And it isn’t this . . .

As I have dealt with this hamstring issue now for almost a year (diagnosed as tendonitis about six months ago), I’ve researched a variety of techniques to keep my muscles stretched and healthy, so they don’t seize up on me again.

So far, things have worked. I roll my muscles out daily, sometimes twice a day; I do yoga several times each week, along with three days of pilates class, also which incorporates stretching (though I have to say I stay in it because I love the hardcore core workouts!); and I have been sitting on ice.

Ouch.

I have to admit, it took me a while to get to the point of facing the last option. I had heard of people doing ice baths after long runs, and I”d laughed at them. Ice baths? Put on a pack, I thought. Why subject my already sore legs to searing ice?

Because, I found out, it really seems to work.

The idea behind ice baths is that it will reduce swelling and help get rid of lactic acid, which will minimize the pain you might experience the next day. Then the warm blood flows through the area you’ve iced and it helps to keep the toxins out of the muscles.

It doesn’t take a lot of ice, and every runner performs an ice bath differently. I tend to draw a cool water bath and then drop in a few bowl fulls (and I’m talking a big brownie mixing bowl) into the water. Then I sink in. If I need more ice, my kids love to run down and grab some.

I’ve heard to sit for about ten minutes, and I do 10-15. Since sitting in an ice bath is similar to applying ice to sore muscles, the same theory applies. Be careful your skin doesn’t begin to get ice burn – bright red, numb, etc. Some runners sit in the bath wearing leggings. I go without so I can get the full effect, and I have never had an issue with a burn on the skin – but, it is possible, so the first few times test it out by sitting for a few minutes and then checking your skin.

For me, I believe it has helped my tendonitis. I haven’t been sore (knock on wood) since I started ice baths a few weeks ago. I do them now on any run 5 or more miles; I feel that because I’m likely to swell anyway with the issue, I may as well prevent it as best I can before I jump in the bath. Besides, putting an ice pack on the fronts and backs of my leg and then alongside my knee would take forever; why not jump in the bath and be done with it in 10 to 15 minutes?

Do you ice bath? If so, how often, and what is the mileage at which you decide to hop into the tub with a few cubes?

I’m turning the big 4-0 next week.

This has been a hard confession.

I’ve ignored it, screamed about it, had a few too many glasses of vino as I reflected on it.

I’ve told my kids I’m turning 25, again, and they believe it (you gotta love kids!)

I’ve told people I would not be celebrating this year, that I didn’t want gifts, and that if they found me wandering the neighborhood mumbling incoherently to leave me the heck alone!

I’ve also told off all those happy people who just turned 40 and who have said, “Oh, it’s just a number! Look at me! I’m so happy!” with a lot of exclamation points in their voice. (Who the hell wants to get old, is what I say?! Once you hit 21 you can legally do everything you need to do. From there it’s all downhill!)

I’ve spent a lot of time looking backward in the past month, recalling those things I loved about being younger and cursing those things I hate about growing older.

But life is a, well, you know what it is, and then you move on.

You have to keep running, right?

So I am.

Now, this week I plan to spend my time considering the things I love about getting older.

I’m going to ignore the few gray hairs that have sprouted up on my head like wayward children, and the cricks and creaks and groans my bones make when I get out of bed in the morning.

Screw the stomach that doesn’t agree with hot sauce anymore – she’s getting it anyway, because I’m not slowing down.

And the fact that I can’t stay up past 11 anymore without feeling like crap the next day, even if I’m only snuggled up on the couch with a good book, will just have to wait.

One thing I’ve noticed is my addiction,  obsession,  love of running has actually changed for the good as I’ve aged, unlike the wrinkles near my eyes.

I’ve learned:

1. My body can perform miracles. It birthed two babies and it has run two marathons. I can run in the rain, in t he heat, in the snow, and on ice. I can run with a cold. I can run when I think I don’t want to run (and oftentimes, those end up being the best runs).
2. I don’t have anything to prove to anyone else. In my earlier years, especially my twenties, running was about winning. It was about going faster than the next person. I’d even hurt myself attempting to do this. Nowadays I realize running is internal, it’s intrinsic, it’s in-me. I just have to do it; that’s the beauty of running.
3. If it hurts, I should slow down. When you’re young , pain seems good. “Oh yea, my knee was on FIRE man and I ran to the finish line anyway! Sure, they may have to replace it, but I have another one, right?” Um, until you get older. Then you realize if you do something stupid, like run while injured, you may be giving up running for good. And trust me, when you’re on the bad side of 40 you don’t want to have to give shit up for good. Period.
4. Running, it does a body good. Finally, all I can say is this: I’m in better shape now than I was when I graduated high school, graduated college, finished my master’s degree, and married my husband. Running has gotten me through ups and downs and highs and lows, and in the meantime it has allowed me to continue to wear the same size clothes for the past 10 years even while eating peanut butter straight out of the jar. Not too shabby.

While I’m not happy about turning 40, nor will I ever be, I can see some of the upsides to aging, even though my eyesight, sadly, is not what it was when I was 20.

Who needs the eyes anyway, right?

In the meantime I have scheduled 2 half marathons, one in February and one in March, as I recover from my cartilage tear. If all goes well I’d like to do one marathon prior to summer; if it doesn’t, oh well. (You see, there is it, that great running attitude again! Forty still stinks though!)

Happy Running!

I know that most people training for their first longer race face this same exact issue. If you are used to running 3 miles, then once you get up to 5 miles you may find you are growing bored with the training.

The funny thing is, once you get used to 5 and you are shooting for eight or ten, the next new  in-between milestones will seem boring.

Since training for two marathons, and now my third, I have learned some great trips that got me through those longer runs.

1. Music. I don’t use music until I get halfway through my run, or even more, regardless of the length. If I go 7 or under I don’t use it at all. If I go ten, I may start it at 6 or so. If I go 12, I may start it at mile 8. I use music as a motivator. “If I get to mile X, then I can listen to music for a while.”  This gives me something to look forward to by diverting attention when the runs get a bit longer, and this distraction keeps me going. Also, by not using it for the entire run I never get used to relying on it.
2. Food. Sorry, I’m not one of those runners who doesn’t eat on a longer run. If I’m going over 10 miles, then around mile 7 or so I begin chewing on something. I look forward to my bites of treats. I may not eat an entire Power Bar, but if I get in a few good bites here and there it fills up my stomach enough to keep me going and it gives me something to look forward to. During my first marathon training I ate goldfish; now I munch on powerbars. Any food will do!
3. Take different courses. If you are burning out, map out different courses so there is always something new to see. Unfortunately for me, I now live in an area where this is not possible unless I drive somewhere – and that would add another hour on my already long Sunday morning training run. However I went on vacation this past week and ran around a different town during my eleven miler. It really kept me going.
4. Run portions of your run with someone. If you are used to running solo, see if you can find someone with whom to run for a few miles. I prefer solo running, but on longer runs I generally hope to meet up with a few ladies in the neighborhood for at least several miles. Though they are slower runners and I have to adjust my pace, having conversation and a partner or two is worth it.

Much of long distance training is just simply getting used to the longer miles. When you become used to running a certain pace or certain mileage each run, then doing something different and new can seem impossible. By training your mind to get through this new phase, you’ll learn quickly to enjoy the longer time on your feet.

Yet I felt that some things I’d been experiencing warranted a blood draw.

In the past three weeks I’ve been extremely tired. I’ve also had some episodes of dizziness/lightheadedness – one of which was the blackness washes over you as you walk across the room variety – no fun! I’ve also had a few headaches – one a migraine that not even ibuprofen could fix – and I’ve been feeling rather run down.

As a distance runner, I sometimes don’t know how much of what is going on with me is due to not training correctly and how much could be an issue – so I figured I’d let an expert decide.

I did find out a few things:

1. I’m not anemic, my first thought
2. My blood pressure is low but normal, she says, though it came back at 114, which looks ok from what I can tell (runners have lower blood pressure anyway and it appears low is under 90)

She mentioned I could be experiencing drops in my blood pressure throughout the day, which would explain dizziness.

I’m not so sure it is that, though. She did a CBC, and I’ll get the results in a few days.

I have tried not to google anything (lupus comes back!) but that’s hard for me. However, I believe part of this could be training related. I’m wondering if:

1. I’m not getting enough sodium based on the change in humidity from Ca. to here
2. I’m not getting enough food for my training needs (I have lost a few pounds and I’ve mentioned before that’s not good for me)
3. I’m not getting enough rest

So, I’ve decided to make a few changes in my fitness and diet.

1. Eat more calories. I’ve been doing this the past few days to see if I can bring my weight back up. I lost 3 1/2 lbs, which for me is quite a bit. I want to be back up to my regular weight as quickly as possible. I don’t want to have to keep a calorie journal because i do so poorly at this – and I don’t have time. But if need be, I will. (big sigh!)
2. Drink Gatorade on long runs. I’d stopped doing this when my runs dropped below 10 miles. Now I’m at 10-12 so I want to add it back in. However, as humid as it is here in the summer, I think I’ll add it back in one runs over 5. And I will mix the gatorade with water since the straight stuff about kills me to drink!
3. More rest. I’ve been going to bed and trying to get 8 hours a night.
4. Drop back to 5 training days, two off. I added a day of running a while ago so I’m doing 5 days of cardio. Then I would do strength on Monday and Friday so I was actually working out -even if not cardio – almost everyday! Now I will only do 5 days, whatever I can fit in. That’s it!
5. Cross train. I want to do my first tri next fall so I’m adding in swimming and biking – today I biked for the first time in a while, only 3.5 miles after a 3.1 mile run. When the pool warms up enough I’ll begin swimming.

I’m not sure if there is something weird going on in my body or if I’m just tired and overtraining and not training responsibly.

I do know that when I’m training for a race I’m very cautious about what I eat and what I weigh and how much I rest, and when I stop training all of those great words of wisdom head off with my running shoes. So, perhaps I’ve just been making poor choices.

In other news . . . .

I’m excited about cross training. I miss swimming, and think that once this summer ends and winter rolls in again I’m going to join the Y so I can continue swimming workouts. I really feel 5 days of running for me is a lot – maybe I’m not yet ready for that many miles and two young kids, or maybe I need to reconfigure my workouts some so I’m not always getting up at 5 AM and I can have some sleep in days.

I have to pull up the tri I want to do and post it. Once I get my goal out there, there will be no turning back!

Happy running (biking and swimming!) Off to the Burger King play area – yes, I said it, I do live in a small town now! – for some entertainment for the kids until I go grocery shopping. My mom is coming in for Easter and I have a new menu planned – can’t wait!

How does this picture make you feel?

If the answer is calm, good job!

If. however, the answer is anxious because you 1) know you need to destress but 2) just can’t seem to do it, then this post is for you!

Whether you are a mom who runs marathons, a dad who runs 5Ks, or a single gal trying to lose a few pounds or simply lead a healthier life, chances are at some point or the other (like right now!) you are under some stress.

Hey, it’s a fact of life, one that we will never entirely defeat.

We can, however, learn to understand that we are under stress by recognizing the signs and then work on a way to at least eliminate some of the tension in our lives.

Are YOU stressed out?

If you look like this each morning, I would have to say yes!

Not sure? Take this fun little quiz to find out!

What are some classic signs of stress?

Screaming at the spouse because he’s left his clothes in the middle of the floor yet again is not a sign of stress, but locking him out of the house because he had to work late again and dinner is cold could be.

Playing princesses with the girls-not a sign. Dressing up like a princess and screaming at the Starbucks clerk, “I said call me Princess Kathy and give me another shot of espresso!” could be.

Other signs?

Headaches, tension in our shoulders and backs, injuries, depression, a sense of never getting anything done while running at 100 miles per hour every single day – all of these and of course more.

I get the twitchy eye when I’m tired or stressed, and I’m also prone to those nasty little mouth ulcers. I can always tell when I’m run down, which is good because it is as they say a sign.

The bad thing? I don’t always listen.

I was reading my Yoga Journal the other day and the editor’s letter struck a chord with me. She was talking about moving, and how it was one of the most stressful events that one could tackle. Though I didn’t feel stressed out during our cross country move, I can look back now and see I was. My eye was twitching so badly I had to wear sunglasses so I wouldn’t be accused of winking at everyone I met, and I could barely sleep at night, even though I was exhausted.

If you find yourself under a lot of stress, these tips may help:

• Slow down. If your body is telling you that it is tired and needs a break, give it a break (I posted about this earlier as well). This doesn’t mean eliminate working out from your loaded schedule, or sleeping for three days in a row (though hey, if you can get that many winks do it!), but it does mean taking some time to just recharge.

• Cut out the caffeine. I think we (meaning java lovers) have a tendency to rely more and more on coffee the more stressed we get. Of course, this makes it harder for us to get rest when we need rest, and a lot of caffeine will also stimulate our bodies, which can cause even more stress. Try to at least cut back on the coffee intake until you are feeling better, or at least until you stop looking like this:

• Get more sleep. Seriously. Skip a workout if you need to, go to bed at 8 PM, don’t take work home, and tell your family that you are beat. You need to get rest in order for your body to recharge. If you keep running yourself on empty for too long you’ll crash, and that’s not good for anyone-y0u or the people that you love.

• Try to keep exercising. Numerous studies have shown that exercise makes us feel better – so don’t give up your daily runs unless you are so beat you can’t get out the door. If that is the case, try cutting out a few sessions each week, but do try to keep up with some. It may be that once you are out the door you feel great upon getting the heart pumping.

Saturday’s run:

I did 8.5 miles today – I think.

Pace? Unsure.

Why? Garmin, my love, which I thought was charged, was not! I got about .84 miles in and it said batteries low and I heard that awful galoop noise and the watch was black. Ah well. Sometimes it is nice to run without  a watch. My knee felt strong, and it felt great to get closer to double digits, FINALLY! I’m dying to go 10, which is funny since 10 seemed so short a while ago.

Anyone know of any good races in June, July, August? I’d like to do one marathon in the summer months and then either Palm Beach in December (probably, so mom can go) and something again in the latter part of winter, maybe LA or, even better, San Diego’s rock and roll marathon. I wanted to do this last year and couldn’t recover in time from Surf City (which, by the way, I heard was a gorgeous run this year-after last year’s rain!)

My Romantic Valentine’s Day Plans

Now, off to the tax guy to figure out the best way to do taxes for my businesses. I’ve had two issues: my marketing company and the new personal training business.

I have not been as organized as I’ve needed to be with keeping track of expenses, which means i can never really claim anything because i don’t have receipts to back what I am saying. So, I am hoping for some good tips on this as well as some information regarding estimated taxes so I don’t get hit with a whopping bill at the end of each year.

Happy Valentine’s Day, running moms, dads and single people! Hoping that you get lotsa love today from your spouses or your children or your pets or yourself on this (ridiculously over advertised) day. I’m sure hubby and i will crack open a bottle of Cab while we watch our home improvement shows tonight. Woo hoo! Romance is NOT dead when you turn 39 25~

Take care of yourself, and sleep if you need it!

I’ve usually been lucky when it comes to being sick. I never get anything. My husband laughs about it, says that there must be something strange thing in my blood that fights off infection because everyone can be throwing up on me (during our cross country trip this was the case) and yet I don’t get sick!

Until this week.

It started with a cough and sore throat, and then it went into my chest. I woke up on Thursday night with a rattling inside that frightened me. I thought of my good friend Karen that died last year of pneumonia and I freaked out.

The next day, when I heard that same rattling in my daughter’s chest, I packed us up and headed to the doctor’s office.

I’m glad I did. My daughter had an ear infection and I had bronchitis. We were sent home with some medicine and I went to bed, where I remained all of yesterday, sleeping in this really crazy haze where I couldn’t tell if I was awake or asleep.

Today I’m feeling a bit better. I’m still weak and tired, but I do not feel like I need to go back to sleep (yet!). I’m coming out of the fog sickness, so to speak. I’m glad to have a glimmer of the other side, and I’m interested to understand how sick I have been and yet didn’t understand or face how sick I was until I was completely worn out!

I say that is because I’m a mother and we have so much to take care of that we can’t really ever be sick, but I also know this is the mind of a runner as well. I mean, who else can say they are going to run 26 miles, suffer from stomach issues and blisters and sore muscles?

So how can you tell when you should run and when you should hang up your shoes for a day or two?

• If you are running a fever, stay home. Running with a fever is not a good idea, since running will raise your temperature anyway. Plus if you have a fever you are going to need to drink lots of fluids to avoid dehydration, and if you are running you are going to have to do the same thing.  If you are sick enough to have a fever, you should be letting your body rest. Period!
• Coughing is not so bad-wet coughing, not so good. If the cold has moved into your chest you should take it easy to make sure it doesn’t get worse.
• Snuffy nose? Go ahead and run. But if it is making your head hurt, take a day off. Nothing more brutal than a sinus headache on pounding feet.
• Lacking energy? If it is more than just, ” I don’t feel like running,” then don’t run. You shouldn’t be out there pounding the pavement when your body needs to rest. If you are tired, get some rest.
• Listen to your body above all. This week I knew my runs were shot. By Friday morning I knew there was no way I could work out. I took the day off, and have not run since Thursday. As runners I think we are very in tune to our bodies-we have to be, I think, to avoid injury. If you are not feeling ‘right’ then take a day of rest. It’s not going to set you back and in fact will probably help improve your running if you are only running when you feel good.

Now, I am heading to bed for some much needed rest-again! I said I would run tomorrow if I felt better, but at this point it may be Tuesday or Wednesday since just washing the dishes took it out of me this morning!

Happy running this weekend!

I am one who has had trouble throughout the years with keeping a good weight (meaning not being too thin). I think the issue has a few underlying causes: first, I have a very high metabolism; second, I am and have always been really active; and third, I don’t really take the time to count calories the way that I should.

When I start training for distances, my weight instantly drops. In the past I didn’t pay much attention to this but, let me tell you, once you get close to forty you don’t want to be uber-thin. Wrinkles show much easier when you are older and skinnier.

Actually, much like friends of mine who have been unhappy with an extra ten or twenty pounds, I am unhappy having to always work on keeping my weight up.

So, now this has become a concentrated effort on my part. As I train for this next marathon, I need to make certain I keep my weight steady.

For some reason, in Georgia on our house hunting trip I lost a few pounds. I don’t know if it was the heat, the humidity, or the fact that I got so sick that day. Since being home, I have not done any long runs (I was supposed to do 11 yesterday morning but since the wee one was sick I did only 4 miles). Still, my weight has not gotten back to pre-Georgia weight and is hovering at 134. I was at 135, but in all reality wouldn’t mind going up a few more pounds.

I thought I’d keep a journal of all I eat and how much I exercise to see what I can do to increase my weight at least by four or five pounds. Maybe keeping track of it will make me more able to see what it is I need to be doing to push that weight up. I know I could always add a high-caloric snack or two a day, but in all honesty I’m not a sweets eater, so that is tough. I also don’t like red meat, and generally eat fish or chicken, and some meals keep vegetarian with lots of beans. The beans make up my protein but, of course, don’t add a lot of fat or calories to the meal.

So, here goes my attempt at food journaling. I have been bad about this in the past, but this is my goal.

According to my Garmin, I burned 1880 calories last week running and 1600 some this week running. I haven’t been swimming and biking, so that would add another 300-600 calories burned per week.

I have found that Sparkpeople.com really is a great way to keep track of calories, so that is how I am going to do this. I’ll list my foods that I eat and the exercises I do here, and I’ll keep track of calories by using Sparkpeople to add them up. I have a tendency to snack all day here and there, a handful of nuts, a banana, a hard boiled egg, so I’ll try to be really careful to write it all down so I have an accurate account.

I’m wondering if any other people out there who have this same issue – keeping weight up with a highly active training schedule – can offer some advice as well.

So far today, which is my day off from exercise, I have had:

Breakfast:
bowl of oatmeal at Cornery Bakery (strawberries, bananas, apples, oh yum!)
piece of rye toast
two cups of hot java!
few bites of cinnamon muffin

Snack:
Homemade apple sauce (my daughters and I made it today after watching a show the other day where they made it – it was yummy!)

Lunch:
Turkey and cheese sandwich, cup or so of grapes

Snack:
Banana with peanut butter

Dinner:
Chicken breast (grilled) sandwich
fresh tomatoes and basil from garden (yum!)
fresh cucumbers from garden
carrots
french fries

UPDATED:
I put in my food for the day at Spark People and this is what I found:

I ate a total of 2,267 calories today.
345 carbs/68 fat/ 86 protein
This breaks down to : 59% carbs, 14% proteins, 26% fat.

I probably had a bit more than this, as I know I snacked on a handful of nuts here and there, but without having a chance to write everything down as I do it, it is hard to go back and remember.

So, to maintain my weight I would need to remain around 1500-1800 calories. To gain a pound, I’d have to add 250 calories each day to that amount, 3,500 calories per week, or around 2000 or so per day.

The issue is that I always burn at least 250 a day and most days much more-anywhere from 300 (half hour run or swim) to at this time in training 1,100 (11 mile run). I just don’t know how to get those extra calories in the diet. I already eat constantly as it is!

I wound up doing my ab and arm exercises today because I am hoping to get up early tomorrow and do a seven mile run (or so). With that I doubt I will have time to come home and do abs and arms. No cardio today, other than playing soccer with the girls! And that wore me out!

Now, I’m off to bed. We have had such a busy week with the sick wee one that I need some rest!