Taking It Easy

Opie napping on my jogging shoe

I have decided not to keep increasing the distance for my long runs for awhile.  Pain set in when I ran over ll miles.  And, my goal is to be pain free.  Last week I was scheduled to do a long run and I kept it under nine miles.  I felt great.  I ran 1 min run and 30 second walk the whole way.  This change was hard to get used to (versus the 3:30 run 30 sec walk I was doing).  But Jeff Galloway suggested that my pain was due to running too fast.  He was right, slowing down helped with the pain.  I was not trying to run fast before, it felt natural to me, but obviously my joints could not handle it.  This week, I ran every other day about 45 minutes each time and ran one slightly longer run at 52 minutes.  I am in a lot less pain than I was a few weeks ago. My pain is all on my right side in my quad and IT band. On my days off running, I am walking more.  We just got a new dog, Opie who is helping motivate me to walk!  As you can tell from the picture, he is not a big runner. 

Plant Based Athletes

One of my favorite quotes is from Pam Popper, PhD "you build muscle in the gym not from your plate."

One of the myths out there is that you must eat meat to build muscle and to sustain you in endurance training.  People are so fearful of carbs, but carbs are what give you energy so that your brain will function and carbs sustain you through your workouts, it is those workouts that will in turn build muscle.  (And, of course burn the fat away.)  But, when I say carbs, I am specifically talking about whole food, plant based carbs.  Sweet potatoes, organic corn, rice, quinoa, millet, oats, squash, beans, peas, fruit, etc.  Not the standard American diet of white bread, white pasta, processed and fried everything.

Eat whole grains, whole foods and enjoy your carbs!  Eating a variety of whole, plant based food, and eating until you are satisfied will ensure you get enough of all the essential nutrients.  (Yes, it might be wise to occasionally, supplement with B12 and vitamin D)  As an athlete, you do need more protein, carbs, etc than the average person.  But it is about needing more calories in total not just specific nutrients.  As you workout more, you burn more calories, and you will need to eat more.  If you stay focused on eating a variety of whole, plant based food and eating until you are satisfied, you will naturally be eating more protein and all the nutrients that your body needs.

This blog post just hit my email today: Where Do You Get Your Protein?

As I am not a nutritionist or a Doctor,   I will not pontificate further but below are a few examples of plant based athletes.  I look to these people as inspiration.  They all eat a plant based diet and achieve extraordinary physical accomplishments from ultra marathons to the Tour De France.  Read what they have to say about being fueled by plants:

Ultraman- Rich Roll
Tour De France Cyclist - David Zabriskie
Triathlete - Rip Esselstyn
Vegan bodybuilder - Robert Cheeke
Professional Triathlete - Brendan Brazier
Newly converted - Lance Armstrong
Other - No Meat Athlete

Not going as planned

March 14th I ran 11 miles successfully.  According to my plan, I was going to run 13 miles two weeks later on March 28th.  (My training plan is to increase mileage every other week)  The week in between I took it easy. I could definitely feel things tighten up and some soreness after my 11 mile run.  I ran 3 times during that week, 30 - 45 minutes each run.  March 28th came around,  I set my route, rested the day before and felt ready.  That morning getting the girls ready for school took longer than expected, so I started later.  I had a field trip to chaperone, so I decided I would run 11.5 - 12 miles instead of 13 due to my time constraint.

I did a 3:30min run / 30sec walk the entire time.  The weather was perfect, I felt great.  At 40 minutes, I had that feeling, "hum, not sure I am going to make it the whole way."  Then at an hour, my thought turned to, "wow, I will skip the field trip and do the full 13 miles."  Then 1 hour 15 minutes the pain began.  My knees had a deep ache, my hips were hurting, and I could feel my IT band from my hip to the outside of my knee.  I slowed my pace down.  Despite the pain, I was kind of in a zone, had my rhythm down and did not want to stop.  Mentally I was focused on the present moment, energized, and my lungs felt great.  I was not out of breath, if it were not for the joint pain I think I could have run much farther.  But at 1 hour, 51 minutes I stopped.  I definitely was feeling pain from my hips to my knees.

I took Advil for a couple of days, I had a massage the next day, and she really worked on my ITBand, and hips, but the pain continued for almost a week.  I did a couple of short runs and several walks during the next week.  Finally after 10 days, I did an hour run and felt good.  But the pain has me completely freaked out!  I have spent so much time in pain and had to stop running completely for long periods of time, several times in my life.  It brought me back to my real goal - it is more about being able to run every week, and with my girls than the distance I run.

During this time, both girls ran in a little race at their school.  It again reminded me that I want to run with the girls and continue to be a "running" role model for them!

Look at these smiles: (Ryder, my youngest daughter is on the left in the first picture, behind her good friend)

Sierra

I am going to stick with 9 - 11 miles right now for my long runs every other week.  And, take these two smiling faces out on some short runs around the park. 

Lessons Learned This Week

Write Down My Goal
After I got home from training with Jeff Galloway (3 weeks ago) I wrote down on my calendar when my long runs would be and how far.  This week, I ran 11 miles.  If I had not written that down, I would have not have finished my run because of the rain.  But I had seen it on my calendar for 3 weeks, visualized it, and realized I didnt have another time this week that I could achieve my goal!

Gear
I need a good light weight rain jacket - I ran yesterday in horrible rain, so I know I can do it now and will do it again!  But a cotton t-shirt is not what I want to wear while running in the rain.   A hat would have been nice too.

Phone
Bring it on long runs.  When the thunder storm hit I did get a little scared and realized a phone would have been nice.

Strength Training
Do not do a lot of leg exercises two days before a long run.  I thought the day off between would give my legs enough rest.  I was wrong.  My legs got very sore on my long run.  Jeff suggest that running is enough exercise for your legs, you do not need a lot of strength training for your legs.  - I am a slow learner.

Food
Bring something on a long run.  I have never carried food or water on a long run, even when I did half marathons.  But yesterday taught me that I need to reconsider.  One suggestion Jeff made is sugar cubes - basically sugar that is easy to digest.  He also recommends Accelerade products, but unfortunately I am allergic to some of the ingredients.  I need to find something that will work for me.

Run/ Walk/ Run
It is working for me!!!  Day after my long run, I feel good.  I do have a few aches and pains, but nothing bad, just a little sore.  Which is probably normal given it has been 10 years since I ran 11 miles!

Fair weather runner - no more

I was inspired when Jeff Galloway told me that weather does not stop him from running.  I tend to agonize over the weather channel before a run.  I do not like to run in the cold or rain.  As much as I do not like the treadmill, I will succumb if the weather is not good. 

Today  was my long run day.  My goal was ELEVEN miles.  I was really excited to increase my mileage, but also very nervous.  I have not run eleven miles since my last half marathon in 2001!!  I fortunately had a friend who joined me for half of the run.   Wow, does running with a friend make the time go by so much faster. 
I planned ahead and charted out eleven miles.   I set my timer to 3:30 for running and a 30 second walk.  The first 5 miles flew by as my friend and I chatted.  I had checked the weather and thought it was suppose to be a beautiful day.  During the first 5 miles it sprinkled a few times, but nothing bad.  I will say however, the old me would have turned around and headed home.  But it was warm out and I was busy talking.

My friend turned off and headed home and I continued.  It started raining again.  I quickly began to realize why stores sell those super light weight rain jackets.  They always seemed like a waste of money to me.   But in this rain, I really wished I had one.  I continued and the rain stopped.  I started laughing to myself and thought I could not believe I was actually out running in the rain and had not turned towards home-  I am no longer a fair weather runner.  Then, the rain gods decided to get their laugh.  The sky opened up and DUMPED rain on me.  Buckets of rain.  I realized I was very far from home, I did not have my phone, I did not know anyone who lived on the street, so my only choice was to continue.  As I am weighing all my options I also realize this was my only chance to do a long run this week.  I had to stick with it.  The rain gods had to throw one more at me with a few big pops of thunder, and finally they stopped.  Ahhh... no more rain. 

My plan was to continue at 3:30/30 for as long as I could, but give myself the option to go to 3 min run / 1 min walk if I got too tired.  With the rain, I kept it at 3:30/30 to get home faster.  During the thunder storm I picked up my pace, which after 9 miles was a mistake.  At 9, I did start to look at my watch more, started feeling my back, my IT band, oh and I got really hungry.  But I continued.  My last half mile was awesome.  I had achieved my goal, despite the weather, not having the right gear, and getting tired and hungry.  I did it! 

I came home dried off, made a bowl of oatmeal and frozen raspberries.  Then I discovered a small animal on the back of my head.  Not really, but look at what the rain and constant movement of my ponytail did to my HAIR.  As a bonus, I got the best arm workout I have had in awhile.  It took 45 minutes of combing to get this dread out of my hair.

Second Week

This week I ran an easy paced 45-minute jog.  Today I ran for an hour but did 3:30 run and 30 sec walk.  I will do one more run this week and save up for my long run next week.

Jeff spoke a lot about nutrition during the two days at Lake Lanier.  As I increase my mileage, I will also have to increase my calories.  I plan to continue eating gluten free / vegan but will have to eat a lot more food.  As I go past two hours of running, I will also have to figure out what I can bring to eat while I am running, and afterward for recovery.  So far, after a race I like bananas and oatmeal.  Oatmeal is a great source of carbohydrates and protein.  Before a race I generally just have coffee and maybe a banana.  I did make my own “energy bar” the other day, I liked it but no one else did.  I blended dates, cocoa powder, chia seeds, and peanut butter together and baked it at 200 degrees for 1.5 hours.  Again, I cant recommend it, but I may make it again just for me!

Gear

Jeff told us about a new fabric that actually heats up as you sweat.  After the shoot, I immediately went to Phidippides to find the product he mentioned.  The fabric, called breath thermo is made by Mizuno, similar to the one here.  I ran the 10k in that top with one more layer over it.  It does in fact heat up.  It was FABULOUS.  I highly recommend it, I am cold all the time, and for it to keep me warm in 35 degree weather during the race was a miracle.  

Shoes - Shoes are CRITICAL component of running pain free.   The best advice I would give is to go to Phidippides and let them fit you.  (I have been going there for years, not just since meeting Jeff!)  They  are professional shoe fitters there!  I just got these new kicks, also by Mizuno.  I LOVE them.

Intown 10K

Four days after my first long run was a 10K that I had previously signed up for.  One of the many things I love about our neighborhood are all the road races that begin literally out my front door.  I run in a lot of 5K races, but have not attempted a 10K since the Peachtree Road Race in 2010. 

I used to run with friends before my last onslaught of injuries.  For a year or more I would join a group of moms at 6am and run in the neighborhood.  I loved that time to catch up with friends and it was a great way to start the day.  But since my injuries I have been afraid to run with others, I did not want to slow anyone down, and I was afraid I would try to stay at their pace and get injured again.  So, when I saw a group of friends at the 10K start I moved way back so I would not be tempted.  I w uncertain as to what my race pace would be and decided if I ran with others I would probably run too fast. 

It was FREEZING outside; it took all that I had just to stay at the start line.  The race finally started, and I kept to the side and tried to focus on keeping a steady pace.  For the first race ever, I did succeed at keeping a steady pace, as I looked at the clock at each mile, I was keeping right at a 7 minute, 45 second pace.  I was extremely happy to run the whole race sub – 8 miles and still feel good.  I have run 10Ks faster and I have run them slower.  But sub – 8 and still feel good?  That is what it is all about!

Now maybe I can run with others!

First Run/ Walk/ Run

I was pretty fired up to try a long run.  I set the timer that Jeff gave me to 1:30 / 30.  Which means, I would run for one minute, thirty seconds then walk for thirty seconds.  It was incredibly frustrating at first.  I felt great; I did not want to stop.  And, when I did stop it felt like I stood still.  But, I was determined to follow directions.  I really hated walking when I was near other runners.  That competitive nature of mine would kick in.   I would cruise past someone, and then the beep would sound.  Ugh, I would stop to walk, as they would run past me.  Finally, after about 30 minutes, I got into a rhythm.   I would almost stop to walk automatically.  I started really focusing on the present moment, I enjoyed looking at all the houses, the flowers, other people, I was feeling great.  This feeling continued for another hour.  I returned home after an hour and a half and ran upstairs to map how far I had gone on the computer.  9 miles!!!  I have not gone that far in years.  And, I seriously felt good.  I had a snack and went about my day.  The next morning was the real test; I did feel a little sore but not bad at all.

The Shoot

I was a nervous wreck.  I tried to think of everything I might need.  What if it is raining?  Cold?  Hot?  What do I do about food?  I packed everything.  I even made several containers of oatmeal, polenta and fruit to carry with me.  What am I going to look like on camera??  Ahhh.  What if there is traffic and I am late?  What are the others going to be like? 

Finally I got out the door and drove away into the terrifying unknown.  No traffic, easy drive up.  Lake Lanier Island and the resort are BEAUTIFUL.  It is not too cold.  The room is nice.  I see Jeff and another participant, Arlene in the lobby.  They both greet me with big smiles.  Maybe this is going to be fun??

Well, it was beyond fun, it was simply an amazing experience.  All the people involved were incredible.  Everyone wanted to be there, wanted to learn, and believed in the benefit this show could bring to others.  The energy and dedication to this show was apparent in every crew member.   They not only had been working together for years but also had been working on the vision for this show for years.  They were excited to finally see it become a reality.   

Jeff was amazing, very kind, open, dedicated and of course incredibly knowledgeable.  All you have to do is read his bio to know what an accomplished person he is (Olympian, owner of 2 Phidippides stores, and author of 20+ books), but what was most impressive is how approachable he is.  He eagerly answered all of the thousands of questions we had, took interest in all of our stories and truly wanted to help us achieve our goals. 

The other participants – Arlene, Becky, Phil and Steve, each had their own unique story and challenges.  They were interesting, inspiring and a lot of fun.  The host, Lisa Ritter was great, what an adventurous life she has led.  Even when the weather turned wet and cold, we still managed to have a great time.  Thanks to Phil for all the laughs!  These were long days, but I enjoyed every minute.  I even got somewhat comfortable being on camera. 

The result – as set in my ways as I have been, I became a believer in Jeff’s methods.  I actually could not WAIT to get home and do a long run using the run/walk / run method.

It is simple – what I had been doing was not working.  My goal was to be able to run pain free.  Jeff’s experience, the research he has done, and other followers experience has proven his run /walk/ run worked.  It is kinder to your body and lets your body heal.  A summary of my new training method - run every other day, only do one long run a week (add mileage every other week) and take walk breaks early and often during the long runs.

Food – you didn’t think I was going to forget to write about food did you?  I was nervous that there would not be enough vegan / gluten free options to keep me satisfied over the two days.  I did prepare, and brought some food with me.  I was pleasantly surprised that I did not need it!  Barbara, who owns the Flying Biscuit in Sandy Springs graciously offered to feed us!  She brought us breakfast, lunch and dinner both days.   On top of that, she had wonderful vegan, gluten free options.  My favorites – love cakes with a spicy cashew nut relish, mash potatoes made with olive oil instead of dairy and collard greens.  It was so delicious I ate more than I usually eat over the two days.  I went back for seconds at every meal!  I can’t wait to visit her soon.

Here is a glimpse:
Born 2 Run

Running - Background

I love to run.  Running is my time to clear my head, my favorite way to stay in shape and my way to  explore a new area.  I enjoy running by myself and with friends. 

Running began in middle school when it was all about sprinting.  I was not the fastest one around, and became quite discouraged running the mile for time in P.E.  Fortunately, I discovered another way to run, running for distance not for speed.  During my senior year in high school I finally had the courage to join the cross county team.  It was my first experience being part of a team sport.   That was one of the best times I had in high school. It gave me a purpose, introduced me to new friends and increased my self-confidence.  I looked forward to running with my friends every afternoon after school. 

I continued running through college and after as my means to stay in shape, stay sane and socialize with my friends.  But then the injuries began.  I had one knee surgery in high-school, herniated disc in my lower back, yet another knee surgery, bunion surgery and IT band issues.  Each of these injuries took me away from running from a month to a year.  I would try other types of exercise – elliptical, biking, swimming, pilates, yoga, Blast class, Pure Barre class, bootcamp, and kettlebell, but nothing gave me the feeling that running does.  I wanted to dedicate myself to another form of exercise, but my need to run never went away.  After each injury I would slowly get back into running, and would run until I was injured again. 

Now that I have girls, I not only want to run for myself, but I want to run for them.  There is nothing greater than to cross the finish line in a race and see how big the girls are smiling.  They are still a bit confused that I don’t win the race, but they still love to cheer me on.  I hope to set a healthy example for the girls and I hope to run races with them.  There is a great program called Girls on the Run, which begins in third grade and I cant wait to be their coach. 

But what do I do about my injuries?  I want to run pain free and be able to run for the next 40 years.  In January I had increased my mileage, subsequently my knees, foot and IT band began to hurt again.  Frustrated, I began to look for answers.  Several people had mentioned Jeff Galloway to me.  I have resisted learning much about his method, because frankly, to stop and walk during a run was just not in my DNA. 

Curiosity got the best of me and I started poking around his website.  Then I signed up for his emails.  Then I received THE email.  Casting call for a pilot TV program – Born to Run.  If picked, I would have the opportunity to spend two days with Jeff Galloway.   He would evaluate the way I run, my current training and I would have the opportunity to learn about his training methods from him directly. 

Oh but wait, I am terrified of being filmed and have no desire to be on TV. Jeff says we are all “born to run” and that it is possible to run pain free, could this be true?

Hummm – fear of being on TV or my desire to run pain free?   Well, I sent in an application, I figured there is little to no chance I would actually be picked anyways.  And, seriously, once he sees all the injuries I listed, I would not be a good candidate for running pain free.

I got picked, along with 4 other amazing people.  I decided to jump WAY out of my box and drive to Lake Lanier Islands to spend two days being filmed.