk around the store. Get a professional fitting but trust your feet. They’ll thank you for it.

Next on Inch by Inch….Meet Emily, pedaling her way from the back of the pack.

PS. If I met you and took your photo at the Danskin Triathlon 2009 please email me. I thought I had your number and have some questions. You can find my contact information on the About Me page.

Marathons, parting is such sweet sorrow...

I’m blue. I’ve been blue for a while. Why, you ask?

Because this year I was banned from running the London Marathon.

I can hear you out there — either with a confused “what?” or the laughing shout of a “she’s nuts!” For those who know me well, I’m sure there’s a “what did you do?” and an expectation of a pithy story of person humiliation. Sorry folks, you’re not getting one.

Why am I not running the London this year? Because I was banned by Dan. Specifically he banned me from running any full marathons this year. [i] In our discussions about my life and exercise regime he pointed out that my odd 20 mile training runs might be messing with my “levels” and therefore my diet. Yes, you guessed it, running marathons might be making me fat!

It’s not as farfetched as you may think. I’ve heard many stories of people who gained weight training for marathons.  The levels might have something to do with it, but I’m also totally convinced that it has to do with rationalization.

Stick with me here…when you’ve just run 4 plus continuous hours, it’s easy to imagine that an extra rasher of bacon, or those inch thick, wheat germ chocolate chip cookies from Specialties, served hot, [ii] or a few French fries won’t go straight to your thighs. After all, think of all the calories you’re burning.

Folks, running for 20 miles only burns (on me) 2728 calories! One cookie is 600-800 calories – you do the math.

Let me also mention those levels. Dan’s comment was that it takes 2-3 days for your body to react to the extended exercise. So imagine my schedule. I run 15-20 miles on Sunday, 2 days later on Tuesday my body starts sending out signals that I need to eat to make up for the run. Then that pesky brain also thinks about all the other weekends of long runs and thinks “Uh oh, she might do it again. Let me send out munchies signals so that we’ve got plenty of stored energy.” On top of that, because I’m the slow and steady long-run gal and not the fast and short sprinty gal, I’m also getting my brain to send messages of “storage” not “slim down”. Self sabotage! Who knew?

So no marathon for me this year. Adding to the pain the London marathon is scheduled for April 26^th. Yes, my birthday! Not just ANY birthday, my 40^th birthday. Every part of me thinks that I could have conquered the London on my big day. The London is scheduled for April 25^th 2010. One day before my 41^st birthday. Does it still count?

---

[i] Ok, if I’m being 100% honest, I also said at the end of the London

that there was “no way I was running one again!” If you’ll remember, my experience was not a good one. Also, even if I wanted to, I couldn’t pull out a marathon in a couple of weeks. I just haven’t trained for it.

[ii] Really, you have no idea. These cookies are seriously good. If you get into the store when they’re still hot they’re even better. You can buy your own here or take a look at their warm cookie radar. Genius!

Opening the front door couldn’t be harder.

A miracle has happened. For the last 2 months I’ve managed pry myself out of my bed every morning and go for a run.  It’s a miracle because my morning brain has finally got in sync with my night time brain.

Let me explain…

In the past I would go to bed with my workout clothes neatly placed on a chair near the bathroom and the alarm set a mere 30-45 minutes earlier than usual in preparation for a morning run before work. I was organized and prepared. My night time brain would say, “Tomorrow is the morning I will get up and workout before work!” My nighttime brain was SO full of hope and enthusiasm for the morning. Optimism oozed from every pore. Then the alarm would go off and morning brain took over.

My morning brain is a powerful machine. Its power is in the word no. In the 30 seconds needed to hit the off button it would start shouting, “No! You will not get out of this cozy cocoon. No! It’s cold outside, stay in the warm bed. No! You are not awake go back to sleep. No! No! No! You will NOT get up!” It often won that argument.

I knew about the power of morning brain when I was told that as part of my new program I would need to do 20 minutes of exercise first thing in the morning, before breakfast. I laughed heartily.  Morning brain was highly unlikely to cooperate. Adding to the hilarity of the situation, this conversation was happening in December. I would have to get up before the sun and it was going to be cold, and probably raining.  More ammunition for morning brain, things did not look hopeful.

Then the smallest change happened…

My morning ritual required that I take one of my supplements 15-20 minutes before running. Knowing I would want to stay in bed until the last possible second,  I figured out that if I put my supplement out beside my bed I could set my alarm 20 minutes before I needed to head out the door. This would mean on the first alarm I could lift my head from the pillow, gulp down the pill and snooze for 9 ½ more minutes before I needed to get up. So instead of getting up 20 minutes before I went running I could get another 10 minutes of sleep. Genius!

The plan was solid. The impact to morning brain however, was miraculous.

The single action of popping a pill in my mouth and gulping some water shut morning brain up. I lay there the first morning of this plan contemplating the 9 ½ minutes as they ticked away. Where were the “no”s?  I got out of bed when the second alarm went off and got get ready for my run. Morning brain was silent. I was speechless in every way possible.

I walked downstairs to the front door of our building, wrapped in layers of clothing anticipating the chill outside. I stood at the front door looking out at the cold blackness. Then guess who came back? Yes, morning brain was back, shouting “NO! NO! NO! NO! NO! Don’t open the door! Go back upstairs to bed!  Cold! Dark! Cold! Yuck!”

You know how the story ends. I told you at the beginning. I walked out the door and went for my run, ignoring the cries of morning brain.

Morning brain still shouts at me in the morning. As the days are getting lighter, and the weather getting warmer, morning brain is getting quieter. But every morning some other part of me calmly moves my hand towards the doorknob, and I head out to run.