My husband and I had a very interesting conversation on our way down to Florida to visit family this past weekend. So interesting it made me spit water from my mouth. As soon as the words were out of his mouth I knew it would become the title to Monday’s post!

Our conversation went something like this.

Me: “You know what was funny at the Disney marathon?”

Hubby: “What?”

Me: “Well, you always see men peeing on the side of the road when you run distances, but I’ve never seen women doing it until then.”

Him: “Women? Peeing on the side of hte road? In the woods you mean?”

Me: “No, right there, right on the side. They hitched down their shorts and there they went, for all to see!”

Him: “Seriously?”  Totally stumped, trying to imagine it.

Me: “Only that’s not the crazy part.”

Him: “Which would be?”

Me: “They weren’t only going number one.”

Him: Quiet. Reflective. And then, “No way, Kathy, you aren’t serious. Girls were pooping on the side of the road?”

Me: “Yes, right there, for all to see.”

Him, quiet for another moment and then: “You know, if something makes you defecate on the side of the road, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it!”

Me: Water out of nose.

You may recall the Paula Radcliffe uproar a few years ago, when she stopped on the side of the road to take a poop during the London Marathon.   When asked if she did indeed leave a little something or the other behind on the course Paula replied that she had and that it was an ‘embarassing necessity.’

If you have ever run distances, or ever done any type of running, you probably know what she means! The porta potties are almost hazardous. Runners are notorious for having, well, shall we say looser stools than many. Something about all that action and jiggling that just pushes it out of there.

Not so bad if you are a runner.  We are regular, hear us roar! Who needs bran and prunes and all that junk? Go for a ten miler and there ya go!

So todays post is  for fun. Let us laugh about the uglies of running-the poops on the side of the road, if you will.

If It Makes You Poop on the Side of the Road . . .A List of the Uglies of Running

1. If it turns your toenails black you probably just need a new pair of shoes-chances are the other ones are too tight. Paint the other nails black, trade in the size 10s for 11s (you do know your feet swell when you do distances, right?) and enjoy the show.
2. If it makes your toenail fall off, you probably need some neosporin and a band aid. Buy a colorful one, something that stands out against the black toenails.
3. If it makes you chafe, buy some Vaseline and rub it on your skin before a long run. Your clothes are rubbing against you. Not a big deal! You could even run naked if you would like.
4. If it makes your nose run, wipe it on a shirt. Some even shoot it out as they go. Seriously, running is no beauty pageant.  You get to look pretty after you are all cleaned up. For now, let it rip!
5. If it makes you fart, fart. Enough said.
6. If it rubs your nipples raw, cover them with Vaseline. It certainly isn’t any worse than those first few brutal weeks of breastfeeding!
7. If it gives you blisters, suck it up! That means you went further than you have been going, which is a source of accomplishment! Slap on a band aid (you may need another box if you are covering up the black and missing toenails as well) and keep running.
8. If it hurts, keep going. It will get better. It always does. The pain ends when the feet stop running, and then you hit clarity-so don’t give up!

Happy Pooping Running!

It has been cold here lately, down in the 20s in the early morning, up only to 40 in the afternoon. We’ve been spending a lot of time indoors, other than my four day a week running schedule. Since I run early morning, I’ve had to really layer up, and even my gloves are not match against the cold winds that have been blowing before the sun rises. My fingers remain frozen long after I’m inside and finished with my workout.

So today when the sun and the warmth made its appearance, I celebrated. Fridays I spend sleeping in (no 5AM workout for this gal!) and I do my workout at home in the day at some point when I have time. The workout consists of legs, core and back along with some stretches. Not much cardio, since I get enough of that the rest of the week.

Today, after stoppin gat the bookstore to do some research on a story I’m writing and to play trains with my daughter in the kid’s department, I asked my daughter if she wanted to ride her bike. Her answer: An emphatic YES! (Even she was tired of being indoors!)

So I pulled my yoga mat, stability ball, and weights downstairs and outside, and there on the driveway in the middle of the sunshine I did my workout!

Are you bored with your fitness routine? Looking for a change of pace? Want to incorporate your workout with some fun time with the kids?

Head outside!

We played hide and seek for a while. While I looked for my daughter (who cleverly hid, every single time, behind the car!) I did my lunges and calf raises (stand on feet flat against the ground, legs spread a little more than hip width apart: raise up onto toes, count to three, lower down.)

I did my crunches and core work on the mat while we also played in the dirt. Yes, it did get me a little dusty, but hey, there’s nothing like exercising AND smelling the fresh earth! Plus my daughter thought it was hysterical!

I did my shoulders while we hung out not doing much of anything. Since I didn’t completely finish the workout, now that they are at rest time I’m going to do a few more exercises.

It is possible to get your exercise in at odd hours of the day, and to do so in a fun way.

If you arehaving a difficult time getting motivated with your fitnress routine, chances are you are B-O-R-E-D!

Have you changed things up in a while, or are you still doing the same exercises you were doing as a junior in high school? (Oh, by the way, if you are, you need to make some changes-your body will stop responding if you go the same way, same time, same pace all of the time-switch it up-do a variety of ab exercises, changing out every few weeks-run fast one day, slow the next-you get my meaning!)

Just like with long runs, after a while they can become redundant. If this happens, do something new. Take a new path. Explore a different part of the city (or country, or beach, or trail). Run your same route backwards, opposite of what you typicall run.

Or simply take your weights, yoga mat, stability ball and toddler outside to play and exercise in the sun! I promise, after a few sets you will NOT be bored!

What do you do to change things up?

While visiting Runners World yesterday I saw a post about Kara Goucher (2:25 marathon, fastest debut for an American woman) wants to become a mom after she runs the Boston Marathon.

All I have to say is, Way to go Kara, way to go! (Oh, and damn I want those abs!)

I can imagine this is a huge adjustment. You know, you don’t have the time for a while to train, you get up at all hours, you are taking care of someone else-and they are now the priority. Sick kid + up all night = Not a guaranteed next day run.

This is all true, and I would never deny this. Last night I was up from 11:30-1:30 with my daughter, who woke and could not go back to sleep. I did everything: we walked, paced, sang, laid down together, she had some milk, I told her not to be scared of the dark, and then finally she did it-she went down (not without a few tears, unfortunately!)

This morning I felt like this:

But I still got up at 5 AM (4:50 to be exact, but feet didn’t hit our icy cold floor until ten minutes later!) and did 3 miles and then worked on core, stretching and arms.

It is doable. Does it mean making adjustments? Absolutely-but that’s just part of life.

We adjust when we get a dog. We adjust when we move to a new town. We adjust when we graduate from college, when we take on a new job, when we get married.

We definitely adjust when we have kids. So, this post is my advice to Kara. Of course, I doubt she’ll ever read my words, but maybe it will help other runners who are thinking about having or who are already with child!

1. Keep Running. Seriously, as long as your doctor gives you the okay, keep going. I did it until I was about 8 months pregnant (two weeks away from C section) with my second daughter. I didn’t run through the first pregnancy. The second was such a better pregnancy and recovery AND even though I gained the same amount of weight (40 lbs) I lost it more quickly the second time around! I think it was because I remained in shape throughout the pregnancy that this happened.
2. Be Flexible. As runners we sometimes have those rigid personalities-you know, gotta get that run in at 5 AM tomorrow or the world will end!   Understand that as a mother, particularly when kids are in the first year, you’ll have to be flexible. There are times you will be up ALL NIGHT LONG! You won’t WANT to run 5 miles at 5 AM, so you might have to nap when the baby does and then run it after.
3. Be Creative. Buy a jogger when the baby is old enough to ride (six months or so they recommend) and take nice jogs around the neighborhood a few times a week. Jog to a park, get out and play, do your core work and strength while playing, and then jog back to your car or to home. Get involved in running clubs with other moms in the area, or join a class for new moms that focuses on working out.

Running with a baby-and while pregnant-is doable.  While you may not feel like running for the first few months when you aren’t getting enough sleep, you should try to pick up a schedule as soon as you can. The running will give you time to reflect, and as always it is a great outlet, both physically and mentally, which is much needed when you have children! Plus you’ll get rid of those ice cream pounds much faster when your feet are pounding the pavement.

And you will find time to train. I ran a half marathon between baby #1 and number 2 and I ran a marathon one year and one month after my second daughter was born-then a second marathon 11 months later. I won’t say it was easy-peasy to train with two young tots in tow, and perhaps I was not as fast as I could have been, but that will come. Besides, who cares about making a PR when you have a little angelic babe by your side?

Go Kara! It will be the best race that you have ever run!

I’ve never been a super fast runner. My girlfriend does a marathon in 3:15, and I love her for it but I’ll see 3:15 in my dreams (only, most likely!) I’d like to go faster, though, so during this marathon training I started working on speed. I’m happy to say that it has paid off! I did my last 5K at an 8:20 pace and I was able to keep up a 9:15-9:20 pace for the start of the past marathon. Had my knee not given out I would have finished the race around 4:20, and that includes stopping for pictures and potty breaks, so I would have been completely happy with that.

I noticed notable improvement (thanks to my can’t-live-without Garmin!) during training and actually in the first part of the marathon as well, before the old knee decided to stop.

This morning I went on a four mile run, my first four miler since the marathon, and I’m happy to report the knee feels good! I came back and immediately rolled it, iced it and stretched it. I’m hoping to do three tomorrow and then at least 5, if not 7, on Saturday, so I can resume mileage on the weekend. I was able to do the four miles at a 9:20 pace.

So, what worked in terms of speed? This is the plan that I followed.

I do four runs each week. I do one back to back (my days are Wed and Thurs but I hope to make it Sat and Sun so I can do a short run after a really long run and get used to the miles, which might help marathon performance).

Monday is a 5 miler. I do this one at a comfortable pace, pushing myself at least 15 seconds faster than feels comfortable for at least three of the miles and then dropping back just a bit for the last two.

Wednesday is a 4-5 miler. I do this one a little slower at the start and then finish the last mile to two 15 to 30 seconds faster. I found this helped a lot during training because those last two miles I’m more tired and it trained my body to work through that fatigue and go faster than felt completely comfortable. I could talk if I wanted, so I was not full out these miles, but I wouldn’t carry on a long conversation at this pace.

Thursday I generally do a shorter sprint run followed by biking. I started this when I was training for a tri, and I think I will continue since I want to start tri training in the summer for the fall season. I would do a 2-3 mile run all out, as fast as I could go for as long as I could go. This was my plan: Run fast.

Saturday is my long run. I do anywhere from 10-20 miles and I do this at a slower pace, incorporating at least 15-30 seconds faster than normal/slower pace throughout the run.

Drills work well. I end my Wednesday run and spend at least half a mile to a mile doing all out drills, trying to get down into the 5 minute mile pace. A month or so before the marathon I stopped doing drills for fear of injury, but I will resume these again next week if the knee holds up.

If you have some tips for speed, please leave them!

See this girl? The agony? The defeat? The PAIN!? She paid at least $14 or so to feel this way. But you know what? Soon she will feel much, much better!

If you have yet to discover the wonders (and the pain!) of the foam roller, fork out $14 or so dollars to do so.

Here’s a photo of the real thing up close and personal:

Doesn’t look like much, now does it?

I have been running for 12 or so years now and until this past week had never used, or maybe even really seen, a foam roller. In fact, if I hadn’t gotten injured during the Disney marathon last Sunday I probably would still not know what one was. (I also wouldn’t have discovered the wonderful forum boards over at Runner’s World: If you haven’t, check them out when you get time.)

Then I got injured and was in a lot of pain and wasn’t sure what to do to make the pain go away. A few of the people posting at RW suggested purchasing and testing out the foam roller. Several said they had a lot of pain due to ITBS until they tried a foam roller.

So, I found one (after much searching and finally calling some Physical Therapy offices in town-one did sell them). I did find a few on Amazon, and one came with an exercise video that I considered buying, but with shipping and handling the cost of it would have been close to double what I paid in town. If you have a local sportings store you might want to try that. Even Target has them now (though they were out of them the day that I checked) for about $22, and it comes with a video as well.

Now that you have it, what do you do with it? You roll, baby!

This is the best technique I have found for my tight iliotibial band:

Quite frankly, it hurts. A lot. Especially in the beginning.

In fact, it hurts not only when you are rolling out the tight muscle but the next few days as your body adjusts to the massaging. You may feel bruised when you try to roll it out again. Don’t worry, as it does get better. You can take a day off in between if you want, which will give that area a rest. I did this in the beginning but I now do the foam roller twice a day: Once after I exercise/run/bike, and once at night.

So, is it working? Absolutely. After going only three miles of walk/jog last week (and mainly walking) I was able to run three miles today (with only walking about .25 of a mile!) I am not having pain in my knee anymore, though it does still feel tight. Interestingly enough when I roll it in a certain area on my thigh, I feel that tightness in my knee! So, I know that there is an area that is still quite tight that needs to be massaged out.

Many overuse injuries happen because of the tight band, and once you injure the IT band you should really rest, ice, and deal with the problem rather than run through it. If you don’t take care of what is wrong, it won’t get better.Unfortunately it is a pretty common complaint and can result in quite a lot of missed running time. If you are used to running high distances, it can be devastating to go to nearly none. Even if you only run 9 or 10 miles a week and you have to stop for a while to rest and ice, you’re going to feel it not only physically but up in your brain as well (you know as a runner-running keeps you mentally strong!)

I would suggest picking up one of these and using it daily after running and/or while stretching your body. You can use it not only on the IT band (though I would definitely use it here-even if you are not having problems now-to keep that area loose) but I have used it on my calf muscles, my lower back and the fronts of my legs as well. I’d be proactive about it-buy it and use it so that you don’t end up having an injury down the road that forces you to stop running and recover.

Any thoughts on foam rollers?

Stretches with Photos:

I had my husband take a few shots of me this morning after my run so that you could see the stretches that have worked the best. I have been doing these throughout the day. Definitely after a run, or bike, or anytime my muscles are warmed up. But I use them throughout the day here and there when I think about it. They can easily be done anywhere-office, home, I even did a few at the library when I took my kids for story time!

Chair Stretch:

This one is fantastic for the hip and IT area. You sit in a chair with your affected leg crossed over your other leg, the affected leg’s ankle area on the knee of the other leg. You then lean forward through your belly button (not just folding over). You’ll feel this very strongly in your hip area and the IT band area.

Correct Way:

Incorrect Way:

(My daughter wanted to be a part of this so in this blog post she will be demonstrating the incorrect way to do a sitting IT band stretch!)

Standing Stretch:

Stand with your affected leg slightly behind your good leg (and do this on both legs as a preventative stretch for future injuries!) Place your left hand on the wall and push out toward the affected leg slowlyl, feeling the stretch in that hip and IT area.

Folding Stretch:

Stand the same way, affected leg behind the good leg, and then fold over straight down. I keep my affected leg’s knee bent slightly-never do this with your knee hyperextended or you’re just asking for trouble! Go deep into the stretch. I also put my hands to the side of the affected leg and stretch this way, which can give you a chance to go even more deeply into the stretch.

Disclaimer:
I am not a doctor! I’m a runner who has had some issues with ITBS since the Disney marathon and these are things that worked for me. So, I’d suggest first if you have knee problems or pain that is severe, that leaves you unable to walk or get around properly, you see a doctor. If you are looking for some great stretches, these work wonders on that area!

Oh gosh! I can’t believe it! Last week this time I was around mile 13 or so. Before knee pain. Ah, bliss! It was such a good run up until mile 18!

It has taken this long for me to feel okay about how the race turned out. I tried toe xplain it to everyone-husband, mom, friends-but they don’t get it. They say, “You ran 26.2 miles! That’s fantastic!”

Yes it is and I get that-but the fact that my knee quit working after all of those long hours of training and preparation really STINKS!

Is this what makes a marathon runner? Someone competitive enough to run that damn far and then say, “It just wasn’t good enough?”

I’m already looking ahead at the next one. I’m hoping for one in six months, but it will depend on my knee.

Up to this point I have only ran/walked 9 miles this week. 9!! It seems so low! I’m getting bummed and want it to heal faster.

GO KNEE GO!

In the meantime we are going to walk around the flea market today-woot woot! It is cold out. Love it! Maybe I can do a Denver race in the early fall.

Happy Running Trails!

I am 6 days and counting to the Disney Marathon, 2009!

I can’t believe it is almost here.

Funny thing is, this time around, just like last, I got sick within the last few weeks of training AND I started to panic.

I called my mom. She said, “Are we still going?” She’s going to be here for this finale-she was unablet oa ttend last year’s big marathon event because she had a stroke. I ran that race for her and cried most of the way through. This time, she will be there.

“I don’t think I can do this,” I told her. I was staring at my running shoes trying to crunch the 26.2 numbers together in my head. “I really don’t think I can.”

“Sure you can.” She said, “You told me this last time. You couldn’t do it. And you did.”

I sighed. “Maybe I’ll just do a half marathon instead.”

“That’s what you said last time.”

“I haven’t felt well this week.”

“You got sick last time, too. Look, Kathy, you’ve trained for it. You can do it.”

I know. I know i can. I ran 19 miles a few weeks ago. But 26? I’d still have 7 to go! That number just sounds all too consuming and crazy to me right now. I have to think of it in stages. I’ll do 10, and then a half marathon. That’s not so bad. I run 10-13 miles every single Satruday and have done so now for about six months.

Once I get to the half I just have to get to 20. 16-20 are the hardest miles for me. So, I have been downloading new music to the Ipod to get me through. I put on “500 Miles” by the proclaimers (Come on, who couldn’t run to, “I would walk 500 miles and I would walk 500 more jus tot be the man who’d walk a thousand miles and fall down at your door DUH DUH DUH DUH!)

My family will be at the finish line this year. No one was last year, except for my cool neighbor Laura who showed up in the pouring rain. My youngest was only one and too young to be in the torrential downpour that was Surf City Marathon 2008. My husband was sick with the flu. So there was Laura, and she ran along with me for about a mile, that last mile, when I thought my legs might give.

This year, my family will be there, waiting!

So, as I sit around preparing for that big run I’m trying NOT to think about the actual mileage (26.2, holy shit, how did I think I could do that!) but instaed to focus on the fact that I did it once and, well, it will all fall into place next week.

In other news, I have really improved my running times during this training program. I shaved at least half a minute if not more off of every run, going from over 10 min. miles down to 9:23 (that’s about my average). Today I worked on cutting off another half minute. I don’t want to push myself this week but I did run at 9 minute miles and my goal is once the marathon is over I will continue to work on time.

I also have been resting a lot these past few weeks. I cut out my cup of afternoon coffee, and I am going to bed at 9 or 9:30 with my book (the entire town of where I am living is reading “To Kill a Mockingbird” so I am, too, and it is great!) and I’m asleep by 10. I figure I will get as much rest as I can get this last week since I won’t sleep before the race!

One downside-the race begins at 5:50 AM. Now, I am always out the door by 5:30 so thats no problem but you know how it is at races-long lines, long car lines, no parking, walk a mile to the start line. This means a wake time of before 4 so I can eat quickly (which I will do in the car) and drive into Disney and find parking, then walk to my starting corral.

This week I’m going to pick up a small disposable camera and take pictures along the race route. one blogger I love to follow does this, she captures shots in all races. She has a nice digital so her pictures are fantastic, but I hope that a small disposable will be fine. I’ll take shots of the characters and me and post some next week. I’ll show them to my daughters.

My four year old asked, “Why don’t I get to run with you? Why do I have to wait at the end?”

“It’s a really far way,”  I told her. She is my hyper one, the one with boundless energy who sooo reminds me of me when I was her age. “You’ll run with me one day, ” I promised.  We did that one kid run together. I told her for the next race I do (which may be a half in Jacksonville next month depending on how I feel after Sunday!) I will see if she can run, too. SHe enjoyed it that day.

Happy Running!